The second entry in developer Team Ninja's Soulslike series Nioh 2 is free this month for Playstation Plus subscribers, bringing with it all the challenging combat and Feudal Japan-inspired monstrosities that made the first entry successful. Nioh 2 doesn't re-write the book on Soulslikes, changing little about the original's formula and instead simply adding more weapon types, Yokai enemies, and Guardian Spirits.
These Guardian Spirits have passive and active bonuses that complement a player's choice of character build. Each Spirit can be unleashed with enough Anima built up, attacking enemies on its own while granting the player a significant stat buff. What that stat buff is can be crucial to how players engage in combat, as each Guardian Spirit is geared toward a different playstyle. These are the best Spirits in Nioh 2 for players taking an aggressive approach.
9 Yatagarasu
This three-eyed, three-footed raven found in "The Third World" side mission is built for players who like to combine ranged attacks with in-close melee brawling. It's especially effective for players who lean towards doing fire damage, but Yatagarasu adds 50 points of fire damage to all ranged attacks, so it's not essential for the rest of the build to focus on it as well.
Yatagarasu will grant a 20% chance to retain any ammo used in ranged attacks, so players embracing that element into their combat style is essential. Since those ranged attacks already do fire damage, this Spirit's 15% boost to melee damage against scorched enemies makes that incorporation worth it. Yatagarasu also increases Anima charge rate from cumulative damage, and fire damage just so happens to be cumulative.
8 Baku
Found by completing the "A Distant Dream" mission in "The First Samurai" DLC, Baku is a relatively similar offensive Spirit to Yatagarasu, but instead of fire damage, it focuses on Corruption. The Corruption status effect causes enemies to take increased Ki damage, making them become staggered sooner.
Baku grants Corruption accumulation to all the player's attacks and gives a 10% bonus to damage against corrupted enemies. He also gives a significant Anima Charge bonus for guarding and a 10% bonus to overall Anima Charge, allowing players to use their Yokai Shift and Guardian Spirit attacks more frequently.
7 Shirohami
Another similar Guardian Spirit, with this one focused on poison damage. The serpent Shirohami can be found by completing "The Viper's Sanctum (Awakening)" mission early in the game, but it is strong enough to carry players well into Nioh 2's later stages.
Shirohami's two main bonuses are its 15% increase in poison accumulation and its addition of 50 points of poison damage to a player's Yokai abilities. These two effects will make a poison character build significantly more deadly. Shirohami also grants 50 points of Life for every melee kill, encouraging players who use it to get in close and finish off any enemies they've poisoned before they succumb to the status effect.
6 Hyobishin
One of the coolest Spirits in Nioh 2 from a visual standpoint, Hyobishin is a huge black panther that can be found simply by starting the "Pervading Waters (Dawn)" mission. This Spirit is particularly beneficial to players who use the Dual Swords or Splitstaff weapons.
That is because Hyobishin has a 20% chance to dispel negative status effects when a strong attack hits an enemy. The Dual Swords and Splitstaff both have strong attacks that can hit multiple times, with each hit receiving that same 20% chance. Hyobishin also grants an attack bonus based on how much Amrita players have collected, favoring players that kill more enemies in a short span before leveling up. It also grants an 18% damage bonus to all Yokai abilities as the cherry on top.
5 Shin-Roku
The "holy deer" Shin-Roku can be found by completing the "Horns on Head Dragonfly in Hand" mission and acts similarly to previously mentioned Guardian Spirits by significantly benefiting character builds focused on lightning damage. The reason it ranks higher than those other Spirits is that it also has some of the best Anima boosts in the game.
Shin-Roku's 15% boost to lightning damage coupled with its Guardian Spirit skill which deals a ton of lightning damage is already a devastating combination. When paired with Ame-no-Mitori, that lightning damage boost jumps to 30%. Shin-Roku also increases Anima Charge by electrifying enemies, guarding, and staying at full health, allowing players to pull out their Guardian Spirit skills and Yokai Shift more regularly. This Spirit also grants 50 points of Life with every strong attack, helping players maintain that full health bonus it provides.
4 Itokuri
This creepy little spider Spirit is found by completing the "Master of the Three Evils" mission. Itokuri is typically used for players trying to farm items, but it provides a pair of bonuses so potent that it makes a perfect companion for players with an aggressive playstyle.
Both those bonuses have to do with paralysis accumulation. Itokuri increases overall paralysis accumulation by 15% and also adds it to all Yokai abilities. When an enemy becomes paralyzed, it opens them up to a ton of burst damage while they are immobile. This can even work on bosses, and players with fast weapons like the Dual Swords can hand out a massive amount of damage before the effect wears off.
3 Nekomata
By far the easiest Guardian Spirit on this list to acquire, Nekomata will become available to the player as soon as they enter the Twilight area, which is accessible once players hit level 14. Nekomata is a cute little cat with an eyepatch and a purple scarf. What's not to like?
This Spirit is the best option for players who want to spam their Yokai abilities without fear of burning through their Anima. Nekomata charges Anima with every hit from a throwing weapon or a Ninjutsu attack, as well as any cumulative damage the player deals. Then, it also buffs Yokai ability damage by 20%, so spamming those attacks becomes even more beneficial. The cyclical nature of Nekomata's bonuses allows players to rely on a consistent, easily accessible playstyle that deals large amounts of damage with very little risk.
2 Atlas Bear
Atlas Bear is a bear wearing a frilly collar. This entry could end right here because that's just the cutest thing ever, but Atlas Bear does offer more than good looks. It can be acquired by completing "The Warrior (Dawn)" side mission.
Atlas Bear is a risk-reward Guardian Spirit. It has the highest melee damage boost of any Spirit in the game, but activating that boost comes at a cost. It will increase melee damage by 15% when players are below 50% Ki and increase it by 25% when players are at 0 Ki. That means players using this Spirit need to be hyper-aggressive, attacking constantly and never letting their Ki fully recharge while in combat. This risk is offset somewhat by Atlas Bear providing another bonus that shortens the time players are winded by depleting their Ki, but it still means that players have to leave themselves vulnerable in order to deal maximum damage.
1 Tengen Kujaku
The peacock Spirit, found by completing "The Demon King's Blade" side mission (and defeating Nobunaga Oda, no big deal), is the most versatile Guardian Spirit in Nioh 2. Regardless of playstyle, Tengen Kujaku has a bonus that will be hugely beneficial to any player using it.
This Spirit provides a different bonus depending on if the player is in high, medium, or low combat stance. High stance grants a 15% damage boost, while medium stance grants a boost to defense, and low stance grants a boost to Ki recovery. Tengen Kujaku also has the most powerful Guardian Spirit skill available, dealing a huge amount of fire, water, or lightning damage, although the element it chooses is random. Its bonuses can all be increased via Talismans or activated simultaneously with Onmyo magic. It also makes every Sensor ability activate at once, allowing players to find items, enemies, and Kodama with ease.
Nioh 2 was released on March 12th, 2020, and is available on PS4, PS5, and PC. It can be downloaded for free by Playstation Plus subscribers throughout November 2022.