Good to know. I’ll probably just do the default female again.
Also starting with a sword and dual sword build, with a focus on lots of yokai abilities this time.
I’m trying to go in blind, so I’ll probably wait until I get wrecked before asking for help. :)
I played most of the first game with katana and dual swords, but I want to diversify a little in Nioh 2, and perhaps use more ninjutsu or onmyo magic… and definitely try the other weapons.
My character will probably be my own Nioh 2 version of Nier: Automata’s 2B, in which case katana, odachi, spear and fists would all be great choices. I do have a soft spot for the kusarigama though, and I’m curious about the splitstaff and glaive, so… ;)
EDIT: and tonfas. Tonfas look awesome too.
I rotated through all of the weapon classes in the first game over the course of all my playthroughs, pretty much moving on whenever I found a new shiny that looked fun, and expect to do the same here.
As I recall, the way they set up the stat system strongly encouraged generalization for the first playthrough or so – you got significantly more value out of the first 10-20 points in each attribute than you did above that, and your damage output early on was mostly based on gear rather than stats, so you weren’t crippled by using a weapon class you weren’t specced for. Then by the time stat scaling became significant in the various NG+ cycles, respec items were common enough that it wasn’t a big deal to switch things around to dump 99 points in whatever stat mattered for the weapon.
@TimJames is that sort of build flexibility still the philosophy in this one?
I believe it’s still like that. I’m just overthinking, as I usually do. I’d like to find a weapon that fits my playstyle best, so I’m probably be trying, well, all of them, but that means I’ll have a skill threshold that might hinder me in the game (since I’m trying a lot but not training or mastering anything), and I wonder if that would hinder my enjoyment. Anyway, again, overthinking. ;)
That’s certainly true. You can almost ignore it in NG. If you’re a very particular person who worries about these things, I saw this light weight article from around the original release of the game. I don’t think patches affected any of this too much.
I’m not familiar with the franchise at all but I saw this thread and then looked at the Steam page where it says it has coop. Does anyone have a good overview of what kind of coop experience this game offers?
Great, that’s what I was hoping. I’ll proceed with winging it.
All I know is it’s a bit of a mess. I don’t think there’s any way to do a shared campaign. You either have one primary player with an occasional helper or you both run through an instance of a level.
I’m sure people make it work but I gather that it’s even more annoying than it is in the Souls games.
Good to know, thanks!
Hey, @TimJames how about writing up a couple of tips for first-timers and newbies who are going to jump into Nioh 2 tomorrow? Not that I’m one of those things. As I mentioned, I pretty much beat Nioh (just ask @Mike_Cathcart if you don’t believe me), so I’m not saying I need any tips, since I’m someone who all but finished the first game. You know, got to the end and beat it and everything because I’m pretty good at it.
But maybe a couple of “things you should know before going in” for those of us – I mean for others – who might not be very hip to Nioh’s idiosyncrasies and unique selling points.
-Tom, who pretty much beat Nioh
Also maybe for those of us getting into the series for the first time with the Nioh Collection on PS5, can you give us your opinion on whether starting with Nioh is worth it or if we should just jump right to Nioh 2.
Well, Steam says I played Nioh for 170 hours, so obviously I have a bit of an opinion on whether it’s worth playing on its own.
But I’d say that this isn’t really the sort of game where a sequel obsoletes the original. I’m sure it will look nicer and have some nice QoL and mechanical tweaks, but so much of the game’s journey is tied up in exploring levels and learning to fight new enemies and bosses, and it would be a shame to miss that experience. Though now that 2 exists, I might move over to it after a single cycle of 1, rather than going through the whole NG++++ thing.
Having said that, though, I suppose it would actually make some sense to start with 2 for the sake of joining the conversation as it’s happening. By the same non-obsoleting token, I don’t think it would be too hard to go back and play 1 later if you want. And if you don’t play 2 right away then it’s kind of a waste of money to buy it at launch since it might be cheaper before you do…
So ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I guess? In conclusion, Nioh is a land of contrasts.
What both Tom and I really want to know is that what skills/weapons should we choose to get an experience the equivalent of playing the magic user in demon’s souls (i.e. easy mode)? Then we can both say that we both almost beat Nioh 2.
Don’t worry. You don’t need to have completed Nioh to understand how to play Nioh 2. Nearly beating it is sufficient. Remember that boss near the end, how it forced you to combine everything you learned up to that point to where you were finally able to connect all the dots to master the system? The sequel is just like that, so you’ll be fine.
There’s one significant moment in Nioh 2 that will have more impact if you played the original game first. I don’t think it’s worth it unless you know you’re in to the series for the long haul. The first three bosses of Nioh 1 might be the hardest part of the series for new players, especially the ones coming from Dark Souls. Nioh 2 is a bit more straightforward. There are a lot of new features in the sequel that you’ll miss when they’re not there, but it’s still roughly the same game, so it shouldn’t be too hard to go back to it later.
Unfortunately, there’s no real easy mode. Maybe heavy armor, though make sure you’re under 70% equipment rate (green or blue agility) or your stamina recovery will become painfully slow. I’d consider playing with the axe because it’s a simple, slow, high damage weapon that feels a bit more like playing Dark Souls. Or choose the spear because it has high reach and its primary damage stat also boosts your HP.
Here’s an actual newbie guide in plain English, pared down as much as I can so as not to overwhelm anyone.
- Ki-pulse: There is an active reload mechanic to recover your stamina. The game explains how to use it. Pay attention, it’s extremely critical.
- Enemy ki: Enemies have a stamina bar. Humans recover stamina like you do by taking a short pause, so keep up the pressure when it’s low. Monsters lose stamina steadily without recovering it. If you drain a human’s ki, you can walk up and press Y/triangle to perform a special move that does a lot of damage. If a yokai is out of ki, it can be stunlocked indefinitely until it recovers with a special move. This is your cue to beat the hell out of it as fast as possible. (Remember the ki pulse?) This is extremely important.
- The game includes a loot system that you can ignore almost entirely. Simply look at the giant number at the top of the item screen and pick the item with the biggest number. Just make sure your equipment weight stays green or blue.
- The game includes a stance system you can ignore 80% of the time. Low stance is really nice for hitting pesky enemies crawling on the ground. High stance is nice to deal out heavy damage when an enemy is vulnerable, like when they’re out of ki. If the mechanics of switching feel too cumbersome, just stay in mid stance.
- Bonus intermediate tip: just like in Ninja Gaiden, make sure you keep pressing block while you dodge attacks. If you dodge too early or too late, you’ll block instead of taking damage. This might drain your stamina, but it’s better than getting hit. Just remember to lower your block to recover stamina when it’s safe.
The most important new feature in Nioh 2 are the enemy burst attacks. They’ll turn red and you’ll hear a sound. If you do a burst counter at the right time, you’ll do massive ki damage and also feel really great about yourself. There are three types of burst counters:
- Brute: you turn into a demon and backhand the enemy. It acts like an attack, so if you’re close to an enemy and they have a long wind-up to their burst attack, you can simply hit them out of it without waiting for the right time. The downside is it has a long windup and many burst attacks are pretty quick. If you have slow reactions, you’ll struggle with it.
- Phantom: you stand in place and do a quick counter. Low wind-up but you need good timing. I don’t recommend this unless you’re good at traditional parrying.
- Feral: if there’s an easy mode in Nioh 2, this is it. You move forward and leave an image behind you briefly. If the enemy attack touches this image, you’ll do the counter. The trick then is to dodge into the burst attacks and let the enemy run into you while you’re invincible. There’s a unique timing to it, but once you get it down, it’s the easiest one to land. The other extreme advantage is this acts like a free dodge (well, it costs 1 anima) you can use even if you’re out of ki. Let’s say you block some attacks, you’re stuck out of breath, and the enemy is winding up for one last attack. Point your thumbstick away from them and do the burst counter. You’ll teleport safely away. It’s like a get-out-of-jail free card. The disadvantage is there’s a long follow-through, so if your enemy does two attacks instead, you’ll probably get hit by the second one. It can also be finicky to hit the counter if you’re too close to the enemy, but in Souls games you’re often at mid distance waiting for an opportunity to strike, so it usually lines up well.
That’s it! You’ll figure out the rest!
Excellent! Above and beyond, Mr. James!
By the way, @Jason_McMaster says Sekiro is way way way better than Nioh. You guys should fight.
-Tom
I like them both. Sekiro has a steady rhythm like Arkham Asylum. Nioh is all about repeatedly setting up an endorphin rush.
I never got good at using the Ki-pulse in the first one. Hopefully, I can make it a habit from the beginning.
They’re both among my all-time favorites, and I’ll fight anyone who thinks a single awesome fast-paced action/Soulsy game about slicing your way through fantasy medieval Japan is anywhere close to sufficient.