So I bought and tried out NiOh, and what this game expects of you is ridiculous.

[Deleted member 1258]

Literally Level 2 and I'm just stuck and I really have no motivation to keep playing.

See these guys? They're Yokai and Oni respectively, and they're essentially the games mini-bosses. Just one of these guys is enough to one-shot you and end your run.

Mission 2 decides this apparently isn't harsh enough, so the game puts you in a claustrophobic cavern that puts you against eight of these fucking things. I literally used up all of my Elixirs, and I tried to beat them by taking them on while in Living Weapons mode which significantly boosts your damage and you are invincible for a very short amount of time. I managed to beat six of them, but even when I was in Living Weapons mode I still ended up dying.

After dying and having spent all of my resources, I just thought about the fact that I would have to fight everything again and tapped out, I have no incentive to go back.

 

[Strings]

These things are stupendously easy when you get familiar with the game. If they're annoying you this early though, I don't blame you for tapping out I guess - a bunch of later enemies are just them reskinned a bunch.

They are tough but you're not meant to trade blows. If you can single any one of them out, there are some clear patterns that allow you to dodge around. You'll find they are simpler than you think, just remember it's more of a puzzle than a chaotic battle of skill.

Click to shrink...

Also yeah, from memory, their movesets are tiny (iirc max 3 different things they can do) and easily exploitable.

 

[Noogy]

They are tough but you're not meant to trade blows. If you can single any one of them out, there are some clear patterns that allow you to dodge around. You'll find they are simpler than you think, just remember it's more of a puzzle than a chaotic battle of skill.

 

[Kinsei]

See the big glowy horns? Break them.

 

[Weiss]

I really wasn't a fan. I hate the constant spewing of loot, and the game just felt too technical. I have to focus on stances, Ki Pulse, and that weird Devil Trigger thing, all the while trying to survive against super fast enemies.

 

[Freezasaurus]

I enjoyed Nioh quite a bit. It's certainly frustrating at times. While you can't play it exactly like Dark Souls, if you've played any of From's games, they'll have taught you some good basic skills that come in handy when playing Nioh. When I was learning this game, I just kept going back and forth through the early areas until I got the hang of things. At least to where I felt comfortable venturing a bit further. Patience is definitely a requirement.

 

[KingFrost92]

The key to all these souls like games is to abuse invincibility frames and get behind opponents. I got super frustrated on stage 2 as well, but once I learned to just constantly play it close, it got a lot easier.

I stopped playing after the first "world" though, because it started to be hard in a not-as-fun way? Even as someone who loves the Souls games, there was something missing from this one to keep me going.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The key to all these souls like games is to abuse invincibility frames and get behind opponents. I got super frustrated on stage 2 as well, but once I learned to just constantly play it close, it got a lot easier.

I stopped playing after the first "world" though, because it started to be hard in a not-as-fun way? Even as someone who loves the Souls games, there was something missing from this one to keep me going.

Click to shrink...

The game is already hard in not a fun way.

 

[DWarriorSN]

Its really not hard at all once you understand the game.

Plus you can cheese the game using ninjutsu or magic very easily once you lvl up

 

[Strings]

Also, you're probably not blocking enough if you've played a Souls game before. You can just sit and counter-intuitively tank a metric shiton of hits in Nioh.

 

[Izanagi89]

Stick to Low Stance for a bit. Get used to the movement of both the enemy and William. It seems harsh but once you get the hang of it you'll see it's more than doable.

 

[MZZ]

I had trouble with these before. I used to snipe them from afar. But they are really slow. Keep your distance and hit them at the recoil of their attach.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Also, you're probably not blocking enough if you've played a Souls game before. You can just sit and counter-intuitively tank a metric shiton of hits in Nioh.

Click to shrink...

I'm literally walking while blocking every second in case something jumps me from the corner. I'm blocking in all of the Yokai fights but they still can break my guard and kill me.

 

[Freezasaurus]

The game is already hard in not a fun way.

Click to shrink...

Now imagine it with a weapon durability mechanic, because that was in the game when I played the first Alpha demo. Thankfully they got rid of it by the time the next demo rolled around.

Anyway, learning to use the different stances is also important, they do make a big difference.

 

[Smash-It Stan]

Also, you're probably not blocking enough if you've played a Souls game before. You can just sit and counter-intuitively tank a metric shiton of hits in Nioh.

Click to shrink...

Is that not what you do in DS as well? Thats what I did through all 4 souls games.

 

[Buttzerker]

I beat the first boss of the expansion, which was an insane level jump from the last boss of the base game, and found out the levels were only going to keep jumping.

The game expected me to do boring, repetitive side missions or grind a shitload unless I wanted to be stupidly underleveled, so I stopped. It just stopped being fun.

 

[Deleted member 5148]

I played the game offline and the only boss that gave me some trouble was that frog boss. But once you learn his paterns, your good. Sucka when you run out of elixirs.

 

[Strings]

Is that not what you do in DS as well? Thats what I did through all 4 souls games.

Click to shrink...

I dunno, I always play without a shield. It felt super weird being able to block anything at all in Nioh, let alone boss combos, since you're just using a weapon.

 

[SapientWolf]

The only thing worth fearing in these types of games is despair. You just have to be patient and methodical.

 

[Freezasaurus]

I beat the first boss of the expansion, which was an insane level jump from the last boss of the base game, and found out the levels were only going to keep jumping.

Click to shrink...

That guy was the fucking wall I hit that made me just stop. I had a fun time with the base game, but fuck that DLC boss.

 

[Telecinision]

I remember Hino-Enma being a really rough boss to encounter so early in the game. You're in for another steep spike in difficulty there.

 

[Buttzerker]

That guy was the fucking wall I hit that made me just stop. I had a fun time with the base game, but fuck that DLC boss.

Click to shrink...

Yeah he was insanely stupid hard. Took me like...15-20 tries to beat? And I was like "okay sure" and he was...level 120 or something, I was level 98, and the next boss was level 150. And I called it there. I can tolerate many things, but that kind of grind is not one of them.

 

[Garlic]

Is that not what you do in DS as well? Thats what I did through all 4 souls games.

Click to shrink...

The block is way stronger in Nioh, you almost never take chip damage and the block is pretty easy to combo out of. It's stronger than dodging in a lot of cases, which is almost never the case in Souls.

That guy was the fucking wall I hit that made me just stop. I had a fun time with the base game, but fuck that DLC boss.

Click to shrink...

The grind becomes real in the DLC, I had to tap out

 

[Freezasaurus]

Yeah he was insanely stupid hard. Took me like...15-20 tries to beat? And I was like "okay sure" and he was...level 120 or something, I was level 98, and the next boss was level 150. And I called it there. I can tolerate many things, but that kind of grind is not one of them.

Click to shrink...

I think I was level 130 or something at the time, and the most infuriating thing about him was that he could still one-shot you pretty much whenever he felt like it.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The only thing worth fearing in these types of games is despair. You just have to be patient and methodical.

Click to shrink...

This game is not for me then. I do not have patience for lost progress, especially ones that were massive time sinks. If the best, most efficient way to properly do that cavern section is to do multiple runs until I have the perfect one planned out, then thats hell.

 

[TheCrackedJack]

Playing NiOh is about as fun as having a root canal, so I don't blame you for not being motivated to play more.

 

[Revolsin]

The game is already hard in not a fun way.

Click to shrink...

Then it's time to move on. No sense in trying to keep your 'pride' or what have you through all this. Souls-esque games are supposed to be enjoyable at least most of the time.

 

[Shan]

Best way to deal with the Yokai, personally, is to high stance and try to score a hit on their face, sometimes it will drain their ki instantly giving you a bunch of free hits. As for cyclops I just shoot em in the eyes with a bow for free hits.

Anyway if you don't like it, no point in forcing yourself through.

 

[KingFrost92]

The game is already hard in not a fun way.

Click to shrink...

Then stop playing it, I'd say. For me, I had a lot of fun at the start and then I got really frustrated when the levels started having poison clouds all over and I started having to spend 2-3 hours on learning each boss's patterns.

The one thing I remember is that stretch in the caves in level 2. I think that's what you're talking about in the OP, where you have to fight a ton of the yokai, all leading up to the bat lady, one of the more frustrating fights I've done in recent years.

Eh, it wasn't for me. It might not be for you. I found it to be too dense and I just didn't want to deal with it.

Lots of strats for breaking the game though if you want to blow through it. The speed runs for it are WILD with how people abuse the magic system.

 

[Deleted member 864]

These things are stupendously easy when you get familiar with the game. If they're annoying you this early though, I don't blame you for tapping out I guess - a bunch of later enemies are just them reskinned a bunch.

Also yeah, from memory, their movesets are tiny (iirc max 3 different things they can do) and easily exploitable.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much this, they might be tricky at first but eventually you get so used to them and their movesets that they become the easiest enemies in the game. This is how it went for me (and I'm assuming many others) when first playing the game.

Remember to block, dodge, let them take a swing at you and then rush in to deal a few hits, and if there's a bunch of them try to take them on one at a time. Use a stone if you have any to bait one over from a group. Use your ranged weapons like the guns and bow if need be just to make it a little bit more manageable.

 

[Strings]

Yeah he was insanely stupid hard. Took me like...15-20 tries to beat? And I was like "okay sure" and he was...level 120 or something, I was level 98, and the next boss was level 150. And I called it there. I can tolerate many things, but that kind of grind is not one of them.

Click to shrink...

Just to clarify, because the game is stupid about it and doesn't - the suggested levels are talking about your gear level, not your character one.

 

[Buttzerker]

Just to clarify, because the game is stupid about it and doesn't clarify - the suggested levels are talking about your gear level, not your character one.

Click to shrink...

Fair enough. Either way, it was expecting me to do a lot of non-linear progression and I wasn't interested in doing boring side missions to gear up. If they had more story to them maybe, but eh. Game felt too long as it was, but I know some couldn't get enough for it. Not judging, just isn't for me.

 

[Wein Cruz]

Yeah if you don't have the patience to learn you might as well quit now.

It's really not that hard though.

 

[BeaconofTruth]

Play better fam.

Ki pulse, is like an active reload for your stamina gauge. And it crushes the yokai realm stuff underneath that gimps your stamina gain anyway. If you have the souls for it, you want to get flux and...I want to say it's called water within/wind within? Flux lets you you ki pulse when switching stances (which also happens to require you press the ki pulse button anyway), and the other makes it so you dodge. There is even a tutorial on how to use this stuff effectively. You'll start cutting goons up in no time. Learn these things.

Otherwise neither of those have an attack string long enough that you can't patiently get the hang of, dodge, n bury the enemy with.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

I'm fairly certain I skipped most of the ONI fights in that level by just running past them. Especially later on when there's a massive crowd of them.

Have you tried that yet, OP?

After that I don't really remember the oni as being all that tough.

The boss of that level though, whooo boy, if you don't know how to dodge and regain your stamina she will force you to learn.

 

[Fart Master]

The game is already hard in not a fun way.

Click to shrink...

Learn the patterns and weaknesses

 

[Van Bur3n]

Strangely enough, the cyclops dude becomes one of the easiest big dudes to face over time. If you've ever played a Souls game, most of the same rules apply when approaching an enemy. Understand their attack patterns, learn how to avoid and deflect those attacks and then respond with attacks of your own while managing your availability to attack with stamina. Nioh adds the innovative twist of enemies possessing a number of different weaknesses to a number of different attacks depending on your chosen stance, weapons, tools and moves unlocked. Understand what is good and not good for what.

If you want the simple answer: Just use the spear's mid stance. It beats everything.

Another aspect is understanding enemy aggro and determine situations where you need to approach enemies one at a time. The cave level is essentially that but as one giant level. Fight one enemy at a time and determine the next path you can take that allows you to dispose of another single enemy without catching the attention of others.

The game only gets harder, with the boss of that level being a high difficulty curve. If you're willing to learn, the game becomes fun. If you don't have the patience, you're playing the wrong game.

 

[semiconscious]

I enjoyed Nioh quite a bit. It's certainly frustrating at times. While you can't play it exactly like Dark Souls, if you've played any of From's games, they'll have taught you some good basic skills that come in handy when playing Nioh. When I was learning this game, I just kept going back and forth through the early areas until I got the hang of things. At least to where I felt comfortable venturing a bit further. Patience is definitely a requirement.

Click to shrink...

yep, using this simple method, even a mediocre gamer like myself managed to have a good time with the game. like a few other things, including some other games, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it :) ...

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Just to clarify, I have played SoulsBorne games before. I played DS3 up until right after the tree boss and kinda didn't feel like going on further because it just felt like work. Bloodborne I've owned for three years and still haven't gotten past the first area.

 

[Shan]

Just to clarify, I have played SoulsBorne games before. I played DS3 up until right after the tree boss and kinda didn't feel like going on further because it just felt like work. Bloodborne I've owned for three years and still haven't gotten past the first area.

Click to shrink...

I mean, I know it's your money and all but if you couldn't bother progressing past the tree dude in DS3 and clearing the first area of BB I wonder why you bought Nioh, Nioh is definitely a lot more work than the other 2 games personally.

 

[Zemst]

It's alright. You just got to get the hang of the stamina system. Fyi those guys are the easy ones wait until you meet the birds and the ninja yokai

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I mean, I know it's your money and all but if you couldn't bother progressing past the tree dude in DS3 and clearing the first area of BB I wonder why you bought Nioh, Nioh is definitely a lot more work than the other 2 games personally.

Click to shrink...

Because of online impressions saying it was less like a souls game and more of a straight up action game.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Just to clarify, I have played SoulsBorne games before. I played DS3 up until right after the tree boss and kinda didn't feel like going on further because it just felt like work. Bloodborne I've owned for three years and still haven't gotten past the first area.

Click to shrink...

Which explains why you ain't getting very far here.

Because of online impressions saying it was less like a souls game and more of a straight up action game.

Click to shrink...

It is more action-oriented than Souls, but still plays very much like one. If you get really good at the game, it can seem purely like action. You got conned. Played like a fiddle. Bamboozled.

 

[Shan]

Because of online impressions saying it was less like a souls game and more of a straight up action game.

Click to shrink...

Ah gotcha, I was sold on it since the alpha so my view on it was different, personally it's much harder than DS3 though. I'd still say to try and stick with it with the Yokai i tend to kite their moves until a proper opening, they have a very small moves pool and with some time you'll easily discern the safest time to move in for a hit, I never personally bothered to block against them, they drain your Ki way too fast.

 

[SOTC is a 6/10]

If you want a super easy hint: Just shoot the bastards in their goddamn face.

It stuns the cyclops yokai to let you get free hits and it breaks the horns of the horned yokai. Trust in your bow/gun/cannon and it trivializes a lot of things.

It's not until the late DLCs/difficulties where the ranged weapon falls off in effectiveness, which is a pretty hefty amount of game. Though, cannons are super effective pretty much all the time, except maybe late The Abyss or Way of the Nioh.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

If you want a super easy hint: Just shoot the bastards in their goddamn face.

Click to shrink...

I did that

Until I ran out of ammo

 

[BeaconofTruth]

Just to clarify, I have played SoulsBorne games before. I played DS3 up until right after the tree boss and kinda didn't feel like going on further because it just felt like work. Bloodborne I've owned for three years and still haven't gotten past the first area.

Click to shrink...

Probably not the game for you fam.

Tho I am curious what are straight action games you play? Because it wasn't like something like Ninja Gaiden was easier than those games, because if anything it's much harder.

 

[SOTC is a 6/10]

I did that

Until I ran out of ammo

Click to shrink...

Carry two separate ranged weapons (I like bow and rifle until cannons stop dropping, then it's bow and cannon) for more ammo. I know some people are suggesting you use Ninjutsu and Magic but I don't think those unlock until after a certain mission.

Also replay the first mission and make it a goal to master the ki pulse.

I wrote this guide quite some time ago. As said in the first page, the drop list is out of date, but everything else will help you since it's the cumulative knowledge of just under 900 obsessive hours of Nioh.

That's assuming you want to keep playing, of course. I rage quit 3 times because the Nue boss was so hardcore that I was convinced I'd flipped a difficulty switch somewhere. Game is ruthless.

 

[NeroPaige]

The most complaints I heard about Nioh wasn't combat difficulty but the RPG elements and loot-grind.

People saying they got sick of the loot/requirements/grind etc. That it put them off.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Carry two separate ranged weapons (I like bow and rifle until cannons stop dropping, then it's bow and cannon) for more ammo.

Also replay the first mission and make it a goal to master the ki pulse.

Click to shrink...

I did that. Until I ran out of ammo.

I know how to Ki Pulse, it's like the easiest thing in this game