Pocket Guide to Nioh

SO YOU WANT TO PLAY SOME FUCKING NIOH

Nioh is an action-adventure game devloped by TeamNinja in 2017 / 2020 yadda yadda whatever they're the guys who made Ninja Gaiden and it shows. You're here because you've beaten Dark Soulsborne Ringkiro; and Nioh is almost everybody's first stop after FromSoft's lineup, and for very good reason.
Or at least it should be, most other soulslikes are shit with far less exceptions than you'd like to see. Turns out, being a good Soulslike isn't just difficulty + dropping EXP on the ground when you die, it's still gotta be a good game or something.

Nioh trades the interconnected worlds you're familiar with in Soulslikes, and gives you something new and innovative that few FromSoft games dared to tread.
Gameplay... with depth?!...
On top of the usual boss rigmarole (see, i can use long words). You play as a Samurai (which is the east asian word a for knight), except it's a white guy and/or a woman (i shiggydiggy in 2); and basically you can do cool combos as shit and have to actually bother managing your stamina as a resource, even if you're not running a Greatshield (which you can't anyways because Samurai were strictly limited by a local climate of resource scarci- were stupid and didn't use them + only used swords with half a blade to them).

~

Step -1 : Which should I play first?

Nioh 1, then Nioh 2.

>"but I heard Nioh 2 is the le better game?!"
Yes, and you're still going to play Nioh 1 first because like Terminator 2, Gremlins 2, Die Hard 2, Dark Souls 2 or Home Alone 2; part of why it's good is that it builds up on what the already solid first entry first lays down, so you better eat your fucking veggies first. Nioh 1 is the one that best eases you into the combat, has the stronger earlygame and has a few less mechanics for you to juggle that will distract you from learning it.
If you're in it for one game, you're in it for both + DLC's and fuck off it's not like you've got anything else better to play.

They are a duology of games with the second one's story based off of the first. Play them in order. Case closed + dismissed + don't talk back to me dipshit.

Play / Watch Order

1. Nioh 1
2. Hyouge Mono
3. Nioh 2 (up to the DLC)
4. Hyouge Monogatari
5. Nioh 2 DLC

Step 0 : /his/tory and who the fuck the big names are.

Before you even begin to play Nioh, to get the most out of it, first of all you're going to sit the fuck down and read a book.

For some, this may be the most difficult challenge Nioh has to offer.

The setting of this game is the Sengoku Era / Feudal Period of Japan, and almost every character in Nioh is directly or loosely based off of their historical counterpart; and the game is so detailed that even NPC graves are in reference to various minor names and some of their more notable (or funny) deaths. The two games are a massive homage to Japanese History and Mythology, and you would be doing yourself a disservice trying to play them without at least a basic understanding of the period. This isn't a FromSoft game where you want to be figuring out the story of the game as you go along; Nioh kinda expects you to know who is who, while also being a good introduction to the setting itself.

Don't worry, this isn't going into weebshit - first and foremost, Nioh is a war drama with fantasy elements. Weebshit stuff is based off of the period, not the other way around. We're heading into the based realm of /his/, and not the cringe realm of /a/.

The Sengoku Era in a Nutshell.

The Year is 1550.
The Americas were semi-recently discovered, and it was only a few decades beforehand that some dudes managed to sail around the Earth.
In North Europe, the Protestant Reformation was well underway; while in South Europe the Renaissance was well underway. And as was the norm in European history, Empires were at each other's throats - namely the British Empire of the Tudor-Elizabethan Era (high off of the War of the Roses & Hundred-Years-War / Unification of Britain; after the Judeo-Christian Catholic Normans had nearly entirely taken them over) and the Spanish Empire of Golden Age of Phillip II (high of the Reconquista / re-Unification of Spain, after the Islamic Caliphates had nearly entirely taken them over).

But rival-empires are big. And dangerous. And require resources to defeat.
And so, the attention of the European Old-World turned to the New World of the West and beyond - because why bother taking chunks out of your rival next door, when there's free real estate and unallied foreign powers ripe for the taking? With international diplomacy, the early bird catches the worm; and harassing exploration expeditions and merchant trading ships is far easier than crashing Armadas into each other.

And with this movement in the world

With the uptick in international ; attentions were turning away from each other, and towards all the free, uninhabited land that

Having semi-recently gotten over the Heian, the Genpei War (the latter part of which is covered in Nioh 2's DLC1), Japan is in an awkward spot. Previously, they had a Supreme Emperor of Divine Right that ruled over the isles; but after years of slow political erosion and power-leasing, that all came to an end. The Emperor would rule by divine right, and was the ceremonial leader; while the Shogun was the military leader and "real" ruler, under the guise of doing the dirty work that was below the Emperor's station.

that had all crumbled away, leaving every region of Japan working as a semi-autonomous state. And everybody was at each other's throats - with the only preventing force being that attacking one neighbour would leave you vulnerable to everyone around you in turn invading you. Times were turbulent.
And as you would expect, as clans began to fall to each other, and make gains, Warlord arose. Feudal Japan was marked with many minor wars in a massive game of political and military bullshit; because everybody wants to rule the world.
The first major warlord to arise was a man by the name of Oda Nobunaga. A ruthless and charismatic figure, he was your textbook warlord. Aggressive, innovative.Another mark of his reign was his previously unheard-of taste for foreign goods. Be it Indian Elephants, Dutch-style Ships, French Armour, African Slaves or Spices from the New World; Nobunaga loved it all. And his favourite toy from across the pond? Guns. Nobunaga was already , was like, well, bring a gun to a swordfight.

And so with the collapse of Nobunaga, the already shaky shituaton was once again thrown into turmoil. The clans were united under Nobunaga, not his court, and so politics and warfare churned once again. While Nobunaga's conflict was mostly militarial, this one bought a new facto into the equation - politics.
And who better to play a game of politic, than the next Unifier of Japan - Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi was possibly the antithesis of a Shogun. He was short, weak, looked a bit weird, and was often commented on as being somewhat foolish and earned himself the nickname Saru / Monkey. He was a bad general, he rarely got along with advisors and to top it all off, he did not come from a noble family.
So how does such a man become the most powerful man in Japan?
Money. Hideyoshi was an economic and mercantile genius; with charisma and political edge to boot. He won a trade victory so hard, that he could buy-out his enemies, and import the finest quality equipment for his own men. Mercenaries, advisors on a payroll.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the final Unifier. He was an older, more careful man. Having served in both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi's court, he was extremely experienced. Cold, calculating, cunning; where Nobunaga bruteforced his way into ruling a nation, and Hideyoshi bought it out; Ieyasu successfully figured out that the only task that needed doing was stability.

To this day, there is an adage in Japanese politics, describing a politician's policy, based on how they would make a bird sing. This is based off of a parable of the Sengoku Era, of the same conundrum. Nobunaga threatens to kill the bird, Hideyoshi bribes and coerces the bird, while Ieyasu sits down and waits until the bird decides to sing by itself.

For the setting of the games, Nioh 1 cuts in on the near-end of Ieyasu's unification - with the main crux of the game being the buildup to the mega-final-battle of Sekigahara and the final battle of unification, the Siege of Osaka in the DLC.
Nioh 2 is a prequel, but you don't need to know the details past that, since i. Nioh 2's DLC covers the Genpei War, and finally goes full-fiction for the final DLC, based off of numerous old myths, such as Momotaro or .

###Characters

####William Adams

The Protagonist of Nioh 1, based off of none other than William Adams.
Born in Kent (just South-East of London)

Nioh opts for William to instead come from an Irish background, for a smoother link to his Guardian Spirit that's seen on the cover art, a Celtic Fae by the name of Saoirse {TL: Freedom}, a Merrow (Irish Mermaid) that enables him to resurrect himself ad infinum, at the cost of his previous worldly possessions, as well as auto-translating different languages for him.
Also, if you haven't yet realised, William is a fucking ultrachad. Code:Vein might have the prettyboys, but William is far and away the man's man of the genre, even at least at the level of Dark Souls 2's Faraam Armor protagonist. The only reason he's not making moves on all the hot babes that TeamNinja surrounded him with, is because he's already in a long-term with Saoirse; his surrogate mother/sister/daughter. Don't worry, he gets the girls anyways, just later on, after his main girl is safe.

hes literallyme

Oda Nobunaga, The Dragon
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, The Monkey
Tokugawa Ieyasu, The Racoon

Family name first

Nioh because you are defending the Unifiers

Japanese Mythology in a Nutshell.

To keep this quick; the game will hand-hold you through all the cool monsters, with the beastiary telling most of what you could want to know. On the other hand, while you could enjoy the God of War trilogy without knowing whata Chimera is, it does helpif you have a basic understanding of the mythological stuff.

The Year is -XXXXXXXXX.
Having semi-recently come into existence

Further Reading, for the Based Patrician

• Heike Monogatari
  You're going to watch this entire thing, purely so you understand the first level and boss of Nioh 2 DLC 1, and a single recurring enemy in both games, based off of the same person the main character is based off of. Take this advice from your old pal Anon, it's context, and it's ludokino. It also covers the entire Genpei war that preceeded the events of the Sengoku period, but that's less relevant, even if it's more historically important. It's a show about playing a discount asian guitar, the same way Game of Thrones is a show about a game of thrones.
• Hyouge Mono
  You're going to watch this entire thing, then maybe read the comics if you can be bothered, just so you understand the crazy spider tea guy, one NPC in Nioh 2 that makes a tiny appearence, and why the games have an obsession with FVCKING TEA CADDIES FVCK YEAH. Take this advice from your old pal Anon, it's ludokino. It's a show about teamaking, the same way that Thunderbolt Fantasy is a show about puppets. Also the cool intro got changed because the singer got sent down to prison for drugs charges, which are a big deal in jappon.

New Player Tips

Elementally, Water is treated as Ice, which is why Fire is supereffective against Water.
The Walls have eyes. Literally. Emote in front of them and you can
Any damage from behind benefits from the Backstab multiplier - this includes if enemies are flat on the ground.

/k/: Your Weapon, Your Stats and (You)

Another area Nioh deviates from the traditional soulslike is with it's complex weapon mechanics. And to facilitate those mechanics, you're going to need to get Skill Points, which you get from Weapon Mastery.
While it is pretty easy to max out proficiency in lategame missions and NG+ cycles to clean up useful Skill Points that are cross-weapon-type; for your first go of the rodeo you're going to want to predominantly stick to a single Primary weapon type and single Secondary weapon type. But this is no Soulslike in that regard either - you have 7 stats to choose from, and each weapon type scales with 3 of them at any one time.
For example, in Souls, an Axe is typically STR-ended, while a Spear is typically DEX (or Quality). Aside from Magic, STR and DEX are the only two damage stats you need to care about. If you find a STR-scaling Spear, you can put it in your pocket and use it alongside your STR-scaling Axe.
In Nioh, Axes scale primarily off of your are tied to your Strength (your Equipment Load), while Spears scale off of Body (Health). There are no damage stats, because all your stats are damage stats, on top of their main benefits. As such, an Axe user will always have a shitton of Equipment Load and will always be able to use heavy armor with fastrolls, while a Spear user has a healthbar the size of the boss's.
All weapons have one primary scaling stat and two minor scaling stats - this is what makes up your weapon-pairs. Damage scaling is linear, so you're always going to want to pump your main damage stat to the maximum, before moving onto a lesser scaling stat. Going back to our example, a Spear will scale best with Body, but has minor scaling in Heart and Strength. You're going to want your secondary weapon to be something that benefits from your primary damage stat, as one of it's secondary scaling stats - in this case, a Spear Primary is best paired with either an Axe, a Kusarigama or a set of Tonfa. You can only use one weapon at a time, so don't bother levelling two at once.

Your damage stat is important, but this is secondary to your base spread. You will always want to consider the major softcaps, and Dexterity / Magic / Spirit are mandatory to get to a level you're comfortable with, as they dictate what Ninjutsu, Onmyo you get to bring along
In Nioh 1, you also want to get Spirit levelled. You don't need to know the details; but in short, before the softcap it's going to unlock all the Guardian Spirit skills, and after the softcap you're going to be at a point in the game where it's the only thing that's going to keep you alive and not be immediately shattered out of your Living Weapon.

What each weapon does, plays like and is good at

• Swords

  • Very clear pet in terms of balance - high amount of unique skills and bonuses
  • Gameplay features jack-of-all trades attacks, with low recovery windows and a slight focus on Parries. Loop focuses on regular high-damage intitations, and quick disengages; with good ability to circle around an enemy. Definitely has more of an advantage vs Human enemies that are vulnerable to timed Parries and dodges, than Yokai who will ignore the fancy crap and delete you.
• Dual Swords
  • Tied highest Block stat of all weapons. Can reasonably hit the hardcap of 80.
• Spears
  • Gameplay features ultra-safe dash pokes, with tall or sweeping attacks.
• Splitstaff
• Axes
  • Highest Break stat of all weapons
  • Gameplay features ultra-safe dash pokes, with tall or sweeping attacks.
• Kusarigamas

• Odachis

  • Gameplay features stance-switch heavy combo gameplay; rapidly shifting between Low, Medium and High.
• Tonfas
  • Highest hits per Second
  • Tied highest Block stat of all weapons. Can reasonably hit the hardcap of 80.
  • Gameplay features ultra-fast attacks with the highest potential hits-per second on Demon Dances. Ultra high overall Ki Damage, specialists at dealing with Humans and scoring Criticals.

• Hatchets

  • Gameplay features the most focus on ranged attacks and non-close-combat movement; with ultra-safe sprinting throws, charged throws, throws that lock an enemy in place, etc.
• Switchglaives
• Fists

Stats, Softcaps and their Weapons

In order of how well they work together

Nioh 1:
Body:
Primary = Spear
Secondary = Tonfa (C+) -> Axe (D+) / Kusarigama (D+), Rifle
Heart:
Primary = Sword, Bows
Secondary = Dual-Swords (D+), Odachi (C+)
Stamina:
Primary = Cannons
Secondary = Axe (C+), Odachi (C-D)
Strength:
Primary = Axe, Odachi
Secondary = Sword (C-D), Dual-Swords (D+)Spear (C)
Skill:
Primary = Dual-Swords, Tonfa, Rifle
Secondary = Sword (C) Spear (C) Kusarigama (C+), Bow (C+) ,Cannon
Dexterity:
Primary = Kusarigama
Secondary = Tonfa, Bow (D+), Rifle, Cannon
Magic:
Primary = None
Secondary =
Spirit: 34
Primary = None
Secondary = All weapons use this stat, and lategame you want this levelled as much as your secondary damage stat.

Nioh 2:
Constitution (Body):
Primary = Spear
Secondary = Tonfa -> Axe / Kusarigama
Heart:
Primary = Sword
Secondary = Dual-Swords (D+)
Courage:
Primary = Sword
Secondary = Dual-Swords (D+)
Stamina:
Primary =
Secondary =
Strength:
Primary =
Secondary = Sword (C-D), Dual-Swords (D+)Spear (C)
Skill:
Primary = Dual-Swords
Secondary = Sword (C) Spear (C)
Dexterity:
Primary =
Secondary =
Magic:
Primary =
Secondary =

Softcaps

Nioh 1:
Body
Heart
Stamina
Strength
Skill
Dexterity
Magic
Spirit (34 = All Spirit Perks)

Break
Block
Toughness
Agility

Nioh 2:
Constitution (Body)
Heart
Courage
Stamina
Strength
Skill
Dexterity
Magic

Break - No hardcap.
Block - No softcap, hardcap at 80.
Toughness - Tiers at 0 / 100 / 200 (/ 350). Either you have 0 Toughness or 200 Toughness; all other tiers are worthless.
Agility - Tiers at (20% /) 30% / 70% / 100%. 70% is easy to get and usable, 30% is really nice but not needed, 20% is even nicer if you can run it but still not needed.

This is what now feeds into your "builds". Stats are almost irrelevant. Each has a few major softcaps you're gonna want to hit, but after that, a build is just hitting the hardcap for your primary damage stat. Equipment is where the meat of your build is created.

will also benefit from - so if you pump Body, Axes, Kusarigama and Tonfa

Fantastic Secret Skills and Where to Find Them

Bosses can drop ultra-super-duper-secret skills. Key word being "can". As in, sub-1%. All these skills require slog-tier grinds, even with a flawless Luck setup. I'll let you know if they're worth it or not in advance.
The only thing that increases your chance is primarily Item Drop Rate & possibly Luck.

• Sword
  • Dragon Fang: Saito Yoshitatsu - A direct upgrade to your Critical; that substantially charges Anima for a very small windup increase. Good, but in competition with Izuna Drop.
  • Izuna Drop: Ren Hayabusa - Guaranteed drop, so no grind needed. Unlike other Criticals, this one does not pause your Ki regeneration, enabling infinites vs Humanoid enemies, provided you break their Ki before you run out of your own. Usually the better option compared to Dragon Fang (plus no grind), but it's up to you.
  • Kurama Sword Dance: Minamoto no Yoshitsune
  • Reverse Impact: Fujiwara no Chikata (A Spirit's Return only)
  • Severing Spin: Minamoto no Yorimitsu
  • True and Through: Azai Nagamasa
• Dual Swords
  • Double-Headed Slice: Tokichiro (Boss)
  • Dragon Claw: Saito Yoshitatsu - A direct upgrade to your Critical; that substantially charges Anima for a very small windup increase. No reason not to grind for this if you're invested in Dual Swords.
  • Punish the Proud: Imagawa Yoshimoto
  • Ultimate Sign of The Cross: Tokichiro (Boss)
• Spear
  • Bracing Breeze: Maeda Toshiie
  • Triple Threat: Maeda Toshiie
• Axe
  • Spirit Storm: Obsidian Samurai
• Kusarigama
  • Second Wind: Hachisuka Koroku
  • Water Drop: Hachisuka Koroku
• Odachi
  • Dragon Horn: Saito Yoshitatsu - A direct upgrade to your Critical; that substantially charges Anima for a very small windup increase. No reason not to grind for this if you're invested in Odachi.
  • Swirling Snow: Magara Naotaka
• Tonfa
  • Storm of Strikes: Hattori Hanzo
• Hatchet
  • Deadly Spiral: Shibata Katsuie - Skip this one. Replaces your Heavy Charge with a spinning charge that ends with your Hatchets spinning around you. Leaves you very vulnerable, wants a dedicated build and even then, the only stance you're replacing your Throw on is Mid-stance, making it extremely limited and can whiff the flow of Hatchet gameplay.
• Switchglaive
  • Arc of Chaos: Tate Eboshi
  • Fleeting Edge: Mumyo
  • Windswept: Imagawa Yoshimoto
• Splitstaff
  • Roar Power: Benkei - Highest damage attack you have access to. No reason not to grind for this if you're invested in Splitstaff.
• Samurai
  • Sacred Bird Cry: Minamoto no Yoshitsune
  • Sacred Bird Flight: Minamoto no Yorimitsu - Massive mobility that fluidly chains from every possible combo in the game, and available to every weapontype in the game. Not the highest damage, not completely safe and can over-extend easily; but if you're not using your Block-Heavy input, absolutely worth the grind.
• Fist Skills
  • Tiger Claws: Ren Hayabusa
  • Izuna Drop: Ren Hayabusa - Guaranteed drop, so no grind needed. Unlike other Criticals, this one does not pause your Ki regeneration, enabling infinites vs Humanoid enemies, provided you break their Ki before you run out of your own.
• Ninjutsu Skills
  • Exorcist Blade: Ren Hayabusa
  • Flame Dragon: Ren Hayabusa
  • Umbral Bullet: Ren Hayabusa
• Onmyo Magic Skills
  • Luminous Blade Talisman: Ashiya Doman - It's shit chief.
• Shiftling Skills
  • Brutal Combustion / Ferocious Gale / Phantasmic Burst: Otakemaru (The First Samurai) - Direct upgrades to the charge attacks in your Brute / Feral / Phantom states. Absolutely brutal grind (since each drops independantly, and they seem to have a drop rate ~1/3rd of the usual rate), but every possible build benefits in some way. If you have time, they're there, but don't prioritise them unless you're running a dedicated Yokai Shift build in which case..... man I'm so sorry bro, but you ain't avoiding this grind.

/fa/, and how to painlessly clean up your loot

Nioh is often criticised for it's complex loot management, netting it comparisons to Diablo; but in reality, it's far less daunting than it actually is.
Namely, because none of it fucking matters until you get a very specific and powerful Talisman starts appearing; the Yasakani Magatama. And very little of the Yasakani-tier loot stuff matters until you roll the Yasakani Perk on non-Yasakani gear. Once those fuckers start dropping in the lategame / postgame / DLC is when you need to start paying more attention. You will know when you've got a Yasakani Magatama, because you will casually scrolling through your menus, stumble across it, and promptly say to yourself;

"Holy fucking shit, that's strong"

Until then, it's literally just a case of equipping what looks cool and has the biggest Damage / Defense number, while sitting on an Agility / dodgeroll tier you're comfortable with, and a Toughness / Poise tier you're comfortable with. It's really that simple. Even set bonuses barely matter, and with how fast loot gets better, going for bonuses will actually put you behind.

Pre-Yasakani's

Just disassemble all the shit you don't need for now. Pick everything you find in a mission up and ignore it as you go, use disassembly as your excuse to scour through your loot between missions, and equip any armor / weapons you think looks better or sound cool. Do it regularly - the more you keep on top of it, the easier and faster it is to manage.
The reason you're disassembling is

1. For materials (Nioh 1 & Nioh 2).
   These cost which cost far more than they should if you buy them directly, can only be bought directly in limited amounts. While you won't need all of the different types of materials.... you'll definitely burn through one type of material (which you won't know this early on) if you plan on doing some forging and rolling for a Forging-Perk a few times.
2. For Umbracite (Nioh 2).
   There's no "easy" way to buy-out Umbracite, no easy way to grind out Umbracite aside from your current method of disassembling low-end loot... and you're gonna need a metric ton of it later on for Custom Armor Perks. The only two ways to obtain high-end Umbracite by default is either by getting 8-10 per day (as in a 24 hour cycle) through the two Daily Twilight Missions on every difficulty; or, as the last DLC thankfully enabled, forging 10 Umbracite Fragments (default disassemblies) in with 99 pieces of Divine Fragments (Divine / Ethereal disassemblies).

Start now, makes it all more painless later on.

You can sell instead, but long-term you're gonna more off of one Mission in DotN / NG++++ than your entire DotSam / first playthrough (aka it's just a waste of time as your income scales up), and money buys you almost nothing of value this early on (the Kodama shop in the shrine has you back here). Money is primarily for multi-billion yen Soul Fusions, and for buying in Materials if the Blacksmith ever sells them in her Special Finds, and you're definitely not gonna be doing either of those for a while.

Congratulations, you have now mastered the "difficult" inventory management of basegame Nioh 1 & 2.

Post-Yasakani

Building for WotD / DotD

Well shit.
You've beaten the game, and now you're going to have to think about making a build. Loot is going to begin to stabilise, and difficulty is going to fucking skyrocket. That said, it still pretty forgiving - you might not just be able to wing it with what you pick up, but you can just wing it for whatever build you run with.

Building for WotN / DotN & THE ABYSS (dun dun dun...)

Grace Time.
The game doesn't fuck around with you any more.
You're not playing for achievement completion. You're playing for difficulty. And Nioh is going to give you that fucking difficulty.
You are now on Dante-Must-Die difficulty and you've not even reached the ♂Deep♂ ♂Dark♂ ♂Depths♂ yet (where TeamNinja has you alone in their ♂dungeon♂ and are gonna try to FUCK you).
You're gonna make a build (a real build), or you're gonna have a bad time. And, before you even think about it "I think I'll just build for more Attack and Melee Damage" is not a build - it's the equivalent of writing "I don't know" on a homework question.

Main things at this point in the game is that

1. You should have all your Softcaps hit and Toughness as a tolerable level. If you don't, respec.
2. Flat damage additions have fallen behind long, long ago. Your builds need to be based on %-based increases to damage; which includes your Armour Perks, Magic, Soul Cores etc.
3. Set Bonuses do matter, and even better, Graces. We'll get into them shortly.

Death Dancer = The classic, and most cookie-cutter
Active Skill damage
Ki Damage + Critical
Elemental Builds

• Fire Element
  • Great Guardian Spirits
  • Bad Cores (Kasha / Shuten only)
  • Alright Debuff
  • Alright Weakness matchup
  • Good Set Bonus setup
    • 6pc Kagatsuchi Fire Damage +30.0% / 7pc Melee Damage vs. Scorched Enemy +35.0%
    • 2pc Brilliant Strategem (Blindness Status on Scorched Enemy) / 5pc =Melee Damage vs. Scorched Enemy +10% / 6pc = Fire Damage +15.0%
    • 4pc Ii set = Melee Damage vs Scorched Enemies +15.0%)
• Water Element
  • Great Guardian Spirits
  • Alright Cores (Bakegani / Lesser Umi-Bozu / Yasha / Ryomen / Gyuki / Uminyudo)
  • Amazing Debuff
  • Shit Weakness Matchup
• Lightning Element
  • Alright Guardian Spirits
  • Amazing Cores (Nue / LGoYmi / Uminyudo)
  • Bad Debuff
  • Alright Weakness Matchup
• Purity Element
  • Bad Guardian Spirits
  • Bad Cores (White Tiger only)
  • Bad Debuff
  • Alright Weakness Matchup
• Corruption Element
  • Alright Guardian Spirits
  • Good Cores (Oboroguruma / Itsumade / Tatarimokke)
  • Amazing Debuff
  • Alright Weakness Matchup
• Poison not!Element
  • Good Guardian Spirit
  • Good Cores (Toxic Slime / Gyuki / Yatsu-no-Kami)
  • Bad Debuff
  • Alright Weakness Matchup

Ninjutsu oneshots
Onmyo oneshots
Bare-handed builds
Ranged Builds
CritYS
Soul Core Spam
Charged Attacks (includes all dash attacks)

Good Equipment perks you want to keep an eye out for

Nioh 1

Nioh 2

The "time-to-fuck-you-up" State

Each game has a shift-state that is charged up as you defeat enemies, and permanently retains charge.

Not all Guardian Spirits were made equally however.

Nioh 1: Living Weapons

Guardian Spirits and What they do.

Kato
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff: 20% 23%
- Flat Element Bonus: 30 50
- Base Time: 14.8s 17.4s
- HP: 1280 1380
- Action Drain: C B-
- Critical Health Bonus: A- A
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): C+ C+
- Charge Rate (During LW): A A+
Special Effects:
- Close Combat Attack: +5% +12.5%
- Ki +10 +25
- Ki Recovery Speed +20% +27.5%
- Close Combat Attack Ki Reduction (Critical) 20% 27.5%
- Skill Damage +15% +20%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: First spirit available to you, and it's one of the best Spirits in the game full stop. It's a sizeable chunk of bonus damage across the board, better Ki economy across the board, with a very respectable LW, and a respectable Spirit Attack. Fits in every build, doesn't need to be built for, slots into any meta Crit LW build just fine. Whoever greenlit this was a moron (back in the good ol' days, Ninja Dog used to mean something), but still, nothing to complain about for Kato itself.

Hi-Nezumi
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Onmyo Magic Power +50 +75
- Stealth For Enemies A+ A+
- Vs. Fire +20 +25
- Combat Attack (Critical) +20% +25%
- Unlimited Onmyo +15% +19%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Enko (Fire)
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Strong Attack Ki Reduction 8% 13%
- Break +15 +25
- Fire Damage +12% +14%
- Grapple Damage +25% +30%
- Strong Attack Damage +13% +15%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Suzaku
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff: 15% 17.5%
- Flat Element Bonus: 50 70
- Base Time: 14.6 16.3
- HP: 1440 1560
- Action Drain: C C+
- Critical Health Bonus: A+ A+
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): D D
- Charge Rate (During LW): A+ A+
Special Effects:
- Activate Living Weapon (No Life)
- Vs. Fire +20 25
- Amrita Earned (Using Living Weapon) +25% +30%
- Fire Damage +15% +17.5%
- Auto-Charge Amrita Gauge (Critical)
Spirit Attack:
Comments: The Meta Spirit of Nioh 1, and it's not even fucking close. Wirriam Anjin becomes a Spirit Jihadi! Watch! As he runs into a room! Wirriam does a backflip, lands on his face, snaps his neck and dies! And now he auto-LW's at 0 health, with a Living Weapon that has a massive multiplier for using it at low health, and which extends itself massively for every enemy defeated during it! He deletes fucking everything! Then he sits afk in a corner or runs around the arena like a headless chicken, and gets it back for free! Rise and repeat. Takes some time to auto-charge, but that gameplay loop is borderline autowin (just remember to take absolutely no life recovery perks, because if you bring yourself out of Critical Health threshold, you're not going to get back into it to recharge your LW for free). Suzaku is fucking busted, and if you just want to breeze through WotN; this one is your ticket.

Enku
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Nullify Damage (Dash-Attacks)
- Dash Speed +10% +10%
- Damage (Status Ailments) C B-
- Thrust Damage +8% +11%
- Combat Damage Increased (Enemy Attacking) +10% +14%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Spear builds

Nine Tails
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Nullify Elemental Damage 25% 30%
- Divine/Ethereal Item Drop Rate C C
- Auto-Recovery (Enemy Confused)
- Fire Damage +15% +17.5%
- Lowers Enemy Defence (Scorched)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Isonade
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Sense Enemies
- Life +100 +150
- Close Combat Life Recovery 100 175
- Human Close Combat Damage +9% +13.5%
- Strong Attack Ki Reduction 10% 17.5%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Mizuchi
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Enemies Defeated Damage Bonus A A+
- Gold Earned 15% 25%
- Amrita Sense
- Vs. Water +20 +25
- Amrita Earned +12.5% +20%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Usura-hicho
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Life Recovery From Purification 150 200
- Evasion Ki Usage 20% 23%
- Vs. Yokai Realm +300 +400
- Water Damage +15% +17.5%
- Strong Attack Ki Damage +15% +18%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Genbu
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Dash Speed Reduction 30% 30%
- No Guard Break (During Onmyo Magic)
- Change to Defense (Magic) B+ A
- Received Elemental Attack Damage 7.5% 10%
- Onmyo Magic Power +75 +100
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Saoirse
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Amrita Sense
- Sense Enemies
- Amrita Earned +12.5% +20%
- Special Effects (Critical) +15% +20%
- Retrieve Lost Amrita 75% 85%
Spirit Attack: *
Comments: Weak on the surface, but where she shines is as a Secondary; *

Nurarihyon
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Blind Enemy (Saturated)
- Amrita Earned From Enemies +15% +19%
- Ki Damage (Projectiles) +10% +15%
- Water Damage +15% +17.5%
- Combat Attack Ki Reduction (Evasion-Attack)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Fuse-ushi
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Life +200 +300
- Recurrent Damage from Poison 25% 30%
- Guard Ki Reduction 20% 23%
- Vs. Poison +20 +25
- Life Recovery From Amrita Absorption 30 35
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Itokuri
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Luck +50 +75
- Human Item Drop Rate +30% +35%
- Familiarity Bonus +16% +18%
- Yokai Item Drop Rate +30% +35%
- Paralysis +30 +35
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Narikama Tanuki
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Retrieve Lost Amrita 50% 60%
- Vs. Earth +20 +25
- Unlimited Elixir +15% +19%
- Strong Attack Damage +10% +13%
- Auto Life Recovery (Critical)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Shin-Roku
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Strong Attack Life Drain 10 15
- Life +100 +150
- Kodama Sense
- Earth Damage +15% +17.5%
- Ki Recovery & defense (Finished Using a Living Weapon)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Bisha's Centipede
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Pierce Guard (Close Combat) 20% 25%
- Poison +30 +35
- Money Earned from Enemies 40% 50%
- Strong Attack Ki Reduction 8% 13%
- Close Combat Damage (No Rear Damage Bonus) +12% +15%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: A Stronger Kato, but with more steps that balance it out.

Daiba-washi
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Evasion Ki Usage 15% 19%
- Equipment Drop Rate +20% +30%
- Quick Attack Damage +8% +12.5%
- Luck +40 +60
- Life Recovery (Finished Using a Living Weapon) +400 +600
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Aya-komori
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Unlimited Ninjutsu +15% +19%
- vs. Paralysis +20 +25
- Damage From Behind +12% +15%
- Life Recovery By Killing Strike 120 150
- Agility Damage Bonus A A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Strong Effects, balanced out by one of the worst Living Weapons in the game.

Yatagarasu
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Unlimited Ammo +10% +19%
- vs. Wind +20 +25
- Long Range Attack Damage +10% +20%
- Sense Enemies
- Life Recovery From Hit (Ranged Weapon) 30 35
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Izuna
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Earn Amrita (Strong Attack) 25 30
- Amrita Earned +8% +11%
- Close Combat Attack Ki Reduction 10% 15%
- Wind Damage +15% +17.5%
- Auto Life Recovery (Finished Using a Living Weapon)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Tengen Kujaku
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Bonus From Amrita Absorption (Stance-Based)
- Yokai Damage Reduction 13% 15%
- Extend Elemental Effect +50% +60%
- Elemental Attack Damage +10% +12.5%
- Enemy / Treasure / Amrita / Kodama Sense
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Frontrunner as one of the strongest Spirits in the game.

Blue Dragon
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff: 20% 23%
- Flat Element Bonus: 50 70
- Base Time: 18.4 20.4
- HP: 1400 1480
- Action Drain: C- C
- Critical Health Bonus: B- B-
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): D- D-
- Charge Rate (During LW): A A+
Special Effects:
- Ki Recovery Speed +20% +25%
- Damage Reduction (When Attacking) 10% 13%
- Elemental Damage Reduction (Guarding) 40% 50%
- Wind Damage +15% +17.5%
- Close Quarters Damage +15% +20%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Janomecho
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Increase Ki Recovery Speed (Critical)
- Auto-Recovery (Finished Using Living Weapon)
- Evasion Ki Usage -22% -25%
- Close Combat Attack (Critical) +19% +21%
- Prevents death as long as you are not Critical 60% 60%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: The waifuspirit of the game is also the manly man's way of beating WotN. Throw her together with any source of Tenacity; and you will never be oneshot.

Paired Raiken
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Dash Endurance 15% 20%
- Skill Ki Damage +12.5% +17.5%
- vs. Lightning +25 +30
- Treasure Sense
- Yokai Close Combat Damage +15% +18%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Gyokuto
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Elixir Effect On Life Recovery +20% +25%
- Dash Speed +10% +10%
- Low Attack Damage +8% +10%
- Luck (Using Living Weapon) +100 +125
- Ninjutsu Power +75 +100
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Kara-jishi
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Increase Attack (Skill)
- Guard Ki Reduction 20% 23%
- Lightning Damage +12% +14%
- Ki +20 +25
- Skill Life Drain 15 20
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Atlas Bear
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Increase Damage (Low Ki)
- Life Recovery By Grapple 150 200
- vs. Lightning +20 +25
- Close Combat Damage +10% +12%
- Shorten Recovery Time (Out of Ki)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Nekomata
Living Weapon:
- Attack Buff:
- Flat Element Bonus:
- Base Time:
- HP: [Might]
- Action Drain: [Action]
- Critical Health Bonus: [Tenacity]
- Charge Rate (Out of LW): [Amrita Gauge Rate]
- Charge Rate (During LW): [Recovery]
Special Effects:
- Thrown Weapon Damage +10% +15%
- Sense Enemies
- vs. Yokai Realm +300 +400
- Close Combat Ki Damage +10% +13%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Guardian Spirit Combos

Defaults
ELEMENTAL DAMAGE: 2 spirits with same element
WEAKEN MELEE WEAPONS: fire + water
KI RECOVERY SPEED: fire + wind
LUCK: fire + earth
QUICK ATTACK DAMAGE: fire + lightning
LIFE RECOVERY (AFTER USING LIVING WEAPON): water + wind
LIFE: water + earth
EXTEND ELEMENTAL EFFECT: water + lightning
GUARD KI REDUCTION: wind + earth
DASH SPEED: wind + lightning
ELEMENTAL DAMAGE REDUCTION (GUARD): earth + lightning

With Saoirse:
SKILL DAMAGE: Saoirse + Kato
CLOSE COMBAT LIFE RECOVERY: Saoirse + Isonade
EVASION KI USAGE: Saoirse + Daiba-washi
LIFE RECOVERY FROM AMRITA ABSORB: Saoirse + Fuse-ushi
AMRITA EARNED: Saoirse + Mizuchi
SKILL KI DAMAGE: Saoirse + Paired Raiken
CLOSE COMBAT ATTACK (CRITICAL): Saoirse + Hi-nezumi
LIFE RECOVERY BY KILLING STRIKE: Saoirse + Aya-komori
GRAPPLE DAMAGE: Saoirse + Enko
STRONG ATTACK KI DAMAGE: Saoirse + Usura-hicho
NINJUTSU POWER: Saoirse + Gyokuto
RETRIEVE LOST AMRITA: Saoirse + Narikama Tanuki
STRONG ATTACK LIFE DRAIN: Saoirse + Shin-Roku
LONG RANGE ATTACK DAMAGE: Saoirse + Yatagarasu
AMRITA EARNED (USING LIVING WEAPON): Saoirse + Suzaku
SKILL LIFE DRAIN: Saoirse + Kara-jishi
EARN AMRITA (STRONG ATTACK): Saoirse + Izuna
ONMYO MAGIC POWER: Saoirse + Genbu
LIFE RECOVERY BY GRAPPLE: Saoirse + Atlas Bear
THROWN WEAPON DAMAGE: Saoirse + Nekomata
PIERCE GUARD (CLOSE COMBAT): Saoirse + Bisha's Centipede
DAMAGE REDUCTION (WHEN ATTACKING): Saoirse + Blue Dragon

Other couples:
HAND CANNON DAMAGE: Fuse-ushi + Mizuchi
KI DAMAGE (BOW): Hi-nezumi + Aya-komori
LUCK (USING LIVING WEAPON): Itokuri + Tengen Kujaku
EVERLASTING KI: Enko + Narikama Tanuki
DAMAGE NULLIFIED (USING LIVING WEAPON): Usura-hicho + Tengen Kujaku
ELIXIR BURST: Gyokuto + Narika ma Tanuki
NINJUTSU DAMAGE LIFE DRAIN: Gyokuto + Nekomata
DAMAGE REDUCTION (ELIXIR USED): Narikama Tanuki + Shin-Roku
NO KI CONSUMPTION (GUARDING): Narikama Tanuki + Suzaku
PREVENTS DEATH AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT IN A CRITICAL CONDITION: Narikama Tanuki + Tengen Kujaku
RECOVER NINJUTSU ITEMS (FINISHED USING LIVING WEAPON): Narikama Tanuki + Nekomata
NO KI CONSUMPTION (FINISHED USING LIVING WEAPON): Kara-jishi + Izuna
DAMAGE REDUCTION (GUARDING): Kara-jishi + Bisha's Centipede
ONMYO DAMAGE LIFE DRAIN: Genbu + Tengen Kujaku
SELF & ALLIES HEALED (ENEMY DEFEATED IN CLOSE COMBAT): Atlas Bear + Tengen Kujaku
DURABILITY OF LIVING WEAPONS: Bisha's Centipede + Blue Dragon

Nioh 2: Yokai Shift and Soul Cores

Suffice to say, Living Weapons were broken in Nioh 1. Even through all the nerfs, they are still the #1 way to play, and CritLW is basically the only way you can beat WotN legit without relying on cheese like oneshot Ninjutsu.
Nioh 2 had a chance to fix that, and while Yokai shift ain't half as broken as Living Weapon, it got a lot of side-buffs instead, that make it an overall more fun and engaging experience to use.... even if you can't really abuse it. On the other hand, everybody uses it wrong to begin with; and it starts out very underwhelming until you get the Universal Skills online (basically, if it's in the Shiftling Skill tree, but doesn't specify the shift, it applies to all 3).

To start, Yokai Shift is charged via Amrita (the yellow XP balls). It's linked to Anima, but ultimately doesn't rely on it. The number in the corner (which you can turn on or off in HUD settings) is the % you're at; and you can enter in once at 100%. It costs a flat 20% charge to enter into shift, plus the ~1.5% charge that the animation takes up (same for if you want to switch between Guardian Spirits), but exiting (via sheathing your weapon) retains all the charge you left with. After leaving; it goes on a fixed 1 minute cooldown, which can be further reduced by absorbing Amrita (at the downside that your Yokai Shift gauge doesn't charge for the duration it's on cooldown). You can gain Amrita by either using Spirit Stone consumables, by using Soul Cores (each giving a fixed amount of Amrita), defeating Yokai or by smashing horns / environmental Amrita.

Yokai Shift does two key things.
First of all, you turn into a Yokai! You get these like super-duper cool attacks, and these like flashy critical animations and it's super duper cool and powerful and wowie I'm a yo-
The benefit of Yokai Shift is not to simply turn into a Yokai.

1. First of all, you become immortal. Your Health gauge is switched out for your Amrita gauge, you gain near-infinite stamina, you become totally immune to knockback (but not grabs) and you get a neat AoE pulse stagger + iframes on startup just for some breathing room. Basically, it's not your Phase-2-Super-Saiyan form, it's the shit-hits-the-fan button. You don't get an attack buff of any kind, and considering you lose access to your weapon skills, it can easily be a loss of DPS. But, until that Amrita gauge is gone, you will not die.
2. You no longer have an Anima bar. The only thing stopping you from spamming your Soul Cores is

You can enter Yokai Shift one of two ways - either manually enter it, or enter via a critical. The input is the same both ways, but if the enemy is vulnerable to a critical, that's always the best time, as you deal damage and get to keep the extra 1% of gauge that's otherwise spent on the animation. Attacking, dodging, sprinting and taking damage all drain your gauge; but successful attacks give you more gauge, while Burst Counters always restores a fixed 10% of gauge mid-shift. With the basic duration extender Shiftling Skills, you can stay in Yokai Shift for anwhere between 9 to 11 minutes - the main way you're going to lose this duration is by taking damage, because in Living Weapon terms, all 3 forms of Yokai Shift have an identically dogshit Might stat but an ultra-super-duper-massive Action stat.

9 minutes and 20 seconds (1%/7s) 10 minutes 40

Activating your Yokai Shift again uses your Guardian Spirit attack at a cost of 2.3% - the same ones you get from Guardian Spirit Talismans. These massively vary; see the section below on them for more detail - but note, if you spam them before they complete, they don't spawn multiple copies of the same Guardian Spirit attack.
Your main way of extending your Yokai Shift is by absorbing Amrita. As previously mentioned, your Soul Cores provide a fixed amount of Amrita, but while in Yokai Shift, every single successful attack also sprays Amrita in the air. This also means you get bonus XP while in Yokai Shift! Unlike normal state however, the Amrita doesn't come to you automatically - it'll linger around for a while before being drawn to you much more slowly. The way you counter this is either holding both Ki Pulse and Aim (R1+R2 on controller), or with your Charged Heavy. Charged Heavy will immediately pull in all floating Amrita, and shortens it's own charge time for free depending on how much Amrita you pull in with it. After this, your weapon's hitbox is massively increased, and you deal slightly more damage.
The related buff to the Amrita gauge / Yokai Shift Charge is Pleiades. It's a nice luxury buff to carry, but not a high priority one.

Finally, you're free to emote as you wish while in Yokai State. This is fun because it is fun.

Yokai Shift comes in 3 flavors - Cherry Brute, Raspberry Feral, and Grape Phantom. Each of them does different things; and each has significant downsides.

• Brute is your basic shift, and is the easiest to use, if lacking in additional fluff.
  Brute Burst Counter is an decent damage attack that does good Ki damage. If it connects with a burst signal, almost always guarantees a stagger, and pays off with the strongest Burst Counter of the 3 - but at the same time you are completely rooted to the ground and vulnerable. Also to note, unlike most parries, Brute Counter is both ranged AND a slightly lingering projectile (it's not much, but it does stay for a few frames), making it extremely easy to counter both the Burst cues that you're "supposed" to use it on, on top of any normal attacks you struggle to get the right timing on. It's also a good, cheap combo-extender for almost all weapon types, that is cheaper to use than any Soul Core (if significantly lower damage, duration and utility). Finally, it's pretty damn hard to waste entirely - even if you panicspam your Burst in fear, you're not leaving without some benefit. Brute Counter is it's bread and butter, and I cannot understate how good it is compared to the other two.
  Brute shift is also the most aggressive of the three - naturally lending to the idea that Yokai Shift is your "super-form". It's got basic sweep attacks, and the charge-hammer naturally accumulates floating Amrita, intuitively extending your shift, while giving you a ton of superarmor and getting you into the idea of buffing your weapon for the duration of the form (do note, you're still vulnerable to grabs). Your Burst Counter also gains a new optional followup that doesn't require a critical, along with a ton more hyperarmor. Overall, this shift feels great to use.
  Until you're forced to confront the fact that Yokai Shift is not your super-form. The moment you get 1tapped and combo-killed out of Yokai Shift for the first time, is the moment Brute massively falls off a cliff in terms of ease-of-use. It's the closest to Living Weapon, but it's not even close to Living Weapon. Additionally, unlike Feral or Phantom; Brute has no way to avoid damage. Feral can dodge on demand, Phantom can block on demand, but Brute's gimmick is that it's expected to parry attacks with it's forgiving Burst Counter..... but that parry has startup frames, and it's alternate (lower startup) Parry functions no different from any other, aside from a strong followup. And when you've got a Yamanba or a Namahage already in your face with their flailing attacks, they don't give a fuck about your startup, you're just dead. Finally, Brute without contest has the lowest Anima charge rate of the 3 types - gaining Anima while blocking is plain dangerous, doesn't lend to Brute's playstyle or bonuses, relies on the enemy to attack you and only works on attacks that connect. In later NG+ cycles where some attacks can oneshot you through guard, Brute does not have an Anima charge bonus. This is a problem, considering Soul Cores are half of the Yokai Shift's mechanic, meaning you'll get access to ultra-powerful attacks less often.
  Human Bonus
  All in all, for the first playthrough / NG, Brute is the easiest to use + understand, and the overall premier Yokai Shift for newer players looking to stomp through a game that doesn't push back. It's still more than viable in later NG's, but it definitely loses ground to the other two later on.
• Feral is the speed-shift. Retards randomly button-mash, masters skillfully button mash.
  Feral Burst Counter is a extended-distance dodge forward with massively extended iframes. The description states that it's anywhere the afterimage remains, but in reality, if an enemy strikes any portion of your dash, they get their Ki chunked. Also, they don't actually have to be attacking - you won't get a Burst Counter on normal attacks, but against Burst Cues, dashing into the attack itself will often interrupt before it's even gone off. This is without contention the safest of the three, even if you're forced to go in one direction; and comes with the massive benefit that you can use it any time, and works in-combat as a buffed dash.
  Feral Yokai Shift has the weakest attacks of the 3 in terms of damage and ki, with the massive tradeup that you can cancel every single one of them mid-animation with a dodge. Feral attacks might also be weak as fuck, but they also throw out more Amrita than the other two by a country mile - which, when you get used to Yokai Shift, means that Feral is capable of the longest duration, even as it consumes duration when dodging. It is completely non-committal, and any damage you take is all on you. It's charge attack is a massive dash, which enables you to fully disengage, get your weapon buff, and go back in with your enemy unable to do shit about it. All this combined, and Feral has the best overall Shift for combat - that leads well into the NG+ cycles. It's the longest duration, and the least dangerous.
  As a side-note Feral, with no contest, has the best out-of-Yokai-Shift Anima of the 3. If you're prone to saving Yokai Shift for emergencies, then equipping any Feral shift will massively up your Anima gain out of combat, enabling you to use your Soul Cores far more frequently if you play aggressively and lay into enemies.
  Dodge Amrita
  Culm Damage bonus (= all level)
  Feral is without a shadow of a doubt the safest of the 3. It doesn't have the aggression of Brute, and it doesn't have the utility of Phantom; but it hits a lot of middle ground, and it doesn't need to do anything else except not get hit.
• Phantom is your non-Yokai-Shift Yokai Shift. It's awkward, it's niche, but if you can get it to work, it's
  Phantom Burst Counter is an overriding iframe attack cancel, that instantly sheathes your weapon, and is faster to perform than the other two. For some weapon types that play around sheathing, this alone makes the Phantom extremely valuable - since you can use it to massively extend complex combos and eliminates every bit of recovery or vulnerability frames you could have. Brute is a buffed up parry, Feral is a buffed up dash, Phantom is totally unique. As a tradeoff, Phantom has the severe downside that there are some burst attacks you literally cannot counter, because you do not move forward to meet them before they go off. Additionally, it's extremely easy to spam, and does nothing by default, so is extremely easy to just waste. If you panic with Phantom, you can drain all your Anima in under a few seconds, with no payoff. While this becomes less of an issue in later NG's where everything is a oneshot anyways, it doesn't make it any less unsatisfying to get dunked on, by design you have no answer to. If Brute's Burst Counter is it's greatest strength, Phantom's Burst Counter is by far it's greatest weakness.
  Phantom Yokai Shift follows the theme of being the odd-one-out; by being the only shift that is entirely ranged. This isn't an upside. Despite good damage, it's just got plain bad attacks. You're in an awkward fixed range throughout your attack animations (that you can only Burst Counter out of, keeping you fixed in place) and feels clunky while leaving you extremely vulnerable. It tries to hit a middle ground between the damage and charge-attacks of Brute and the safety of Feral; but comes at the downside of not having Brutes's staggers (which enables Brute) and not having Feral's lack of commitment (when enables Feral). if you want charge-attacks or warping around, why not just go Brute or Feral.
  Instead, Phantom Shift lends itself more to using it's Soul Cores than the others. Your attacks might be high-risk and low reward in terms of DMG and Ki, but they sure charge your Anima super-fast due to their high attack rate (especially if you can get a Yokai in a stunlocked state, and can charge your heavy in it's face). Additionally, Phantom innately gets it's bonus Anima from ranged attacks - very rare in Human Combat (outside of Kusarigama / Split-Staff); but in Yokai Shift.... well, everything you do is no classified as Ranged. This enables Phantom to just spam Soul Cores, especially if in Dark Realm phases of boss fights. With the right setup, this means that Phantom is easily the highest overall damage of the 3. Also, while most of your Ranged attacks are plain shit for standard combat, between your aimed attack and your huge moving hitboxes, Phantom is great at smashing horns and going for weak-spots; further boosting it's ability to generate Amrita and Anima.
  Another thing to note is that while Brute gets enhanced attacks, and Feral gets enhanced dodges; while in Phantom form you gain a huge amount of stability and toughness while blocking - it's not iframes, but it's as close as you can get without them being such. You can reasonably tank most hits especially on the lower difficulties without your Yokai Gauge being nuked from orbit; and if you're surrounded, you can safely turtle up for almost no penalty.
  Overall, Phantom is the black sheep of the 3. It's more than viable enough in the higher NG's, but plays completely different to the other two, and takes a much harder learning curve to use. Not recommended for new players - especially if you don't know what Burst Attacks you have no answer to yet.

Guardian Spirits and What they do (build planning 101)

Makami
Atk: x1.10
Def. x0.90
Att: 20
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Melee Attack Ki Consumption -10.0%
- ~ Final Blow Damage +12.5%
- Fire Resistance +12.0
- Yokai Ability Damage (All) +15.0%
Spirit Attack: Charges forward, with 3 delayed flame plumes behind it.
Comments: In all their wisdom, I genuinely don't know why TeamNinja made one of the first 3 Spirits one of the best default-use Spirits in the game. Again. And the fucking fire dog (again). Final Blow Damage is a huge stat, because it bumps up the power of your "final blow" if eligible, letting you finish off bosses early or just straight oneshotting crowds of trashmobs more safely. If you want my genuine and honest commentary, don't pick up Makami as your first, because you'll never switch off it (you'll get it back anyways very early on in the game, along with the other you miss). The rest of it's stats... they're ok, but leave much to be desired, with the blanket Yokai Ability / Soul Core buff being the nicest, and almost being as strong as the specified ones without any investment. But yeah, that much Final Blow on a Spirit this early is kinda fucking busted.

Ame-no-Mitori
Atk: x1.00
Def. x1.05
Att: 21
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Running Speed +10.0%
- Ki Recovery Speed +12.5%
- Divine Rice Drop Rate +8.8%
- ~ Lightning Damage +20.0%
Spirit Attack: The Bird flies forward with a large hitbox, for a solid 10-15m. If it comes into contact with anything, it stops, and performs a heavy thunderbolt; dealing light Physical Damage and colossal Lightning Element damage, huge Lightning status buildup and huge Ki damage (on raw and on block), massive stagger and low knockback, with a huge AoE to boot. Spammable.
Comments: Lightning Damage's best Spirit Attack for spamming with (good contender for best Spirit Attack in the game); and is Shin-Roku's best friend for a dedicated Lightning build. You can use this thing like 10 times in 5 seconds, and just pumps out damage. Take note that Lightning debuff is the weakest of the main 3 (it's only a slow, no damage aspect to it), but is counterbalanced by Lightning Element damage usually being tuned the highest and with the least resistances to it - balancing out equal to Fire / Water in the long run. It's a feast-or-famine element, if a late-NG boss resists it (or worse, immunes) it, you're fucked; otherwise it chews up better than the other two.
For new players who don't care about late-NG's yet, Divine Rice this early on is great, then becomes useless once you have 999 of it. Running Speed and Ki are just nice general-use luxuries that fit in on most builds just fine. You're primarily running this Spirit for the amazing Spirit Attack, for spamming during Yokai Shift (which by itself is a strong enough of a Lightning spell to get a discount Lightning build online with just this Spirit equipped) and the unconditional Ki Recovery, if you're unsure of where to take your build. Don't worry, you'll get the Dog and the Shark later either ways.

Kagewani
Atk: x0.85
Def. x1.20
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Life +200
- Tenacity (Damage Over Time)
- Strong Attack Ki Damage +15.0%
- ~ Life Drain (Yokai Ability Hit) A
Spirit Attack: After a delay, a large Shark rises up, leaves a water puddle that ticks twice, then quickly slams back down for a larger AoE. The small sharks do not do anything.
Comments: Tenacity (aka, brought to 1HP by Fire / Poison, but never die to it) is a rare luxury perk that is so fucking nice to have this early on, especially considering the gimmicks of some of the first few areas. The moment you get it on a piece of armour / talisman lategame, Kagewani's use falls off a cliff and becomes exclusively a Secondary Spirit to get access to a cute amount of Life Drain on Soul Core builds (which admittedly, is pretty damn good, since it can fully restore your health over the length of a full Yokai Shift). If you're using it early on, pair it with a common Gaki Soul Core for a a very strong earlygame amount of Soul Core Life Drain. Spirit Attack is alright, but nothing to write home about and can't be spammed.

1

Ki damage + Stagger?

Okuri-Inu (Fire)
Atk: x0.98
Def. x1.07
Att: 22
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Melee Damage vs Unscathed Enemy +10.0%
- Anima +2.0
- ~ Amrita Gauge Charge +10.0%
- Critical Yokai Shift (Dark Realm) +40%
Spirit Attack: The Dog comes out, barks, and sends out 3 slowly homing orbs of fire, which each deal no Physical damage, light Ki damage, moderate Fire Element damage, and huge Burn buildup, while dealing moderate stagger. Spammable, even in Yokai Shift.
Comments: Does a lot of lategame things very early on, making it the go-to for Yokai Shift builds before they're online. First Hit DMG (Melee Damage vs Unscathed Enemy) is it's best general-stat, but is overall flat inferior to Makami's Final-hit version (both in use for oneshots, and in total damage). This much Anima early on is nice before you've got more of it via Titles; and it *WAS* CritYS's only option pre-DLC (but Suzaku is now just the flat superior option). Retains use later on as being Saoirse's best friend / general Secondary for high-uptime Yokai Shift builds, and is one you will actually switch to quite a lot to help out with her Att slots usage (equip all the niche utility Cores on Okuri, and the spammable damage on Saoirse) and to get a different Yokai Shift form.

Masaru
Atk: x1.02
Def. x1.00
Att: 23
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Increased Attack (Amrita Absorption)
- ~ Auto-Grave Recovery +25.0%
- Imbue Purity (Strong Attack) +10
- Amrita Sensor
Spirit Attack: The Monkey spawns in. It then jumps towards the nearest enemy 3 times, dealing small amount of Physical damage and a large amount of Fire damage + buildup. If there are no enemies nearby, it scratches it's chin and leaves.
Comments: New player Spirit for quality of life grave recovery, and Amrita Sensor is useless, but does help new players find where all the secret items are as they learn the maps. Amrita Absorb damage buff isn't to write home about, but is high uptime and near-perma-active to at least make it usable throughout the base NG. Strong Attack Purity addition isn't going to apply ailment anytime soon, outside of something like Tonfa / Staff, where they can rack up a ton of Strong hits in a short amount of time, and even then Ho is a flat upgrade for that niche once the DLC rolls around. Has a clear niche, does it well, doesn't do much else - kino when it shows up at that moment.

Shirohami
Atk: x1.12
Def. x0.88
Att: 21
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Life Drain (Melee Kill) 50
- Imbue Poison (Yokai Abilities) +50
- ~ Soul Core Drop Rate +5.0%
- Poison Accumulation (Enemy) +15.0%
Spirit Attack: The snake charges forward, before spinning around the first enemy it comes in contact with. It creates a non-lingering, high-buildup Poison puddle, before swirling upward and dealing 3 small ticks of physical damage.
Comments: Poison Build's only option, and that's not a bad thing. To begin with, Health4Killz is a really nice luxury perk that keeps it's value far into late NG's, since it applies to everything and includes trashmobs. Wipe a crowd of trashmob Gakis while in Yokai Shift, and you can expect your health to be half-full again just off of that, on top of constantly doing work in the background to keep you topped off. As for the Poison stuff, slap that shit on a high-attack rate Soul Core like Magatsu Warrior or Kasha; and it's a free application on use, with a substantial buildup bonus to keep Poison applying as resistances grow. Works for both general use (if you just want your Soul Cores to apply Poison and get constant free healing, it still does that), and for it's dedicated archetype builds. Poison has limited but powerful options, and Shirohami is a standout Spirit that stands by that philosophy, really helping a deceptively good archetype. Thanks Dad.

Hyobishin
Atk: x1.12
Def. x0.88
Att: 24
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Attack Bonus (Amrita Gauge) B+
- ~ Yokai Ability Damage (Brute) +18.0%
- Dispel Ailments (Strong Attack) 30.0%
- Anima Charge (Critical) +20.0%
Spirit Attack: The Panther leaps forward (decent split Physical-Fire headbutt), doing a strong Fire swipe. 5 Delayed Pillars of fire then spawn, before erupting for a tiny amount of Physical damage, massive Fire Element damage and huge Burn buildup.
Comments: Attack damage for Dummies. Outclassed by most specialised builds, but as a generalist, works just fine on a first playthrough for new players. As long as you don't use Yokai Shift, you get a chunk of damage + x1.12 scaling, simple as. 30% chance of Debuff Cleanse after using a Strong Attack is nice, but done better when needed by just Yokai Shifting for a 100% chance (and there's other sources of cleanse later on). Anima increase at Critical Health is nice and would have made for a great secondary perk, but done better by just having Anima increase at all times (aka Baku). All it does better than the rest is roid up Red Soul Cores, which even then, you can shift a Core's type later on in the game, and other Spirits do Core-roiding better - the Amrita Gauge Attack Bonus over Nekomata becoming worthless as you use Yokai Shift to access the ability to Soul Core spam (which depletes your Amrita Gauge as you use it). The Spirit Attack is nuke-tier and spammable, but comes with the downside that the Panther has poor tracking, and it does not confirm the Fire Pillars that follow it. Overall, I'm not saying it's bad for new players in the slightest, only that it gets outclassed.

Nekomata
Atk: x1.10
Def. x0.90
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Throwing Weapon Damage +5.0%
- ~ Yokai Ability Damage (Feral) +20.0%
- Extended Burst Counter: Feral
- Anima Bonus (Ninjutsu Hit) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Ninjutsu's Builds favorite spirit returns, very early on. 5% isn't what it used to be (and fair enough, Nioh 1's Nekomata Ninjutsu was kinda fucky wucky overtuned); but increased Anima on any Ninjutsu hit COMBINED with Feral Culmulative Damage Bonus (which should be easy, since Ninjutsu is highly ranged) means ranged multihits (such as chained-together Kunai / Shurikens) become on-demand ranged Anima batteries - turning Nekomata into the ideal Ninjutsu-Yokai Shift hybrid Spirit full stop. Also, Extended Burst Counter should almost be labelled as fucking easy mode - it's very, very good (no numbers, but I think it's a 50% increase in frames). Later on, is the best Spirit option for Soul Core Roid builds (followed closely by Kurama Tengu) as Nekomata is the overall highest damage choice (which, don't forget, stacks with itself, so becomes an exponential advantage) on top of a x1.1 multiplier for all Blue Soul Cores. Shift your Soul Core arsenal to Ferals, equip any Feral as your Secondary for another 5% on pair bonus, and fire off your a Soul Core build, while endlessly recharging them with your Ninjutsu, for MAXIMUM DAMAGEEEEEE! Very good Spirit in the right build, can get you through DotN.

Yaonami-Hime
Atk: x1.05
Def. x0.97
Att: 23
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Life Drain (Water Attack) B
- Auto-Recovery (Critical)
- Water Resistance +20.0
- Anima Bonus (Saturated Enemy) A
Spirit Attack: Tittyjellyfish spawns from the side, and after doing a flip, creates a slightly diagonal wave that splashes once in a small AoE, then travels and splashes again in a larger AoE. Deals light Physical damage, light Ki damage (on raw and block), good Water element damage, and heavy Water buildup (despite the animation, both hits do the same damage). Humanoids at low Ki can be flattened by the second wave. Cannot spam it in Yokai shift, but you can spam the Talisman (the delay on Talismans / without Awakening Mystic is just enough that the Tittyjellyfish can begin the wave, which will continue without her, before starting again).
Comments: Tittyjellyfish. Sex. Kissy kissy smoochy woochy jellyfish titties rubrubrub groping tigole bitties from in front and from behind and from the sides and from below and from above. Feeling heartbeat (through titties) and lovey dovey romance and titties. Homnahomnahomnahomnah AWOOOOOGA!!!!! Sadly, not that good. Wants to be on a Water build, but between pitiable Liferip on Water Attacks (even less when paired as a Secondary), Anima bonus that requires a debuff to be applied (that makes killing enemies easier, and so less ready to generate Anima), and Water Resistance that's best negated by just not fucking taking damage (because that shit will oneshot you anyways later on), and she's a fish out of water. Spirit Attack is ok, but can whiff due to it's delay+diagonal direction and can't be spammed easily, so it doesn't save her usability. The existence of the Whale is the nail in the coffin.

Rokugezo
Atk: x1.07
Def. x0.95
Att: 23
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Yokai Ability Damage (Force Boost) +25.0%
- ~ Toughness +20
- Anima Bonus (Timely Guard) 3.0
- Lightning Resistance +20.0
Spirit Attack: Quickly creates 5 heavy lightning bolts in a 90' angle in front of you, as the Elephant stomps the inner portion. Can hit 3 times, for small Physical Damage, but heavy Lightning Element damage and buildup.
Comments: Enables a very fun build, but just doesn't hold up into the ultra-difficulties. Increases Soul Cores are full gauge

Usura-Hicho
Atk: x0.90
Def. x1.15
Att: 20
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Life Recovery (Purification) 100
- Dodge Ki Consumption -10.0%
- Water Damage +15.0%
- Active Skill Ki Damage +10.0%
Spirit Attack: Three clouds of butterflies spawn and move outward as the player character is pushed back ~1m. The butterflies deal light Physical damage, light Ki damage, heavy Water Element and high Water buildup; while inflicting heavy stagger and pushing small-medium enemies back. Bad for spamming with since the butterflies will despawn each time, but semi-possible if you delay it.
Comments: Beautiful luxury spirit for new players getting through the game with. Does a bit of everything well, and in your first NG cycle, 100HP on every Puddle you cleanse is a large chunk of health and it incentivises you to get into good habits. Also does the same while in Yokai Shift, so when you naturally cleanse puddles there, you'll return with a full healthbar to face anything coming at you. Retains niche use for squeezing out the maximum possible Elemental Water build, or making Tonfa nuke ki even harder, but it's not standout enough to overrule any other alternatives.

Shin-Roku
Atk: x1.02
Def. x1.00
Att: 24
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Life Drain (Strong Attack) 50
- Lightning Damage +15.0%
- Anima Bonus (Electrified Enemy) A
- Anima Charge (Unscathed) +10.0%
Spirit Attack: The Deer bucks up, forming a circle of Lightning with a deceptively huge range. Has an inner and outer hitzone - the inner dealing good Physical damage and heavy Lightning element damage, the outer dealing moderate Physical damage and good Lightning Element damage (both dealing light Ki damage and high Lightning buildup). On-use, applies a Stalwart buff a for 30s. Spammable.
Comments: Shin Roku is fucking broken. One of the best Spirits in the game. Don't use him, because his perks are shit outside of dedicated Lightning Element builds (pair with Ame-no-Mitori in the Secondary for that kinda jazz - combined 30% Elemental Damage increase on already high-tuned element, and they put in work together, even before Anima Perks for the Lightning Cores like LGYomi or Nue). No, no, no; instead, you're gonna want to put in him in your Secondary slot for almost every melee build. Life Drain on Strong is nice, sure, especially with Strong-heavy playstyles; but where the Deer really shines is his Unique Guardian Spirit skill. Lingering. Poise. Infinite Hyperarmor. Respectable duration. It's so incredibly useful that he's the only Spirit actively worth switching to and waiting out the swap cooldown - namely because you can use it before entering in on enemies, and guarantee you don't get stunlocked to death by the first spawn-ins. Magic and Ninjitsu users can use it to poise through any attack and get their buffs / attacks off in peace; and heavy weapon users can use it in a pinch to confirm the following charged attack. This ability is exclusive to Shin-Roku - no other buff in the game short of Yokai Shift gives you this, and you can't do shit with it in Yokai Shift.

Hiyokucho
Atk: x1.00
Def. x1.05
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Ki +80
- ~ Medicine Burst +15.0%
- Melee Damage (Critical) +15.0%
- Ki Recovery Bonus (Amrita Gauge) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: While low level and not using a weapon that naturally builds Ki, Hiyokucho is a massive quality of life spirit - 80 Ki is not to be laughed at that early on, and if you prefer to save your Yokai Shift, it grants a huge chunk of stamina recovery (which is pretty rare in a first NG+ for many weapons). 15% chance of a mega-heal on medicine is alright to occasionally clean up chip damage, but not common enough to rely on. Falls off a cliff once you can start hitting your softcaps, sure, but for it's purpose in the game, it fulfils it. Works well in earlygame multiplayer too if you want to mess around in the Torii Gate for a bit - pair it with Nine Tails as your secondary, and you'll get a Passive to heal your host's chip damage for them, as well as your own.

Tengen Kujaku
Atk: x1.05
Def. x0.97
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Stance-Based Amrita Bonus
- Extended Elemental Weapon +10.0%
- ~ Anima Bonus (Elemental Attack) A
- Enemy/Treasure/Amrita/Kodama Sensor
Spirit Attack: The Peacock quickly spawns in with a large AoE of element directly in front of the player. Does small Physical damage, but colossal Elemental damage and buildup; for one of the highest total damage Spirit Attacks in the game. On the other hand - the Element is completely random between Fire / Lightning / Water.
Comments: Flew too close to the sun, and got nerfed. That said, you've still got a fucking nuke-tier Spirit Attack, which you can mindlessly spam (especially in Yokai shift) and quickly get a Confusion.... which makes the spam that comes after it even more destructive.

Nine Tails
Atk: x0.90
Def. x1.15
Att: 23
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Fire Resistance +20.0
- Luck (Yokai Shift) +70
- Fire Damage +15.0%
- Anima Bonus (Scorched Enemy) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Atlas Bear
Atk: x1.15
Def. x0.82
Att: 20
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Damage Bonus (Low Ki)
- Faster Winded Recovery
- Melee Damage +5.0%
- ~ Life Drain (Grapple) 200
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Genbu
Atk: x0.80
Def. x1.25
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Stalwart (Onmyo Magic)
- Damage Taken -5.0%
- Elemental Damage Taken -15.0%
- ~ Anima Bonus (Onmyo Magic Hit) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Onmyo has two extremely good spirits this game, and Genbu is one of them. Infinite poise while casting.

Gyokuto
Atk: x0.85
Def. x1.20
Att: 20
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Elixir Efficacy +10%
- ~ Dash Ki Consumption -15%
- Untouched Elixir +10%
- Faster Ki Recovery (Medicine)
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Bad Secondary Spirit

Saoirse
Atk: x0.95
Def. x1.10
Att: 20
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Enemy & Amrita Sensor
- ~ Defence Bonus (Amrita Gauge) A
- Amrita Gauge Charge +15.0%
- Anima Bonus (Amirta Absorption) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: All about high uptime Soul Core spam. Both those A stats are pretty fucking strong - the Anima bonus on Amrita basically means you have infinite uses of Soul Cores while Yokai Shifted; while the Defence Bonus is a solid chunk of bulk for just running around with while your Yokai Shift is charged. The Amrita Gauge Charge is also just a flat bonus to any of your Amrita income (both when charging Yokai Shift, and extending Yokai Shift once in). Ultra-strong generalist spirit for Yokai Shift builds (pair her with Okari-Inu), at the cost of having very low Attunement to do anything with all that Anima she's going to build up - definitely lends herself more to spammable cheap Soul Cores, than the big-cost-big-attunement Boss Cores.

Yumehami
Atk: x1.05
Def. x0.97
Att: 21
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Anima Bonus (Gold Earned) B+
- Melee Ki Damage +20.0%
- Extended Yokai Shift +20.0%
- Faster Ki Recovery (Amrita Absorption)
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Tonfa's best friend. Best money farmer in the game.

Isanagami
Atk: x1.07
Def. x0.95
Att: 24
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Life +250
- Increased Attack (Medicine)
- Melee damage vs Saturated Enemy +15.0%
- ~ Tea Utensil Drop Rate +10.0%
Spirit Attack: After a short delay, the whale rises from the ground, from your front-left; performing a weak attack as it comes out, followed by a heavy AoE as it lands, and a quick medium AoE in the same spot at it smacks with it's tail. All three attacks are mostly Physical, with some Water element damage.
Comments: "Meh, just a Tea Utensil farming Spirit right? Whales? Who gives a fuck about Whales?" Wrong. So fucking wrong. Isanagami is the highest damage Guardian Spirit in the game, and does not fucking call back the next morning to check how it's enemies are doing after it rapes them. That Increased Attack on Medicine consumption is the single highest damage buff in the game short of the 7piece set bonuses (you wouldn't guess it, don't blame you), and you're going to use Medicine simply by existing, so that long-duration buff essentially becomes permanent. Combine that with the nice 1.07x increase, and the Melee buff vs Water Ailment (the Water ailment itself also increasing damage taken), and you very quickly start multiplying your damage upward with any kind of Water build. Fits on any build that features the ideal Water damage element. Spirit Attack is pretty bad - it whiffs very easily (even if locked on), you definitely can't spam it and it has a habit of either doing too much or too little knockback to confirm all three hits. And you also get those FUCKING TEA UTENSILS FUCK YEAH TEA UTENSILS BITCH IT'S STILL GOOD FOR FARMING TEA UTENSILS.

Hakutaku
Atk: x0.95
Def. x1.10
Att: 23
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Life Drain (Lightning Attack) B+
- Increased Defense (Medicine)
- ~ Yokai Ability Damage (Phantom) +20.0%
- Soul Core Drop Rate +8.0%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Soul Core farmer, with Shirohami / Snake in the Secondary slot. Does nothing else of value, not . Has the best Increased Defense buff in the game, but on Phantom, you're better off just Guarding and becoming immune to damage. Tied with Nekomata as best individual Soul Core Damage Roid, but lacks a good Attack Multiplier or extra Anima charge sources to do anything with it (sure it's fine in Yokai Shift with Phantom Passive, but Nekomata is just better at all times). Sadly, useless aside from aforementioned Soul Core farmer (which isn't a niche that needs filling).

Inosasao
Atk: x1.15
Def. x0.82
Att: 21
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Defence Bonus (Amrita Gauge) B+
- Charge Attack Boost +15.0%
- ~ Damage Taken (Mid-Attack) -15.0%
- Anima Bonus (Damage Taken) A
Spirit Attack:
Comments: {Mid stance, not during an attack? Useless both ways. Saorsie better Def Bonus, other perk shit}

Yatagarasu
Atk: x1.00
Def. x1.05
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Untouched Ammo +20%
- Imbue Fire (Ranged Attack) +50
- Melee Damage vs. Scorched Enemy +15%
- Anima Bonus (Ranged Weapon Hit) A
Spirit Attack: The Crow flies from over the right shoulder a high speed, seeking enemies; passing through one and dealing light split- Physical and Fire damage to it and any others it contacts. If it connects with an enemy or reaches it's limit, it turns around, and sends out a cone of 5 light Fire-Element damage Projectiles with massive Burn buildup aimed at the target (or if nothing was hit, the player). Each projectile hits individually. Not spammable, can miss if too close range.
Comments: Only gun spirit in the game

Itokuri
Atk: x1.02
Def. x1.00
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Item drop rate +5%
- Luck +40
- Imbue Paralysis (Yokai Abilities) +50
- Paralysis Accumulation (Enemy) +15%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: The Textbook farming spirit, back by popular demand. That is a huge chunk of Luck, combined with the small increase in drop rate, and Itokuri makes gacha-droprate-tier Smithing Text / Secret Skill grinds so much less painful. Useful on a Paralysis build, but outclassed by better general-status-spirits.

Mizuchi
Atk: x1.07
Def. x0.95
Att: 20
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Anima Bonus (Water Attack) B
- Increased Defence (Amrita Absorption)
- Amrita Earned +5.0%
- Saturation Accumulation (Enemy) + 20.0%
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Kurama Tengu
Atk: x1.08
Def. x0.94
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Active Skill Ki Consumption -10%
- Yokai Ability Damage (Purified Enemy) +20%
- Dodge Ki Consumption -12%
- ~ Ki Recovery (Unscathed) +14%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Yep, there's a loli one.

Ho
Atk: x1.03
Def. x0.99
Att: 25
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ High Attack Damage +8%
- Imbue Purity (Strong Attack) +15
- Amrita Earned +5%
- Luck +45
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Luck. Combine with Ninetails

Blue Dragon
Atk: x0.97
Def. x1.08
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Projectile Damage Taken -15%
- Shock Accumulation (Enemy) +10%
- ~ Elemental Damage Taken (Guarding) -40%
- Melee Damage vs. Electrified Enemy +12%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: What they did to Blue Dragon was nothing short of a fucking massacre.

Kuzunoha the Fox
Atk: x1.00
Def. x1.05
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Elemental Damage +8.0%
- Yokai Ability Damage (Ailing Enemy) +10.0%
- Anima Bonus (Onmyo Magic Hit) A
- Elemental Weapon Damage +8.0%
Spirit Attack: The Fox spawns in, casts a star-shape for 1.5s, then casts a huge ~20m long beam either travelling in a straight line from your Right, or aimed at where you were locked on (when the Fox begins casting). Deals 6 ticks of extremely light physical damage, no elemental damage, light Ki damage (on raw and block), huge stagger + knockback and colossal Corrupion buildup. You can cast this, then move away as the Fox performs the spell. Has a notable deadzone in front of you. Spammable.
Comments: Genbu Rival. The Spirit Attack looks strong, but in reality it does almost no damage, has a terrible lock on that you'll almost never hit it against an enemy you're in close combat with; and the knockback often pushes the enemy out of its own damage. On the other hand, while in Yokai Shift (when you can spam it); the fact you can chain it into itself means it's capable of keeping an entire crowd of humanoid enemies in stunlock and permanently unable to recover their Ki - which, with timing (alternate between the Fox and a spell), enables the Onmyo builds it wants to be on to have a free and safe ranged setup where you can cast a few spells uninterrupted. Just note that, again, it does next-to-no damage, it's main purpose is to guarantee-apply Corruption, and will certainly not work the same way vs Yokai.

Janomecho
Atk: x1.14
Def. x0.88
Att: 22
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- ~ Dodge Ki Consumption -8.0%
- Ki Recovery (Critical) +15%
- Auto-Charge Amrita Gauge (Critical)
- Attack Bonus (Health Lost) A
Spirit Attack: Spawns the Janomecho, then after a small delay, floats forward ~20m, seeking enemies. After finding one or reaching the end, spawns a lingering Corruption element Tornado that lasts for 5s. Deals very light damage, very little stagger, but a huge amount of Corruption buildup.
Comments: CritYS's best Spirit. Last Gambit Pill + Janomecho is some { . Spirit Attack cannot be spammed - but you don't need to. The tornado stays on the field long enough without doing so.}

Oh
Atk: x0.98
Def. x1.07
Att: 25
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Guard Ki Consumption -8%
- ~ Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) 30
- Faster Ki Recovery (Timely Guard)
- Lucky Drop (Accessory)
Spirit Attack:
Comments:

Ho-oh
Atk: x1.02
Def. x1.02
Att: 26
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Purified Accumulation (Enemy) +8%
- ~ Damage Taken vs. Yokai -7%
- Damage vs. Purified Enemy +10%
- Calming Breath (Out-of-combat HP Regen)
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Tied Highest Attunement of all Spirits. If you have an Anima generation build, Ho-Oh is going to enable you spam Boss Soul Cores. Calming Breath is..... just kinda shit. Shirohami would more than cover that niche for you.

Amabie
Atk: x0.81
Def. x1.24
Att: 23
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Medicine Efficacy (Critical) +50%
- ~ Paralysis Resistance +50
- Dispel Ailments (Medicine) 100%
- Protection (Medicine) (50% damage taken on the next hit, for 100s)
Spirit Attack: The Penguin jumps three times in a triangle in front of the player, dealing light Physical damage, no stagger/knockback and colossal Purity buildup; and leaving behind Purity Pools. The pools then linger for 13 seconds, providing 4% healing every 0.5s (no additional damage). Not spammable.
Comments: Shit Primary Guardian Spirit, amazing Secondary that works with everyone. You can hotswap to this mid-healing animation and get all the buffs associated with it before swapping back off - and it's good Attunement limit enables you to throw on all kinds of solid Utility Cores (eg; Oni-Bi / Kappa / Shuten), so your Primary Spirit can focus on the damage.
{While the Protection} {Guardian Spirit is entirely focused on healing - the massive buildup of Purity debuff is nice (even if it is the worst debuff of the 5, it still at least it contributes to Confusion), but the pitiful damage and strange + delayed casting pattern means that's it both difficult to land in combat, and not really worth landing anyways. Maybe in multiplayer - but by the time you get the Guardian Spirit, you're already at a point where the game is widely rife with one shot kill and full-restore Medicines, so it would only benefit Hosts much lower scaled than yourself. And while it could have been cool to have it as your Secondary, swap, Guardian Spirit Attack (or in this case, Guardian Spirit Heal), then swap back - the damn Penguin doesn't has a cutesy widdlee wavey wavey at the end, that extends the duration it's on the field for about 8 seconds (where you are thus unable to shift back to your Primary spirit)}

Suzaku
Atk: x0.97
Def. x1.08
Att: 24
Shift: Phantom (Ranged Hits Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Life Drain (Fire Attack) A
- Burn Accumulation (Enemy) +15%
- Damage Taken vs. Yokai -8%
- ~ Critical Yokai Shift +60%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: There is a reason Suzaku is in the last DLC region, and it's because even TeamNinja respected the strength of Crit Yokai Shift to save it for the end, after the monster that CritLW was in the first game. While Yokai Shift is more balanced, Suzaku remains the premier spirit for CritYS. Ain't a better low-health multiplier than "already dead", and there isn't a better time to use it than "automatically". Increased Fire buildup + Liferip on Fire Attack is nice, since you'll silently heal while Yokai Shift is active (and since there's no auto-buildup condition any more, it's not a bad thing), but this spirit could just be CritYS and still be one of the best. (Do make sure you actually have the armor passives that can take advantage of the CritYS...)

Sohaya
Atk: x1.20
Def. x0.82
Att: 26
Shift: Feral (Cumulative Damage Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Elemental Damage Taken -10.0%
- ~ Nullify Confusion +100%
- Ki Recovery Bonus (Amrita Gauge) A
- Counter-Yokai Tactics B+
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Sohaya's usability is completely up to chance as to how many pieces of equipment you've found with Counter-Yokai Tactics. It's an extremely rare perk, and on it's own, it doesn't do much - but when you stack those things together, you can pretty reasonably begin to tank DotN Yokai enemies. It completely nullifies Confusion / Elemental Discord, which is a niche, but extremely strong ability; and finally, it makes your Ki Recovery almost instant with very little investment.... as long as your Yokai Shift is available to use (but not in use). Also, 1.2x multiplier is one of the highest of any Spirit, and 26 Att is tied highest. It's a very fair, straightforward and balanced Guardian Spirit that won't beat the game for you, but fits in on any build and can certainly make DotN and the ultra-hard Demon Parade Scrolls more reasonable to beat alone with minimal investment. With some elbow grease an gitting gud, naturally. Thanks Mom.

Baku
Atk: x1.11
Def. x0.91
Att: 26
Shift: Brute (Guard Anima Bonus)
Special Effects:
- Corrupted Accumulation (Enemy) +8%
- Pleiades (Amrita Absorption)
- Melee Damage vs Corrupted Enemy +10%
- ~ Anima Charge +10%
Spirit Attack:
Comments: Only Corruption-element Spirit in the game.. Tied Highest Attunement of all Spirits.

Guardian Spirit Combos

Just a heads up, most of these are trash, but are meant as nice historical details / pairings. I'll put the decent ones in bold italics for you to consider while picking out a Secondary Spirit, the rest you can ignore. Ironically, the default ones are generally the best.

Element Pairing takes priority over Yokai Shift Type

Soul Cores and What they do.

In short, everybody uses Soul Cores wrong to begin with, and rarely self-corrects themselves.
There's no blaming you really, because you're taught to use them sparingly while you have limited ways to charge your Anima; and you've got better things to be spending your extremely scarce Shiftling skill points on at the start (namely, making your Yokai Shift more usable, and getting the major perks from the Shiftling tree).
This results in players using them either as utility picks, or as grand-finisher final-moves to help clear easy trashmobs with style.

However, soon enough, you'll start getting far more Soul Core drops, and you'll also start recycling your old and busted Soul Cores (which get you even more Shiftling Points), and you'll start getting a naturally better Anima economy. This is when you unlock the true power of Soul Cores.

Combo extenders. Really, really cool looking combo extenders.

To begin with, what the fuck those bars next to your cores mean.
The Purple one is how much Anima it costs; the Pink one indicates how many times you can use it (essentially, your Anima bar ÷ by the cost = Pink Bars). If you have 5 Anima, and a Soul Core costs 2; you'll see 2 Purple Bars, and 2.5 Pink Bars.

Mortal Soul Cores
Fuse them when possible, Resting Rites if you don't want to swap out a good transferrable for something worse.
Divine / Ethereal
190 / 210

All Soul Cores have two "Fixed Perks", up to 2 slots for random-roll Perks, and a spare slot for an Inheritable Perk. As for a few general rules, so you're not wasting time with your rerolling;

1. Fixed Perks are higher-tuned than their Random-roll identical counterparts.
   An example of this is that one of Koroka's Fixed Perks is Fire Damage, ranging from 5.4% -> 11.6% between Rank 1->30. Meanwhile, the rare random-roll Perk for Fire Damage only scales between 4.1% -> 7.3% between Rank 1->30.
2. You can only have one Perk, per general "Perk type", per Core.
   Going back to our Koroka example, no matter what, you will never roll an blanket Elemental Damage up Perk; because Koroka already has Fire Damage on it. This rule is pretty loose however, since there's a lot of rollable Perks that don't belong to any Pool, and a lot of Unique Fixed Perks that don't conflict with anything.
3. Some Perks have variable rarities, which provide different amounts of the same benefit.
   For example, you have the Anima increase that gives 0.6-1.5, and the Anima increase that gives 0.8-2.1. Each are equally common, however you will never find the high-tuned one as an Inheritable (you can get the 0.6-1.5 Anima as an inheritable, but not the 0.8-2.1 one). As such, you want your variable rarity perks to be the ones you roll, while any niche Perk that only comes in one flavor is best as the one you Inherit.

https://rentry.org/niohpocketguide-soul-cores

Shift Guide
https://pastebin.com/nJCx0S4x

Grave Autism
https://pastebin.com/r5wRpges

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2887324378
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nc2wvXZHrOqf_IvHWlPiFI4CJ_p1fFtFnKUJlxYllls/edit#gid=957099697
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A-uFgSck8pU5NOLh2OVpK_V5-AVfDW42wuiumuf7tlE/edit#gid=691341176