Players in Nioh 2 take on the role of the Shiftling, a half-Yokai, named Hide as he journeys through the Sengoku Era. In this Nioh prequel, players eventually find themselves crossing paths with warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and would be instrumental in his rise through the ranks. However, things seem amiss when Feudal Japan is suddenly overcome with multiple yokai infestations, some of which have secrets regarding Hide’s true origins.
As players fight numerous deadly monsters, they slowly get in touch with their Yokai abilities. Given their nature as Shiftlings, players also get access to Shiftling Skills, Yokai abilities that help them outlast much tougher foes. However, just which Shiftling Skills work best for Nioh 2 players?
10 Earth Vein
When a player of an RPG like Nioh 2 thinks of a “useful” ability, chances are they might think of something aggressive or offensive that can kill opponents quickly. However, true RPG savants know that sometimes the best abilities come in the form of stat augments. After all, what better way to eliminate foes than ensuring even the most mundane of attacks can dish out mean damage? In the context of Nioh 2, maxing out Earth Vein can give players a huge advantage in combat.
At its core, Earth Vein boosts a player’s maximum Anima. This essentially allows players to use more of their Yokai Skills but with the benefit of getting less downtime, since they now have more Anima left to spare. This benefit might seem simple at first, but a player with Earth Vein at maximum can use much deadlier Yokai Skills without worrying about running out of resources.
9 Dragon Vein
Sometimes, one of the best ways for players to maximize their character builds in an RPG like Nioh 2 is to match skills and weapons with each other, creating seamless combos that are geared towards eliminating foes or even boosting a player’s overall performance. Dragon Vein does the latter, as it essentially boosts a player’s Anima-regeneration rate by as much as 3% and increases per level.
At first glance, this seems like a rather simple regeneration buff. However, when paired with a skill like Earth Vein that increases max Anima, Dragon Vein works as a decent supplementary skill to ensure players have all the Anima they need to release Yokai Skills and regenerate said Anima so they can use their rotations much faster.
8 The Dark Within
Extradimensional realms became a unique feature of Nioh 2 gameplay that spiced things up outside conventional Souls-like combat. One such realm is the Dark Realm, mission areas that not only have a unique greyed-out aesthetic, but also rather intense debuffs. Not only do players suffer from severe Ki recovery, Yokai gets damage and defense boosts. Such is the deadliness of the Dark Realm that even bosses may be able to transform their own areas into them, putting the player in peril. Thankfully, the Dark Within may help players survive just that.
With this ability active, players now enjoy a 15% less penalty to their Ki recovery. This might not seem much, but this gives players a ton more incentive to prolong their stay in the Dark Realm without having to deplete their Ki recovery item reservoir, giving them more room to play around with their skills and their Onymo Magic.
7 Dark Vitality
Again working with the idea of complementary skills in Nioh 2, a good pairing to counter the Ki recovery deficiency in the Dark Realm would be Dark Vitality. This time around, players who use this ability will now enjoy at least 10% more health recovery while in the Dark Realm. Although not as “complementary” to the Ki recovery relief provided by the Dark Within, Dark Vitality at least ensures players have a fighting chance while recovering their energy.
With Dark Vitality, players now have an incentive to use more lifesteal-related abilities within the Dark Realm. This is especially useful considering players have much limited Ki reserves compared to the usual level, forcing them to be more economical with their rotations. Ensuring that players at least recover health much faster can improve their chances of survival.
6 Special Finesse: Recuperate
It’s one thing for players of Nioh 2 to keep their cool throughout a combat situation, and another thing entirely to know what they’re doing even when they’re at a severe disadvantage. Having a player at extremely low health leaves them prone to panicking, which is what enemies want to finally land the finishing blow. Thanks to Special Finesse: Recuperate, players may be rewarded by keeping their cool even in dire situations.
At its core, Recuperate gives players at least 20% of their Health when performing the Anima-based Burst Counter at dangerously-low health levels. This ability is extremely useful in the context of intense combat, as players will likely find themselves in low-health situations more often than desired. A guaranteed heal-upon-Burst Counter skill is an incentive for players to learn how to play more efficiently.
5 Desperate Strike
Custom Active Skills are another unique component introduced in Nioh 2 that further personalized gameplay for players. This mechanic allowed players to further augment their existing skills with various buffs ordinarily not found in their original form, allowing certain abilities to fit precisely with the player’s playstyle.
Desperate Strike is an example of one such Shiftling Skill, where using Custom Active Skill with this ability may give players of dangerously low health (30% or lower) as much as 30% of their damage dealt in health. When used properly, the right skill can transform Desperate Strike into a healing ability, boosting a player’s survivability at a much higher rate especially in tougher areas and against deadlier foes.
4 Special Finesse: Refresh
Given the rather combo-intensive nature of Nioh 2 gameplay, players who strive to finish the game need not just learn how to engage enemies in combat efficiently, but also make sure they know which skills to use in any situation. Thanks to special Finesse: Refresh, players get incentivized for being a bit flashier regarding their choice of defensive maneuvers.
At its core, Refresh gives players at least 40% of their Ki after performing a Burst Counter, an Anima-empowered counterattack that differs in effect depending on the Guardian Spirit equipped. Compared to Recuperate, Refresh incentivizes proper movement by rewarding players with more room to make more tactical decisions. Thanks to the Ki return, players can decide whether it’s more appropriate to dish out more attacks or evade without having to worry about resources.
3 Leechkin
Considering the depth and difficulty of Nioh 2 gameplay across the game’s overall playthrough, players would likely get daunted at the idea of having to constantly be on their guard as there’s a limited supply of health restoration items out there. Not with Leechkin, especially since this Shiftling Skill essentially restores 3% of the player’s health whenever their Yokai Skill damages an opponent.
While the overall health boost Leechkin gives doesn’t seem big at first, players can tie Leechkin to a Yokai Skill-focused build to maximize its benefits. Even then, just integrating Leechkin into a build can give players much-needed emergency heals in the thick of combat, since this does add to their overall sustain capabilities.
2 Soul Atrophy
In Souls-like games such as Nioh 2, players understand that a lot of winning has to do with proper timing and execution. One missed sword strike or one wrong dodge can mean death for a player, especially against bosses. However, what players often forget is that enemies and creatures in Nioh 2 also likely function under the same mechanics. This is especially proven by Soul Atrophy, a Shitfling Skill that reduces the enemy’s maximum Ki by 3% whenever players use Yokai Abilities.
At first glance, such a skill might seem a bit minuscule given the small number of maximum Ki depleted from the enemy. However, when used in succession and in prolonged combat, players can see a noticeable difference in the frequency of an enemy hit and their attempts at dodging. When used properly, bosses may even have to take breaks between their otherwise fast-paced rotations, giving players more room for a counterattack.
1 Curative Cores
Given how frequently Yokai become enemies in Nioh 2 gameplay, players may even compare the game to an action-oriented monster-hunting game. And when players defeat Yokai, they often drop Soul Cores that symbolize the life they’ve led in the real world. With Curative Cores, players get an additional benefit when attaining a Soul Core.
When Curative Cores is used, players get 40% of their health back after attaining a Soul Core. This is extremely useful for boosting a player’s sustains, especially when running the gauntlet or going through a tough level in the game. Any ability that gives instant curative benefits after repetitive actions is a great way of adding durability to players.
Nioh 2 is currently available on the PS4, PS5, and PC.