(And some building block wizarding game)

[Update: PlayStation has now confirmed that Nioh 2, Heavenly Bodies, and LEGO Harry Potter Collection will be November's PlayStation Plus Essential ti?tles. They will be available to?? download November 1.]

There must come a time when a prominent leaker becomes so expected that they might as well be hired by the publisher �Such is the case of leak-like-clockwork Dealabs user billbil-kun, ?who is once again out of the gate early with the PlayStation Plus Essential titles heading to all subscribers in November.

According to billbil-kun, next month will see PS Plus gain access to three new games: Team Ninja's celebrated action-RPG Nioh 2 (PS4/PS5), intergalactic gravity challenge Heavenly Bodies (PS4/PS5), and block-based adventure LEGO Harry Potter Collection (PS4). The three titles should b??e available to download from the first ?week in November.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QccheiQ7c34

Nioh 2

Released in the spring of 2020, Nioh 2 is the sword 'n' sorcery sequel to Team Ninja's 2017 original, and sees the half-yĹŤkai Hide return for another demon-slaying jaunt through 14th century Japan. As they pick their way through the turbulent Sengoku Era, Hide will encounter many famous historical characters of Japanese history and folklore, while doing battle with armies of u??nholy abominations, en route to a showdown with the mysterious entity, Kashin Koji.

Upon release, Nioh 2 was highly praised for its evocative visual style, deep and satisfying combat, and intense, but ultimately rewarding challenge. You can check out our own Jordan Devore's thoughts on this fine release in h?is original review.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8ogIEQGvH0

Heavenly Bodies

Dr. Tom? Pritchard and "Gigolo" Jimmy del Ray were one of Smoky Mountain Wrestling's hottest tag-teams, capturing gold from multiple territories including the SMW Tag Team Championship, the USWA Tag Team Championship, and the coveted NWA World Tag Team Championship an impressive three times. Managed by Jim Cornette, the duo would eve?ntually appear in the then-WWF during the mid-'90s. Though the WWF Tag Team Championship would elude them, the Bodies would have barn-burners with amazing, legendary teams including The Steiner Brothers and The Rock 'n' Roll Express.

They w??ould also have matches with The Smoking Gunns.

Additionally, Heavenly Bodies is an inventive and unique sci-fi title from indie outfit 2ptInteractive. The compelling, yet-strangely-isolating game sees a team of cosmonauts performing a series of missions and minor chores in the deep reaches of outer space, challenging the player to adapt to the finesse of zero-gravity with sharp twin-stick controls and realistic "floating" mechanics. Heavenly Bodies has been cel??ebrated for its simple but exciting concept, as well as its depiction of golden age space travel.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiv2tySHzQQ

LEGO Harry Potter Collection

Released by Warner Bros. Games way back in 2016, the LEGO Harry Potter Collection is a compilation of freshly remastered PS3 releases LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, bundled together alongside all post-release DLC and expansion packs. Developed by LEGO stalwarts Traveller's Tales, the bundled titles feature all of the ??brick-building (and smashing) puzzle action typified by the franchise, set again?st stylized adaptations of Hatsune Miku's famous movie franchise.

Nioh 2, Heavenly Bodies, and LEGO Harry Potter Collection will be available to download for all PlayStation Plus subscribers from November 1. Until then, previous PS Plus offerings Hot Wheels Unleashed, Superhot, and Injustice 2 are available to all users.

The post PlayStation Plus November games: Nioh 2 and Hea??venl?y Bodies appeared first on Destructoid.

This year's lineup spans a surprising mix of new and old games being run for charity

[Update: AGDQ 2022 is now underway! Be sure to check out all of the action over on Twitch!]

It's that time once again. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will be hosted this weekend, running Sunday, Jan. 9 through 15. Throughout the online event, speedrunners from all over will perform exhibitions and compete, ??raising funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

If you're familiar at all with speedrunning, then you probably already know about Games Done Quick. Speedrunners play 24/7 throughout the week, showing off their skills and skips while raising money for a good cause. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will once again be held online, which has surprisingly allowed for some really cool runs to be featured, like Beat Saber and the arcade dancing ga?me runs we've recently seen at GDQ.

This year, there's a pretty interesting mix of games both new and old on the docket. The show opens with an Any% Featherless run of Nioh 2 from AxelSanGo, and later heads into Deathloop and Axiom Verge 2, and even Death's Door. Th??ese ?are some surprisingly recent games, so it's exciting to see them being run already.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdEISFAtHVg

There are, of course, still some retro runs at Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 for the fans of the classics. Sonic and Mega Man exhibitions are still present, and a bid war will determine which 3DS version of a Zelda classic�em>Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time—will get showcased.

And closing the curtains on AGDQ this year will be an All Bosses Extreme run of Metal Gear Solid from dlimes13. My personal picks I'll be looking out for: the Final Fantasy XIII run and both the Slay the Spire and Hades exhibitions.

You can find the full schedule with the days and slots here, automatically adjusted to your timezone. The action will stream from Jan. 9 through 15 right here on the GDQ Twitch channel, and you can find donation information and prize info on the GDQ homepage throughout the event. Here??'s to another year of speedruns galore!

The post (Update) Awesome Games?? Done Quick 2022 kicks off this weekend appeared first on Destructoid.

Returnal, Demon's Souls, and Miles Morales Ultimate Edition are under $50 right now

Slightly hidden in an unassuming Weekend Offer sale?? on the PlayStation Store, you can find so??me of the best early PlayStation 5 games with honest-to-god discounts.

If you skipped Returnal at? launch because $70 is just too much on the line for a great-for-some-but-not-all roguelike shooter, you might be tempted by a 29 percent discount.

Same goes for Demon's Souls. It's my favorite PS5 game to this day, but some players are thinking of entering the Souls series with this remake, and again, seventy dollars. While I rarely have buyer's remorse with video games, they're s??tart??ing to feel higher stakes.

Here's the full list of deals. ??It's short but h??igh-impact.

• Returnal ($49.69)
• Returnal Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99)
  • Some early weapon unlocks and the soundtrack.
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales ($29.99)
• Marvel's Spider-Man?: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition ($49.69)
  • Includes Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered.
• Demon's Souls ($49.69)
• Demon's Souls Digital Deluxe Edition ($70.19)
  • Red-Eye Knight Armor, the Ritual Blade, a few other items, and the soundtrack.
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure ($40.19) [PS4 and PS5]
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99) [PS4 and PS5]
  • Four costumes, four emotes, an art book, and the soundtrack.
• Nioh Remastered â€?The Complete Edition ($29.99)
• Nioh 2 Remastered â€?The Complete Edition ($29.99) [PS4 and PS5]
• The Nioh Collection ($49.69)
  • Includes Nioh Remastered (PS5) and Nioh 2 Remastered (PS4 and PS5)
• Destruction AllStars Digital Deluxe Edition ($29.99)
  • In-game currency, Lupita Legendary Crow skin, eight Story Mode packs, and an art book.

The sale runs until June 28, 2021.

As more of you are able to land a PS5 throughout the year, I'll feel obligated to share deals like these as often as I can. "Around $50" seems like So??ny's new go-to sale price.

The post Returnal and other pricey PS5 g??ames are under $50 at the PlayStation Store appeared first on Destructoid.

Demon's Sales

Publisher Koei Tecmo, alongside developer Team Ninja, announced that its yokai-hunting RPG series Nioh has hit an impressive double milestone. 2020 release Nioh 2 has recently achieved a total of two million shipments and digital sales, which brings Nioh's overall franchise sales to the stately five mi?llion mark.

The impressive number includes shipments and digital sales of the original 2017 release Nioh, its brilliant 2020 sequel, and the recent PS5 remaster Nioh Collection, which collates both titles, all of their respective DLC, and blesses both titles mythical worlds with updated visuals, an improved frame rate, significantly reduced load-times, and cross-save support. The Nioh titles are quiet classics, and if you are yet to check them out for yourself, t?hen this remastered collection provides an ideal opportunity to experience both adventures ?at their very best.

In a celebratory tweet, Team Ninja also asked its fans to "look forward" to its next new title, although it did not offer any clues as to what said title could be. As well as Nioh, the developer's portfolio of work mostly revolves around franchises Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden, so whatever the studio has in development, I'm in no dou?bt it wil??l feature some shadowy, stabby action.

The post Nioh 2 hits a two mi??llion shipments and sales, as franchise celebrates five million total sales appeared first on Destructoid.

They were looking into it earlier this month

Remember when Team Ninja said it was "looking into" reports of Nioh 2 crashes on PC? Well, they looked into it!

Ironically, the bug was introduced with a prior patch, leaving Team Ninja to scramble and fi?nd a fix for it. That very fix has been implemented as of now, as part of version 1.27.1. These changes have been applied to the Steam/PC and PS5 editions of the game.

It's not a super exciting patch, as everything is intended to?? squash issues entirely. I'm talking crashes (including a rare one when folks were "raising their level to 750 while using a mouse" - obscure!), and just plain old random crashes. There's three separate bullet points for crash fixes, and one of them was triggered "in certain environments." That sounds...common!

The PS5 fixes involve "other minor bugs," but also address 120FPS problems where "certain enem??ies" were going crazy when the framerate was jacked up. Ah, designing fram??e-perfect action games isn't easy!

Team Ninja [Twitter]

The post Team Ninja fixes Nioh 2 PC crashing issue appeared first on Destructoid.

As bigger studios jump into the PC arena, they need to put more focus on ports

So you've been enjoying Nioh 2 on PC? That's good! Things seem to be mostly fine, and the reception on Steam has been pretty positive. But not every??one is operating at the same capacity.

Just recently, Team Ninja put out a new set of bug fixes mostly aimed at the PS5 edition of the game, which cleared up a number of bugs that were unique to that version. Specifically, there was a problem with reduced input latency for certain control schemes, as well as save transer issues from PS4. Also??, 120FPS m??ode was causing some issues (which happens a lot more than you'd think in action games).

But things were mostly quiet on the PC front, outside of one response from Team Ninja's Twitter account directly. When asked about random crashes for some PC users, the developer explained that they were "lo?oking into it."&n?bsp;So if it's happen?ing to you, it's on their radar.

As more and more Japanese developers have moved into the PC realm, these sorts of patches and checks have become more expected and commonplace. Not every ??game can rely on a ?;Durante patch!

Team Ninja [Twitter]

The post Is your copy of Nioh 2 on PC crashing? Team Ninja is ‘looking into it’ appeared first on Destructoid.

It's easily missed in the Shrine menu

As if I don't already have a hard enough time sticking to a single character transformation in Nioh 2, Team Ninja went ahead and released the Ryu Hayabusa-approved "Dragon Nin?ja" look for free in-g??ame.

To celebrate the reveal of NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection, The development team have created the "Dragon Ninja" skin, which players can use to transform themselves into Ryu Hayabusa in #Nioh2! Access the Shrine menu & select the Boons tab in order to obtain the exclusive bonus! pic.twitter.com/G6J5OCuwvo

— Team NINJA (@TeamNINJAStudio) February 18, 2021

To grab it, update your copy of Nioh 2 to Version 1.26, duck into the Shrine menu, and flip over to the Boons tab. It's been a while, so I had a few bonuses waiting for me – including the catgirl garb.

If you're rusty,? I've snapped a few pics showing where to find the Dragon Ninja transformation:

The transformation is a nice little tie-in for this year's Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection trilogy.

Also, for those of you who are diligently carving your way through Nioh 2 on PC or PS5 right now, you can spar with a Hayabusa in due time. Don't sleep on the Darkness in the Capital DLC, y'all.

The post Don’t forget to claim the Dragon Ninja skin in Nioh 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

You'll have to manually upload your data inside the PS4 version before swapping over to Nioh 2 Remastered

If you're upgrading your copy of Nioh 2 to the remastered PS5 version, you're almost certainly goin??????????????????????????g to want to bring over your save file rather than start from scratch. There's a little more involved in the transferring process than I was expecting, and if you're looking for pointers, Team Ninja has us covered.

You can read the developer's instructions on Twitter (al??ong with visual aids), but I'll recap them he??re.

Start with the PS4 version of Nioh 2 and go to the title screen – click into "System" and scroll down and sel?ect "Cross-Save Management." In this menu, upload ??your PS4 save data to cloud storage.

Next, boot up the PS5 version of Nioh 2 with the same PlayStation Network account and head to the title screen – go into "System," and pick "Cross-Save Management." Now you can download yo??ur data.

This process needs to be repeated fo??r every individual save file you want to bring over to PS5.

One other tidbit: to switch between the PS4 a?nd PS5 edition??s, go to the game on your PS5 home screen, press the Options button (aka the "start" button), and choose the Game Version you want.

If you have the Nioh 2 season pass on PS4 and you're seeing an error message a??bout not having the "rights for the add-on required to resume the game with the downloaded character dat??a," try grabbing the equivalent PS5 DLC. I haven't tested this myself yet (I will tonight), but I've seen that suggestion.

The post If you want to move your Nioh 2 save file from PS4 to PS5, here’s the process appeared first on Destructoid.

Relive the Legend

Tomorrow sees the launch of Nioh Collection on PS5, bringing together two excellent adventure titles, freshly remastered for Sony's next-gen har??dware. Publisher Koei Tecmo, alongside developer Team Ninja, has released a dramatic launch trailer to get fans r?eady for the revisit.

The Nioh Collection includes 2017's Nioh and its 2020 sequel Nioh 2, complete with all six previously released DLC expansions. Both titles have been blessed with a visual upgrade, s?ignificantly i??mproved load times, and run at a maximum 120 frames-per-second - provided your display will allow this, of course.

The remasters also take advantage of the DualSense Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Trigger technology. Players who own the PS4 edition of Nioh 2 will receive a free upgrade to the PS5 edition. Cross-save support will allow you to pick up right from where you left off. Additionally, for PC players, Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will hit Steam tomorrow.

Set in Sengoku-era Japan, the Nioh series mixes sword and sorcery to present engaging, classy, and damn difficult RPG action. Both Nioh and its sequel received huge acclaim from critics and players alike, with praise ??directed towards its deep combat, interesting world, and challenging nature. If you never got around to checking out these samurai epics, then this collection might present the perfect opportunity.

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I wasn't able to make the most of the high-end PC features, but I still had a good time and it's a great all-in-one value

After pouring easily hundreds of hours into Nioh 2 and its three DLC packs on? PS4, it's admittedly been pretty jarring to start a fresh save on PC – even if I'm only here for preview purposes right now.

I had forgotten just how lethal and unforgiving the early hours of Nioh 2 can be when you aren't leveled up enough to feel al?l that versatile. Before you bolster your custom-created avatar with enough stamina to stand a chance in the Dark Realm, crack open a few key abilities in the Onmyo and Ninjutsu skill trees, and make your weapon class of choice really work for you, this game can be particularly brutal. That said, without trying, I've somehow already played for 10 hours. I couldn't help myself!

Around half of that time went into an all-new character in the first two world-map regions, and the rest of my preview energy was spent bouncing around later missions with a Dream of the Strong-ready save file provided by Koei Tecmo. How is the PC port? So far,? it's been mostly fine – with a few nitpicks.

I would say that my PC experience generally mirrors playing the PS4 version of Nioh 2 on my PS4 Pro or PS5. Which is to say, I'm not pushing the limits here with 120fps, HDR, 2560x1080 ultrawide, or 144Hz support, but your setup could handle it – and I think that's okay. (Given how stupidly deep I am into my PS4 copy, I'll likely stic?k with that until I can upgrade to the PS5 native version in February.)

Honestly, my favorite par?t? Snappier load times. The lack of downtime is hugely important?.

The options are a step up from the initial Nioh 1 PC port, but for enthusiasts, that was a pretty low bar. With a GTX 1080 Ti and i7-7700K, I was a little surprised to see brief dips into the 40fps range in some of the more chaotic effects-heavy moments while unleashing flash?y Soul Core attacks on big bosses.

Running at 1080p, I flipped Shadows down to "Medium Quality" and bumped Effect Quality from "High" to "Low." That did the trick. From that point on, Nioh 2 comfortably stuck to 60fps. With that said, I didn't exhaustively test the frame rate and I'm sure results are going to va?ry from p?erson to person.

These are the Graphics set??tings in the pre-release St??eam build:

_{Unfortunately, DLSS wasn't available in this build, so no sites can test it yet.}

Out of the gate, there are customizable keyboard and mouse (and keyboard-only) controls, though Nioh 2 is arguably a gamepad game through and through. I can't imagine, but you do you. With a controller, you can choose between PlayStation or Xbox icons, and there are several pre-made button layouts if you don't like the default, as well as the always-appreciated Custom option. While you're rooting around in the menu, go to Basic Game Settings and toggle on "automatically us??e locks of hair." Trust me on this.

As for my take on Nioh 2 in general, I think it's largely a step up from the original game; I liked William's story a bit more, but the breadth of combat decision-making in the sequel is incredible. As much as the punishing Dark Realm takes some getting used to, I love the utility of Soul Cores and Bust Counters. I landed on the higher end of the scale for Nioh 2 compared to other reviewers??, but I stand by that nine.

A couple more screenshots (it's hard to snap clean sh??ots mid-combat)?:

The Steam version of Nioh 2 is actually the Complete Edition, so if you've held off until now, 1) I admire your patience, and 2) you've got a lot of game ahead of you for $50. Apart from countless updates that added elements like Picture Scrolls and extended New Game+ difficulties on PS4, there are three meaty expansions packed in: The Tengu's Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai.

Let me put it this way: as someone who's been there since day one on PS4 – well, technically before day one – I still haven't caught up with Nioh 2 and I'm not sure when I ever will. It's a testament to Team Ninja that I'm still this ent?hralled with these familiar yokai encounters and stage layouts to this day.

I know people are bummed about the lack of Nioh 3 (for now), but Nioh 2 will last you literal years.

The post Nioh 2???: The Complete Edition seems fine enough on PC appeared first on Destructoid.

'Originally we developed these titles with 60 FPS as our goal'

As you can see with Jordan's most recent preview, Nioh 2 works well on PC. But it took a lot of work to get there.

We caught up very briefly with T?eam Ninja producer Fumihiko Yasuda to chat about the n?ew remasters, and get a little insight into all of the work that went into it.

Getting right into it, I asked about the toughest aspect of the remaster. It turns out 120 FPS wasn't even the goal all along! Yasuda notes, "Originally we developed these titles with 60 FPS as our goal, so it ??took quite a lot of hard work to allow for 120 FPS support."

But FPS is such an obvious draw for action fans, right? What about all of the other features of the remaster? I prodded Yasuda to give us one thing that they wish people really paid attention to with these remasters, and the response was one of?? the sleeping giants of this generation: load times.

Yasuda says that they've been "greatly reduced" of course, but go on to share just how important load times are going to be this? generation: "While it really depends on the title, I think improving load times will help reduce the stress of "waiting" during games that require a lot of repeated playthroughs or tries to complete. As this will directly affect how enjoyable the game is, I think that more emphasis will be placed on this particular aspect of games moving forward."

Indeed! It was one of the first things I noticed after popping in Miles Morales on the PS5 for the first time. For a series like Nioh that's predicated on l?earning through failure, it'??ll really come in handy.

The post What was the toughest part of the Nioh remaster process? ‘120 FPS,’ says Team Ninja appeared first on Destructoid.

Why not both?

A huge part of Nioh 2 is looking your absolute demon-slaying best, and Team Ninja has a pair of limited-time "b?onus" armor sets – one golden, one... feline – that you'll want to check out n??ext month.

As PlayStation noted on Twitter, all Nioh 2 players will be able to claim the Ornate Gold Armor and Sohaya Deserter Garb from February 5-?26. If you've been playing since day one, you're covered.

From February 5-26, celebrate the release of Nioh 2 Remastered with two new armor sets, available to all Nioh 2 owners for a limited time via a patch:
🔆 Ornate Gold Armor
😼 Sohaya Deserter Garb pic.twitter.com/YX2Q0AzkEx

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 15, 2021

That said, February is a big month for Nioh 2 and Team Ninja in general. Beyond these new armor sets, we're also getting Nioh 2: The Complete Edition on Steam and PlayStation 4, as well as Nioh Remastered and Nioh 2 Remastered on PS5, the latter of which will be offered to PS4 players as an upgrade.

I'm glad no one's left out, at least as far as these outfits go. Which one do you?? prefer?

The post Nioh 2 is giving out armor that lets you dress up as a catgirl or a golde????n god appeared first on Destructoid.

RGBarf

It's a busy day for Nioh news, all of it good. Scratch that. Almost all of it good.

Both Nioh games are coming to PS5 with 4K and 120fps support on February 5, 2021. (That's good.) Also, Nioh 2's complete edition is launching on Steam on the same date. (That's also good.) Lastly, everyone who buys Nioh 2 on Steam will get ??an exclusive Valve helmet. (That's good in theory but hideous in execution.)

RockPaperShotgun reported on the Valve helmet and called it "an affront to the eyes" and "upsetting to behold." I'm inclined to agree! I can't tell what I hate more: The RGB keyboard wrapping around the head or the godawful Valv?e poking out the back. That red hexagon is all you'd see for 50 hours, l??ike your character grew an umbrella out the back of their head.

Anyway, almost a flawless day for Nioh fans. But, anyone who plays these games knows that you're inevitably going to take some ??damage. Sometimes RGB stands for "Really Gross (and) Bad."

The post I hate Nioh 2’s Valve helmet so so so so so much appeared first on Destructoid.

Also Nioh 2 is coming to PC

It's incredible to see Team Ninja bounce back with the Nioh series.

After a string of mistakes (capped off by Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z) things weren't looking good for the studio, but Nioh brought them back into the collective consci??ousness again and reinvigorated the s??tudio. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon, if today's announcements are any indication.

Announced by way of the PlayStation Blog, Nioh and Nioh 2 are coming to the PS5 on February 5, 2021. It's not going to be a port dump either, as Koei Tecmo says that the PS5 editions (which are available piecemeal or as part of a collection, so long as you get the "Complete" version of Nioh 2) will offer "4K resolution," as well as "120 FPS gameplay" for those that can support it. Naturally, faster SSD load times are also in, as well as save transfers from PS4. There are upgrade paths for current Nioh 2 owners, which are detailed below. No upgrade details were mentioned for the original Nioh.

In non-PS5 news, Nioh 2 is also coming to PC on February 5, 2021, via Steam. Plus, Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will also debut on PS4 on that same date. The third and "final" DLC for Nioh 2, The First Samurai, is also arriving on December 17 of this year.

It's a great day for Nioh fans! This thing has pretty much become the new modern Ninja Gaiden.

The Nioh Collection [PlayStation Blog]

Nioh PS5 upgrade info:

For those of you who are looking to continue your demon slaying journey in Nioh 2 onto PlayStation 5 from ?your PlayStation 4, there are two upgrade routes for you to take:

• Players that own Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition on PS4 can upgrade to Nioh 2 Remastered – The Complete Edition on PS5 at no additional cost. 

• Players that own Nioh 2 on PS4 can upgrade to the base game – Nioh 2 Remastered on PS5, and receive the PS5 version of any DLC expansions they own on PS4. 

Upgrades for disc copies of PS4 versions are on??ly available if you have a PlayStation 5 console with Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive. To obtain your upgrade, you will need to insert your PS4 game disc into your PlayStation 5 console with Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive, navigate to the Game Hub and select the upgrade offer to download the corresponding digital PS5 remastered version of the game, which you can then play while your PS4?? disc is in the drive.

If you purchase a digital copy of PS4 versions of the game, you can simply navigate to the Game Hub on your PS5 console and select th??e upgrade offer to download the corresponding PS5 remastered version. Note: you will need to log into your PS5 console with the same PlayStation Network account that you wer??e using when you purchased the PS4 versions of the game.

The post Both Nioh?? games are coming to PS5 in 2021 in 4K and 120 FPS appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't get the horn

Koei Tecmo has released its second DLC add-on for mythical samurai sequel Nioh 2. The Darkness in the Capital expansion, available to download on PS4 today, is available to purchase standalone or as part of the Nioh 2 season pass.

Set in a past version of Japan's capital city of Kyoto, Darkness in the Capital will see ??our protagonist rally together some of legend's foremost demon-slayers, samurai, and mages, for a desperate battle against a powerful yokai, whose very presence in the past threatens Japan's future.

Alongside the new story content (designed to be played after one has completed Nioh 2's main questline), Darkness in the Capital features new enemies, orange Ethereal-tier gear, Smithing Texts, Guardian Spirits, and the Fists/Clawed Fists weapon type. Additionally, a new difficulty level, Dream of the Wise, has been added, offering dedicated Nioh players their toughest challenge to date.

The post Nioh 2 ‘Darkness in the Capital’ DLC drops today on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a demonstration from Tokyo Game Show

It feels like I just beat up yokai with Benkei in Nioh 2: The Tengu's Disciple the other day, but Team Ninja is already coming back with Darkness in the Capital, the second story expansion, on October 15.

During Tokyo Game Show 2020, the studio shared an eight-minute preview of the DLC's new claw weapon that's going to look familiar to any Ninja Gaiden II fan who enjoyed slicing and dicing limbs with Ryu's Falcon's Talons. I'm liking this trend so far. Ninja Gaiden is a fantastic series to draw from.

The footage shows a Demon Parade Picture Scroll mission, so we aren't going to glean any lore or see new enemies this time, but it's a good first look a??t the claw moveset. The leaps and backflips look fun.

As for the story, it's another time-traveling romp. We're headed back to ancient Kyoto.

The post Nioh 2 is getting ninja claws with Darkne??ss in?? the Capital appeared first on Destructoid.

'Darkness in the Capital'

Nioh has been a font of fun for me for years. This series completely rules, as it finds a fine line between action and exploration and sticks to it: the level-based system is great for some bite-sized romp itches that oth??er open world games won't quite scratch.

I'm still replaying the first Nioh from time to time, but the sequel does a lot of heavy lifting too. Plus, with DLC accompanying the total package (just like the original!), there's going to be even more to come back to years from now. The se??cond DLC, just unveiled today, looks like it'll continue that legacy.

Revealed on the PlayStation Blog, it's called Darkness in the Capital and will follow up Tengu's Disciple from July. It'll boast new bosses, extra narrative bits, ??more Guardian Spirits and extra skills/Ninjutsu/Onmyo Magic abilities. Amazingly, it'll take place in Kyoto City and will involve a time-traveling storyline conceit that will whisk the player character back to "an ancient version of the capital."

Darkness in the Capital i??s out on October 15. It's probably one of my most-a??nticipated October releases at this point!

Nioh 2’s Darkness in the Capital expans??ion arrives October 15 [PS Blog]

The post Nioh 2’s big second DLC is out in just a few weeks appeared first on Destructoid.

Put a cat on your head with the Scampuss Hat Smithing Text

You might finish all of the Tengu's Disciple DLC missions in one go, but Nioh 2's newly-added Dream of the Demon mode is going to be a weeks-long time-sink for many of us. After hearing about the reward for clearing the base game on New Ga??me++ difficulty, I'm committed: I've gotta see this through.

As posted by Reddit user Zippygup, the reward for clearing every main mission in Nioh 2 on Dream of the Demon difficulty (minus Online Missions) is the Smithing Text needed to craft the Scampuss Hat.

It's exactly what it sounds like: a cat hat!

Ladies and Gentlemen.??.. the best piece of armor in the game: from r/Nioh

Another player, rileykard, says they got a Scampuss Hat from a Demon Parade Picture Scro?ll mission "where you get three Scampuss right at the start??. After I completed the mission I could refashion into it."

Cosmetic appeal aside, the Scampuss Hat's special effect is Untouched Clay Bell of Reckoning. I love the idea of showing up to a boss fight with a? cat on my head and a few more rolling behind me.

As for Dream of the Demon, it's no walk in the park – at least not with my currently under-leveled build. The recommended player level for the first story missio??n, the Village of Cursed Blossoms, is 250. Funnily enough, I beat Gozuki and Mezuki no problem, but a random Gaki took me down. Savage.

Whether or?? not I ever hit 100% completion, I'm already stoked about my drops in DotD so fa??r.

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Even if you skip this first DLC, be on the lookout for Demon Parade Picture Scrolls and new skill tree unlocks

From one samurai game to the next. Nioh 2's first DLC, The Tengu's Disciple, is out today on PS4.

If you're downloading the standalone version of The Tengu's Disciple – I wouldn't bother! – it's $9.99. If you go for the Nioh 2 Season Pass, which bundles all three DLC packs, you're looking a??t $19.99. This first story is set in the coa??stal region of Yashima during "the final years of the Heian period."

You'll need? to have cleared the main campaign to get sta?rted.

The trailer shows some of the new yokai, including a boss, and the Ninja Gaiden-as-hell Splitstaff weapon. The Tengu's Disciple has "over 10 challenging missions acros?s three distinct new stages."

Team Ninja also shared the patch notes for update 1.11. Apart from new Ninja and Onmyo Magic skills and character-creator options, the big addition is the Demon Parade Picture Scrol?l. These items drop on Dream of the Strong difficulty and above, and they'll give you special mini-missions to play from the left side of the map screen. If you clear a Picture?? Scroll mission, you can equip the scroll for stat bonuses.

The update also raised the inventory capacity from 500 to 600 items and re-tuned the difficulty in multiplayer. "?The health and? power of enemies will increase when there is a summoned Visitor present."

Dream of the Demon difficulty is calling my?? name, as is the new level cap of 400.

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Go ninja, go ninja, go

Ahead of Nioh 2's first DLC release, Team Ninja briefly showed off a new weapon type called the Splitstaff. It would look right at home in Ninja Gaiden, which means it's probably going to be a blast.

Here's a glimpse of the new weapon the Splitstaff! If you hold the attack button, the attacks will change into segmented ones. Attacks are split into two patterns, extending the reach of attacks & spinning the tip to increase hits. There's also special changes to some techniques. pic.twitter.com/pQbiqgiCAd

— Team NINJA (@TeamNINJAStudio) July 23, 2020

The Tengu's Disciple, the first of three DLC chapters, releases on July 30. Are you leveled and ready? Further details will be shared on July 29 during a Japanese live stream at 5:00 a.m. Pacific.

Team Ninja's DLC plan for Nioh 2 is following a similar path as the first game – expect to see new stories, yokai, Guardian Spirits, gear pieces, that sorta stuff – which is fine by me. After going hard on the game and taking a recent break, "new difficulty levels and end-ga??me content" sounds ideal.

I should pick up the pace in Ghost of Tsushima, ?but I love getting distracted in the open world.

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What a game

Team Ninja continues to bring it with Nioh 2, one of my favorite games of the year thus far.

While the base was pretty fully-featured already, the studio has continued to alter the game over time, and today we're getting our most substantial update yet. Not only are they starting to dole out info on the upcoming meaty paid DLC, Nioh 2 is also being updated today to add in a photo mode (which has "in-depth" settings like image exposure, gradation, lightning adjustments and filters), as well as nine free sub-missions/twilight missions.

As for the DLC, Team Ninja is still planning three releases (like the last game) with "new storylines, yokai, bosses, guardian spirits, skills and gear," as well as new difficulties and endgame content. It all starts on July 30 with the first DLC: The Tengu's Disciple.

Here's the brief rundown: "A great battle has taken place at Yashima in the late Heian period. As a visitor in Yashima, our protagonist finds a shrine possessing a mysterious ??whistle called the Sohayamaru. Upon inspection, the whistle shines rad?iantly as the shadow of Yokai can be seen lurking in the background. It is revealed that whenever wars take place, heroes wielding the Sohayamaru will head into battle in order to restore peace back into this land."

Given that Nioh DLCs are generally the real deal, I'm beyond pumped for these: more-so than a lot of full releases. The original trilogy of DLC was a great balance of short-term excitement and long-term campaign gains, allowing Nioh to shine for posterity as a "complete" package, while packing th?e base game to the gills. I trust Team Ninja to do the same this time around.

Nioh 2 Phot??o Mode & New Missions, New?? DLC Details [PS Blog]

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The three Oni-bi Soul Cores will drop more often

Team Ninja is continuously refining Nioh 2. I'm done with the game for now – apart from the never-ending incremental loot grind and some of the ridiculous weapon-specific Title challenges, I've finished everything I set out to – but I know that when I com?e back for the DLC, it'll be in a better place.

This week's 1.08 update is worth shouting-out for its Soul Core changes. Many of these collectible yokai attacks have been tweaked to be more powerful than before, and the developers have also increased the drop rate for some ??of the more elusive Soul Cores like the Infernal Oni-bi, Maelstrom Oni-bi, and Thunderstorm Oni-bi (the red, blue, and yellow floating demon heads that spawn from la??nterns).

Those particular Soul Cores were hard for me to track down. I had to go out of my way on a specific level (Abduction) with Shrine and gear boosts to increase my Soul Core drop rate, and it was still a grin??d. If you're working tow??ard the gotta-catch-'em-all Soul Searcher trophy, 1.08 should help a lot.

As a side-note, you can figure out which Soul Cores you're missing for the trophy by going to the Shrine menu, Soul Fusion, Select a Soul Core, Selection Settings (by pressing the Square button), Filtering, and then clicking on the blank Item Name field box. You'll see a historical list y??ou can cross-reference.

On the flip side, my go-to Soul Core, Otakemaru??, has been hit with an understandable nerf – it now does l?ess damage to Gyuki, Lady Osakabe, Daidara Bocchi, and Shards. It's still overpowered, so I'm fine.

A bunch of "ineffective" and "underpowered" Soul Cores like One-Eyed Oni, Abberant Soldier, and Tesso were given buffs for better damage, accuracy, and ease of use, among other tweaks. Team Ninja says these adjustments are meant to "achieve? a more balanced and well-rounded experience."

A number of weapon skills were adjusted, too. Here are the patch notes (via Gematsu):

Adjustment of Yokai Abilities

Adjustments focused mainly on abilities that felt underpowered and / or ineffective in order to achieve a more balanced and well-rounded experience for the player??.

• Gyuki Soul Core – It is now easier to hit with this attack.
• Kasha Soul Core – Increased damage and reduced Anima consumption.
• Daidara Bocchi Soul Core – Can now hit directly across from where it appears.
• Shuten Doji Soul Core – Shortened the recovery and made it easier to hit with.
• Magatsu Warrior Soul Core – Shortened the recovery and increased the damage output.
• Toxic Slime Soul Core / Umi-bozu Soul Core – Shortened the recovery and increased the rate of attack.
• Gaki Soul Core – Improved the amount of Amrita produced with the bite attack.
• Yamanba Soul Core – Improved the startup speed and buffed the duration.
• Tesso Soul Core – Increased the number of hits.
• Karasu Tengu Soul Core – Shortened the recovery and increased the damage output.
• Mitsume Yazura Soul Core – Made it easier to hit with this attack.
• Rokurokubi Soul Core – Increased the number of hits.
• Aberrant Soldier Soul Core – Shortened the recovery.
• Kodama Soul Core – Increased the drop rate of elixir when the attack hits.
• Gozuki Soul Core – Adjusted the usage cost. Now causes the opponent yokai to flinch when hit.
• One-Eyed Oni Soul Core – Made it easier to hit with this attack. Adjusted Ki damage and Anima consumption.
• Yotsu-no-Kami Soul Core – Adjusted the number of times the attack ricochets off of terrain and Anima usage.
• Otakemaru Soul Core / Karakasa Umbrella Soul Core – Decreased damage to the following bosses and objects:
  • Gyuki
  • Lady Osakabe
  • Daidara Bocchi
  • Shard

Adjustments

• Increased the drop rate of several Soul Cores:
  • Umi-bozu
  • Toxic Slime
  • Infernal Oni-bi
  • Maelstrom Oni-bi
  • Thunderstorm Oni-bi
  • Karakasa Umbrella
  • Flying Bolt
• Adjusted the enemies in the training mission “Training Ground” to get stronger as the mission progresses.
• Adjusted tutorial missions “Basic Actions” and “Yokai Shift Control: Brute / Feral / Phantom” to always sync with the player’s level.
• Increased the damage of the katana skill “True and Through” at max charge.
• Adjusted spear skill “Rainbow Ruse” so that it can be customized.
• Increased the success window of Ki Pulse and damage output when the spear skill “Triple Threat” is successful.
• Adjusted the spear skill “Bracing Breeze” to make it easier to follow-up after a successful counter by shortening the recovery.
• Fixed an issue where the following skills could not be customized to give elemental effects: Axe Skill – “Bear’s Bane.”
• Fixed an issue where the following skills could not be customized to give elemental effects: Tonfa Skill – “Storm of Strikes,” “Sweeping Kick.”
• Improved the timing of when the samurai skill “Flux can be executed after tonfa Skills “Demon Dance Heaven / Man / Earth.”
• Attacks that can be triggered by the switchglaive Mystic Arts now hit sooner and their power has been increased.
• Shortened the usage time of techniques that give positive effects to the player (such as forbidden fire talisman) in Onmyo Magic Mystic Arts “Awakening.”
• Made adjustments so that Ninjutsu-related effects (such as Life Drain (Ninjutsu Hit)) will occur when using the “Gunpowder Bomb” and “Shrapnel Bomb.”
• Made an alteration so that there is a moment of transformation which maintains buffs and debuffs when the player transforms into their Yokai form via the special effect “Critical Yokai Shift (Dark Realm).”
• Fixed an issue with “Azai Nagamasa'”s behavior.
• Adjusted the line of sight when holding a ranged weapon to make it easier to see.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue in the active skills “Piercing Hurl” and “Dual Hurl” where the special effects “Skill Damage + %” were not being properly reflected once upgraded to (Shadow / Light).
• Fixed an issue where some hatchet attacks do not gain elemental buffs.
• Fixed an issue with the kusarigama skill “Serpent Strike.” When hitting certain enemies, it could not trigger Ki Pulse.
• Fixed an issue where the switchglaive skill “The Path of Three” was too easy to accidentally activate.
• Fixed an issue with the kusarigama skill “Water Drop” could not trigger a Ki Pulse.
• Fixed an issue where the follow up attack of the spear skill “Chidori” may go through the opponent.
• Fixed an issue where the following customized skills would not take effect:
  • Dual Swords Skill – Ultimate Sign of the Cross
  • Spear Skill – Flying Monkey II: After the first hit.
  • Kusarigama Skill – Water Drop, Second Wind
  • Switchglaive Skill – Infinite Retribution II.
• Adjusted the “Ki Pulse: Man” effect so that it no longer disappears when entering poisonous bogs or tainted waters.
• Fixed an issue in the shiftling skill “Refulgent Strike” that caused Amrita to be gained instead of the Amrita gauge.
• Fixed an issue where the special effects of “enemy’s damage over time” and “enemy’s received damage over time” existed separately and were not calculated together, so the two have been merged.
• Fixed an issue where in some cases Yokai abilities were mistakenly showing the effects for unarmed attack power as well.
• Fixed an issue where the attack power of Yokai abilities while unarmed were very low.
• Fixed an issue where the attack power of the Yokai abilities would not sync with the player’s level.
• Fixed an issue where Soul Core Kamaitachi would not reliably hit properly.
• Fixed an issue where some yokai would float up and become stuck after being hit by guardian spirit “Genbu.”
• Fixed a problem where the player could not Yokai Shift Grapple some yokai when they are downed by a Burst Counter.
• Fixed an issue in the “Soul Match” option of the “Blacksmith,” where if a transferable soul core was chosen as a material, a separate candidate could not be chosen for the finished item.
• Fixed an issue with the “Soul Match” option of the “Blacksmith” where if a ranged weapon was chosen as a base, a different weapon type would show up as a material.
• Fixed an issues where the damage dealt by a visitor was still visible even after setting it to “Hide” in the option “Damage Display – Others”.
• Fixed an issue where players could not buy “Transformations” in the “Tea Room” if their saved data had been deleted, even if all conditions were met.
• Various other minor fixes.

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I love beating these types of games in a vacuum

There's something about blazing through a 1.0 edition of a game like Dark Souls or Nioh, pre-release, that's immensely satisfying.

There's no meta. There's no guides to consult. And the developers made their decisions already with no live feedback for the full game: it's a wild experience that might not always translate to a good time for a lot of people. But now that hindsight is part of the equation, Team Ninja is walking back some of their choices for Nioh 2.

The latest update is 1.07, following 1.05's heavy changes, and the biggest alteration has to be the following: "Weakened the attacks of some non-boss enemies. Previously, though the pl??ayer could be above the recommended level, some enemies would kill the player in one hit." I thought that was a feature, not a bug?!

Surprisingly, Nioh 2 has a lot of those enemies strolling around, even on regular difficulty. I'd frequently come across someone who looked like a regular dude and then smack, I'd be dead in a hit, desp??ite being a few levels over the r??ecommended parameters. It was occasionally frustrating yet par for the course: but I totally get that not everyone wants to dance around "no-hit runs" in the middle of an otherwise balanced experience.

Team Ninja also adjusted the difficulty of several sub-missions and buffed the drop rate of Smithing Text and The Art of Combat (nice, alleviating grinding I can get behind). You can find the meat of the patch notes below, and miscellaneous bug fixes here.

Team Ninja [Twitter]

Version 1.07

Adjusted the mission difficulty of the sub-missions:

• A Favor for the Blacksmith
• The Greedy Hunter
• The Sunomata Yokai Hunt
• The Viper and the Butterfly
• The Brothers Blades
• The Burning Sky
• Scattered Fragments
• Calling on the Fire God
• The Dream’s End
• Weakened the attacks of some non-boss enemies. Previously, though the player could be above the recommended level, some enemies would kill the player in one hit.
• Weakened some attacks of Shibata Katsuie that are especially difficult to dodge.
• Buffed the drop rate of Smithing Text and The Art of Combat.
• Added “Difficulty” to the search condition of Random Encounters.
• Added “Accessories” tab to the “Tempering.”
• Added a feature to initialize settings in the HDR settings.

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Here's a Nioh 2 endgame farming strategy for whenever you're ready

I've been patiently waiting for the Nioh 2 community to rally around a go-to farming strategy, and while there isn't a consensus yet �and there are multiple long-term goals to grind out, including your XP, gold, and weapon/Onmyo/Ninjutsu/Shiftling proficiency �I'v?e found one particular strategy that's helping me quickly stockpile Amrita without fuss. It's gonna carry me all the way to the max level cap of 300.

[Update: The new level cap as of Nioh 2: The Tengu's Disciple is 400.]

The sub-mission in question is The Refined Man of the Underworld, and you can access it in Nioh 2's fourth region, Dawn. It's available on your first playthrough, but for farming, it's much more potent on New Game+, Dream of the Strong. (Side note: Nioh 2 currently only has one New Game+ mode.)

Here's a demonstration of the Amrita (XP) farming method from YouTube user ThySeraphim:

There's a lot going on, but the video is self-explanatory i??f you don't get bogged down by the minutia. In short: If you can clear this mission, you'll accumulate a lot of Amrita. If you can clear it fast, even better.

You don't necessarily need Amrita-boosting effects on your equipment. You also don't have to worry about making a complicated build. Just finish the mission, and you're golden �that's why I appreciate this strategy. My character is not tailored for this stage and I can still ?clear it in 90 seconds or less.

The Refined Man of the Underworld is an ideal level to farm because it's a fight against two easy-to-read bosses and not much else. You don't have to run loops aroun?d a boring maze �it's all action.

You'll start out against Gozuki, and once you've taken off most of its health, Mezuki will appear. If you're quick enough, that won't be a problem. The main trick, as shown by ThySeraphim, is to have hard-hitting Soul Core abilities and make the most of them to take Gozuk?i out befor??e Mezuki reaches you.

_{79 is the recommended level on the default difficulty, and 180 is suggested for Dream of the Strong. You do you.}

If you haven't beaten Nioh 2, I'd probably use the Yatsu-no-Kami Soul Core. That's the snake boss.

If you have beaten Nioh 2 (name spoiler)?, use the Otakemaru Soul Core. Its area-of-effect is ideal.

Once you slay Gozuki, you can absorb its Soul Core drop to recharge your (purple) Anima meter and trigger whichever Soul Core attack you prefer. If you do it right, you should be able to melt Mezuki. If you can, I would bring along two Weakness Talismans (one for each boss) and a Protection Talisman.

You'll earn a lot of Amrita (I'm getting over two million each run) and also earn a chunk of change. As a side benefit, you'll naturally unlock skill points for your weapon and Shiftling skill trees t??oo.

That said, if you're specifically trying to max out your weapon proficiency, you're gonna want to grind out the dojo mission The Nine Symbols instead. That mission gives you access to wooden versions of every weapon, which are perfect for prof?iciency farming, and the boss is just poor old Onryoki.

This farming tip isn't the best if you're in the early-to-mid-game, but once you hit the endgame and especially once you d??ip into Dream of the Strong, it should serve you well. I'm ready for the DLC!

The post Farm this Nioh 2 ??missio?n if you want to hit the level cap appeared first on Destructoid.

Mmhmm yes, yes

You?? know how annoying it is when developers release major patches for games and kind of just go silent? That's not what Team Ninja is doing and I appreciate the hell out of it.

Nioh 2's version 1.05 patch is now live for the only version of the game (PS4), and they gave us full patch notes on Twitter?? to comb through. The main highlights beyond a ton of bug fixes include quicker proficiency gains when you're using a weapon that's lower than your lowest proficiency weapon (encouraging playstyle variety is a good thing, instead of getting stuck in one ecosystem), and some dojo missions require less proficiency. Good quality of life changes all-around there.

Enemies have also been altered (Gaki have lowered health and attack damage, Acolytes have buffed health, Yoki and Enki have lowered attack power), the recommended levels have been altered to be more accurate (this is something I was comically talking to Jordan ?about last week), and a few other inside baseball changes. I wrote those out manually from the patchnotes below.

Frankly, this game came at the perfect time. It's a wonderful adventure that you can just get comp??letely lost in for days on? end.

Team Ninja [Twitter]

Nioh 2 version 1.05 Update adjustments:

• The player will now gain "Proficiency" faster when using a weapon that is not as high in Proficiency as their highest proficiency leveled weapon.

• Some of the Dojo missions now require less Proficiency.

• Lowered the health of Gaki and the power of some of their attacks.

• Lowered the strength of a few overpowered attack[s] used by the following enemies: Yoki/Enki.

• Buffed the HP of Acolytes

• Adjuted the recommended levels of some missions to more adequately reflect their perceieved difficulty.

• When Gyuki charges into the floodgate the horn will stab into it, and Gyuki's jumping attacks will no longer break the floodgate.

• Adjusted the defensive strength and the amount of health of Shimotsuma Rairen in "Pervading Waters."

• Improved the homing for the hatchet skill "Arise."

• Reduced the wisdom requirement needed to release the Shiftling skill "Murderous Strike."

• Made upward adjustment[s] to Guardian Spirit Hiyokucho's blessing "Medicine Burst," so that it would also affect Acolytes. The range of the blessing is now capped from infinite range to seven meters.

• Extended the distance at which Mujina can recognize gestures.

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Magic and traps can quickly fill out your skill trees

If you're a returning Nioh player, you're probably counting the seconds until you can unlock nodes on the Onmyo and Ninjutsu skill trees in Nioh 2 and start flinging your comfy old ??spells, buff??s, and traps.

You'll still want to keep an eye out in missions for Mage's Locks and Ninja's Locks, respectively �they award skill points like before �but in Nioh 2, you can also earn skill points by just playing. It's fantastic!

I'm still waiting for some brave soul to crunch the raw numbers and figure out precisely which abilities earn "proficiency" experience points the fastest, but in the meantime, I figured a quick ??PSA was in order for new players. The sooner you can get points on your skill trees, the sooner you can begin using your Onmyo and Ninjutsu abilities to unlock newer, stronger stuff further down the skill-tre??e branches.

While farming proficiency, I've had the best luck with damage-dealing abilities, not passive spell?s. That goes for weapon proficiency, too, so try to fight beefy targets. ??If you have access to the dojo mission The Nine Symbols, particularly in New Game+, that's the ideal place to grind out all nine weapons.

To check your current proficiency level progress, press the PS4 touchpad, scroll right to "Status," and then hit the R1 button until you see a page with XP bars for all 13 skill trees (nine weapons plus Samurai, Ninja, Onmyo Magic, and Shiftling). This is a super valuable menu in Nioh 2 �?it shows exactly how close you are to hitting the next proficiency lev?el and earning a new skill point in each category.

As you might've noticed from this screenshot, I've maxed out my kusariga??ma proficiency at level 30 (the current cap is 500,000 points). It's a good idea to pick up a different weapon type by the time you max out �there are trophies and dojo mission related to high proficiency points for all nine weapons. 200,000 proficiency points is a good stopping point if you're tired and want to move on.

Here's a big tip: there's an easy way to see which Mage's Locks and Ninja's Locks you're missing. On the map ??screen, click on a story mission to bring up the summary and then pres?s the R1 button �this will tab over to a page showing how many locks you've earned, how many hot springs you've used, and how many Dark Realms you've dispelled. These are finite collectibles, so you'll see the exact totals.

Another quality-of-life tip: you can set Nioh 2 to automatically use/activate locks so they don't get buried in your inventory. Just pres?s the PS4 touchpad, scroll right and s??elect "System," move down to "Basic Game Settings," and then toggle on the option "Automatically use acquired locks of hair."

It won't take long before you find your first Locks and start building out your skill trees. With all that said, which Onmyo and Ninjutsu skills should you focus on in the beginni?ng? I have a few suggestions.

For the Onmyo skill tree, I would make a beeline for at least some of these ski??lls:

• Pure Heaven Cursed Earth (Passive: Extends the range of purification)
• Pure Mind (Passive: Extra Yokai Realm and Dark Realm resistance)
• Sloth Talisman (Slow down a single target's movement)
• Barrier Talisman (Increased Ki recovery and you can dispel Yokai Realm pools by touching them)
• Steel Talisman (Increase your defense)
• Life Leech Talisman (A single target will heal you every time you hit them; ideal for meaty bosses)
• Gust Talisman (Create a shield that sends projectiles flying back at foes)
• Oasis Talisman (Gradually restore your health over time)
• Protection Talisman (Neutralizes a certain amount of damage like they're "free hits")

A few other Onmyo staples:

• Weakness Talisman (Reduces a single target's defense)
• Carnage Talisman (Lower your defense, but raise melee attack power)
• The Mystic Art skill Awakening (Cast Onmyo faster) or Amplification (Extends the duration of Onmyo effects) â€?you can only have one of these active at a time

You could also use any number of offensive spells or elemental weapon buffs, and that can be a good way to earn Onmyo proficiency, but keep in mind, ther?e's only so much room on the shortcut menu.

For the N?injutsu skill tree, I only have a? few wide-ranging suggestions:

• Shuriken and/or Kunai (even if you don't plan to stick with them, they're great for early-game proficiency farming)
• Sneak Attack (Press Triangle after sneaking up on an enemy)
• Paralytic Groundfire (these traps are also great for farming and they're practically broken against humans and red revenants, who you can lure toward you while guarding. Grapple attack them once they're paralyzed, rinse, repeat)
• Quick-Change Scrolls (When this buff is applied, you can die and come back to life)
• The Mystic Art skill Enlightenment (Perform Ninjutsu faster and extend its duration) or Concealment (Increases damage dealt by ranged weapons or throwing items)

There are plenty of other useful Ninjuts??u skills �including Tiger-Running and Catwalking when you just want to zip past all the bullshit and get to the boss �but your mileage will vary depending on your build.

As Chris mentioned in a separate article, it's imperative to trigger your Yokai Shift (Triangle + Circle) and collect and purify Soul Cores as often as possible to earn points for your Shiftling skill tree. This is where you'll go to make the Dark Realm much less punishing. The tree is full of passive? benefits.

This probably goes without saying, but make sure you have the Running Water abilities for low, medium, a??nd/or hig?h stances in the Samurai skill tree. You need all the extra Ki recovery you can get.

One last tip you might be missing: if you have any green nodes unlocked on the Samurai or Shiftling skill trees, you'll want to equip them. Hit the PS4 touchpad, go to "Skill Customization," and find your weapon. Once you scroll down the list to the low/medium/high-stance moves, you'll see a prompt on the very bottom of the screen that says to press the Square button for "Custom Active Skill Settings." Once pressed, you can then apply any damage boosts or elemental effects ??you've unlocked.

That's a lot to ta??ke in, I know. It makes more sense in-game, I promise.

As an example, if I go to my hatchet in the Skill Customization menu, I can scroll down to Piercing Hurl: Light (my "Hold Triangle" attack), press the Square button to bring up a submenu, and then apply Arcana of Lightning (to imbue lightning damage) or Damage Boost: Skill (to get a boost based on my character's Skill stat). There's a trade-off, though �these boo?ns command a higher Ki consumption rate (like 1.40).

Custom Active Skills aren't necessarily something you need to worry about in the e??arly or mid-game, but they're worth looping back on once you've chipped away at the Samurai and Shiftling skill trees.

One of the best parts of Nioh ??is retu?rning to pesky old bosses and pulling off a fast no-damage run.

_{[Looking for more Nioh 2 pointers? Check out our guides on when to use your Yokai Shift ability, how to trade with the Sudama, how to power ?up your Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores, and how to farm Amrita.]}

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The Monster Mash

Nioh was something of a surprise hit in 2017. Many of us saw the Sengoku-era action-RPG �/span> a brilliant fusion of From Software concepts and Team Ninja's own Ninja Gaiden �/span> as a return to form.

It's not every day that a faltering developer enters a well-worn subgenre with a new IP and hits a home run on its first swing. Nioh was wonderful at launch, and it only got better �and far bigger �with updates and DLC. I sunk hundreds of hours into this game hunting demons for tiered loot while trying to perfect my c??haracter build across multiple New Game Plus campaigns. The rabbit-hole went deep.

Can Nioh 2 have the same impact and wow factor in 2020? Honestly, not quite �but it's freaking great.

Nioh 2 (PS4 [Reviewed on a PlayStation 4 Pro])
Developer: Team Ninja
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release: March 13, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

After unlocking a few early nodes in Nioh 2's expansive combat skill trees, it all came rushing back to me. I remembered how �and why �I poured so much time in this dark and wacky alternate-history Japan. The wonderfully gross creature designs, the highs and lows of hard-fought boss battles, the (borderline overwhelming) versatility afforded to nitty-gritty character builds �it's all so intoxicating.

If you loved the first game, you're going to love the sequel. If you struggled with reused levels and enemies, or the unforgiving difficulty, or all the time spent harvesting gear and comparing stats in menus, don't expect to feel vastly different about Nioh 2. Team Ninja has improved most of the core elements to varying degrees, but the experience is very familiar. Not dull, or stale, just familiar.

Even as someone obsessed with the original Nioh, I found some of the sequel's refinements subtle at best. And while I'm sure there are way more tweaks to individual weapon movesets, Onmyo spells, Ninjutsu traps, and equipment synergies than I realize, I have to admit, I was initially a little underwhelmed by a perceived lack of change. If you've only caught a few early glimpses of Nioh 2,?? you could feel the same way. You might be wondering if this is a "true" sequel, or more of a half-st?ep.

It's a tricky question to answer �and I feel differently now than I did at the beginning of the sprawling 40-hour-plus main story. Nioh 2 does a few big?? new things exceptionally well, and leaves almost everything else ever-so-slightly better. I think that was the right call for a three-year turnaround.

I kept expecting fatigue to set in, but it just hasn't hit me yet. I can't seem to put Nioh 2 down.

You won't play as William, the weirdly kinda likable Irish-sailor-turned-samurai protagonist of the first game, in Nioh 2. Instead, you're a Shiftling �a half-human half-yokai hybrid. You'll design your avatar from scratch with a new (and fairly in-depth) character creator, which is so??mething a lot of players seemed to want, myself included. You can even fine-tune the look of your horns in demon form.

There is a trade-off, though. With its new silent protagonist, Nioh 2 struggles at times to tell an emotionally resonant story, and that feels like a major step back. It's not a complaint I ever expected to have �and the plot does eventually pick up and ultimately stick the landing �but it can be jarring. I didn't think Nioh's story was amazing by any stretch, and it also suffered from rapid character ??introductions that came and went too fast, but it felt more cohesive. It was easier to connect with.

The sequel starts in 1555, almost 50 years before William sailed to Japan, which is a convenient way for Team Ninja to let players use a custom avatar without abandoning the characters, events, or lore of Nioh.? Rest assured, this is still a semi-historical folktale-infused adventure with legendary figures, feuding warlords, ghastly creatures, and those all-important spirit stones everyone's always after.

Without oversharing plot details, there's a nice duality in play between your character and their vocal companion, Tokichiro, a stone-seller who's more complicated than he first seems. A significant chunk of the story deals with Oda Nobunaga and other familiar faces, some of whom were present in Nioh. These conquests tend to blur together, but the back half is much stronger in terms of stakes and motivation. Nioh 2 is one? of those games that acts like it's wrapping up only to pull the rug out from under you.

The combat �the main draw, by far �is as exhilarating and multifaceted as ever. That goes for fights against run-of-the-mill creeps and the fiercest bosses. It's the foundation that keeps people like me so invested in Nioh long after w?e've burned through every story quest? and sub-mission many times over.

Going back to what I was saying before about there being an air of familiarity, a skilled Nioh 1 player can roll into Nioh 2 and mop up �after learning a few crucial new tricks, anyway. You still need to know how to trigger mid-fig??ht Ki Pulses (timed inputs to insta-recover "spent" stamina) to avoid overexerting yourself. You also still need to have some awareness of the three main stances (low, medium, high) and their specific movesets for your weapon of choice (which can now includ??e hatchets and a switchglaive).

There's another element to master, too. Instead of building up enough charge to enter your limited-time Living Weapon state of invincibility like before, in Nioh 2, you'll tra??nsform using Yokai Shift �a similar but distinct move. This beastly mode has th??ree forms: Brute, Feral, and Phantom. They all handle differently. Brute �my favorite �can stagger. Feral can dip in and out of quick strikes. Phantom can fire a ranged attack and teleport where it lands. You can also Burst Counter �a parry-like maneuver that essentially becomes mandatory by the end �and use Soul Core ability items dropped by slain yokai.

Yes, Nioh 2 has a creature ability collection system, and it rules. ??You can equip up to three Soul Core moves at any time (depending on wh??ich Guardian Spirit they're attuned with) and they run on their own energy meter (Anima) that recharges as you normally attack and defend. The best part: they don't use Ki! The transformation attacks are almost like a get-out-of-jail-free card if you overextend and just need one final jab to finish the job. Soul Cores have passive stat benefits, they can boost your Spirit Guardian's power, and they can be recycled to enhance other Cores or grant you rare crafting items.

The skill trees are generous, too. There are 13 non-linear trees: one for each of the nine weapons, one for Onmyo magic, one for Ninjutsu, one for general Samurai abilities, and one for Shiftling abilities. Graciously, you can use relevant abilities and spells in combat to unlock more skill points. In other words, you won't get halfway in, learn about a cool spell, and regret prioritizing certain stats over others. I felt like I had much more freedom to experiment in Nioh 2 on a short- and long-term scale.

I could drone on and on about these mechanics and how they weave so perfectly into Nioh's existing combat systems. Nioh 2 lets me buff my armor, electrify my kusarigama, place paralytic traps, cast slow-mo and life-leeching debuffs, throw kunai, and so much more. There are so many options to consider w??hen readying your ability loadout, and you aren't forced to stick to any single path forever.

There's one more key piece �one more part of Nioh 2 that evens th?e odds. Some of the sequel's biggest improvements are the larger level designs, smarter enemy positions and patterns, and a heightened sense of tension during exploration. This can all be traced back to the Dark Realm �areas where your Ki recharges slowly and even basic yokai don't hold back. Unlike the small pools that yokai can (and do) still create at their feet, these zones aren't so easily cleared out. They're weaved into levels in clever ways.

A level can have multiple ?Dark Realms, and once you step foot inside, you can't rely on your minimap for guidance �you have to find and slay a particul??ar foe, usually far behind enemy lines, to purify the area.

In boss battles, the stakes feel just as high. There's an intense rhythm to combat that's rewarding to master. It took me a ton of practice. Bosses can and frequently will trigger the Dark Realm, at which point you can die in an instant �I'm talking one relentless combo if you're aren't careful. You can force bosses out of the Dark Realm if you act on tight windows of opportunity, or you can run out the clock after a bit, but either way, fights generally feel more dynamic in Nioh 2. They're a step up all-around.

If you ever need a helping hand and you don't have another player to team up with in co-op, you'll want to keep an eye out for Benevolent Graves. They're the friendly blue equivalent of the red AI Revenants that you summon and fight for loot. You can spend Ochoko cups to summon AI helpers that are either based on NPCs or modeled after other Nioh 2 player characters. You can also place your own grave (with a consumable item called Righteous Jasper) to assist others. Yo??u'll earn deliveries? in your hut if you help.

There's still so much more I want to say about Nioh 2, but most of it is better left for guides, wikis, and your own self-discovery. It took me around 45 hours to reach the credits �some of which was spent in optional missions, and some of which was just me beating my head against stubborn bosses (like Enenra) who demand?ed new loadouts and strategies after dozens of failed attempts. Your brick walls will vary. With persistence and a few good stat rerolls at the blacksmith, you can overcome them.

I spent another 15 hours mopping up extras �including lost Kodama �and dipped my toes in the first of presuma?bly several New Game Plus modes, Dream of the Strong. It's hard to resist Divine gear.

If there's one point I want to get across above all others, it's this: Nioh 2 isn't as revelatory as the first game, but that shouldn't be held as a mark against it �at least not this time. Team Ninja was right to iterate and expand carefully. Nioh got so much right on the first go. While the new prequel storyline suffers from a slow and disconnected start, just about every other aspect of Nioh 2 feels upgraded.

This is a f?inely-tuned sequel?? that fans will obsess over for years to come.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Nioh 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Are you sitting comfortably?

It's here. Today finally sees the launch of Team Ninja's epic adventure sequel Nioh 2, now available to purchase exclusively on PlayStation 4. As noted by our own Jordan Devore in his review, it's certainly something special, blending a vibrant?? world - filled with stunning visuals - with deep and satisfying combat mechanics.

But how does such a modern-day classic come together? Obviously it takes the creativity and passion of a huge team of talented individuals, working toward a singular vision of the final product. And this is the theme exemplified in Inside Nioh 2, a new Archipel and Game Spark produced?? documentary, recent??ly released to celebrate the sequel's launch.

Featuring lots of production footage, along with interviews with project figureheads such as Director Fumihiko Yasuda, Audio Director Yojiro Yoshimatsu, Art Direc??tor Hirohisa Kaneko, and even voice actor Naoto Takenaka, the one-hour video looks at the production of?? the sword and sorcery sequel, and the work involved in moving the project from conception to reality.

Nioh 2 is available now on PS4.

Inside Nioh 2 Archipel documentary [Gematsu]

The post Inside Nioh 2 is ??a meaty one-hour?????????????????????????? documentary on the making of the mystical sequel appeared first on Destructoid.

They aren't just flashy transformation attacks

Nioh 2 has a bunch of interlocking stats and systems that can give you a much-needed e?dge in combat, and one of them, in particular, is worth shouting out: you gotta stay on? top of your Soul Cores. It took me way too long before I realized why my Guardian Spirit felt so weak compared to the first game.

Building off what Chris already said about activating Yokai Shift (your powered-up invincibility state) liberally, I wanted to add that you can boost your Guardian Spirit's attack and defense with Soul Cores, something that's easily overlooked for new players and easily forgotten if you don't form a habit. Soul Cores are new-to-Nioh 2 items that let you morph into enemies (?!) using your purple Anima energy bar.

The basic loop goes like this: play Nioh 2 as you normally would, pick up any Soul Cores that enemies drop, bring them back to a Shrine (or just finish a level) to purify them, and open up the Manage Soul Cores option from the Shrine menu (also accessible fr??om the Starting Point icon on the map screen).

Put another way, just get?? to the menu where you level up, and scroll to the left two spots.

Select "Attune Soul Core," then check out the Cores' varying levels, stats, and perks (there are video clips for each Soul Core attack) to figure out what looks best for your build and playstyle. Now, you're ?going to want to equip (?"attune") as many Soul Cores as you can to your primary Guardian Spirit.

Initially, you can only have two Soul Core attacks �R2 + Triangle and R2 + Square �but further into Nioh 2, you'll be able to equip and u?se a third Soul Core attack in combat with R2 + X.? Here's an example:

Without these Soul Cores, my Guardian's attack and defense rating would be far lower. If you don't regularly rotate in higher-level Soul Cores like you would traditional gear??, you might run into problems.

There are a few other things to stay on top of, too. You can power up your Soul Cores' special passive effects by sacrificing lower-level Soul Cores of the same type. From the Manage Soul Cores submenu, pick Soul Fusion.?? Next, select your "base" Soul Core, then a lower-level throwaway "material" Soul Core, and pick "Perform Soul Fusion." Try to keep doing this until you max out the Soul Core Rank (at nine).

You can also recycle extra Soul Cores that you never intend to use. Doing so can level up your Shiftling (Yokai Shift) skill tree �which has crucial bonuses �and earn rare crafting materials for the blacksmith. This process is known as Resting Rites, and it's accessible from the same Man?age Soul Cores submenu.

Nioh 2 tells you all of this information, but ?if you're anything like me, you'll just dabble and then file it away on your to-do list. Don't be like me! Stay on top of your Soul Cores. They're hugely beneficial.

If there's one Nioh 2 suggestion I want to share above all others, it's to use the Options (start) button when you're digging around in menus. If you press Options and scroll with the d-pad, you'll see detailed explanations for every single stat, abili??ty, perk, and mech?anic in plain English. It's a godsend.

As for which Soul Cores you should use, the jury is still out, but I love th??e Yoki Soul Core against human enemies (you'll do a forward swipe to knock them d??own) and the Kappa Soul Core (for defense).

Without naming names, you're definitely going t?o want to use ?the last boss's Soul Core.

Bonus tip: there's a way to check which Soul Cores you're missing for the Soul Searcher trophy. From the Shrine menu, go to Soul Fusion, Select a Soul Core, Selection Settings (press the Square button), Filtering, and click on the Item Name field box. You'll see a list of every Soul Core you've ever obtained, which can then be matched against a complete Soul Core list to see what's left for the trophy.

After 115 hours, the Scampuss Soul ?Core was the last item I needed to get the platinum.

_{[Looking for more Nioh 2 pointers? Check out our guides on how to unlock Onmyo and Ninjutsu skill points, how to trade with the Sudama, when you should use your Yokai Shift, and how to farm Amrita.]}

The post Nioh 2 tip: Don’t forget to power up your Soul Cores appeared first on Destructoid.

They'll trade with you

Nioh players all know and love Kodama, the little green spirits lurking around the world in easily-overlooked places, but in Nioh 2, you'll also want to keep an eye out for Sudama, the purple fellas with skull masks?. You aren't meant t?o round them up. They don't need your help getting back home!

Rather, you're meant to trade with the Sudama. The game isn't immediately c??lear about this �it just says "it seems as though it wants something" when you try to interact with a Suda?ma �but they'll take your unwanted gear and give you something potentially great in return if you're lucky.

The next time you find a Sudama (and you've cleared out all the nearby yokai), bring up your equipment menu and drop a piece of gear you don't plan on using �preferably something as high-level as possible. Drop the gear with the Triangle button ?and the Sudama will scurry over, take it, a?nd give something else back. You might get a weapon, accessory, or armor piece that better suits your build.

You can also drop purified Soul Cores and you might get a Kodama Soul Core in return.

Th??ere's no guarantee you'll like the trade �different Sudama like different stuff, and RNG can be wonky in frustrating ways �but I've been fortunate. I've traded weapon types I'm never going to touch and have gotten back a roughly equivalent version of my go-to, the kusarigama. You might get materials.

The lore is great, too. Sudama are actually Ko??dama who w??ere corrupted by the Dark Realm.

"One who presents a Sudama with something it despises will incur its monumental wrath and invite punishment for their transgression. To lose one's life in this way would sadly and surely be some cosmic joke. As with all other things in life, pranks on a Sudama should be carried out in mod?eration."

_{[Looking for more Nioh 2 pointers? Check out our guides on how to unlock Onmyo and Ninjutsu skill points, how to power up your Gua?rdian Spirit ??and Soul Cores, when to use Yokai Shift, and how to farm Amrita.]}

The post Nioh 2 tip: Give your extra items to the littl??????????????????????????e purple Sudama appeared first on Destructoid.