Nioh 2 Skill Trees and Weapon Proficiencies Guide

Getting to grips with the many systems in Nioh 2 can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to understanding how skill trees and weapon proficiencies work. Every swing of a sword or cast of Onmyo magic doesn’t just change the course of a battle—it also shapes the way your character develops over time. With so many different weapons and abilities available, it’s important to know how to make choices that fit your style and help your character grow stronger. Whether you’re curious about how skill points are earned, what each skill tree actually does, or how weapon proficiency impacts your options, having a clear sense of these mechanics can make all the difference as you carve your path through Yokai-infested Japan.

Samurai Skill Guide

The Samurai Skill tree in Nioh 2 sits at the core of your combat growth. Unlike the weapon-specific trees, Samurai Skills give you universal boosts that apply no matter which weapon you’re wielding. If you want smoother combos, better ki management, and handy utilities that make life on the battlefield less stressful, this section is the place to focus your attention.

What are Samurai Skills?

Samurai Skills act as general buffs and techniques for your character. Earning Samurai Skill Points comes from using any melee weapon, completing dojo missions, or finding certain items. These points unlock skills in this tree—think of these as quality-of-life improvements and broad sword moves rather than flashy finishers.

Highlights of what you’ll find in this skill tree:

• General combat moves (universal attacks and counters)
• Passive buffs (like improved running speed or higher ki recovery)
• Extra weapon proficiency gains

Earning Samurai Skill Points

Samurai Skill Points come a few different ways. The most common: simply fight with melee weapons. Any action that uses a weapon—blocking, attacking, dodging—slowly inches up your progress bar. When you fill it, you get a new skill point.

You’ll also snag points by finishing training missions at the dojo or reading Book of Reincarnation and other spirit stones (though those last ones are rare and better saved for respecs). Generally, if you like to mix up your weapons or swap between them often, you’ll rack up Samurai skill points quickly.

Key Samurai Skills Worth Unlocking

Not every skill in this tree is equal. Some are instantly helpful. Others you can safely leave until later in your playthrough. Here are the brightest standouts:

Ki Pulse: Man (Passive)

• Description: Increases the window for a perfect Ki Pulse (timing a button press after attacking to quickly regain stamina).
• Why it’s good: Mistimed Ki Pulses are painful, often leaving you gasping for air while enemies beat you up. This extends your margin for error, making stamina management easier for everyone.

Flux & Flux II

• Description: Lets you hit a perfect Ki Pulse when switching stances mid-combo.
• Why it’s good: If you swap between stances a lot, this can completely change your fighting style—restoring more stamina and letting you keep up pressure without running dry.

Water Sword

• Description: A rapid multi-hit combo that doesn’t lock you into a long animation.
• Why it’s good: Water Sword is fast, highly effective at chunking down mid-boss enemies, and works with almost every weapon.

Shadow Strike

• Description: Increases damage from attacking behind an enemy.
• Why it’s good: Since enemies often leave their backs open during big swings, this passive gives you a real edge for playing smart or sneaky.

Melee Masteries

• Description: Permanent increases to your proficiency gains for different weapon types.
• Why it’s good: These are essential if you plan on playing with multiple weapons, as they help you unlock more powerful weapon moves faster.

Skill Tree Structure and Upgrades

Unlike weapon trees, Samurai Skills aren’t tied to a single weapon. Instead, upgrades here apply to your whole kit. You’ll see two types of skills:

• Active Skills: Add moves to your arsenal (like Water Sword)
• Passives: Buff stats or mechanics (better running, more item drops, faster ki recovery, etc.)

Many passives are buried behind prerequisites. For example, the Melee Masteries require a certain amount of weapon proficiency before you can buy them. Active moves often require dojo missions to unlock, which function as training grounds and mini-tests for mastering key techniques.

How Samurai Skills Fit With Other Skill Trees

Think of Samurai Skills as your combat backbone. Meanwhile, weapon-specific trees (like Sword, Axe, or Dual Swords) focus on unique combos, counters, and finishers tied to that weapon alone. Finally, Ninja and Onmyo skill trees handle stealth, traps, buffs, debuffs, and magic.

You can unlock both Samurai and weapon skills as you fight, but Samurai tree skills keep paying off no matter which weapon you favor. For most players, unlocking core Samurai passives is a priority, then sprinkling in a few actives that fit your preferred fighting style.

Tips for Spending Samurai Skill Points

• Prioritize passive ki and stamina helps first—these make mistakes less punishing.
• Invest in unlocks that speed up proficiency gains if you use more than one weapon regularly.
• Don’t ignore dojo missions, as they open up some of the largest skill upgrades.
• Try new actives in the dojo—training lets you see if they suit your rhythm without risking death.

Conclusion

The Samurai Skill tree holds a lot of power in Nioh 2. It’s the backbone of versatile play, smoothing the game’s rough edges and offering support no matter your favorite weapon. With wise investment, ki management gets less stressful, combos become smoother, and your fighter can stay ready for tougher bosses and advanced challenges ahead. Experiment and don’t be afraid to try new things—Nioh 2 rewards fighters who are flexible with their skills.

Shiftling Skill Guide

Nioh 2’s Shiftling skill tree gives you all the tools for harnessing your Yokai powers and making the most of your half-demonic side. If you enjoy playing aggressively, want to transform often, or just need more survivability during Yokai Shift, Shiftling skills will make a big difference. Let’s break down what this skill tree offers, how SYokai Shift works, and which skills you’ll want to grab early.

What are Shiftling Skills?

Shiftling skills revolve around your Yokai abilities—the supernatural attacks, bursts, and transformations you gain from being part Yokai. These skills let you:

• Improve the power and length of your Yokai Shift transformation
• Reduce penalties for spending Anima (your resource for Yokai abilities)
• Buff your Burst Counters or Yokai Abilities (think flashy alternate attacks)
• Get more out of soul cores and Guardian Spirit bonuses

You’ll notice right away: many Shiftling skills are passive buffs, but there are a few situational actives too. Since Yokai Shift is a huge part of surviving tough boss fights and punishing enemies, Shiftling skills are core for anyone who likes leaning into magic or burst-heavy tactics.

How to Earn Shiftling Skill Points

Gaining Shiftling Skill Points takes a little work, since you earn them by using Yokai skills and transformations:

• Use Yokai Abilities (pressing R2 + Triangle / Square while you have Anima)
• Perform Burst Counters whenever an enemy glows red
• Transform with Yokai Shift and defeat enemies in that form
• Some side missions, main story moments, and soul core uses will also drip-feed a few points over time

Keep using your Yokai powers every chance you get, even on small fry. The points add up, and your kit gets better the more you experiment with Yokai options.

Shiftling Skill Tree Fundamentals

The Shiftling tree doesn’t spread as wide as Samurai or Ninja, but the skills have a huge impact. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Passive Upgrades: Many Shiftling abilities are always-on tweaks, like boosting Anima gain or making Yokai Shift last longer.
• Transformation Buffs: These skills make your Feral, Brute, or Phantom Yokai shifts (your transformation “types”) stronger, faster, or more forgiving.
• Anima Management: Reduce the amount of Anima you spend or get instant Anima back for kills, letting you use more soul core abilities.
• Status and Defense: Skills to cut down on negative effects or improve resistances during shift, so you don’t get blown up mid-transformation.

Invest in passives that match your transformation playstyle or fill the gaps in your build. A pure melee fighter probably won’t need every upgrade, but hybrids and players leaning into Yokai skills will see their power jump fast.

Must-Have Early Shiftling Skills

Let’s highlight top-tier Shiftling picks for most builds—you can grab them without deep investment and they’ll help right away.

Yokai Shift: Frenzy (Passive)

• What it does: Increases your attack power during Yokai Shift.
• Why grab it: Every boss gets easier when your transformation packs more punch—burn through health bars faster.

Enhanced Yokai Shift (Passive)

• What it does: Makes your transformation last longer.
• Why grab it: Staying in shift gives you more time to output damage while being much harder to kill.

Demonic Mayhem (Passive)

• What it does: Restores a bit of life every time you kill an enemy while transformed.
• Why grab it: Keeps you topped up and can even save a run if you get aggressive in Yokai form.

Anima Bonus (Various Conditions)

• What it does: Grant bonus Anima for blocking, dodging, or killing enemies.
• Why grab it: If you use lots of Yokai skills or soul cores, more Anima means more frequent access to your big moves.

Shiftling’s Blessing

• What it does: If you die while shifted, you take less damage and transform back into human form, sometimes surviving death.
• Why grab it: Acts as a safety net for mistakes, especially when you misjudge enemy patterns during hectic fights.

Tips for Spending Shiftling Skill Points

• Prioritize anything that increases Anima gain—more Anima equals more power.
• Early on, focus on transformation upgrades like longer Yokai Shift and increased attack. These pay off in almost every tough engagement.
• Mix and match based on preferred shift type: For example, grab ‘Feral’ or ‘Brute’ upgrades if you always select that transformation.
• Don’t ignore defensive options—skills that reduce elemental damage or status effects help you stay alive longer, especially against bosses that love debuffs.

Advanced Shiftling Skills

Once you’ve nabbed the bread-and-butter passives, look at late-tree skills:

• Improved Burst Counter: Speed up your critical counterattack window—great for punishing tough enemies.
• Yokai Might: Huge offensive buffs while transformed; great for farming or boss rushing.
• Soul Core Synergy: Make equipped soul cores synergize more, amping up all your yokai abilities at once.

These advanced skills tend to cost more, so experiment with lower-cost skills first and save up points until confident in your Yokai-heavy playstyle.

How Shiftling Skills Work with Other Trees

Shiftling skills mesh best with Onmyo magic builds (for maximum Yokai spam) or hybrid weapon/Yokai specialists. If you’re always popping Anima for big moves or using Yokai Shift to clutch out wins, investing here goes a long way. Pure weapon players can skip some of the transformation-focused stuff, but even light investment pays off.

Final Thoughts on Shiftling Skills

Nioh 2’s Shiftling tree is perfect for players who want more flexibility and wow factor in combat. The earliest skills offer life-saving defense and extra offense during critical moments. As you go deeper into Yokai abilities, you’ll be able to rattle off skills nearly non-stop, turning even the game’s toughest monsters into punching bags. Don’t be afraid to practice bursting, shifting, and spending Anima—Shiftling skills reward risk-takers with plenty of power and style.

Ninja Skill Guide

Ninja Skills add a ton of creative options for combat in Nioh 2, letting you toss shuriken, lay traps, poison enemies, and boost your agility. This tree is all about utility, quick bursts of damage, and giving yourself a tactical edge when things get hectic. Here’s how to unlock, use, and get the most out of your ninja skills—whether you want to play like a full-on ninja or just sprinkle in a few tricks alongside your main weapon.

How to Earn Ninja Skill Points

Getting ninja skill points works differently from other trees. You earn them primarily by:

• Using Ninjutsu Items: Throw shuriken, set traps, or use any ninjutsu from your shortcut menu during missions.
• Leveling Up Dexterity: Each time you invest a skill point in Dexterity when you level up, you get another ninja skill point.
• Read Skill Texts: Sometimes missions or hidden collectibles drop Ninja Skill Texts, granting bonus points.

Regular ninjutsu use is key here. Even if you don’t plan to go full ninja, using shuriken or talismans regularly adds up fast.

Ninjutsu Basics: What They Are and How They Work

Ninjutsu skills come in two main flavors: active skills that let you craft and use ninja tools, and passive upgrades that power up your ninja arsenal. Here’s the main stuff to know:

• Active Skills: Let you make and throw shuriken, kunai, bombs, caltrops, apply poison/paralysis/other status effects, and set traps.
• Passive Skills: Increase capacity for ninjutsu power or item storage, make buffs and debuffs more effective, or speed up how fast you refill stock at shrines.
• Application: After unlocking a ninjutsu skill, you create items using your ninja skill menu at shrines. Equip these to your quick-item bar to use in battle.

Ninjutsu has limited charges—use up your bombs or needles, and you’ll need another shrine to refill them. You can increase your capacity with more skill investment.

Essential Early Ninja Skills

If you just want to add some ninja flavor or need help managing tough fights, most players grab these first:

Shuriken and Kunai

• What they do: Gives you tools for safe, ranged chip damage. Cheap and fast, good for finishing weakened enemies or interrupting yokai attacks from a distance.
• Why pick them: Easily interrupts monks/ninja yokai, great for chipping down targets hiding behind stronger foes.

Poison and Paralysis Needles

• What they do: Adds status effect build-up to enemies, stacking poison/para over time.
• Why pick them: Wears bosses down and creates windows to heal or reposition. Super handy for human enemies.

Sneak Attack (Passive)

• What it does: Unlocks a stealth-based backstab. Attack from behind for huge damage—great for skipping some combat or assassinating isolated targets.
• Why pick it: Makes farming easier and helps with certain ambush-heavy missions.

Quick-Change Scroll

• What it does: Casts a buff that lets you survive a single lethal hit (once per item use). When triggered, it heals you for a chunk of health.
• Why pick it: One of the most forgiving skills in Nioh 2—gives mistakes a margin, especially during boss runs.

Catwalking and Suppa Scrolls

• Catwalking: Dampens your movement sounds so you’re harder to detect by enemies.
• Suppa: Drastically cuts visibility to enemies, letting you slip past or set up ambushes.
• Why pick them: Perfect for tricky areas crowded with enemies or for sneaking to loot and Kodama.

Building Your Ninjutsu Strategy

The ninja tree is flexible, letting you take one or two favorites or make it the core of your entire build.

Status-Focused Styles

If you like stacking poison or paralysis, skills like “Poison Shuriken,” “Poison Arrows,” “Paralysis Traps,” and “Toxicity” make these effects stronger and faster to apply. Many yokai and bosses have poor resistance to these statuses, making prolonged fights easier.

Trap-Laying Specialists

Love controlling the battlefield? Invest in “Caltrops,” “Gunpowder Traps,” and upgrades that boost trap power or area. These trip up aggressive enemies, slow them, and give you control on tight maps.

Ranged Punishers

Kunai or “Storm Kunai” builds dish out surprising damage for just a few skill points. Pair them with “Kunai Master” and “Medicine Man” to get a high ammo count and fast reloads at shrines.

Trickster Hybrids

Mixing ninjutsu with melee shines once you have skills that increase status build-up or refill ninjutsu on kill. You can stay aggressive, poisoning or stunning enemies, then following up with fast weapon strikes while they’re weakened.

Maxing Out Ninja Efficiency

There’s more to ninjutsu than just prepping for fights. Here’s how to get the most from your skill points:

• Upgrade Capacity: “Ninjustu Capacity” and related passives let you hold more bombs, shuriken, needles, and scrolls per run.
• Invest in Dexterity: More Dexterity increases not only ninja skill points but also boosts ninjutsu effectiveness—status applies faster, and item attack goes up.
• Gear Bonuses: Some sets and accessories add ninjutsu damage, reduce cost, or speed up refill. Look for “Ninjutsu Power” stat lines.
• Mix With Onmyo or Samurai: Ninja scrolls that boost resistance, attack speed, or give you a second chance pair well with magic or heavy builds.

Ninja Skills vs. Other Trees

Ninja mixes best with builds that value speed, evasion, and tactical advantages. Pair it with katanas, dual swords, or scythes for fast combos and ninja tech, or supplement slower weapons like axes with traps and ranged attacks for balance.

If you want to specialize, it’s possible to hit boss-levels of kunai or bomb damage with high Dexterity and full ninja investment. Even if you never go all-in, a little ninjutsu goes a long way in controlling the pace of tough missions.

Quick Ninja Tips

• Always restock at shrine—don’t waste slots on more than you need; swap out items based on mission or boss weakness.
• Keep at least one status tool handy, like poison or paralysis.
• Don’t forget utility scrolls (Quick-Change, Catwalking)—they save lives.
• Check enemy weaknesses—status and bombs are especially effective against humans or weak-to-elemental yokai.

Wrapping Up the Ninja Tree

Nioh 2’s ninja skills hand you the tools for offense, defense, and strategy. Whether you want to pick enemies apart from range, set traps, or survive boss attacks that would flatten anyone else, there’s a skill here for every problem. Try different combos and swap tricks between fights—by the midpoint of the game, you’ll see how even small ninja investments can flip the toughest fights in your favor. Here’s a breakdown of the Onmyo Magic skill tree, how to get started, and tips for putting together a magic build that actually feels strong in Nioh 2. Onmyo is all about elemental talismans, buffs, and debuffs that can tip even tough boss fights your way. Let’s look at what the tree offers, the best skills to grab early, and how to get the most out of your Onmyo capacity as you progress.

Onmyo Magic Basics

Onmyo Magic is the arcane branch of Nioh 2’s skills, drawing skill points from leveling up Magic. You unlock spells in the Onmyo tree, then equip corresponding talismans on your shortcut bar, just like ninjutsu. Each spell uses up a certain amount of “Onmyo Capacity” (think of it as spell ammo) and refills whenever you pray at a shrine.

Onmyo has three core strengths:

• Elemental attacks and elemental defense buffs,
• Enemy debuffs (slowing, weakening, reducing defenses),
• Utility: healing, resistance boosting, and purifying effects.

Playing an Onmyo build means juggling spellcasting with regular combat—your talismans work best when timed for weaknesses or critical moments rather than as a constant barrage.

Essential Early Onmyo Skills

If you want to see what magic can do without maxing out the skill line early, these Onmyo skills are go-tos for anyone, no matter your main weapon:

Purification Talisman

• What it does: Enchants your weapon with the Purity element, which is strong against yokai and builds up “Purity” status that weakens them.
• Why pick it: Early-game yokai fall fast, and even mid-game bosses get wrecked when you can spam purity-infused attacks.

Elemental Shot (Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, Earth)

• What they do: Casts single-target projectiles of various elements.
• Why pick them: Lets you poke distant targets and find enemy elemental weaknesses (which can stagger or slow them). Fire and Lightning are most broadly useful early on.

Sloth Talisman

• What it does: Debuffs a target, slowing their movement and attack speed for a short time.
• Why pick it: Still one of the best “oh crap” buttons for bosses or mobs; get a window to heal, reposition, or punish slow attacks.

Extraction/Leeching Talisman

• Extraction: Gives you a dose of Onmyo power back on each hit, letting you refill spell ammo fast.
• Leeching: Offers lifesteal for each attack while active.
• Why pick them: Keeps you fueled or healed without having to burn elixirs, making longer levels way more manageable.

Barrier Talisman

• What it does: Majorly speeds up your ki (stamina) recovery.
• Why pick it: Lets you swing and dodge without gassing out—perfect for aggressive play. Pairs with any build that wants to stay in enemies’ faces.

Onmyo Magic Styles

The tree splits into several approaches, and you can mix and match or go all-in based on your favorite spell effects.

Elemental Focus

Want crazy elemental damage and status effects? Boost skills like “Elemental Shot,” “Elemental Weapon,” and “Elemental Familiar” (launches floating orbs for passive hits). Later, you unlock higher versions—Gust/Storm Shot or Earthfold—delivering massive area effects or rapid-fire barrages.

• Tip: Combine “Elemental Shot” with “Omyo Magic Power” stacking (from gear or level perks) to chunk enemies who hate a certain element—great for boss encounters with elemental weaknesses.

Buff & Defense Specialist

Onmyo isn’t just for offense. “Barrier Talisman,” “Steel Talisman” (defense buff), “Resistance Talismans” (Ice, Fire, Lightning, etc.), and “Quick-Change Scrolls” keep you alive when things get wild.

• Tip: Use “Barrier” plus “Steel” right before a boss to lean into longer survival windows—especially if you’re learning patterns.

Debuff & Control Caster

Skills like “Sloth,” “Weakness Talisman” (enemy takes more damage), and “Devigorate” (reduces enemy damage) let you press the advantage. Most bosses are susceptible to at least some version of these early on, and human enemies in particular hate Sloth and Weakness in PvE.

• Tip: Always keep a Sloth talisman in your kit for sticky encounters. “Weakness” sets up huge burst, especially with elemental or backstab follow-ups.

Expanding Your Onmyo Capacity

Larger magic builds need room for more and better spells. Here’s how to actually get that:

• Upgrade Capacity: Spend Onmyo points on “Onmyo Magic Capacity” passives so you can take more talismans per shrine visit—essential if you want full toolkits instead of single tricks.
• Level Up Magic: Raising the Magic stat gives Onmyo skill points and boosts spell power, status build-up, and the Onmyo Power rating found on some gear.
• Boost Onmyo Power: Gear (Charms, Accessories, Set Bonuses) with “Onmyo Magic Power” or “Onmyo Damage” add speed, spells per cast, or just flat damage/bonus effects for spell attacks.

Onmyo Tips & Play Advice

• Know Your Enemy: Yokai are vulnerable to Purity. Humans tend to choke on Sloth and Weakness. Test a few element shots to see if you get “element applied” messages—swap elements if you see little effect.
• Balance Offense and Utility: Don’t just chase big damage numbers. Spells like Barrier, Extraction, and Leeching keep you alive and casting.
• Replenish Often: Don’t wait until you’re out of magic—refill at shrines liberally, and rotate talismans according to the zone or boss type.
• Mix with Other Builds: Onmyo pairs well with melee, ranged, or ninja skills. Slap a Purity or Lightning buff on your favorite weapon, then swap to elemental blasting when things get hairy.

Quick Onmyo Combos

Not sure what to queue up? For most encounters, carry:

• Purification or Elemental Weapon for damage.
• Barrier for stamina management.
• Sloth or Weakness for tough enemies.
• A heal or Extraction/Leeching to keep your HP up through longer pushes.

Wrapping Up the Onmyo Magic Tree

Dabbling or specializing in Onmyo can drastically change how Nioh 2 feels—with the right talismans and buffs, bosses feel less overwhelming and regular enemies get steamrolled by clever spell use. Test different elementals, upgrade your capacity, and remember: sometimes the best defense is a well-timed magic debuff, not just swinging your main weapon harder. Mix and match spells to complement your kit, and don’t underestimate just how much magic can tip a fight your way.

Weapon Skill Guide

Weapons in Nioh 2 aren’t just “stat sticks”—each type comes with its own skill tree packed with attacks, buffs, and tricks. If you want your axe, sword, or kusarigama to truly shine, you’ll need to invest in these weapon skills. Some unlock entirely new moves, while others tweak how your attacks chain together or even how you defend.

Let’s break down how weapon skills work, how to earn points, which trees do what, and which skills are worth grabbing early for each weapon.

How Weapon Skills Work

Every weapon type you equip in Nioh 2—such as swords, spears, splitstaff—has a dedicated skill tree. You unlock weapon skills using Samurai Skill Points, which you earn by fighting with that weapon and raising your proficiency. These skills can be:

• Active Skills: Unlocked moves, combos, or finishers for your moveset.
• Passive Skills: Always-active buffs (extra ki, more damage, elemental bonuses).
• Special Counters: Moves that punish enemy attacks or let you block/counter yokai skills.

Most skills require you to slot them into specific button combos or stances (High, Mid, Low).

Earning Weapon Skill Points

Every hit you land with a weapon increases its proficiency. Level up your proficiency and you'll regularly unlock new skill points for that weapon category. You also get general Samurai Skill Points just by fighting and leveling up. Some missions offer rare manuals that teach specific skills.

Pro tip: If you want to unlock lots of skills for one weapon type, stick with it for multiple levels.

The Three Stances

Each weapon supports three stances—Low, Mid, and High—which change your moves, attack speed, and ki usage. Many weapon skills are tied to a particular stance.

• Low Stance: Fast, uses less stamina, weaker hits.
• Mid Stance: Balanced, great for blocking and crowd control.
• High Stance: Slow, heavy swings that deal lots of damage.

Some skills ONLY work if you’re in the correct stance; the best samurai learn to swap stances mid-fight.

Weapon-Specific Trees and Skill Highlights

Here’s a rundown of what to expect with each weapon tree and some can't-miss skills:

Swords (Katana)

• Early Must-Have: Iai Quickdraw: Quick, one-hit strike for massive single-target damage. Found in the low branch.
• Key Passive: Relentless: Increases your max ki, vital for new players.
• Parrying: Skills like “Backwave” give you a satisfying counter if you time your block right.

Dual Swords

• Godspeed: Sign of the Cross: A charge-up, multi-hit attack that shreds through bosses.
• Heavenly Flow: Chains moves between stances smoothly—great for endless combos.
• Mind’s Edge: Reduces ki consumed by quick attacks, so you can slice away.

Spears

• Pole Kick: Crunching sweep that knocks enemies down if your stamina is topped off.
• Twisting Spear: A spinning lunge that closes distance and crushes clustered enemies.
• Thrust Mastery: Boosts skill damage for all thrust-type attacks—a staple for spear fans.

Axes & Hammers

• Bear’s Bane (High Stance): Slow, brutal overhead smash that obliterates stamina bars.
• Mad Spinner: You literally spin like a top. It’s ki hungry but chews through mobs fast.
• Passive: Strength: Axes scale with Strength. Look for passive nodes that reflect this for big damage.

Kusarigama

• Reaper: A close-range, circular slash that’s one of the highest DPS moves in the game.
• Retribution: Aggressive mid-stance chain for punishing foes right after dodging.
• Weighted Blade: Increases sickle damage—grab this if you favor up-close combat.

Odachi

• Moonlit Snow: Elegant, spinning swing for massive area and boss damage. Essential.
• Bolting Boar: Lunges forward, great for catching enemies at range.
• Resistances: Odachis naturally offer resistances—buff them further with skill tree pickups.

Tonfa

• Demon Dance: Unlocks after using tonfas a lot; lets you slip behind enemies with a quick step.
• Winded Combo: Adds extra strikes to your sequences—great for building status effects.
• Agility Passives: Help you recover stamina and stick to enemies.

Switchglaive

• Crescent Moon: High-damage, multi-hit sweep that works wonders in group fights.
• Transitional Strike: Lets you swap weapon forms mid-combo for creative attack strings.
• Magic Scaling: The Switchglaive scales with Magic, so any passive that boosts Magic helps double-dip with Onmyo builds.

Splitstaff

• Triple Threat: Unleash a triple hit at range—versatile for mobs or bosses.
• Windstorm: Spinning midstance move with tons of reach.
• Staff Master: Get passives that reduce ki cost, since the splitstaff eats stamina.

Weapon Skills for Yokai Skills and Guardian Spirits

Certain weapon skills synergize with Soul Cores (dropped by yokai) and Guardian Spirits, giving bonus effects. Pay attention to skills like “Yokai Ability Damage Up” or weapon elemental bonuses if you combine them for a hybrid build.

Early Skill Point Spending Tips

• Prioritize passives that boost ki or core stats. More stamina lets you fight more aggressively.
• Pick core attack upgrades early—like Iai Quickdraw, Reaper, or Moonlit Snow.
• Practice switching between stances. Many skills only show their value when you swap stances in combat.
• If you’re not sure, spread points. Try a few basics in each tree before going all-in—move slots are easy to respec later with Tomes of Reincarnation.

Resetting Weapon Skills

Don’t worry if you mess up your build. The game lets you respec with an item called the Tome of Reincarnation (purchased from the Blacksmith), letting you reclaim all your skill points and redistribute them.

Conclusion

Mastering weapon skills is just as important as picking a favorite weapon itself. Whether you favor swift swords or heavy hammers, each tree hides powerful moves and passives that can completely change your approach. Try out new skills whenever you unlock them and switch up stances mid-fight for unique combos. You'll find a rhythm that suits your playstyle and lets you take on even the toughest yokai with confidence.