Nioh 3 Beginner’s Guide: 10 Things To Do Immediately

Nioh 3 hates you, but if you change these settings and grab these specific skills, you might actually survive the first hour.

Team Ninja has a habit of burying the most important mechanics under six layers of menus and vague tutorial text. Nioh 3 is no exception. You are dropped into the Warring States period with a stick, a prayer, and a UI that looks like the cockpit of a 747.

I spent my first five hours doing things the hard way so you don't have to. If you want to avoid arthritis and constant "Game Over" screens, here are the ten things you need to do the second you gain control of your character.

1. Turn On Auto-Pickup

I do not know why this is disabled by default. It is 2026.

Go into the System Menu > Game Settings and enable Auto-Pickup.

Without this, you have to manually press a button to pick up every single rock, arrow, and piece of vendor trash that drops. Considering the sheer volume of loot in this game, you will destroy your controller's interact button within a week if you don't toggle this. Save your thumbs.

2. Use the "Auto-Equip" Button

In the early game, your build does not matter. I repeat: your build does not matter.

You are going to find new gear every thirty seconds. Do not waste ten minutes comparing the stat differences between two rusty swords. In the equipment menu, there is a dedicated Auto-Equip function. Use it.

It automatically slots the gear with the highest defense and attack numbers. It keeps you alive and lets you get back to killing demons. Worry about set bonuses and "stats" when you are 40 hours deep.

3. Unlock "Deflect" and "Evade" ASAP

The default block in Samurai style is mediocre, and the default dodge in Ninja style is nothing special. You need to fix this immediately.

As soon as you find your first few Samurai Locks and Ninja Locks (the items that give you skill points), buy Deflect in the Samurai tree and Evade in the Ninja tree.

Deflect turns your block into a timed parry that restores Ki instead of draining it. Evade gives you a "perfect dodge" mechanic that also restores Ki. These two skills fundamentally change how the game feels and make the combat actually playable.

4. Buy the High and Low Stances

I was genuinely baffled that Nioh 3 locks basic combat stances behind a skill wall.

You start with only Mid Stance. To actually play the game properly, you need to go into the Samurai Martial Arts tree and purchase High Stance and Low Stance.

High Stance is the only way you are going to dent boss health bars, and Low Stance is essential for dodging fast enemies. Prioritize these over fancy combo moves. You can't combo if you can't move.

5. Hunt the Kodama for Elixirs

You start with a pathetic amount of healing items. If you want more Elixirs, you need to find the Kodama.

These are the little green spirit dudes hiding in corners, behind boxes, and off the beaten path. Every few Kodama you find increases your Kodama Merit. You can spend this at a Shrine to increase your Elixir Efficacy or drop rates.

More importantly, finding enough of them raises the base number of Elixirs you respawn with. If you are stuck on a boss and only spawning with 3 Elixirs, go find more green guys.

6. Ignore the "Reference Stats" for Now

Weapons in Nioh 3 have "Reference Stats" (Constitution, Strength, etc.) that they scale off of.

In the beginning, these bonuses are negligible. Do not force yourself to use a weapon you hate just because you accidentally leveled up Strength once.

The damage difference between an "optimized" weapon and a random stick you found is barely noticeable in the first region. Pick the weapon that has a moveset you like. You can respec everything later for free, so don't suffer through a bad weapon just for the sake of "math."

7. Find the Scampusses

If you see a round, fat cat rolling around, interact with it. That is a Scampuss.

Not only are they cute, but they will follow you around and eventually drop a Ninja Lock or Samurai Lock when they leave. This is basically free skill points just for petting a cat. Never walk past one.

8. Unlock the Blacksmith at the Eternal Rift

You are going to fill your inventory with garbage very quickly. The inventory limit is 2000 items, which sounds like a lot until you realize how much loot this game throws at you.

Progress the main story until you unlock the Eternal Rift. This is your hub. Here, you can access the Blacksmith.

Start dismantling your junk gear. Do not sell it for gold; gold is useless early on. Dismantling gives you materials you will need later for crafting. If the gear is 30 levels below you, trash it.

9. Get the "Awakening" Skill

If you plan on using any Onmyo Magic (buffs, fireballs, etc.), you need the Awakening skill.

Casting spells in Nioh 3 takes about three business days by default. The Awakening skill significantly reduces the casting animation. It turns magic from a liability into a viable combat tool. You can usually find the text for this after the first few sub-missions in the Eternal Rift.

10. Don't Be Afraid to Leave a Mission

Nioh 3 uses an open-field structure for its main maps. If you wander into an area and get one-shot by a massive ogre, you are allowed to leave.

You do not have to bang your head against a wall. Go explore a different part of the Warring States map, find some chests, raise your Exploration Level, and come back when you have better gear. The game is nonlinear for a reason. Use it.