Nioh 3 FAQ: Crossplay, Difficulty, and Everything You Need to Know First
Before you throw seventy bucks at Team Ninja’s latest torture simulator, there are a few deal-breakers you absolutely need to know about.
Team Ninja is back, and they have brought their signature brand of punishment with them. But before you even swing a katana or get crushed by a Yokai, there is some administrative housekeeping we need to address. The marketing for this game has been a bit vague on the technicals, and I know a lot of you are sitting there wondering if you can play with your buddies on different platforms or if you are going to be totally lost because you skipped the first two games.
I have dug through the settings and the mechanics to save you the headache. Here is the cold, hard truth about the state of Nioh 3 at launch.
The Bad News About Crossplay
Let's rip the band-aid off immediately because this is going to upset a lot of people.
Nioh 3 does not have crossplay.
I know. It is 2026. It feels like a basic industry standard at this point, but apparently, Team Ninja didn't get the memo. If you are playing on PlayStation 5, you are stuck playing with other PlayStation 5 users. If you are on PC, you are on your own isolated island of superiority.
It is a massive missed opportunity for a game that relies so heavily on co-op, especially when you are stuck on a boss that makes you want to pull your hair out. The Benevolent Graves (the blue spots where you summon AI help) and the co-op missions are strictly platform-locked. So, if your friend group is split between console and PC, you are legally prohibited from helping each other out.
Hopefully, they patch this later, but for now, coordinate your purchases accordingly.
Do I Need To Play Nioh 1 and 2?
This is the second most common question I get asked. The short answer is no.
Nioh 3 is a time-traveling narrative that jumps through different eras. While the lore is interconnected, the story stands on its own legs. Nioh 1 followed William Adams (the British samurai), and Nioh 2 was a prequel-sequel hybrid with a custom character.
Nioh 3 introduces a new protagonist, Takeichiyo Tokugawa, and a completely new conflict involving a treacherous brother and Spirit Stones.
However, I will say this: If you have played the previous games, you are going to appreciate the cameos and the mechanical evolution a lot more. You will see returning faces and nod at the references while the newcomers are just confused about why everyone is scared of a specific historical figure. But strictly speaking, you do not need a history degree or a save file from 2017 to understand that you need to hit the glowing weak spot on the demon.
The Difficulty Settings Are Lying To You
When you boot up the game, you aren't really given a clear difficulty choice in the traditional sense. You just play.
The default experience is called Heir’s Journey.
Think of this as the "Normal" mode, but "Normal" in a Team Ninja game means "Hard" for everyone else. This is the base game experience. It is brutal, it is unforgiving, and it will kill you.
However, the real game doesn't actually start until you beat it.
Once you roll credits on the main campaign, you unlock Shogun’s Journey. This is effectively New Game Plus. It is not just a stat bump. It changes enemy placements, makes them significantly more aggressive, and introduces Divine tier loot with special Grace effects that you literally cannot get in the first playthrough.
So if you see people online talking about "Divine Weapons" and you can't find them, it's because you are still playing the tutorial.
How Long To Beat?
If you just mainline the story and ignore the open world (which is a terrible idea, by the way), you are probably looking at a standard 40 to 50-hour run.
But Nioh 3 isn't a linear corridor simulator anymore. They have added these massive open-field maps with Exploration Levels. If you actually engage with the content, clear the Yokai realms, and farm for those sweet Samurai Locks to upgrade your skills, you can easily double that time.
I have dumped over 100 hours in and I am still tweaking builds. It is a massive game.
What’s The Deal With The Kusanagi Choice?
Right at the start, in the Eternal Rift tutorial area, you have to pick between a Red (Fire) spirit and a Blue (Water) spirit.
The game makes this feel like a life-altering decision. It isn't.
Red (Fire): Gives you +1 Strength and Samurai attire.
Blue (Water): Gives you +1 Skill and Ninja attire.
Pick the one that looks cool or matches the weapon you want to try first. You eventually unlock the ability to get the other one later in the game (specifically in the Antiquity era). Do not restart your character because you have "buyer's remorse" over a +1 stat boost. It becomes irrelevant in about twenty minutes.
A Note on Performance
I should mention that the game supports the new DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation. If you have the hardware for it, turn it on. The combat is incredibly fast-paced, and dropping frames during a Burst Counter window is the quickest way to end up back at the Shrine.
That’s the briefing. If you can stomach the lack of crossplay and the crushing difficulty, the game is solid. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the platform lock.
