NIOH – BUILDS – The Man with the Guardian Spirits – Living Weapon

CHARACTER BUILDS

In my previous post, we have looked at Odachi, a weapon with devastating power in both Ki damage and raw attack. NIOH – BUILDS- MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN – ODACHI

Today, we will look at another aspect that make this weapon a killer – Living Weapon (LW)
At the beginning, Living Weapon often associate with Kusarigama and the infamous “Blade Spin” skill. However, after the nerf from Koei Tecmo, that build has been faded for a while, after some careful testing by players, Odachi came up as a viable weapon – if not best for Living Weapon. This is also because of the speed increase in Living Weapon for Odachi, as well as Moonlit Snow can be used even in LW mode.

LIVING WEAPON – WHEN YOU HAVE THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

What make Nioh become a phenomenal hit is it’s combat system. Aside from the weapon arsenal (7 main weapons till now) Nioh add in some feature that make the game unique, one of those is the Living Weapon system – where we summon a Guardian Spirit and they “jumped” to our weapon, make it “alive”. After summoned, the HP bar and Ki bar combine into one and William become “kind-of” invulnerable for a while. At this stage our weapon become an elemental carrier (depend on the spirit) and we will have some small time to relieve our stress (After many deaths and frustrated fights)

With that said, this is not your key to make the game easier, as it does take some optimization and consideration to make this build viable (After the nerf) When in LW you also need to manage the LW bar as it decay overtime and attacking without defense is the stairway to hell.

STATS

With LW, depends on your play-style you will also need the main stat for your current weapon, with this in mind, the stat this time is the same as in previous post for Odachi Build

NIOH – BUILDS- MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN – ODACHI

However, the main stat that affect (scale off) LW is SPIRIT, we will also need some focus to this stat as well.

Right now, I am using LW at 30 SPIRIT, and haven’t test with 99 SPIRIT build yet. Many have raise to 99 SPIRIT and reported shorter cool-down and longer duration when activate Living Weapon, however, this require you to have CTA (SPIRIT) on your weapon to get the most damage output.

Currently, as there are limitation in stats points (you can raise a handful of stat to 99) this still need some consideration when raising SPIRIT to it’s limit. So you can try out with around 30 – 40 SPIRIT (For later Spirit in DLCs) and pump in Spirit Stones (gain Armita for LW) in harder battles.

EQUIPMENT

EARLY GAME – WAY OF THE SAMURAI

This time, there is a difference with other build, as you will pick up Fanatic Armor (any pieces) quite early. With 2 pieces, you will have the following affix:

For other slots until you get full Fanatic set, please stick to our old sponsored partners – Warrior of the West & Red Demon Armor 🙂

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(The first part is from previous post)

At the beginning  – Way of Samurai (lvl 1 -80), you will encounter Nioh first two sets (Equipment that will enable special affixes when equip together) – Warrior of the West and Red Demon Armor – mostly through Revenants (Red Graves resemble previous players deaths, usually carry their armor set and weapon) through out the mission

These two sets are the very basic set due to it’s damage increasement (10% for wearing 4 pieces of armor or equipment) and for 5 pieces the damage increase further more (~28%) when enemies are inflicted with Fire (Red Demon Armor) or Lighting (Warrior of the West)

These two sets is also categorized as Light Armor, if you don’t have much STAMINA, the Agility Stats of the character will often stay at B – a very safe bet for you to not cost too much Ki when dodge and attack.

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MID AND END GAME – WAY OF THE STRONG AND ABOVE

We always have an armor set specific to every build, this time it is Fanatic Armor. Reasons? This is the set born for Living Weapon build.

In Nioh, we have a handful of affixes that enable when character HP is at below certain amount (Critical state) represent by a flashing HP bar. This is not usable in normal condition as you can only withstand one more hit more by those gruesome Yokai. But if you activate LW at this state, all those Critical effect will be inherited to LW mode, combine with the boost from Guardian Spirit, the damage you get is very significant (if not huge)

With that said, the last affixes of Fanatic Set help increase these Critical bonus to 50% which mean you earn 1.5 time multiplier.

Notes: With update 1.14 – 1.16 A new set has been added – General of Kigetsu, which provide Damage Reduction, Attack Increase base on bad status aliment. This combine with Hermit Talisman & Carnage Talisman provide a significantly high amount of damage, you can also add in the last bonus (25% CCD) along with 2 bonus from Fanatic for greater effect

EQUIPMENT AFFIXES

To have the proper equipment is the key in Nioh, however, the most important things is still the affixes on it. Most of the builds efficient rely on the affixes.

This time, you can consider some Critical affix that come with weapon or armor, as you spend your LW time in this state.

WEAPON AFFIXES

At the beginning (First Play-through) you don’t need to focus much on the affixes, simply pick up the stronger weapons on your journey and use it, as to modify affixes and change them require lot of upgrades and materials – which is more suitable for end game (Way of the Strong/Demon/Wise)

Just as mentioned in NIOH – THÔNG SỐ TRANG BỊ – PHẦN 1 – WEAPONS, there are many affixes that help increase the damage of the weapons, however, there are some core affixes that every weapons should have.

• CLOSE COMBAT DAMAGE 10% – 20%/ SKILL DAMAGE 15 – 20%
• FAMILIARITY DAMAGE BONUS A
• KILLING STRIKE DAMAGE 18 – 25%
• SKILL DAMAGE (Moonlit Snow) 17 – 25%
• CHANGE TO ATTACK (STRENGTH) A+

This is quite similar to Odachi build, but for this build you can also consider the below affixes:

• MID ATTACK DAMAGE 15 – 20%
• YOKAI CLOSE COMBAT DAMAMGE – 19 – 25%
• CLOSE COMBAT ATTACK (CRITICAL) 19-25%

Why MID ATTACK DAMAMAGE? After activate LW, Character will be in Mid Stance and cannot be changed, MID ATTACK DAMAMAGE help increase the damage of these attacks
(Notes: The above affixes is conflict with CCD 15-20%, the reason we bring it in is because it’s easier to roll and you may want to use it for a while until getting the perfect 20% CCD! )

In 1.14 update, a new affix for Odachi come up:

• MOONLIT SNOW X3 (ATTACK DAMAGE X2) 

This increase the damage of last Moonlit Snow hit (the 4th hit) by double, but does require some setup as you also need to land the first 3 hits. With some practice, this can be used as an alternative to the above affixes.

CHANGE TO ATTACK (STRENGTH) is ideal when you using Sword build from the beginning – as your first max stat is STRENGTH, however, if you are using Sword as a secondary weapon, and your first max stat is not STRENGTH, this should be the one that you are already maxed (HEART, STAMINA, SKILL…), this is the most efficient damage increasement affixes and very hard to roll as well, however with Temper, this process is a little easier.

SKILL DAMAGE & CLOSE COMBAT DAMAGE (CCD) These two affixes are not stack, which mean you can only choose one over another, at first glance CCD seem better as it increase overall damage, however, it’s hard to roll the best stat (20%) so you can use SKILL DAMAGE as an alternative

SKILL DAMAGE (MOONLIT SNOW) – This affix only appear when you Forge Weapon or from loot drop, which mean you can’t reforge it using Black Smith. One of the way to get this is to obtain the SMITHING TEXT for the Odachi of your liking.

Some good Odachis you should prefer:

• Sekishu Kazushada (From the General of Kigetsu set)
• Monohoshizao – dropped from Mysterious Samurai (Ganryu sub-mission in Defiant Honor)
• Bloodstained Cleaver – Occasionally dropped from Namahage (New yokai appear in Dragon of the North, on Way of the Wise difficulty)

We still have one more slot for an affix, this is depend on your liking, if you want some “spark” here and there, elemental affixes is a good choices (FIRE, LIGHTING, WATER….) you can also choose Damage 50% which help increase damage of a specific element – this is the best when you are using Talisman as the main source of element damage. Finally, WEAKEN TORSO is also a good affix as it reduce the defense of the Chest Armor, in general, more damage for you!

ARMOR AFFIXES

Just like in NIOH – THÔNG SỐ TRANG BỊ – PHẦN 2 – ARMOR & ACCESSORIES Armor in Nioh also have some very good affixes (DAMAGE REDUCTION is a base affix that exist in all armor, however, higher in heavier armor)

• TOUGHNESS
• DEFENSE
• BONUS FOR ABSORBING ARMITA (INCREASE ATTACK) (Helm only)
• ATTACK
• RECEIVED ELEMENTAL ATTACK DAMAMGE 20 – 25%

In 1.14 updates, Leeching Talisman is introduced, provide a better boost to damage (increase damage base on HP losses) compare to Carnage Talisman, however, this come with the cost of loosing HP gradually and will kill you if you are using it without awareness of your remaining HP. With that in mind, the below affix is a must on your Chest armor to prevent death.

• TENACITY (RECURRENT DAMAGE) – Prevent death from damage overtime status (Fire, Poison…)

For Armor in this build, as we are using heavy armor set, we will need this stat:

• WEIGHT REDUCTION 15 – 17%

This help reduce the weight of the armor and allow you to achieve B Agility when using heavy armor. With Temper, this is easier to get now.

RANGED WEAPONS AFFIXES

As we are using heavy armor, you will need to have this affix:

• EQUIPMENT WEIGHT DAMAGE BONUS A

This help increase damage base on the weight of the character (~15% for over 30.1 Weight)

For Ranged Weapon, as the affix of the Ranged Weapon can be enabled if it’s used on primary slot, We can simply choose a weapon with AGILITY DAMAGE BONUS A and leave it there. At B Agility, this should be around 8% in Damage increasement, not bad for something that we never used much!

ACCESSORIES AFFIXES

As accessories currently does not support reforge, to have useful affixes on these, you will need some time to “farm” This build does require some affixes on accessories to maximize damage potential

Below are must have affixes for LW Build:

• LIVING WEAPON ATTACK ENHANCEMENT 10 -15% – Plain & simple, increase damage when activate LW
• YOKAI CLOSE COMBAT DAMAGE 10-15% 
• DAMAGE/CLOSE COMBAT ATTACK (ENEMY ) 25-30% – Increase specific elemental damage/ Increase damage when enemies are inflicted with elemental status, as your LW attack are imbued, these are worth to have on accessories.

Some notable affixes :

• DURABILITY OF LIVING WEAPONS – Increase duration of LW
• ARMITA GAUGE ADDITION – Increase Armita Gauge fill up rate

SKILLS

As we use Odachi, this is the same as Odachi build

NIOH – BUILDS- MOONLIGHT SWORDSMAN – ODACHI

One note is that we mostly use Moonlit Snow, as this can be used in Mid stance LW.

GUARDIAN SPIRIT

The core of LW of course is the Guardian Spirit, with 30 spirit, you can mostly use all the spirits in game (base game) some spirits come with the DLC require some more points to get the support affixes from them (around 5 – 10 more points)

It’s your choice to choose which spirit, but let’s go through some main stats on Guardian Spirit and explain why some have longer duration, and why some are easier to activate.

All Guardian Spirit have these stat rating from A to D or some number, depend on your choices, you can determine which is the best. Below are some Spirits that have good stat for LW build.

SUZAKU (FLAME PHOENIX) – FIRE

If you go through all the guides, you will see that Suzaku is like a must-have for LW build, because it syncs perfectly with Fanatic Set

Along with the above, with RECOVERY A+ Suzaku bring up an endurance that can make you last longer in LW form

As LW will acitivate when your HP reach 0, Suzaku is a combination with CCD Critical 20%, INCREASE ATTACK & DEFENSE using Suzaku and 50% Critical Effect of Fanatic Set

This spirit is suitable for people who just follow LW Builds, as it help you achieve the Critical state more safely, with the addition of Fanatic Set, this Spirit is born for LW players.

Fun fact: If you see a revenant grave with Suzaku as spirit, there are 90% chances he will drop a Fanatic pieces 🙂
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Suzaku is suitable for long run mission and new player who getting along with Living Weapon build, above is The Demon Revealed mission – the infamous mission to farming Armita, using Suzaku and some spirit stones, I can last around 10 mins (1.13 updates)

ENKO – FIRE TIGER – FIRE 

With 23.5% ATTACK ENHANCEMENT, FIRE 67 and FIRE DAMAGE 30%, Enko helps increase damage in LW mode significantly, along with STRONG ATTACK DAMAGE 15% )(Increase damage for Triangle attack) Enko is the perfect spirit for Odachi’s triangle move in LW (a big sword spin) This is enough to put the Yokais to their misery.

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Enko is best used with Strong Attack (press Triangle)

However, as ARMITA GAUGE RATE is only at C-, to summon Enko, the time is longer than other.

This spirit is suitable when you need some boost in damage for a quick battle, and does not need much sustain.

PAIRED RAIKEN – TWIN LIGHTING PUPPIES – LIGHTING

Don’t let their look deceive you, these puppies are hidden with great power, their stat is one of the best in the list. With ACTION B- & RECOVERY B+ you can comfortably using these puppies for a while, as the LW decrease rate and the recovery rate is very balance.

With ARMITA GAUGE RATE A-, the speed you gain Armita is quite awesome, you will almost have LW everytime. To top things of, this provide you with YOKAI CLOSE COMBAT DAMAGE 19.5% enough to give out nightmare.

With the above, Raiken can be a substitution for Suzaku if you don’t use full Fanatic set. Enabling you to mixing some other set in, Warrior of the West is a great candidate as it increase CCD when enemies are inflicted with Lighting.

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NINJUTSU AND ONMYO MAGIC

This time, we will focus more on these skills tree as you are always in Critical State, and can go to the nearest shrine in one hit.

With Ninjutsu, it’s a must to have Quick Change Scroll, this require a lot of Ninjutsu capacity, so 2 is enough.

You may also need Tiger Running: II to help increase running speed through out the mission, this is to minimize the time losses in LW.

As for Onmyo Magic, you will need some basic stuff – Weakness Talisman, Carnage Talisman & Steel Talisman

And this time we will need another two talismans. Extraction Talisman (Armita appeared whenever you hit the enemies) & Piliede Talisman (increase the speed the Armita Gauge fill). These two kits will help you sustain the LW during mission.

Notes: In 1.14 updates, Leeching Talisman is introduced, provide a better boost to damage (increase damage base on HP losses) compare to Carnage Talisman, however, this come with the cost of loosing HP gradually and will kill you if you are using it without awareness of your remaining HP. With that in mind, Tenacity is needed on your Chest Armor, please see the Equipment part.

NIOH Bản Cập Nhật 1.14 – Mở đường cho Sanada Clan

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Updated video using Leeching Talisman!

When playing, the order of buff should follow this:

Quick Change Scroll >> Carnage Talisman/ Leeching Talisman >> Steel Talisman >> Weakness Talisman

You can also upgrade the skills in Ninjutsu & Onmyo magic to allow carry more ninjutsu items as well as the Mystic Arts that help cancel the buff animation

SAY NO TO SLOTH! 🙂

Enlightment – Allow you to cancel animation when performing Ninjutsu

Awakenening – Allow you to cancel animation when performing Onmyo Magic

SAY NO TO SLOTH! 

PLAY STYLE

Play style is quite simple with LW Build Fill the Armita Gauge >> Get down to critical level >> “Transform” >> “Dance”

In LW form, you are still affected by grab and attacks from boss and mobs, you still need to dodge and block (at a easier rate though) to keep LW bar in check. The activation of Extraction Talisman is a must to keep gaining Armita in LW.

Finally, you can add in Spirit Stones as a quick aid in difficult battles. As these are limited resources (can be farm although the process is quite tedious – drop from corpse around mission or as mission reward) you should focus on keeping the LW in check first and limit the usage of these stones on harder fights.

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At first, I am not keen of Living Weapon build as I feel like it breaking the game, but after the nerf and balance, to create a character solely using LW require some skills in optimization and finding out the correct gear, thus make it an interesting build for players who want to taste something new.

The above is my Living Weapon build used at the end of Way of the Demon for farming, there are some trouble when first encounter Way of the Wise (mostly due to the higher damage mobs) but the damage is still one of a kind.