GopherProxy

ï»¿Hello fellow Nioh gamers. I'm here today to
Share my information on build creation. Starting
from the basics and moving up to end-game
damage stacking. So without further ado, let us
begin.

Table of contents (use ctrl+F to search chptr.
#xx)
Legal: chptr.zero
Foreward (a note for beginners): chptr.beginner
Stats: chptr.1st
Armor Choice: chptr.1ac
Guardian Spirits: chptr.2gs
GS Combinations: chptr.3gc
Basic Damage Stacking: chptr.4ds
Armor Skills: chptr.5as
Advanced Armor Skills by Build Type: chptr.6bt
Abyss Considerations: chptr.7ab
Assisted Advice: chptr.8aa
Sets/graces list (and locations): chptr.9sg
Reforge/Temper Pop-Skills list: RT.WAS
Example Builds: ex.builds

__-----Legal Aknowledgements
[chptr.zero]

I authorize this faq for gamefaqs. I am the sole
author and am not against it being shared on
other sites, but to do so without my permission
isnâ€™t exactly legal. You may private message
user Lupinos on gamefaqs to request
permission to post this character building faq on
other sites, and i am likely to say yes. As of the
moment it was written, gamefaqs is the only site
i intend to post it to as a resource for other
players looking to create their own builds.

There may be example builds at the end. You
may even duplicate and play with these builds.
However, they are there as examples. The
purpose of this faq is to teach users everything
they need to know about building their own
character in Nioh, from the start to the end-
game content.

Shout-outs and special thanks:

There is a great thread by aquCHAOS
explaining the hidden boost to which
combination of guardian spirits you choose.
Very nice thread there. It helped me a lot when
learning about guardian spirit combinations and
without it - chapter 3 wouldn't exist.

Special thanks to Max58201. His stickied
thread helped me tremendously when i first
started learning about builds and started
compiling my own notes. I was already in WotN
and floor 45 of abyssâ€¦ stubbornly powering
through the game. Another great thread that
contributed to the base knowledge necessary
for me to make this faq.

All the stickied threads on the boards are great.
AfroPrimeâ€™s thread is very helpful and
informational, even though it was made for the
alpha demo. A great read and still relevant to
the game and how to play, even after the
updates.

I'm sure all 3 of those threads contributed to
this faq (and the sticky threads i created that
contain much of the info in this faq,) itâ€™s just that
they did so when i learned it and that was a
while ago. This is compiled from my personal
notes, which i made after testing after reading
AfroPrime and Max58201 â€˜s threads; like, a
year ago.

And when i was first researching damage, i
referred to ancient threads started by Raeng,
Tmk, Alchemy60, and LancetJade. It would be
wrong to have a shoutout section and not thank
these veteran players for the information i
gained from their very old threads here on the
boards.

Shout out to Nola187Skills, Poto2222, and
Matagoro for comments theyâ€™ve made more
recently that i raided for their tips. Also
TobyVonToby provided some useful information
as well. These 4 have also contributed build
information and SRGM and Mesiah21 provided
feedback on example builds before final draft.

Each of these gamefaqs users taught me a fair
amount of information as i was researching
different builds, so i almost feel like this faq is a
compilation of community knowledge that was
merely organized for redistribution by myself;
though all the words contained herein are my
own and from my perspective.

A special shout out must also go to a man
known as Killer Kiev or PWar (Project War
Gaming.) Many of the users who assisted in my
research drew information from reddits and
threads and build pages that he made. I may
not have personally taken any of his info, but he
worked hard on information that taught the
users who helped me and as such has
contributed to my information 3rd hand.

Another special shout out to reddit user Sljm8D.
This person has compiled and updated a very
awesome reforge table in the form of a 4 page
spreadsheet. In the revision process, that
spreadsheet was used to give more accurate
information (this faq listed many armor skills
you could find, but not the exact skill nor the
maximum value. The spreadsheet was used to
find exact weapon/armor skill names and max
values to provide that information herein.)

No matter how long weâ€™ve played, thereâ€™s so
much to learn that we may not learn it all.
Players with different playstyles contribute
strategies and tactics i never wouldâ€™ve thought
of. We can all learn from each other.

And with that out of the way, let us begin.

_____-----Foreward
[chptr.beginner]

If on your first playthrough, let me say this:

Try to get all of your stats to 20 as soon as you
can. From there, it's about your priorities. When
you first begin the game, make sure to get your
spirit to 11 and then all other stats to 10. Then
work on getting them to 20, after which you can
focus on your build goals.

I like to keep pumping into heart and stamina
for a while. Heart for the larger ki pool that fills
quicker, and stamina for the equipment weight
capacity (so i can switch between light, medium
and heavy.)

Damage reduction is an important thing for
defense and why most people use heavy armor.
Ninjas and people who love games like god of
war, ninja gaiden, and devil may cry may stick
with light armor and rely on superior dodging
ability to keep them safe.

I prefer elemental magic, whereas others prefer
buffs/debuffs - they rely on consumables (like
elemental amulets from the blacksmith, tengu
fans, burning pots, etc) to cause confusion.

I also recommend getting dex to 30 and if you
go the route of elemental magic, pick up fire
shuriken from ninja - you will not be
disappointed.

The reason you want all stats at 20 is so you
can freely switch between armor you pick up
during your playthrough and have access to all
of its skill-slots. Although you are likely not to
change those skills until later difficulties, those
stats will still be a huge consideration on
whether you murder the game, or it murders
you.

If you notice some armor has greyed out skills,
it is because you donâ€™t meet the armor
requirements. Look to the bottom under the
skills, you will see the required stats. Light
armor requires body and skill, medium armor
requires body and strength, and heavy armor
requires strength and stamina. The last armor
in the game for each tier only requires 20 each
of the required stats. Just one reason to want
all stats at 20 before prioritizing weapon
damage.

And in the weapon skill-trees there are passive
stats. Unless they specify the weapon, they
always apply. So be sure to get them all for the
extra cca (critical), final blow (killing strike)
damage, grapple damage, damage from behind,
ki recovery while guarding, damage to full-life
enemy, damage when full life, etc.

Speaking of which, do the dojo missions. Each
level of missions will unlock the next tier of skills
in the upgrade screen. And for ninjutsu and
magic, the mystic art to instant-cast on self is
somewhat vital if you plan to use scrolls and
spells. Until you unlock the mystic art for magic,
the hat that increases casting speed is
important for any mages out there. The ninja
and mage dojos require 5, 10, 15, and 20
points into their stats (dexterity and magic),
which is another reason to get them to 20 as
soon as possible.

And the ninja and magic trees have passives,
too, if you get everything you want and have
some left over skill-points (part of why i like to
get them to 50 instead of 30 before completing
4th playthrough.) Things like purification range,
vs yokai realm, elixir effect on life recovery, luck,
yokai damage reduction, arrows and arrow
damage, bullets and bullet damage, cannonball
capacity and damage, dash speed, dash
endurance, evasion ki usage, etc.

Different enemies are resistant or weak to
certain elements. For example: Ogress is hard
to confuse without using earth and water -
unless you use gale shot. She's super resistant
to fire, tho. Electric enemies are often weak to
water or earth. Fire enemies are weak to water
just as water enemies are weak to fire. Earth
enemies are weak to wind. Etc.

Many like to use a high spirit stat, but i find that
to short your damage and i only use enough to
have all the skills from my guardian spirit
(commonly 19-23 for me, but 36 if i want to use
them all.) However, it is not ill-advised to raise it
to somewhere between about 36 and 55. But
above 55 is more of a handicap than a boost.

Just experiment and have fun.

Try all the weapons (and try out some of their
skills) during first playthrough. Your stats are
low enough that they should all do similar
damage. All of the weapons can be fun once
you get used to them, there really arenâ€™t any
bad weapons in the game. Plus, completing the
final dojo missions after you complete the game
will unlock extra missions as well as the mystic
arts for the weapons.

About gear early on:

Armor requires a minimum stat requirement
from 2 stats to utilize the skills on it. For
lightweight, this is skill and body. For medium
armor, it is body and strength. For heavy armor,
strength and stamina. To actually equip medium
and heavy armor, you will need more stamina.

Worth noting that forged armor takes half the
required stat amount (as opposed to gear you
find that drops from enemies and chests.)

At low levels you should probably just keep
swapping gear to the strongest stuff you can
find because maintaining one set the whole
way will be far too costly and actually slow your
progression.

Before ethereal drops (in 3rd-5th+ difficulties)
you are really limited to one 7 piece set or two 4
piece sets in your build. (Or several smaller
sets for damage reduction.)

Once you get into abyss graces, you may want
to check out what graces are available and how
to farm them (which is included in this faq.)

It is advised to get dex and magic to 30 and use
scrolls and talismans in your build. Like quick
change (revive), catwalking (silence), and
suppa (invisibility) from ninjutsu; and extraction/
plaedies from magic (or debuffs weakness,
sloth, devigorate, lifeseal; or leeching / carnage
and steel buffs.) But unless going ninja or mage,
you donâ€™t need the stats above 30. If using
elemental shots, you may want the magic stat
at 50 for the last 2 difficulties.

Also, you likely only need the first 2 or 3
chapters of this faq and the list of sets at the
end. Also, this from the end:

Stances:
Hi stance is meant to be heavy hitting but slow.
Also very good for breaking yokai horns with
melee (i use magic, but for melee users this is
how they do that) and high-strong attack can
cover a lot of distance with an axe. Think of this
as max damage output at the cost of speed.

Low stance is meant to be highest defense and
best evade (i like mid-evade better, but low
evade can be chained multiple times without
rolling). It is meant to have the fastest attack, at
the expense of reach and power.

Mid stance is the balance between them.
Designed to reward blocking over evading, tho i
use mid stance evasion a lot and it's my favorite
evade. The most well rounded combos (and if
the skills are not parries, you can use mid-
stance skills in LW).

But it all comes down to preference. But with
large weapons (axe, odachi, spear) the mid-
stance attacks have a large sweeping combo
that can hit multiple enemies at once, while low
and high usually target a single opponent at a
time.

So think of mid stance as for a defensive or
strategic player, low stance for a high mobility
player, and high stance for people who like to
do massive damage at the expense of being
more vulnerable.

And ki flux... when you do a ki pulse, if you
switch stances during the pulse then you will
get more ki back. So switching from mid to high
and back gives you the ability to combo longer
before running out of ki. I find that to be
essential for heavier weapons, like the odachi
and the axe. A perfect ki flux maximizes ki
recovery and nearly doesn't deplete any ki.

Someone asked me if high stance offers â€œhyper
armorâ€
Hyper-armor? I'm not sure what you mean.

Do you mean an increased resistance to
flinching making your attacks interrupted less
frequently? Because yes, it does. It will attempt
to power through a blocking enemy instead of
knocking back your attack and interrupting your
combo.

But if you mean a higher defense, low stance
actually has the highest defense of them.

But toughness determines how likely your
attack is to be interrupted, and how easy you
are to flinch, and how much ki blocking uses up.

But weapons like kusarigama can very easily
be interrupted in low stance (which some
players like because it's like having your
character tell you to dodge) but won't be in high
stance, so they use high to interrupt the enemy
and ki flux to low to quickly continue the
onslaught.

Moving between stances in mid-combat can
really help you come up with better combos and
strategies. Low stance is fastest, but high
stance hits hardest and is less likely to be
interrupted.

Switching between them as you play can help
you a lot.

And remember that crit damage no longer
works in LW, because it got nerfed in a patch.
Kigetsu and leeching still apply, but not damage
boost for being in a critical state.

Tactics:
Strafing is always good (running circles around
boss and rolling when they attack). If you have
a lot of trouble, every few lives play a life or two
where you donâ€™t attack and only dodge and
survive as long as you can. Itâ€™ll help you
understand their moves, gap (fight distance),
and rythm (attack speed/pace and when they
take longer to recover aka attack window).

Confusion: inflicting 2 elemental status ailments
before either wear off will confuse enemies. It
will slow them, stunt their defense, and reduce
their ki regeneration. Enemies often resist 2
elements and are weak to one or 2. You can
use talismans to imbue your weapon (magic or
drop, unlocked in forge from start), your LW,
elemental shots (magic), or fire shuriken (works
GREAT) / nin bombs.

The best bit about confusion is against yokai,
including bosses - it locks them in zero ki until
both ailments wear off. I've seen people do this
on accident and have no idea what they did or
how to replicate it. But if you use magic for
confusion: with a stat of 30 elemental shots will
work WotSam-WotD, 40 it will work for WotW,
50-60 it will work for WotN. Abyss, i recommend
a magic stat of 100 if using elemental shots.

If your stat is lower, use talismans and LW. Fire
shuriken work great, even with only 30 dex. And
donâ€™t forget about hyotokko masks and burning
pots. Or tengu feathers for wind. Mud jars donâ€™t
muddy though, they inflict stench.

Poison and paralysis do not contribute to
confusion. These are the ailments that do:
scorched - recurring fire damage (which stacks
with poison but poison does not contribute to
confusion). Electrified - lightning ailment causes
30% slow that lasts longer than and stacks with
the sloth (50% slow). Saturated - water ailment
kills defense 30% and stacks with weakness
(50%). Muddied - earth stunts ki regen 30%
against humans and stacks with life seal (50%
ki recovery reduction). Against yokai, muddy
causes double ki damage. Blustered - wind
(30% attack reduction) and stacks with
devigorate (50% attack reduction).

Humans: knock them out of LW to be able to
survive or they will not flinch and will power
through you and kill you. How? An arrow to the
face or guardian spirit special to knock them
down, but let them fall - LW fades while theyâ€™re
on the ground.
Then, if you have it: quick draw -> finisher
unless in LW: then ground stab and combo
through their ki.

Increasing your ki damage can also make
humans who block much easier to defeat. As
can pierce guard (close combat) or parry
disabled against blocking opponent.

If you want to LW spam, you could try hi-nezumi,
gyokuto, or aya-komori. They hit weaker, but
they refill and recover insanely quick compared
to the others. With extraction and plaedies, you
sometimes have it refilled before you hit the
ground from being knocked out of itâ€¦

Just donâ€™t be afraid to spend your stat/skill
points and try stuff out. You can reset and re-
spend them later at any time (although your
stats and skills are both completely reset. But
you donâ€™t lose anything, you just have to take
the time to re-spend them all.) All it takes is a
book of reincarnation to reset stats/skills, or a
koan manual to reset prestige points.

_____----- STATS
[chptr.1st]

So first: stats. But I've heard stats are too
confusing, so let me put it like this:
Bladed weapon? Heart.
Blunt weapon? Body.
Heavy weapon? Strength.
Dual/technical weapon? Skill.
Heavier armor? Stamina.
Ninja? Dex.
Magic? Magic.
Living Weapon charge rate? Spirit.

Voila! Simple.

If you arrange the stats by weapon damage, it
looks like this:

Katana: heart (B+), skill (C+), strength (D+)
Duals: skill (B+), heart (C+), strength (D+)
Spear: body (B+), strength/skill (C)
Axe: strength (B+), stamina (C+), body (D+)
Hammer: strength (B+), body (C+), stamina (D+)
Kusarigama: dexterity (B+), skill (C+), body (D+)
Odachi: strength (B+), heart (C+), stamina (D+)
Tonfa: skill (B+), body (C+), dex (D+)
Bow: heart (B+), skill (C+), dex (D+)
Rifle: skill (B+), body (C+), dex (D+)
H.cannon: stamina (B+), skill (C+), dex (D+)
Life (hp): body (A), stamina (B-), skill (C+), and
str/heart/dex/magic/spirit (C).

When making your build:
Focus first on enough stamina to equip the
armor you want and keep B or better agility, and
enough heart that you donâ€™t often run out of ki.
Remember that strength affects ki pulse. If you
want to be able to equip any armor in the game,
get body, skill, strength, and stamina up to 20.

For any good build, upgrade the B and C
damage stats for both of your weapons as high
as you can.

Also: body increases poison/paralysis
resistance until it caps at +10 resistance at 51
stat.

Heart increases ki through 99 and often should
be at least 50-70 end game.

Stamina (and strength to a lesser extent) affect
equipment weight capacity - which means the
more stamina you have, the more gear you can
equip without dropping below B agility.

As you upgrade: hard time keeping agility at B
or higher? More stamina. Keep running out of
ki? More heart. Need to ki pulse more
effectively? More strength. And skill stat affects
nearly all weapons at least some (but not the
heavies).

And dex/magic give the most skill points per
level. But, unless going heavy nin or heavy
magic, you do not need these stats above 30
(40 or 50+ for final difficulty modes, 4th/5th
playthrough.) I do prefer 100 stat each, but they
are effective enough at 30-50. Also, stat 30
gives 30 capacity. 200 gives 41 total. So 73% of
your capacity is available if you have 30 stat
(ignoring the fact that the last skill in the skill
tree can give you +10 capacity after you
purchase all 3 levels.) Between 30 and 100, the
capacity does not increase.

Thatâ€™s about what you need to know about stats,
though you could get much more in depth if you
chose to. After that, itâ€™s about what sets/graces
you want bonuses from and what skills you
want on your armor and weapons.

_____-----ARMOR Choice
[chptr.1ac]

Nowâ€¦ how many sets do you use? Each gives
10-15% ccd at 4 pieces (except Kigetsu which
does it at 3p). Some use a 7/4 split. 6/5 is most
popular. 5/5/2 is also used and those trying to
max damage often go 4/4/4. If only using 4
pieces, youâ€™re basically choosing your favorite 3
piece bonus. With kigetsu, there is the option of
4/4/3/2 for the 2p iga bonus to refill quick
change and other ninja tools after using LW.

Also note that most sets give 2% damage
reduction at 2p bonus and 10.9% CCD at 4p
bonus (kigetsu does it at 3p). Most graces give
3.2% DR at 2p and 13% CCD at 4p (izanami/
izanagi give 15%). Full light armor gives 8%
Damage Reduction, all medium gives 15% DR,
and all heavy gives 25%. After familiarity itâ€™s
more like 11%, 18%, and 30%.

Youâ€™ll want to maximize both close combat
damage (ccd) and skill damage for the best
results. If you donâ€™t use skills, you could just
pour it all into ccd. But boosts work best when
you stack different kinds of multipliers together
in your attack. And thereâ€™s diminishing returns
for ccd / skill damage above 33%. So it is best
to try for 30% of each. If you donâ€™t use skills at
all; instead of skill damage, you could put into
yokai ccd or human ccd and it will stack
alongside your standard ccd. It is also an option
to invest in strong attack damage or quick
attack damage.

What sets boost skill damage?

-_- Skill boosts -_-
Katana:
Iai - 6p futsunushi
Night Rain - 2p Daiichi (Gallantry armor)
Tiger sprint - 2p Warrior of west

Duals:
Sign of the Cross - 4p master swordsman
Moon shadow - 2p Righteous Strategist
(Justice Ministry armor)

Spear:
Tornado - 2p Armor of the Exceptional (Sakon)
Merciless Barrage - 2p Warrior of the East
Spear fall - 2p Red Demon (Li)

Axe:
Rumbling Earth - 2p Kaido
4p kaido extends Battle Focus
2p obsidian samurai extends Rage

Final blow:
2p Kingo (which also boosts damage from
behind at 5p) and 2p Red of Devotion (which
also boosts skill damage at 4p).

Also: 4p Red of Devotion (Sanada Crimson)
and 6p Japanâ€™s Bravest give skill damage
(about 17.4%)

There are other damage boosts from armor
sets (like increase attack when damage is
received, or enemies defeated db, or after life
recovery, or consecutive attacks, etc) but these
are all the individual skill boosts from armor
sets.

I like change to attack. I make sure my
weapons have change to attack (stat) A for my
highest stat. But sometimes you donâ€™t stat
properly for one reason or another. Letâ€™s say
you want a living weapon or mage build, or you
want to balance it out to switch weapons more
effectively. Many builds place top 2 stats for
melee weapons at 200, but if you invest
elsewhere, you can have top stat forged onto
your weapon and secondary top stat from your
set/grace, to make up for not statting towards
one weapon in particular.

Change to attack:
Body - 5p Warrior of the East
Spirit - 5p Amaterasu or 5p Izanagi
Magic - 5p omoikane or 6p Izanami
Strength - 6p tajikarao
Stamina - 7p obsidian samurai

But your sets/graces provide you with the
framework for your build through set bonuses.
Some equipment that doesn't belong to a set
will have cool bonuses; like archer and
bowman armors boost bows and ranged
weaponry, rifleman armor boosts rifle use,
onmyo mage joe/hunting/suikan gear boosts
magic and chest/leggings have change to
defense magic C. Or karakawa/heike chestplate
is heavy and has that ctd magic C on it. Or
yamabushi/gyousha armor has ctd spirit D on
every piece but Genji is heavy armor with ctd
spirit C on the chestplate.

Be sure to check out helmets as there are some
cool helmets with unique skills that don't have
related armor. Like onryoki/hino-enma/nue
masks, or black/white fox masks, or the fan
helmet that makes enemies prioritize attacking
you, or the warrior monkâ€™s hood.

Those gear are ideal for defiling into ethereal.
Just as you check unique skills when choosing
what weapon to forge (a lot more unique non-
set options than armor has.)

I'm going to list some sets/graces that are most
common for a minute. And explain why they are.

Warrior of the West is a solid beginner set. CCD
is very high with this set (as far as sets go). The
CCA when you electrify enemies helps a lot, too.

Heroic Raging Bull is another good early game
armor. If WotW is the armor for CCD, HRB is
the armor with a slight boost in damage
reduction. That extra 4% makes you feel a bit
like a tank, though really it is medium armor
with the protection of heavy (for while your
stamina isnâ€™t high enough for heavy armor.

Warrior of the East is popular for the merciless
barrage skill damage, and for cta body. This will
help spear users and anybody with a high body
stat early on. Later playthroughs this armor
(and the other 2 weâ€™ve mentioned so far) get
abandoned for something a little more special.
Life drain for skill attacks can be neat, too.

Tatenashi. Using the 2p bonus for -25%
received firearm damage (RFD) enables you to
try for total projectile immunity if you boost RFD
by inheriting it onto all your armor from your
helmets. The elemental damage reduction is
also good, but you must use the full set for that.
However, the full set has an extra 10% damage
reduction. The 3 piece bonus gives equipment
weight damage bonus for free, freeing up the
slot on your ranged weapon for agility damage
bonus (or consecutive hits damage bonus for
kunai and kusarigama builds.)

Hiraishi. The 3p bonus gives the same 25%
RFD as Tatenashi. Using them together means
less RFD inheritables to get the total projectile
immunity. Many players also like the extra life it
gives.

Dragon Ninja. Who doesnâ€™t want to feel like
Ryu? Extend evasion invulnerability for free,
increased attack when nin items hit, unlimited
(but super weak) shuriken (they eat ki now),
and the sword has 20% yokai CCD. Plus, the
7p dragon sword: truth increases dragon sword
and hayabusa kusa damage by 20%. Super
lightweight - relies on evasion and super high
damage.

Oyamatsumi. 19.3% extra damage reduction,
as well as a good mix of solid other bonuses.
Augments earth status ailment as well.

Izanami/izanagi. Highest CCD of any grace.
The 3p bonuses are yokai realm healing and
increased attack upon life recovery. They also
have cta spirit and magic. And pretty somid
damage bonuses.

Head of Iga. 2p bonus refills one-third of your
nin items after LW. 7p bonus is ninjutsu damage
bonus AA. A pretty solid ninja set. Again - super
lightweight so be prepared to evade a lot.

One-Eyed Dragon. The bluster and consecutive
hits db are the highlights to this decently
balanced dlc armor set.

Last Great General. Living weapon now saves
your life. And you have less drain when hit in
LW. And your damage increases the more
damage you take. Very solid dlc armor set.
Especially if using a crit build without Suzaku.

Armor of the Exceptional. Skill damage.
Everyone who uses this armor loves the skill
damage. Getting skill damage and CCD both
above 20% (preferrably 30%) will greatly
increase your damage output. This armor (and
Sanada Crimson) can help with that. Sanada
Crimson is dlc armor, but this armor belongs to
Shima Sakon.

Your armor gives you the framework for your
build. Itâ€™s all a choice between mobility,
survivability, and damage output. Itâ€™s really all
about your priorities.

Let's come back to armor skills later. For now:
pick a set from the end of this guide to begin
your build, and let's talk spirits.

_____-----Guardian Spirits
[chptr.2gs]

Let us talk about guardian spirits. But letâ€™s not
arrange them in a usual fashionâ€¦ letâ€™s group
them by increasing attack enhancement tiers,
judging them by their level 60 stats. ;p

But hey, I wouldnâ€™t want you to get lost. So you
can use these search tags i added to find you
way when referencing:

[GS.CH.CON] Guardian Spirit Considerations
[GS.DS] Description of Stat Definitions
[GS.TBL] Guardian Spirit Table of Contents for:
[GS.IN.D] In-Depth Guardian Spirit Descriptions
and Stats

Now, letâ€™s discuss what each of them appear to
be specialized for and what to consider when
picking one. Hereâ€™s Guardian Spirit apparent
specialties, listed in the order you find them in
the shrine:

Specialties (what each spirit is skewed towards):
Kato: Skill Attacks
Isonade: VS humans
Daiba: Evasion and low stance
Fuse-Ushi: Life/Poison
Mizuchi: $/Gold/Amrita
Paired Raiken: dash/skill vs yokai
Hi-Nezumi: magic and stealth
Aya-Komori: sneaky paralysis Ninja
Itokuri: Farming and smithing texts
Enko: Fire Combat
Usura-Hicho: life and vs Yokai
Gyokuto: Running LW Ninja
Tanuki: Health/Healing Tank
Shin-Roku: Earth/Life Combat
Yatagarasu: Ranged Weapons
Suzaku: Critical Combat
Kara-Jishi: Skill Attacks
Izuna: Amrita/Life Combat
Genbu: the magic slow tank
Atlas Bear: Combat/Low ki
Tengen Kujaku:
Saoirse: Reincarnation
Nekomata: Thrown Weapons
Bishaâ€™s Centipede: Poison Combat
Blue Dragon: Wind Combat
Enku: Spears and Kunai
Nurarihyon: Water and field control
Janomecho: Critical and Recovery
Nine-Tails: Abyss Farming

Nowâ€¦ if we were to pick one, what would we
think about in our choice?

Considerations on Choosing a Guardian Spirit
[GS.CH.CON]

Each Spirit was designed to boost a playstyle or
strategy. Like so:

Ninja: Aya-Komori, Gyokuto, Nekomata (kunai
builds often like Enku for thrust damage.)

Magic: Hi-Nezumi, Genbu

Combat: Enko, Atlas Bear, Bishaâ€™s Centipede,
Shin-Roku, Blue Dragon, Paired Raiken

Skills: Kato, Kara-Jishi, Isonade, Paired Raiken,

Stealth: Hi-Nezumi, Aya-Komori,

Health/healing: Narikama Tanuki, Shin-Roku,
Fuse-Ushi, Izuna, Isonade, Daiba (if you spam
LW)

Crit: Suzaku, Saoirse, Janomecho

Field Control: Nurarihyon, Enku, Janomecho,
Nekomata

Mobility: Enku, Aya-Komori, Gyokuto, Daiba-
Washi, Janomecho, Kato

Defense: Blue Dragon, Narikama Tanuki, Fuse-
Ushi, Janomecho, Nine-Tails

Spear/Kunai: Enku

Etcetera.

I'm sure i didnâ€™t get them all in every
combination they could appear. And once you
unlock having 2 spirits, which 2 you choose
gives you an added boost. It is hidden, but they
are listed in the section after the spirits stats
you can get by searching for 3gc - the point
being that each spirit has many uses and you
shouldnâ€™t select one without trying them all and
seeing what feels right. Or at least reading their
stats/skills and seeing if that benefits your build
or is a wasted boost...

Knockdowns: Daiba-Washi, Fuse-Ushi, Mizuchi,
Aya-Komori, Narikama Tanuki, Genbu, Atlas
Bear, and occasionally Nurarihyon.

Remember that Itokuri will add +35 paralysis
and Bishaâ€™s Centipede will add +35 poison if
you donâ€™t have an element forged onto your
weapon.

Boost Elemental Damage:
Fire: Enko, Suzaku, Nine-Tails
Water: Usura-Hicho, Nurarihyon
Lightning: Kara-Jishi
Wind: Izuna, Blue Dragon
Earth: Shin-Roku
Thrown Weapons: Nekomata
Thrust Damage: Enku
Long Range Damage: Yatagarasu

When a spirit is low damage, we know it is
because it boosts magic or nin and recharges
super fast (except Genbu who slows you down
and has low damage in LW, but super buffs
your defense if you are a mage.)

Specialty spirits will boost a particular playstyle,
but have reduced damage to compensate for
their specialty (to avoid making one spirit more
OP than the rest.)

So, essentially, every spirit is amazing, if you
use them for what they were intended. But if
you do not fully utilize them, you will rate them
on a â€œgoodâ€, â€œbadâ€, and â€œgreatâ€ scaleâ€¦ when,
actually, they are all at least good.

That being said; there is a tier considered Top
Tier spirits for being high attack enhancement
and containing boosts you are interested in
while building to be OP. These spirits and their
boosts are:

Kato: CCA +17%, Skill Damage +23%
Kara-Jishi: Increase Attack (Skill), Skill life drain
Isonade: Human CCD +16.8%, sense enemies
Atlas Bear: CCD +13.5%
Paired Raiken: Yokai CCD +21%
Suzaku is OP (Critical)

And Tengen Kujaku boosts time status ailments
remain inflicted upon enemies while also
sensing all things that could appear on your
mini-map. Also, a buff upon amrita absorption
for each stance. And yokai DR.
Many argue Enko should be within this group,
too, because it boosts strong attack and
grapple damage while reducing string attack ki
usage. It also boosts fire and break.
Many donâ€™t think you should include Suzaku
without including Janomecho, because with
Last Great Generalâ€™s armor you could argue
Janomecho is equal if not better.

Important note that all stats presented are with
level 60 spirits and spirit stat of 36.

Description of Stats_____[GS.DS]
When choosing a GS, how do we know how
strong it is? Simple;
Attack Enhancement - how much LW state
boosts your attack.
Might - how much resistance to drain LW has
after taking a hit.
Usable Time: how long LW will remain in effect
if you do nothing.
Action: How using Ki affects LW gage drain
Recovery: How well absorbing amrita refills LW
while you use it.
Tenacity: How LW behaves when critical or
losing health
Amrita Gage: how well absorbing amrita refills
LW when you are not using it.
And they all (except Genbu) provide 26% armor
protection at level 60.
Also, you may see this shorthand: Close
Combat Damage (CCD), Close Combat Attack
(CCA), Living Weapon (LW), Damage Bonus
(DB), Status Ailment (Staâ€™ailâ€™)

First: an over-simplification! Think of this next
section as the table of contents for the super
detailed section. You know, because we
arranged them from Lowest to Highest Attack
Enhancement at level 60â€¦ with 36 Spiritâ€¦
soâ€¦ theyâ€™re in this order; and you can return
here at any time by searching this document for
[GS.TBL]

TIER ONE:_____(LwDmHr)
Attack enhancement 5-7.5%
Might: 400-740, except Genbu is 3k

Low damage High Recharge:
Saoirse: revival and amrita, number one
exception in GS combinations.
Hi-Nezumi: Stealth, Magic, LW spam -
scorching and spammable special
Aya-komori: ground stab ninja, windslice
special, agility db - high mobility but super weak
without enhancements.
Gyokuto: lucky dashing ninja LW bunny with
static electric special.
Genbu: super SLOW tortoise magic tank geyser
knockdown

TIER TWO_____(SS.DD)
Attack enhancement 9.5-12.5%
Might: 600-872, except Izuna is 1592 and
Nurarihyon is 1490

Itokuri: farming slow webs
Daiba-Washi: windy knockdown farmer
Usura-Hicho: life vs yokai, frost-butterfly
Nekomata: Ninja and his tools
and top 2 in tier are
Nurarihyon: blinding wet old man
Izuna: windy life recover

TIER THREE_____(MGSp)
Attack enhancement 14.5-21.3%
Might 796-1728 except shin-Roku is 2120 and
Tanuki is 2458

Isonade: man eating shark
Mizuchi: rich water dragon knockdown
Yatagarasu: the bird with guns
Janomecho: recovery, death defying, whirlwind
moth
Narikama Tanuki: life, recovery, and knockdown
Shin-Roku: earth, life, defense, kyuubi killer
Nine-Tails: abyss farming scorches defense
Suzaku: crit phoenix revives

TIER FOUR_____(MeAt.SauS)
Attack Enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540-1740 except Fuse is 2182 and
Bishaâ€™s is 2532

Fuse-Ushi: life, vs poison, charging knockdown
Bishaâ€™s Centipede: pierce guard, poison, CCD
(no rear), shield special
Tengen Kujaku: ELEMENTAL vs yokai
Enku thrust and dash: spear and kunai
Paired Raiken: dash, skill, vs yokai/lightning

TIER FIVE_____(O.oXP)
Attack Enhancement 24.5-27.5
Might 1520-1814
Enko: burning strong attack
Kara-Jishi: defensive, lightning, skill attacks
Atlas Bear: low ki CCD brawler knockdown
the highest 2 damage spirits:
Kato: CCA, ki/recovery, SkillDam
Blue Dragon: defensive dragon CCD (full-life)

IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTIONS [GS.IN.D]

FIRST TIER: LOW DAMAGE FAST
RECHARGE [LwDmHr]
These guardian spirits are highly specialized
towards ninjas or mages. Low damage in LW,
but high mobility and high recharge rates - both
in and out of LW. Saoirse, Hi-Nezumi, Aya-
Komori, Gyokuto, Genbu.

Saoirse. An Irish banshee from Gaelic folklore
that tells of a woman weeping for your
upcoming death. She saves William from death
and the entire point of the game is to rescue
her from the homonculus (man-made human
without a soul) Kelley. Her Living Weapon (LW)
hits very softly. She has a short usable time
(maybe the shortest) and almost the least might
(armor in LW)... her special - she swims out to
place a water mine and boost the player.

Saoirse Stats:
Attack enhancement 5%
Might 740
Usable time 10.0
Action B
Recovery A+
Tenacity A+
Amrita Gage A-
Sense Enemies/Amrita
Special effects (critical) +21%
+24.5% Amrita Earned and retrieve 85% Lost
Amrita

As secondary: +12.7% Amrita Earned

Nearly every Spirit Combination is an exception.
I wonâ€™t list it here as i did for Tengen Kujaku or
Narikama Tanuki - they just had a handful. The
next section contains rules of combining Spirits
and the exceptions. Refer there for a long list of
Saoirse exceptions.

Hi-Nezumi. Although the second lowest attack
enhancement - not bad! Lowest might, so youâ€™ll
be knocked out of LW often, but youâ€™ll recharge
super quick! Sometimes before you hit the
ground from being knocked out of LW!... think
stealthy, fast, quick recharge at the cost of
being weak. Very good for stealth and magic,
but fairly, meh, for other playstyles. Although
the special attack he lays 3 bombs by your feet
and it is spammable and scorches attacking
enemies fairly quicklyâ€¦ i love that little mouse.

Hi-Nezumi Stats:
Attack enhancement 5.5%
Might 400
Usable time 21.7
Action B
Recovery A+
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A+
+90 magic power, vs fire +25, +21.5% CCA(crit)
Stealth for Enemies A+
Unlimited Magic +22%

As secondary: +15.7% CCA (crit)

Aya-komori. Slightly more attack enhancement.
Still next to no might. Really not bad for a ninja.
Super weak but super fast charge rate, and the
special skill is a wind slice that can cause
knockdown FROM ACROSS THE MAP! These
bats are insane! Quick stealthy ninja spirit.

Aya-Komori Stats:
Attack enhancement 6.5%
Might 480
Usable time 25.5
Action A+
Recovery A+
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A+
Unlimited ninjutsu +22%
Increased attack from behind +18%
Agility Damage Bonus A
Life recovery from grapple
Vs paralysis +28

As secondary: Attack from Behind +9%

Gyokuto. The lightning rabbit. Another good
ninja spirit with low attack enhancement and
slightly more might than the others. The special
lays several balls of static electricity around you
that electrify attackers (but do no damage).

Gyokuto Stats:
Attack enhancement 7.5%
Might 592
Usable time 21.3
Action B+
Recovery B+
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A-
Dash speed +10%, +115 Nin Power
Low damage +11.5%, +140 Luck in LW
Elixer effect on life recovery +28%

As secondary: Ninjutsu Power +57

Genbu. The water tortoise chimera. I hate that it
slow you down (like being slothed), though
spells canâ€™t be interrupted. Although low attack
enhancement - super high might (3000) and
10% more spirit protection (all spirits have
+26% spirit protection, but Genbu has +36%).
Like a magic tank. Special attack can cause
knockdown if the 3 geysers hit. However, does
NOT charge fast outside of LW. Actually, one of
the lowest. Trades attack and mobility for a lot
of defense.

Genbu Stats:
Attack enhancement 7.5%
Might 3000
Usable time 20.6
Action A
Recovery B+
Tenacity C
Amrita Gage D-
Reduced dash speed -30%
Change to Defense (Magic) A
Received elemental attack damage -11.5%
No guard break (onmyo magic)
+115 Magic Power

As secondary: Magic Power +57

TIER TWO - TWICE TIER ONE [SS.DD]
Nearly twice the attack enhancement AND
might of tier one. Slower recharge rates or
mobility in LW, but still faster than most. Highly
specialized, but not for mages and ninjas.
Itokuri, Daiba-Washi, Usura-Hicho, Nekomata,
and top 2 in tier are Nurarihyon and Izuna.

Itokuri. The farming spider. If you have no
elemental damage, it will provide paralysis.
Luck and item drop rates are boosted, and the
special places webs in front of you that slow
attackers (but only while they are in the webs.)
Best suited spirit for hunting smithing texts and
spirit stones and such.

Itokuri Stats:
Attack enhancement 9.5%
Might 792
Usable time 23.0
Action A-
Recovery B-
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A+
Luck +90, familiarity bonus +19.5%,
Human/yokai item drop rates +38%
paralysis +35

As secondary: Luck +45

Daiba-washi. The whirlwind horse-hawk. Favors
evasion, looting equipment, and returns some
life after LW The special makes a whirlwind
that knocks down any human within 10-15 feet.
Honestly, my favorite knockdown spirit because
it is least resisted with full-circle range. Also a
great 2nd to Itokuri when farming gear.

Daiba-Washi Stats:
Attack enhancement 10%
Might 872
Usable time 20.8
Action B
Recovery C+
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A+
Evasion ki Usage -22%, luck +75
Quick attack damage +15.8%
Equipment drop rate +36%
Recover Life (after LW) +720

As secondary: Equipment Drop Rate +18%

Usura-Hicho. Frost butterflies. The Yokai Realm
resistance and life for purification are pretty cool.
reduces strong attack ki damage 21%, Special
creates a nearby field of butterflies in front of
you that might saturate a charging opponent
(maybe).

Usura-Hicho Stats:
Attack enhancement 10.5%
Might 600
Usable time 20.7
Action B
Recovery A
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage A+
Water damage +36%, vs Yokai Realm +460
Evasion ki usage -26%,
Life recovery (purification) +230
Strong Attack Ki Damage +21%

As secondary: life recovery (purification) +115

Nekomata. The Cat-God spirit possessing
Hattori's cat-clock. This spirit is meant for
thrown weapons and especially bombs or fire/
poison shuriken. Special attack he shows up
and throws 3 kunai out that summon lightning
strikes. Wide range if they do not dodge
sideways. Quite the thrown weapon ninja spirit.

Nekomata Stats:
Attack enhancement 10%
Might 792
Usable time 24.0
Action B+
Recovery A+
Tenacity C-
Amrita Gage A-
Thrown Weapon Damage +18%
Close Combat Ki Damage +16%
Recurring Damage Dealt +18%
Sense Enemies, vs Yokai Realm +460

As secondary: Thrown Weapon Damage +9%

Nurarihyon. The old man smoking a pipe. His
special attack places 3 pools of water that
saturates enemies who approach (and cause
frequent water damage while they are in it.) He
blinds those you saturate and boosts water and
projectile ki damage.

Nurarihyon Stats:
Attack enhancement 12.0%
Might 1490
Usable time 22.3
Action C
Recovery A+
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage C
Amrita Earned from Enemies +22%
Ki damage (projectiles) +18%
CCA Ki Reduction (Evasion Attack)
Water damage +36%
Blind Enemies (Saturated)

As secondary: ki damage (projectiles) +9%

Izuna. A wind dragon. Youâ€™ve probably been
slammed by it facing Mitsunari or Mysterious
Samurai. Highest might of tier two. Also highest
attack enhancement of tier two. Special attack
throws 3 izuna forward. Well balanced skills
boost amrita and reduce ki usage in combat.

Izuna Stats:
Attack enhancement 12.5
Might 1592
Usable time 23.8
Action A
Recovery C+
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage D
Earn Amrita (Strong Attack) +30
Amrita Earned +14%, CCA Ki Reduction +18%
Wind damage +36%
Auto-life recovery (finished using LW)

As secondary: CCA ki Reduction +9%

TIER THREE - MiddleGround Specialists
[MGSp]
Very much the â€œbalancedâ€ tier of spirits.
Average Attack Enhancement and Might. Not
super strong, not super weak. If used for their
respective purposes, they are amazing. But if
you are using them just because you feel like it,
youâ€™ll probably bond with a spirit from high
damage or high recharge tiers.
Isonade, Mizuchi, Yatagarasu, Janomecho,
Narikama Tanuki, Shin-Roku, Nine-Tails, Suzaku
Attack enhancement 14.5-21.3%
Might 796-1728 except shin-Roku is 2120 and
Tanuki is 2458

Isonade. An anti-human spirit. The defense
spirit of the first 3 available spirits. The special
causes a shark to swim several quick circles
and attack any enemy next to you with water
damage.

Isonade Stats:
Attack enhancement 15%
Might 1640
Usable Time 24.9
Action B+
Recovery C
Tenacity B-
Amrita Gage D
Life +180, Sense Enemies
Strong Attack ki Reduction -22%
Close Combat Life Recovery +220
Human Close Combat Damage +16.8%

As secondary: strong attack ki reduction +11%

Mizuchi. The rich water dragon. Good for
farming amrita and gold. The special skill has
the water dragon swim forward and causes
knockdown. Works well against non-water
users, though occasionally itâ€™ll hit them as it
knocks them down causing a quick recover.
The low damage and low might make this spirit
fairly lack-luster outside of farming levels and
gold, though the enemies defeated db tries to
make up for that.

Mizuchi Stats:
Attack enhancement 14.5%
Might 796
Usable Time 21.6
Action B
Recovery B+
Tenacity B
Amrita Gage C+
Amrita Sense, Gold Earned +31%
Amrita Earned +24.5%, vs water +25
Enemies Defeated Damage Bonus A+

As secondary: gold earned + 15.5%

Yatagarasu. Youâ€™ve likely seen Saika Magoichi
call him forth to send 3 whirlwinds toward you.
Well, when you use the special it flies forward
and if it hits the enemy it tries to bluster them
with a wind-shot. Saika is the Japanese title for
the rifle corp captain in the military. Hopefully
that special causes bluster. Yatagarasu is the
best spirit for a ranged weapons build.

Yatagarasu Stats:
Attack enhancement 14.5%
Might 1350
Usable Time 24.7
Action C
Recovery A-
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage A+
Sense Enemies, vs Wind +25
Life Recovery (Ranged Weapon Hit) +38
Long Range attack Damage +26%
Unlimited Ammo 25.6%

As secondary: Long Range Attack Damage +13%

Janomecho. The moth spirit we first met with
Otani Yoshitsugu in Sekigahara. You face Otani
again in Ghosts of Sawayama, and you hear
him talking to his Son in Law, Sanada. You may
remember her whirlwind-blustering special
when you were fighting Yukimura and he kept
tossing it at you as he glided around above the
floor. A great special attack which hits many,
many times when it isnâ€™t dodged; and often a
few times when it is dodged.

The interesting thing about Janomecho is that
she appears to be built like a crit spirit, but
many use her for the opposite; an immortal
build. By pairing her with Tokugawa clan, they
can be unkillable, unless they are critical health.
So they build super-lightweight to be one-
shotted by every enemy and use healing spells
and consumables to stay out of crit. But her
actual spirit skills; she is clearly a highly evasive </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
crit-build guardian.

Janomecho Stats:
Attack enhancement 16.5%
Might 818
Usable Time 23.0
Action A
Recovery A+
Tenacity A
Amrita Gage C-
Increased ki Recovery Speed (crit)
Auto-Recovery (Finished Using LW)
CCA (crit) +22.5%, evasion ki usage +28%
Prevent Death Unless in Critical State +60%

As secondary: evasion ki usage +14%

Narikama Tanuki. The health tank. And one of
the big 3 exceptions to the rules on behavior
when pairing guardian spirits. The special is the
tanuki jumping through the grass. He flips 3
times in front of you. If one of these flips hits the
enemy, he grows massive and slams down
from above. Any old school gamers out there;
you remember when mario could turn into a
statue in the tanuki suit? Because thatâ€™s
basically the Tanukiâ€™s special attack ;)

Narikama Tanuki Stats:
Attack enhancement 14.5%
Might 2458
Usable Time 24.5
Action B
Recovery A+
Tenacity A
Amrita Gage D
Vs Earth +25, Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Auto Life-Recovery (Crit), Unlimited Elixir +22%
Retrieve Lost Amrita +66%

As secondary: strong attack damage +8.7%

Narikama Tanuki Spirit Combo Exceptions:
Narikama tanuki and enko yields everlasting ki
Narikama tanuki and gyokuto give elixir burst
Nurikama tanuki and shin-roku give Damage
Reduction when you use elixirs
Nurikama tanuki and suzaku causes no ki
consumption (guarding)
Narikama Tanuki and Nekomata recovers ninja
items after LW
Nurikama Tanuki and Tengen Kujaku prevents
death unless critical +13%
Tanuki and saoirse recovers lost amrita upon
death

Shin-Roku. This exciting Earth deer gives you
the same boost it gives Warrior of the East.
Shame i donâ€™t know what that is, but i use this
spirit almost exclusively to eliminate the Nine-
Tailed fox. The special makes an Earth mine
similar to the level 2 magic spell (i imagine will
seem weak to mages and strong to LW builds.)
When used with Extraction or Suisetsu-shinâ€™s
sake; that AA- recovery can keep you in LW
longer. And 2120 Might is above average.

Shin-Rokuâ€™s Stats:
Attack enhancement 19%
Might 2120
Usable Time 18.0
Action A-
Recovery AA-
Tenacity C
Amrita Gage C
Life +180, Kodama Sense
Strong Attack Life Drain +15
Increase Ki Recovery and Defense (After LW)
Earth damage +36%

As secondary: strong attack life drain +8

Nine-Tails. Charge rate seems slower than
other spirits with Amâ€™Gage at D. I believe it was
designed as the default abyss farming spirit,
eliminating one-third of elemental damage and
boosting divine/ethereal drop rates. But if you
donâ€™t use fire or other elements - if you donâ€™t
cause confusion, nine-tails feels heavy and
slow. The special is the move you see when
battling the Nine-Tails where it curls up and
sends fire crawling across the ground in all
directions you could mistake for â€œforwardâ€.

Nine-Tails Stats:
Attack enhancement 19%
Might 1140
Usable Time 20.2
Action C+
Recovery B+
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage D
Divine/Ethereal item Drop Rate C
Nullify Elemental Damage 33%
Auto-Recovery (Enemy Confused)
Lower Defense (Enemy Scorched)
Fire Damage +36%

As secondary: Nullify Elemental Damage +16.5%

Suzaku. The Fire Phoenix. I donâ€™t really know
how you could speak ill of this spirit. The
original Crit spirit, until Janomecho and Last
Great Generalâ€™s armor came into the game.
Above average attack enhancement. High end
average Might. And the special attack has
Suzaku fly a circle around you, if it strikes an
enemy it will dive-bomb them.

Suzaku Stats:
Attack enhancement 21.3%
Might 1728
Usable Time 18.1
Action C
Recovery A+
Tenacity A
Amrita Gage D
Fire Damage +36%, vs Fire +25
Activate LW (no life), Amrita Earned (LW) +33%
Auto-Charge Amrita Gage (Critical)

As secondary: vs fire + 12.5%

TIER FOUR - HIGHER DAMAGE [MeAt.SauS]
Fuse-Ushi, Bishaâ€™s Centipede, Tengen Kujaku,
Enku, Paired Raiken
Attack Enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540-1740 except Fuse is 2182 and
Bishaâ€™s is 2532

Fuse-Ushi. The charging bull portion of the
Heroic Raging Bull. Tis an anti-poison spirit.
Special attack sends Fuse-ushi charging
forward - sometimes itâ€™s a great knockdown but
it is resisted by earth users and occasionally
hits again as it tramples over them (negating
the knockdown and resetting knockdown timer.)

Fuse-Ushi Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 2182
Usable Time 22.6
Action A+
Recovery A-
Tenacity C+
Amrita Gage D
Life +360, vs Poison +25
Guard ki Reduction -26%
Reduce Recurring Poison Damage +33%
Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) +35

As secondary: life +180

Bishaâ€™s Centipede. This is the poison spirit, and
also a combat spirit with PvP in mind. The
special causes the centipede to make several
loops past you looking to bite any near you. Itâ€™s
almost like a shield against other players, that
only lasts a couple seconds but does repeated
damage. However, it is meant for dueling
battles and as such - negates rear damage
boost in exchange for a little more close combat
damage. A bit wanting in PvE but a fairly good
choice for PvP.

Bishaâ€™s Centipede
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 2532
Usable Time 21.0
Action B
Recovery D-
Tenacity A-
Amrita Gage D
Money from Enemies +56%, poison +35
Strong Attack ki Reduction +16%
Pierce Guard (Close Combat) +28%
CCD (For Removal of Rear Damage) +18%

As secondary: pierce guard (CC) +14%

Tengen Kujaku. Congratulations on â€œbeatingâ€
Oda Nobunaga. This is the original confusion
combat spirit. It does not boost magic, but it
extends the duration of elemental status
ailments by two-thirds, allowing more time to
inflict confusion. And the special attack isnâ€™t an
attack - it changes the element in LW. Also,
everything your map can detect, it will detect,
yokai hit slightly less hard, and when you
absorb amrita - you get a boost! I heard it was
attack in high stance, defense in mid stance,
and ki recovery or movement speed in low
stance.

Also, one of the big 3 exceptions in guardian
spirit combinations.

Tengen Kujaku Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 24.0
Action A-
Recovery A+
Tenacity B-
Amrita Gage D
Enemy/Amrita/Treasure/Kodama Sense
Extend Elemental Effect +66%
Yokai Damage Reduction +16.5%
Bonus from Amrita Absorption (Stance Based)

As secondary: Extend Elemental Effect +33%

Tengen Kujaku Spirit Combo exceptions:
Itokuri and Tengen Kujaku gives Luck in LW
Usura hicho and Tengen nullify damage in LW
Genbu and Tengen gives onmyo damage life
drain
Atlas Bear and Tengen gives self and allies
healed when enemy defeated in close combat
Tengen and Tanuki prevents death unless
critical

Enku. Sanadaâ€™s flaming stallion. Ponyta, for you
pokemon fans out there (i call Onyudo Lick-a-
tongue.) Kunai builds love that extra thrust
damage - AND the 10% increase in dash speed
allowing you to sprint like never before! The
special sends your flaming horse charging
forward across the map, when it will turn around
and charge straight back! Massive amounts of
fire damage usually easily scorches any who
get in the way.

Enku Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540
Usable Time 25.5
Action B+
Recovery A-
Tenacity A-
Amrita Gage C+
Dash speed +10%, Thrust Damage +14%
CCA (Enemy Attacking) +17%
Damage (Status Ailment Suffered) B-
Nullify Damage (Dash Attack)

As secondary: Thrust Damage +7%

Paired Raiken. The twin Lightning Dogs. A
symbol of love between Muneshige Munenori
and his wife Tachibana Ginchiyo. Her story sure
is a sad one. Specialized for a high-mobility skill-
sword, this spirit is an anti-yokai spirit. Special
isâ€¦ well, did you play ninja gaiden in 2004? Do
you remember the 2nd level charged ultimate
technique for the katana? If not; these dogs do
the same thing. They charge forward super fast
and if they hit; they super speed dash through
the enemy in an â€œXâ€ shape 4 times. It usually
electrifies the enemy and will knock out their ki
of blocked. Also, some of the best stats as far
as action, recovery, tenacity, and amrita gage.
This is definitely one of the best guardian spirits
and is often forgotten about by most players.

Paired Raiken Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 25.8
Action B-
Recovery A-
Tenacity AA-
Amrita Gage A-
Treasure Sense, vs Lightning +30
Dash Endurance +23%, Skill ki Damage 20.5%
Yokai Close Combat Damage +21%

As secondary: dash endurance +11.5%

TIER FIVE - COMBAT TIER [O.oXP]
The highest Attack Enhancement tier. Also,
most all of the spirits are specialized for Close
Combat or skill damage. Many argue this tier is
the best, but they include 3 from lower tiers
(Paired Raiken, Tengen Kujaku, and Suzaku)
This tier contains: Enko, Kara-Jishi, Atlas Bear,
and the highest two 27.5% attâ€™kenhâ€™ment spirits:
Kato and Blue Dragon.
Attack Enhancement 24.5-27.5
Might 1520-1814

Enko. The great stone dragon from Mulan, only
alive, and covered in flames. Definitely a fiery,
strong attack using, specialized for combat
spirit. This stone lion looking mugg (actually, a
Foo Dog meant to protect entrances from
demons and provide good luck from the
ancestors) pounces forward and swipes at the
enemy during the special attack.

Enko Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.7
Action C+
Recovery B
Tenacity A-
Amrita Gage C-
Fire Damage +36%, Break +25
Grapple Damage +33%
Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Strong Attack Ki Reduction -16%

As secondary: break +12.5

Kara-Jishi. Or Nue. A Foo Dog like Enko, only
electrified. The special attack is the lightning
breath Nue spams in combat. Skewed towards
lightning, blocking, and skill attacks.

Kara-Jishi Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1814
Usable Time 22.3
Action B-
Recovery D-
Tenacity B-
Amrita Gage D
Lightning Damage +36%, Ki +25
Guard Ki Reduction -26%, Skill Life Drain +20
Increase Attack (Skill Attacks)

As secondary: skill life drain +10

Atlas Bear. A spirit designed for grapples and
close combat. The special causes the Bear to
appear and swipe its massive paw in an
attempt to knockdown your opponent. A heavier
and slower spirit. Thatâ€™s likely on purpose to
counter the fact that it boosts CCD - couldnâ€™t let
it be too OP. Low action and recovery means
LW probably wonâ€™t last long.

Atlas Bear Stats:
Attack enhancement 25.5%
Might 1668
Usable Time 22.0
Action C-
Recovery C
Tenacity A-
Amrita Gage C+
Increase Damage (Low ki), vs lightning +25
Shorten Recovery Time (Out of Ki)
Life Recovery (Grapple) +230
Close Combat Damage +13.5%

As secondary: vs lightning +12.5%

Kato. The fire dog. One of the first 3 spirits you
get. Still one of the most OP spirits in the game.
Boosts attack, ki and ki recovery, and skill
damage. Special attack sends doggy drill-diving
down at a close-mid opponent and inflicting
quite a bit of fire damage. Likely the least of any
fire spirit, though.

Kato Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1520
Usable Time 19.0
Action B-
Recovery A+
Tenacity A+
Amrita Gage C+
Ki Recovery Speed +32%, ki +34
CCA ki Reduction (crit) +32%
Skill Damage +23%, CCA +17%

As secondary: ki +17

Blue Dragon. The final combat spirit added in
the final DLC. Focused on defense and balance.
The special summons Blue Dragon much like
the dragon balls summon Shen Long. He faces
the direction you were facing for a time - before
trying an attack that might instant-bluster the
opponent. But it is either timed or when he gets
attacked, not when you want him to.

Blue Dragon Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.4
Action C
Recovery A+
Tenacity B-
Amrita Gage D-
Ki Recovery Speed +28%, Wind Damage +36%
Elemental Damage Reduction (Guarding) +56%
Damage Reduction (while Attacking) +16%
Close Combat Damage (Full-Life) +23%

As secondary: Elemental Damage Reduction
(Guarding) +28%

_____-----GS Combinations
[chptr.3gc]

2 spirits of the same element will give elemental
damage. Otherwise;

Fire:
Fire+water will give weaken melee weapons
Fire+lightning will give quick attack damage
Fire+earth will give extra luck
Fire+wind will yield increased ki recovery speed

Water:
Water+fire gives weaken melee weapons.
Water+lightning extends elemental effects
Water+earth gives extra life
Water+wind gives life recovery (finished using
LW)

Lightning:
Lightning+fire gives quick attack damage
Lightning+water extends elemental effects
Lightning+earth give elemental DR (guarding)
Lightning+wind increases dash speed

Earth:
Earth+fire gives luck
Earth+water gives life
Earth+lightning gives elemental DR (guarding)
Earth+wind gives guarding ki reduction

Wind:
Wind+fire increases ki recovery speed
Wind+water gives life recovery after LW
Wind+lightning increases dash speed
Wind+earth gives guarding ki reduction

Non-Saoirse/Tengen/Tanuki exceptions:
Fuse-ushi and Mizuchi gives hand cannon
damage
Hi-nezumi and aya-komori give bow ki damage
Gyokuto and nekomata give ninjutsu damage
life drain
Kara-jishi and izuna give a period of no ki
consumption after LW.
Kara-jishi and Bishaâ€™s centipede give Damage
Reduction (guarding)
Bishaâ€™s centipede and blue dragon increases
durability of Living Weapons

Tengen Kujaku exceptions:
Itokuri and Tengen Kujaku gives luck in LW
Usura hicho and Tengen kujaku nullify damage
in LW
Genbu and Tengen gives onmyo damage life
drain
Atlas Bear and Tengen gives self and allies
healed when enemy defeated in close combat
Tengen and Tanuki prevents death unless
critical

Tanuki exceptions:
Narikama tanuki and enko yields everlasting ki
Narikama tanuki and gyokuto give elixir burst
Nurikama tanuki and shin-roku give Damage
Reduction when you use elixirs
Nurikama tanuki and suzaku causes no ki
consumption (guarding)
Narikama Tanuki and Nekomata recovers ninja
items after LW
Nurikama Tanuki and Tengen Kujaku prevents
death unless critical
Tanuki and saoirse recovers lost amrita upon
death

Saoirse exceptions:
Saoirse and kato gives skill damage
Saoirse and isonade gives close combat life
recovery
Saoirse and daiba-washi reduces evasion ki
usage
Saoirse and fuse-ushi gives life recovery upon
amrita absorption
Saoirse and mizuchi earns extra amrita
Saoirse and paired raiken gives skill ki damage
Saoirse and hi-nezumi gives CCA (critical)
Saoirse and aya-komori gives life recovery for
final blow (killing strike)
Saoirse and enko boosts grapple damage
Saoirse and usura-hicho increases strong
attack ki damage
Saoirse and gyokuto increases nin power
Saoirse and narikama tanuki retrieves lost
amrita
Saoirse and shin-roku gives strong attack life
drain
Saoirse and yatagarasu increases long range
attack damage
Saoirse and suzaku increases amrita earned in
LW
Saoirse and kara-jishi gives skill life drain
Saoirse and izuna gives amrita for strong attack
Saoirse and genbu gives onmyo magic power
Saoirse and atlas bear gives life recovery for
grapple
Saoirse and nekomata increases thrown
weapon damage
Saoirse and bishaâ€™s centipede gives pierce
guard (close combat)
Saoirse and blue dragon gives Damage
Reduction when attacking

Ninjas might like:
Lightning and wind increases dash speed
Gyokuto and nekomata gives ninjutsu damage
life drain
Narikama tanuki recovers ninjutsu items after
living weapon
Saoirse and gyokuto increases ninjutsu power
Saoirse and nekomata increases thrown
weapon damage

Melee purists might like:
Fire and lightning boosts quick attack damage
Fire and water weakens melee weapons
Atlas bear and tengen kujaku heals self and
allies when enemy defeated in close combat
Saoirse and kato gives skill damage
Saoirse and isonade gives close combat life
recovery
Saoirse and aya-komori gives life recovery for
final blow
Saoirse and enko boosts grapple damage
Saoirse and shin-roku gives strong attavk.life
drain
Saoirse and kara-jishi gives skill life drain
Saoirse and atlas bear gives life recovery for
grapple
Saoirse and bishaâ€™s centipede gives pierce
guard (close combat)

Living Weapon builds might like:
Wind and water gives life recovery after LW
Kara-jishi and izuna gives no ki consumption
after LW
Bishaâ€™s centipede and blue dragon increases
durability of living weapon
Itokuri and tengen kujaku increases luck in LW
Usura-hicho and tengen nullifies damage in LW
Saoirse and fuse-ushi gives life recovery for
amrita absorption
Saoirse and suzaku increases amrita earned in
LW
Saoirse and izuna give amrita for strong attacks

Crit builds might like: saoirse and hi-nezumi
gives CCA (critical)

Mages might like:
Water and lightning extends elemental effects
Tengen kujaku and genbu gives onmyo magic
damage life drain
Saoirse and genbu gives onmyo magic power

Ranged specialists might like:
Fuse-ushi and mizuchi gives hand cannon
damage
Hi-nezumi and aya-komori gives bow ki damage
Saoirse and yatagarasu boosts long range
damage

Defensive players might like:
Lightning and earth gives elemental damage
reduction (guarding)
Earth and wind reduces blocking ki usage
Kara-jishi and bishaâ€™s centipede gives damage
reduction (guarding)
Tengen kujaku and narikama tanuki prevents
death unless critical
Tanuki and shin-roku gives damage reduction
upon using elixirs
Tanuki and suzaku gives no ki consumption
(guarding)
Saoirse and isonade gives close combat life
recovery
Saoirse and daiba-washi reduces evasion ki
usage
Saoirse and blue dragon gives damage
reduction (when attacking)

Personally, i like a powerful spirit with a
knockdown spirit. I use a top tier damage spirit
like kato, kara-jishi, atlas bear, or tengen with a
knockdown like daiba-washi, fuse-ushi, or
mizuchi.

_____-----Basic Damage Stacking
[chptr.4ds]

I feel it is important to have cta (change to
attack) and a damage bonus on your melee
weapons. If you are a ninja maxing dexterity,
use ninjutsu damage bonus A (you can get AA
star skill on some kusa/tonfa, or from Hanzo
Hattoriâ€™s set - Head of Iga / jonin armor).

If you are a mage maxing magic, use magic
damage bonus A (which you can get from 6p
tsukuyomi).

If you are not maxing dex or magic, the best
damage bonus is Familiarity damage bonus
(not familiarity bonus, thatâ€™s different), though
agility damage bonus and enemies defeated
damage bonus are also great options.

As far as defense: damage reduction lowers the
damage an enemy inflicts upon you. Defense is
then subtracted from that damage. Toughness
is your resistance to stagger, reduces the ki
used in blocking, and reduces likelihood that
your attack is interrupted by an enemyâ€™s attack.
Damage resistance has the most effect, and
thatâ€™s why many go heavy armor. Light armor
gives about 10% DR and heavy gives closer to
30% DR. Received Firearm Damage is a
mistranslation. It is actually received projectile
damage reduction.

RFD will also reduce elemental projectiles,
thunderstrikes, bombs, fire/poison shuriken, etc.
You can get it to 100% and be immune to all
projectiles, but that requires 2p Tatenashi or 3p
Hiraishi with RFD reduction on chest and head,
inherited on the other 3 armors, and on one of
your accessories.

Equipment weight. If it is below 18, put
equipment lightness damage bonus on your
equipped ranged weapon. This bonus maxes if
your weight is 10 or below. If above 20, use
equipment weight damage bonus instead. This
one maxes at 30+.

And remember: damage boosts on a melee
weapon only affect that melee weapon. But
boosts on your equipped ranged weapon apply
to everything - but only the one you are
currently using. Most put equipment weight/
lightness on their ranged unless using Tate for
ewdb, or ame-no-uzume / sarutobiâ€™s set / aya-
komori for the free lightness (aya also gives
agility db)... If they use one of those, then - they
put agility, enemies defeated, or nin damage
boosts on their ranged for a good multi-stack.

Your accessories:
Youâ€™ll want one with set requirements -1. This is
always on a yasakani magatama but I've also
seen it on fans, omamori charms, and i think on
some prayer beads once. You may also want to
choose between yokai close combat damage,
human close combat damage, and increase
attack (+ value) which comes from the abyss.
Ninjas might prioritize thrown weapon damage,
tho. Itâ€™s all about your individual buildâ€™s priorities.

Prestige points:
There is a list of titles. Every title you get will
give you a prestige point. You can spend them
on many things. Like; yokai ccd, human ccd, ki,
ninjutsu power, magic power, elixir effect of life
recovery, durability of living weapons, earned
gold, item drop rate, luck, elemental damage
reduction, etc. I'm sure all the prestige point
stats have a cap, but the only cap i know is that
yokai and human ccd both cap at 15%.

Elemental damage reduction and elixir effect on
life recovery will greatly increase survivability.
Aside from that, itâ€™s really up to you. I pick the 3
i donâ€™t want in agyo/ungyo screens and just buy
the rest on a loop. If I reach a cap I'll just pick
my favorite of the 3 i wanted the least.

But the first step to any damage stacks is to get
30% ccd and 30% skill damage. Also 15%
yokai ccd and 15% human ccd from your
prestige points. An additional 15% from your
accessories would be great. Equipment weight/
lightness damage bonus on your ranged
weapon. Cta (stat) A and familiarity damage
bonus on your melee weapon (except key
builds that would need consecutive hits
damage bonus like a kusa/kunai build. However,
you can also get that consecutive hits damage
bonus from 6p one-eyed demon armor.)

But essentially, once built you should have
damage stacked about like this:

30+%ccd, 30+% skill damage, ewdb/eldb,
familiarity db, agility or magic or nin db, 15-30%
yokai ccd, 15-30% human ccd

Plus the optional extra stuff like increase attack
(plus value) on an accessory, or enemies
defeated damage bonus, or carnage or
leeching...

Plus whatever else you can squeeze into it. For
example; somebody might use tatenashi, 10
braves, or ame-no-uzume for the free ewdb/
eldb from their set bonus. Meaning their ranged
weapon could stack another they arenâ€™t using
(so familiarity db and agility db could be stacked
together.) Others might grab magic db A from
tsukuyomi (6p), or ninjutsu db AA from Head of
Iga (7p) to add to their stacks.

Be sure to check out guardian spirit
combinations (having 2 guardian spirits gives a
hidden bonus that can do amazing things for
your build.) This faq covers it in chptr.3gc

There is also a list of the most popular weapon
(and armor) skills and their max values at the
end of this faq. Search code: (RT.WAS)

_____-----ARMOR SKILLS
[chptr.5as]

As for which skills to put on armor:
I like elemental damage reduction and
elemental damage reduction (guarding). I also
like extend evasion invulnerability on a chest
piece. Many like to find gloves with increase
attack +55 inheritable and transfer that to every
piece of armor in their set. But the rest depend
on your build.

Everyone is different, though. Some people
swear you need received firearm damage
reduction or received elemental damage
reduction at 100% to be immune to survive.
Others say make every single thing attack. Itâ€™s
really just personal choice. Some might want 5
running speeds or +255 attack.

A note on the Received Firearm Damage
Reduction: the â€œfirearmâ€ part is a mistranslation
of projectile. Because it also blocks elemental
projectiles and bombs, including the fire
shuriken and its explosion. Thunderstrikes, too.
Pretty much all projectile attacks that are not
melee projectiles (like Mitsunariâ€™s or Mariaâ€™s
slice attacks) or lazers (like from Nue, White
Tiger, Umi-Bozu, Hyakki Yagyoâ€™s eyes) or
breath (Yukki-Onna).

A crit build will obviously want crit damage (and
leeching talisman and tenacity to prevent
burning/leeching death). A LW build will want to
boost amrita gage. A build that runs a lot wants
to boost movement speed. Etc. Etc. Every build
wants to increase attack.

Commonly used bonuses are:
Bonus for purification, for amrita absorption (if
you use extraction talisman, suisetsu-shinâ€™s
sake, or both - definitely use this), when
surrounded (2 v 1), after hitting with dash/
evasion attack, enemies defeated, zero ki,
enemy out of ki, enemy scorched/blustered/etc,
status ailment suffered, etc. You have to pick
which ones work best for you and whether you
want increase attack, increase movement
speed, auto-recovery (repetitive healing like
rejuvination talisman), or whatever else.

You can link them, too. For example: increase
attack (life recovery) means any time a skill like
bonus for purification (life recovery) kicks in, it
boosts your attack. It is a great pair to izanagi,
which gives that very same recovery skill i just
mentioned.

Thatâ€™s most of what there is on armor skills.
What to put on your weapon depends on your
playstyle. Someone who always uses iai might
like an iai star skill, skill damage, and weaken
armor (torso). Pierce guard is great if you
always get blocked. Disable parry vs guarding
opponent can keep bosses that parry from one-
shotting you when you attack their block. Etc.
Thereâ€™s no exact answer, itâ€™s really up to you.

Nowâ€¦ for the meat of this pie:
___----Advanced Armor Skills by Build Type
[chptr.6bt]

There will be a better list of armor skills and
their max values at the end of this faq. Search
code: (RT.WAS)

When choosing your damage stacks, you must
choose between several considerations. Letâ€™s
break them down by the types of builds they
would go for. And also by the section of your
build it affects. Things like melee, survivability,
projectiles, ki manipulation, break, critical, living
weapon, etc. Here goes:

Before we can break them into groups, we
should mention the situational boosts. Bonus
for dash attack, bonus for evasion attack,
bonus for purification, bonus for amrita
absorption, surrounded (2 vs 1) bonus, zero ki
bonus, bonus for status ailment suffered, zero
ki enemy, status ailâ€™ed enemy, etc.

Each of those situational boosts has 4 variants.
Increase attack, increase defense, increase
movement speed, and boost amrita gage (aka
increase living weapon.)

Aside from those, these are what can support
your build:

Attack:
Change to attack (cta) is a big one early on in
the game. Thereâ€™s also +55 attack on gloves,
and if you are lucky you can inherit that onto all
armor pieces. But there's also skills to boost
yokai or human ccd. And you can boost high/
mid/low damage. And quick/strong attack
damage. The catch is that you have to choose
between them - however Susano has strong
attack damage as well as quick attack damage.
Kaido has strong attack damage. Warrior of the
west and kingo have the most ccd of any set,
whereas izanagi and izanami have the most
(barely) of any graces. Damage bonuses are
the biggest factor in damage as they stack
multiplicatively.

Survivability:
Damage reduction is vital for survivability, and
there are a few sets/graces that have unusually
high amounts of it. Tatenashi, hiraishi,
oyamatsumi, raging bull, and greater good.
Thereâ€™s also armor skills for elemental damage
reduction and elemental damage reduction
(guarding) which you can stack together. Also:
received firearms damage reduction. Onmyo
amulet protection allows you to block onmyo
spells, and there are deflect onmyo/projectile/
shuriken&kunai armor skills as well. But if you
have elemental or firearm damage reduction at
100% - you are immune to all projectiles.)

Skill Moves:
In the Armor Choice section (chptr.1ac) i listed
the sets/graces that boost particular weapon
skills. But so long as ccd and skill damage are
both near 30% or better, you should be quite
the skill-sword. Just add boosts from the attack
section. Also, make sure to boost human/yokai
ccd.

Mobility: this is primarily acheived by dash
speed increases, running speed increases,
dash endurance, ki usage skills (for attacks or
dash, etc.) Also, many lower damage spirits or
armors will enable you to be faster at the
expense of being less able to take a hit.
Lightweight armor, for example, has very low
damage reduction but enables A agility which
makes you super speedy (and there is a
damage boost for being under 10 equipped
weight or for being lightweight in general.)

Ki: thereâ€™s close combat ki reduction, both in
general and for quick/strong attacks as well as
dashing and evasion ki reduction. Thereâ€™s also
skill ki reduction, which will reduce the ki usage
of skill attacks. Everlasting ki allows you to use
ki when you donâ€™t have any (putting it at 100%
allows mad-spinner axe skill to continue
indefinitely.) Thereâ€™s also skills to increase ki
damage of projectiles or melee attacks. Thereâ€™s
a lot of armor that do things to ki, a few of them
are: stategist of legend, master swordsman,
righteous strategist, etc. Thereâ€™s actually a lot of
them.

Break. This stat influences how much ki
damage you do, and i only mention it here
because it can be forged onto your weapon or
gotten from choosing Enko for your guardian
spirit.

Crit: the communityâ€™s favorite crit build often is
kigetsu and susano. However, the original crit
armor is legendary mikawa armor (fanaticâ€™s
armor) and suzaku Guardian Spirit. I'm told Hi-
Nezumi and Kato are also decent choices in a
crit build. But there are armor skills you can
forge that boost attack, ki recovery, amrita gage,
etc when you are critical. Intentions of a gallant
warrior (last great general armor) has activate
living weapon (no life) which can go great with
a crit build (and make using kato or hi-nezumi
more plausible for crit players to use.)

Living Weapon: living weapon attack
enhancement and lw durability boosts can be
found on accessories. Plaedies talisman
causes lw to refill quicker. Extraction talisman
and suisetsu-shinâ€™s sake generate amrita for
every hit (including and especially for elemental
shots) which will refill your lw, even while you
use it. You can also find accessories that boost
usable time. If you boost your spirit stat really
high (which is not recommended; thereâ€™s little
reason to go above 36 or 55) you could use cta
spirit A from amaterasu or izanagi to make back
the damage you lost by not investing those stat-
points into weapon damage stats. Also: ninigi,
mid-heavenâ€™s light, and intentions of a gallant
warrior are meant to be lw armors. Odaâ€™s
Kisenaga gives amrita for strong attack hits. I
personally like intentions of a gallant warrior the
best; it has maintain amrita gage (when
attacked), increase damage (damage received),
AND activate living weapon (no life).

Magic: omoikane, tsukuyomi, magatsuhi,
izanami are all good magic graces (and izanami/
omoikane give cta magic A). Although
tsukuyomi is the only one that gives you magic
damage bonus A (at 6 pieces) for your damage
stacks. Magatsuhi makes it easier to inflict all
elemental damage, and boosts your damage
when they are confused.

Confusion: thereâ€™s status ailment
augmentations from graces for fire (kagutsuchi),
water (owatatsumi), wind (shinatsuhiko and
takeminekata), earth (oyamatsumi), and
lightning (takemikazuchi), although magatsuhi
boosts them all. You can also put one status
ailment augmentation on your weapon (but it
only applies to that weapon) or from your
accessory (although there are better things to
look for in an accessory.)

Kunai: thrown weapon damage should be
increased by 100% and you should have
thrown weapon damage x2. Also, boost thrust
damage (enku or scion of virtue armor can
boost that.) Increase damage (consecutive
attacks) can also help (which you can get from
one-eyed dragonâ€™s armor if you donâ€™t want to
use a slot for it.)

Bombs: you want the same thrown weapon
damage as above in the kunai build section, but
you may also want to boost fire with kagutsuchi
or sakuyahime. Also: you can increase throwing
speed of many nin-tools using armor skill slots
on your gauntlets (gloves).

Ranged: saikaâ€™s yatagarasu. Also,
takemikazuchi gives bow damage +22% at 5p.

Also: you may not have heard of infect and
replicate. On accessories you recover in the
abyss, you can find infect status ailments and
replicate status enhancements. Infect has a
chance to inflict enemies who lock onto you
with the status ailments you have. Replicate
has a chance to give you the status
enhancements (and ailments) that an enemy
has when you lock onto them (just spam lock
on on/off until you get blessed with their boosts.)
They can help even the odds in the later floors
of the abyss.

And janomecho/tokugawa-clan can prevent you
from being one-shotted unless in critical. Itâ€™s
great for a melee purist (as the lw is low
damage.) It also pairs well with last great
generalâ€™s armor and izanagiâ€™s grace. Use your
situational boosts for auto-recovery. And
rejuvenation talisman is a must. Nurikama
Tanuki and Tengen Kujaku spirits together (as a
pair) also prevent death unless critical, but i
believe to a lesser extent than Janomecho -
which with Tokugawa clan can boost the effect
over 100% (so it always applies.)

_____-----Abyss Considerations
[chptr.7ab]

Abyss damage builds.
Youâ€™ll want 2 or 3 sets/graces. You just will. At 4
pieces, sets and graces boost close combat
damage (except the ones that do it at 3 pieces,
but thereâ€™s only a few of those.) Youâ€™ll likely
want to boost close combat damage and skill
damage both to as near 30% as you can. I hear
thereâ€™s diminishing returns after 33%. You want
non-parry skills on your mid stance so you can
use them in LW.

Your choice in guardian spirit will affect a lot. I
go with one powerhouse and one knockdown
spirit. Keep an eye on their stats, though. Kato
and atlas bear are good powerhouses for the
increased skill damage or ccd. Daiba-washi and
fuse-ushi are great knockdown guardians.
Suzaku, tengen kujaku, shin-roku and some
others are pretty top tier damage as well, just
without skill/cc damage. Keep an eye on attack
enhancement (how much LW increases your
attack) and action (how much using ki drains
your LW).

Knock down guardians: daiba-washi is the most
reliable. Only mysterious samurai will resist the
knockdown. Fuse-ushi and Mizuchi are very
easy to aim. Aya-komori and the tanuki are
much harder to aim but also cause knockdowns.
Nuraihyon occasionally knocks bosses down,
but not at all reliably. Enemies who use the
same element as the guardian may resist the
knockdown.

Do NOT spam knockdown. This is why i use
them in LW and not with a talisman. It only
works about once every 10 seconds. You want
to use it to knock them out of LW so you can
combo them, but save it for once more just
before it runs out and just after they cast LW
again.

Increasing LW time: is mostly about choosing a
guardian spirit with high might (resistance to LW
drain after being hit) and high recovery (how
much amrita you generate and how much that
refills your LW in LW), though amrita gage rate
(how quickly LW refills while not using it) helps
as well. I use Date clan to extend time, but
thereâ€™s better clans for damage. Also:
accessories can increase LW durability (as can
prestige points), usable time, attack
enhancement, etc.

A higher spirit stat causes LW to last longer and
refill faster, and sometimes boosts guardian
spirit stats - but not often.

However, extraction talisman and suisetsu-
shinâ€™s sake generate amrita when you land a hit,
and they stack. This amrita constantly refills
your LW and can actually prevent a boss from
knocking you out of LW, especially with a higher
spirit stat or plaedies talisman which increases
gage fill rate.

Also: check your accessories for Infect and
Replicate. Infect has a chance to inflict any
enemy who locks on to you with whatever
status ailments you suffer from. Replicate has a
chance to give you all the same boosts as an
enemy you lock on-to. Spam lock-on and youâ€™ll
get it.

Tactics:
Strafing is always good (running circles around
boss and rolling when they attack). If you have
a lot of trouble, every few lives play a life or two
where you donâ€™t attack and only dodge and
survive as long as you can. Itâ€™ll help you
understand their moves, gap (fight distance),
and rythm (attack speed/pace and when they
take longer to recover aka attack window).

Confusion: inflicting 2 elemental status ailments
before either wear off will confuse enemies. It
will slow them, stunt their defense, and reduce
their ki regeneration. Enemies often resist 2
elements and are weak to one or 2. You can
use talismans to imbue your weapon (magic or
drop, unlocked in forge from start), your LW,
elemental shots (magic), or fire shuriken (works
GREAT) / nin bombs.

The best bit about confusion is against yokai,
including bosses - it locks them in zero ki until
both ailments wear off. I've seen people do this
on accident and have no idea what they did or
how to replicate it. But if you use magic for
confusion: with a stat of 30 elemental shots will
work WotSam-WotD, 40 it will work for WotW,
50-60 it will work for WotN. Abyss, i recommend
a magic stat of 100 if using elemental shots.

If your stat is lower, use talismans and LW. Fire
shuriken work great, even with only 30 dex. And
donâ€™t forget about hyotokko masks and burning
pots. Or tengu feathers for wind. Mud jars donâ€™t
muddy though, they inflict stench.

Poison and paralysis do not contribute. These
are the ailments that do: scorched - recurring
fire damage (which stacks with poison but
poison does not contribute to confusion).
Electrified - lightning ailment causes 30% slow
that lasts longer than and stacks with the sloth
(50% slow). Saturated - water ailment kills
defense 30% and stacks with weakness (50%).
Muddied - earth stunts ki regen 30% against
humans and stacks with life seal (50% ki
recovery reduction). Against yokai, muddy
causes double ki damage. Blustered - wind
(30% attack reduction) and stacks with
devigorate (50% attack reduction).

Humans: knock them out of LW to be able to
survive or they will not flinch and will power
through you and kill you. How? An arrow to the
face or guardian spirit special to knock them
down, but let them fall - LW fades while theyâ€™re
on the ground.
Then, if you have it: quick draw -> finisher
unless in LW: then ground stab and combo
through their ki.

Increasing your ki damage can also make
humans who block much easier to defeat.

If you want to LW spam, you could try hi-nezumi,
gyokuto, or aya-komori. They hit weaker, but
they refill and recover insanely quick compared
to the others. With extraction and plaedies, you
sometimes have it refilled before you hit the
ground from being knocked out of itâ€¦

Stances:
Hi stance is meant to be heavy hitting but slow.
Also very good for breaking yokai horns with
melee (i use magic, but for melee users this is
how they do that) and high-strong attack can
cover a lot of distance with an axe. Think of this
as max damage output at the cost of speed.

Low stance is meant to be highest defense and
best evade (i like mid-evade better, but low
evade can be chained multiple times without
rolling). It is meant to have the fastest attack, at
the expense of reach and power.

Mid stance is the balance between them.
Designed to reward blocking over evading, tho i
use mid stance evasion a lot and it's my favorite
evade. The most well rounded combos (and if
the skills are not parries, you can use mid-
stance skills in LW).

But it all comes down to preference. But with
large weapons (axe, odachi, spear) the mid-
stance attacks have a large sweeping combo
that can hit multiple enemies at once, while low
and high usually target a single opponent at a
time.

So think of mid stance as for a defensive or
strategic player, low stance for a high mobility
player, and high stance for people who like to
do massive damage at the expense of being
more vulnerable.

And ki flux... when you do a ki pulse, if you
switch stances during the pulse then you will
get more ki back. So switching from mid to high
and back gives you the ability to combo longer
before running out of ki. I find that to be
essential for heavier weapons, like the odachi
and the axe. A perfect ki flux maximizes ki
recovery and nearly doesn't deplete any ki.

Someone asked me if high stance offers â€œhyper
armorâ€
Hyper-armor? I'm not sure what you mean.

Do you mean an increased resistance to
flinching making your attacks interrupted less
frequently? Because yes, it does.

But if you mean a higher defense, low stance
actually has the highest defense of them.

But toughness determines how likely your
attack is to be interrupted, and how easy you
are to flinch, and how much ki blocking uses up.

But weapons like kusarigama can very easily
be interrupted in low stance (which some
players like because it's like having your
character tell you to dodge) but won't be in high
stance, so they use high to interrupt the enemy
and ki flux to low to quickly continue the
onslaught.

Moving between stances in mid-combat can
really help you come up with better combos and
strategies. Low stance is fastest, but high hits
hardest and is less likely to be interrupted.

Switching between them as you play can help
you a lot.

And remember that crit damage no longer
works in LW, because it got nerfed in a patch.
Kigetsu and leeching still apply, but not damage
boost for being in a critical state.

_____-----Assisted Advice
[chptr.8aa]

Tips i stole from other users on the boards and
in the game:

300 toughness or higher allows your regular
attacks (quick and heavy) to have super armor
during their startup animations, regardless of
the enemy attacking and the attack used. It
doesn't directly affect skills, where super armor
is solely based on the skill alone. You'll still get
interrupted if hit during Dual Swords' God Of
Wind even if you have 300+ toughness, but
nothing will stop you from landing the skill
Cherry Blossom even if you have 0 toughness
because it inherently has super armo

Powerpill can be pretty good, but it runs out
quickly in the abyss. Carnage (which it conflicts
with and overwrites) gives a more consistent
boost for longer. Pair carnage and steel to up
your damage for reduced ki recovery instead of
reduced defense.

Leeching is a great player buff. Make sure you
use tenacity on a piece of armor so it does not
kill you. But leeching is the number one priority
for a crit build and greatly increases your
damage for a time (more and more as it saps
your health).

Leeching and carnage together overwrite each
other. They can be used together, but there is a
trick to it and trying to use them together
normally will only cause the second to overwrite
the first. Like using carnage and steel: you must
use carnage and then steel or itâ€™ll be double
negative for a single positive.

Increase attack (scorched) could be a good pair
to leeching. A burning pot will ignite you (do it
before you are crit because tenacity will save
you from burning but not from the damage from
the fire area.) Pair that with leeching and
kigetsuâ€™s increase to damage for suffering
status ailments and you have quite a crit build.

I've seen players using the flying sword spell in
early abyss levels. I'm not sure how effective or
powerful it is, but it deals damage to any enemy
that gets close enough to attack you and could
be a great defensive spell.

Increase attack (zero ki) lasts about as long as
extraction or plaedies (a long lasting playstyle
initiated boost). With this on your armor, you
can run your ki out just before dropping into the
crucible (by running into or attacking the wall
until you are out of ki). For many players I've co-
oped with, it is essential.

_____-----Sets/Graces List
[chptr.9sg]

Sets:
Warrior of the West's Honor
(Warrior of the West)
2p +2.0% Damage Reduction
+30% Tiger Sprint Skill Damage
4p +10.2% Close Combat Damage
+10 Attack/Defense Raiken
5p +27.5% CCA (Enemy Electrified)
7p +14.1% CCD (doesn't affect rear damage)

Warrior of the West is Tachibana Muneshige
(aka Muneshige Munenori)'s gear. Best farmed
from Invitation From the Warrior of the West or
The Spirit Stone Slumbers missions in Kyushu,
though i like to get it from the end of Grand
Tournament in Osaka Summer.

Head of the Iga Ninja
(Iga Jonin Apparel)
2p +1% Damage Reduction
+31% Recover Ninjutsu Items
4p +10.2% Close Combat Damage
+50 Ninjutsu Power
5p +20% Dash Endurance
7p Ninjutsu Damage Bonus AA

Head of Iga belongs to Hattori Hanzo. Most
easily gotten from ninja/tonfa dojo missions,
Two in the Shadows and Iga Style missions in
Kinki, or from Grand Tournament in Osaka
Summer.

The Red of Devotion
(Sanada Crimson)
2p +16.0% Final Blow Damage
3p +5 Ki
4p +12.5% Skill Damage
5p +20.0% CCA (Critical)

Intentions of a Gallant Warrior
(Last Great Generalâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
3p Maintain Amrita Gauge (When Attacked) 80%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Life +800
5p Activate Living Weapon (No Life)
Increase Damage (Damage Received) B

Righteous in the Eyes of Heaven
(Scion of Virtue)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Everlasting Ki +50.0%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Toughness +25
5p Thrust Damage +13.0%
6p Bonus After Dash-Attack (Attack Damage Surge)

Red of Devotion, Intentions of a Gallant Warrior
(Last General), and Righteous in the eyes of
Heaven (scion of virtue) are all Sanada armor.
Last general is what he wears in Last Samurai
in Osaka Summer. Scion of Virtue he wears in
Osaka Winter. Red of devotion is seen in early
Osaka Winter cut-scenes. Not sure which
mission does which. But fare for the afterlife is a
good place to get them. Also a good place for:

Seven Misfortunes, Eight Hardships
(General of Kigetsuâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Reduced Status Ailment Duration
4p Damage (Status Ailment Inflicted) A+
Damage Reduction (Status Ailments
Suffered) +18.0%
6p Close Combat Attack (Critical) +25%

Kigetsu. Or General of Kigetsu's army (Seven
Misfortunes, Eight Hardships) is... well it was
worn by a famous warlord (Yamanaka Yukimori)
who prayed to the moon for seven misfortunes </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
and eight hardships in exchange for military
valor. But when you killed him, you knew him as
a member of the 10 braves named something
like Shikanosuke. Fight him in Osaka Winter in
Scion of Virtue just before the final boss. I
believe he's also in Crimson Will. And his
revenant is in the twilight variant of Scion of
Virtue - Unyielding Hellfire.

Nioh Incarnate (pre-order)
2p +21.1% Ki Recovery When Guarding
3p +50 Life
4p +10.0% Yokai Damage Reduction
5p +16.0% Amrita Earned From Yokai
6p +25.6% Damage Reduction (Zero Ki)

Tactician's Ingenuity
(Legendary Strategistâ€™s Garb)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Sense Enemies
3p Treasure Sense
4p Close Combat Damage: +9.1%
Attack & Defense (Mizuchi): +10
5p Close Combat Ki Damage: +15%

Tactician's Ingenuity (Legendary Strategist)
comes from Kuroda Kanbei. You never fight him,
he is the lord the Heroic Raging Bull serves.
You locate a sword for him in Kyushu (Kanbei
and the overlord). Random drop.

The Heroic Raging Bull
(The Raging Bull)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Life: +26
4p Close Combat Damage: +9.1%
Damage Reduction: 4.0%
5p Attack & Defense (Fuse-ushi): +10
6p CCA (Enemy Muddied): +27.5%

Heroic Raging Bull (Kuroda Nagamasa) you
rescue twice in Kyushu (finders keepers and
Kanbei and the overlord) and again in Osaka
Summer (Raid on the Hirano River). Random
drop.

National Unity
(Demon Kingâ€™s Kisenaga)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
Fast Skill Activation (Sword of Meditation)
3p Enemies Defeated Damage Bonus B
4p Close Combat Damage +8.1%
Attack & Defense (Tengen Kujaku) +10
5p Earn Amrita (With Strong Attack): 30

National Unity belongs to Oda Nobunaga. In
Omi, you may fight him in The Demon King
Revealed, The Return of the Guord, and A
Meeting on the Other Shore.

Strategist of Legend
(Genius Strategistâ€™s Garb)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
Extended Timely Guard Opening
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Skill Ki Reduction 20.4%
5p Ki +10
6p Skill Ki Damage 20.0%

Strategist of Legend (Genius Strategist)
belongs to sword/odachi dojo master Marume
Nagayoshi. Best farmed in Marobashi in Tokai.

The Crossed Sickles
(Kingoâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Final Blow Damage +15%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Attack and Defense (Aya-komori) +10
5p Damage From Behind +20%
6p Close Combat Damage +7.1%

Crossed Sickles (Kingo) is Kobayakawa
Hideaki's armor. You meet him a couple times
but all that stands out is he's a coward. You
even fired a cannon at him to tell him to charge
in Sekigahara. Random Drop?

The God of War Looks Down
(Tatenashi)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Received Firearms Damage -25.4%
3p Equipment Weight Damage Bonus A
4p Close Combat Damage +6.1%
5p Received Elemental Attack Damage -25.6%
Damage Reduction: 10%

Tatenashi is a random drop that drops most
commonly in Return of the Guord. It is a
legendary Genji super armor and legend says
no one who ever wore it was injured while
wearing it. However, aside from some
developer revenants, it is typically a random
drop.

Ii, The Red Demon
(Red Demon Armor)
2p Damage Reduction +1.0%
Skill Damage (Spearfall) +20.0%
4p Close Combat Damage +9.1%
Attack & Defense (Enko): +10
5p CCD (Enemy Scorched): +27.5%
6p Ki Recovery Speed +24.4%

Red Demon armor belongs to Li Naomasa.
Farm him in Kinki at The Red Oni of the Li, or in
Osaka Summer at the Grand Tournament.

Kaido-maru
(Kaido Armor)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
Skill Damage (Rumbling Earth): +30%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Skill Effect is extended (Battle Focus): +30%
5p Increase Attack & Defense (Axe) +10
6p Strong Attack Damage +17.4%

Kaido armor is worn by axe dojo master Sakata
Kintoki. Farm him in Marobashi.

Warrior of the East's Honor
(Warrior of the East)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Damage (Merciless Barrage): +30%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Attack & Defence (Shin-roku): +10
5p Change to Attack (Body): B
6p Skill Life Drain: 25

CtA (Body) B becomes AA. (The 5 piece bonus)

Warrior of the East is battled in Tokai during
The Defiled Castle, however, if you complete
the sub mission in the same location - The
Rising Shadows, you unlock a single battle with
him in The Champion of the East. And yeah...
you can cheese him with the bow and SotC2 on
duals (trap him in a loop).

Yagyu's Shinkage Style
(Yagyu Garb)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Ki Recovery (Water Shadow): 70
3p Close Combat Damage: +4.0%
Parry Opening Is Extended
4p Attack & Defense (Sword): +10
Close Combat Damage: +6.7%

Yagyu garb is worn by dojo sword master
Yagyu Sekishusai. Kill him in Marobashi. Or two.
masters (also in Tokai.)

Saika's Yatagarasu
(Yatagarasu Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 1.5%
Life Recovery From Bullseye: 210
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Auto-Target Enemy Weak Spot
5p Attack & Defense (Yatagarasu): +10
7p Unlimited Ammo: +20%

Saika's Yatagarasu armor is worn by Saika
Magoichi. Saika means rifle, I'm told, and refers
to the rifle squadron. He is the guy that any
projectile (even shuriken and kunai) will knock
him from the air in Sekigahara missions
Immortal Flame and ... not the Silent Crow, he's
a prisoner in that one... there's another one.
The Watcher in Darkness! That's right! I think...

Legendary Mikawa Warrior
(Fanatic Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Close Combat Attack (Critical) +20%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Attack & Defense (Suzaku): +10
5p Ki +10
6p Special Effects (Critical): +50%

Legendary Mikawa Warrior (Fanatic armor) is
worn by Torii Mototada. It's his castle that
burned in Immortal Flame. Random Drop.

Japan's Bravest
(Armor of the Exceptional)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Damage (Tornado): +30%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Attack & Defense (Kara-Jishi): +10
5p Life +134
6p Skill Damage: +17.4%

Japan's Bravest (armor of the Exceptional) can
be ripped off of Shima Sakon's corpse in
Sekigahara (the mission) and often drops in
The Demon's Daughter (because she's his
daughter).

A Master Swordsman's Power
(Master Swordsmanâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Ki Reduction: 12.2%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Skill Damage (Sign of the Cross): +30%
5p Attack & Defense (Dual Swords): +10
6p Ki Recovery By Ki Pulse: +30%

Master Swordsman is worn by dual dojo master
Ashikaga Yoshi teru (no space, but the censor
hates his name... racist censor...) best farmed
in Marobashi.

Righteous Strategist
(Justice Ministry Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 1.0%
Skill Damage (Moon Shadow): +30%
4p Close Combat Damage: +8.1%
Living Weapon Duration: +3
5p Amrita Gauge Addition: +17.4%
6p Strong Attack Ki Damage: +15%

Righteous Strategist (Justice Ministry armor)
belongs to Otani Yoshi tsugu (again, no space).
You fight him a few times... i remember
Sekigahara and the Ghosts of Sawayama in
Omi. I believe there are others. Restless spirits.

Tranquil Foundations
(Greater Good)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Ki +6
4p Close Combat Damage: +8.1%
Attack & Defense (Sword): +10
5p Damage Reduction: +5.1%
6p Unlimited Elixir: +30%

Tranquil Foundations (Greater Good) is
Tokugawa Ieyasu's armor. Random Drop. (He
gives a nice speech wearing it, tho.)

Samurai from Dark Lands
(Obsidian Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Effect Extended (Rage): +30%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Life: +78
5p Attack & Defense (Atlas Bear): +10
7p Change to Attack (Stamina): A

Obsidian Samurai is... dun dun duh-dah... the
Obsidian Samurai's armor. He came to Japan
as a slave to a Portugese missionary. Oda took
a liking to him. Bought him, freed him, and
made him a samurai! Battle him in The Samurai
from Sawayama and Return of the Guord, both
in Omi.

Daiichi Daiman Daikichi
(Gallantry Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Damage (Night Rain): +30.0%
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Attack & Defense (Izuna) +10
5p CCA (Enemy Blustered): +27.5%
6p Strong Attack Ki Reduction: 25.0%

Daiichi Daimon Daikichi can be seen on
Mitsunari Ishida, when he isn't in his Onimusha
form wind-slicing the tar out of you in A Defiled
Holy Mountain and Restless Spirits (there's the
third Otani!).

Exemplary Eye for Elegance
(Swallowtail Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
3p Luck: +25
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Equipment Drop Rate +5.0%
5p Ki: +8
6p Luck: +22

Champion of Tosa and Swallowtail (Exemplary
Eye for Elegance) are dlc1 (Tohoku) editions
that i believe come from revenants (but i could
be mistaken). Random drops.

He Who Never Retreats
(Unrivaled Warriorâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
3p No Guard Break (Critical)
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Damage Reduction (Zero Ki) 14.0%
5p CCA Increased A+ (Surrounded)
6p Ki Recovery Speed +21.4%

Unrivaled Warrior is Date Shigezane (Mr.
Centipede). Battle him in Tohoku in his yokai
form in Yokai Country and A Cursed
Doppelganger. And in human form in Hands of
the Dragon. Also in Osaka Winter in The
Sparrow Flies Again (i believe you must beat
the aforementioned in Tohoku to unlock this
mission.)

One-Eyed Dragon's Ambition
(One-Eyed Dragonâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction: 1.5%
3p Amrita Sense
4p Close Combat Damage +8.6%
Wind Damage from weapon +45%
5p Ki +8
6p Increased Damage (Consecutive Attacks) A+

Good ol' One Eyed Dragon Date Masamune.
Wasn't he a beast in Tohoku in The One-Eyed
Dragon's Castle? You can get the fight without
the level in Osaka Winter in The Dragon
Returns. Or after another couple fights in The
Sparrow Flies Again.

Champion of Tosa
(Governor of Tosaâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
3p Gold Earned +30%
Attack & Defense (Aya-Komori) +10
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
5p Increase Ki Recovery Speed (Timely Guard)
Singular Mastery +15%

Champion of Tosa and Swallowtail (Exemplary
Eye for Elegance) are dlc1 (Tohoku) editions
that i believe come from revenants (but i could
be mistaken). Random drops.

Dragon God's Sacred Treasure
(Hiraishi)
2p Damage Reduction 2.0%
3p Nullifies Additional Weak-Point Damage
(Projectiles) 100%
Received Firearms Damage -25%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
5p Life +1400

The other super-defensive armor. Random drop,
but rumor has it Omi and both Osaka regions
drop it the most. It was among the armor raided
by Hideyoshi and Kintoki, it belonged to the
daimyo in the days of Minamoto-no-yoshi tsune.

True Date Family Loyalist
(Kojuroâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction 1.0%
3p Lower Enemy Def (Ranged Attack) 36.6%
4p Close Combat Damage +8.1%
Self & Allies Healed (Enemy Defeated in
Close Combat) 64
5p Strong Attack Ki Damage +12.0%
6p Self & Allies Healed (Enemy Defeated in
Close Combat) 64

Kojuro's armor... Kojuro had a son that we know
as Katakura Shigenaga. Whoop hos Date Ninja
butt in Hands of the Dragon (Tohoku) or The
Sparrow Flies Again (Osaka Winter)

Leader of the Ten Braves
(Sarutobi Shinobi Apparel)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Dash Endurance +15.0%
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Parry Disabled Vs Guarding Enemy (Tonfa)
5p Equipment Lightness Damage Bonus A+
6p Status Ailment Augment (Paralysis) +23.0%

10 braves is Sarutobi Sasuke. Kill him in the
Seige of Osaka (Winter) and again in Sanada's
Resolve (Osaka Summer) i think. Ooh! The
Fare for the Afterlife... do it!

Mid-Heaven's Light
(Armor of the Rising Sun)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Increase Ki Recovery Speed (Full Life)
4p Bonus 4 Amrita Absorption (Auto-Recovery)
Close Combat Damage (Full Life) +9.0%
5p Increase Attack (No Status Ailments)
6p Bonus For Absorbing Amrita (Attack
Damage Surge)

Mid-Heaven's light is Toyotomi Hideyori. Not
hard in Last Samurai (but near end of level.)
But what's the alternative, Everlasting Duty?!
Haha... yes. Shin-Roku and Gale shot makes
Kyuubi a little winded...

Dragon Ninja
(Hayabusa Shinobi Apparel)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Increase Attack (Ninjutsu Item Hits)
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
5p Extend Evasion Invulnerability
6p Unlimited Shuriken
7p Dragon Sword: Truth

Dragon Ninja is worn by Jin Hayabusa. An
ancestor to Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden.
Battle for your life in The Master Ninja in Osaka
Summer.

Unifier of the Warring States
(Child of the Sunâ€™s Armor)
2p Damage Reduction +2.0%
3p Equipment Drop Rate +5.0%
Bonus for Absorbing Amrita (Increase Luck)
4p Close Combat Damage +10.2%
Luck +30 (Critical)
5p Damage Bonus (Luck) B

Unifier of the Warring States is also gotten from
Toyotomi Hideyori. However, it belonged to his
brother Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The fox drops it.
Probably because he was Sokki from
Onimusha 4 and she was the third to last
person you kill in Dawn of Dreams... just a
hunchâ€¦ his evil step-mother.

Graces:
Izanami's Grace (Magic Attack - Demon Hunter)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Life Recovery (Yokai Realm)
4PC Close Combat Damage +15.1%
5PC Unlimited Yokai Water Pot 77.2%
6PC Change To Attack (Magic) A+
7PC Increase Attack (Enemy Defeated) 100.0%

Omoikane's Grace (Magic Damage)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Nullify Status Ailment (Sludge) 64.4%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Change To Attack (Magic) A
6PC Lowered Defense (Onmyo Item Hits)
7PC Damage From Onmyo Items (Full Life)
+49.3%

Grace of Tsukuyomi (Infinite Magic)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Onmyo Magic Power +65
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Ki Recovery (Timely Guard)
6PC Onmyo Magic Damage Bonus A+
7PC Recover Onmyo Items (Finished Using
Living Weapon) 30%

Grace of Futsunushi (iai)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Glory Obtained From Battles +19.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Nullify Weakening (Weapons) 100.0%
6PC Skill Damage (Iai Quickdraw) +40.0%
7PC Pierce Guard (Close Combat) 20.0%

Grace of Kagutsuchi (Fire)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Scorch)
+29.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Recurrent Damage Dealt +21.7%
6PC Return Damage (Timely Guard) 25.0%
7PC Fire Damage +50.0%

Grace of Takemikazuchi (Lightning)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Electrify)
+29.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Bow Damage +22.2%
6PC Increase Attack (Timely Guard)
7PC Lightning Damage +50.0%

Grace of Owatatsumi (Water)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Saturate)
+29.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Reduced Status Ailment Duration 33.3%
6PC Life Recovery (Timely Guard)
7PC Water Damage +50.0%

Grace of Oyamatsumi (Earth)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Muddy)
+29.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Increase Defense (Timely Guard)
6PC Damage Reduction 16.3%
7PC Earth Damage +50.0%

Grace of Shinatsuhiko (Wind)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Bluster)
+29.3%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Extend Evasion Invulnerability
6PC Status Ailments Relieved (Timely Guard)
7PC Wind Damage +50.0%

Grace of Susano (Melee specialist)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Bare-Handed Attack Damage +50.0%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Strong Attack Damage +17.7%
6PC Bonus After Dash-Attack (Increase Ki
Recovery Speed)
7PC Quick Attack Damage +23.2%

Ame-no-Uzume's Grace
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Hyottoko Mask Bonus +27.2%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Bonus After Evasion-Attack (Increase
Attack)
6PC Evasion Ki Usage 20.9%
7PC Equipment Lightness Damage Bonus AAA

Grace of Amaterasu
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Life +688
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Change To Attack (Spirit) A
6PC Ki Recovery Speed +32.2%
7PC Zero Ki Bonus (Attack Damage Surge)

Izanagi's Grace
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Increase Attack (Life Recovery)
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Change To Attack (Spirit) A
6PC Attack Damage Surge (Timely Guard)
7PC Close Combat Attack Life Drain 164

Kushinadahime's Grace (Life/Defense)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Increase Defense (Life Recovery)
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Item Drop Rate +22.2%
6PC Auto-Recovery (Timely Guard)
7PC Life +2288

Magatsuhi's Grace (Confusion Magic)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Unlimited Mud Jar 67.2%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Increase Ki Recovery Speed (Enemy
Confused)
6PC Close Combat Attack (Enemy With Status
Ailments) +13.6%
7PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Five
Elements) +24.7%

Ninigi's Grace (LW farm and Luck damage)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Bonus For Absorbing Amrita (Increase
Defense)
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Earn Amrita (Strong Attack) 20
6PC Increase Damage (Enemies Defeated With
Living Weapon) AAA
7PC Increase Luck (Enemies Defeated With
Living Weapon) AAA

Okuninushi's Grace
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Increase Attack & Defence (Gyokuto) +67
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Status Ailments Relieved (Strong Attack)
20.7%
6PC Strong Attack Damage +19.3%
7PC Increase Luck (Gold Obtained) 27.2%

Sukunahikona's Grace (Drunk Abyss Farm)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Unlimited Daion-jin's Sake 64.4%
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Unlimited Saisetsu-shin's Sake 77.2%
6PC Increase Luck (Defiled Items) AA
7PC Damage From Stones +5000.0%

Sakuyahime's Grace (Burn Everything)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Increase Attack (Scorched) +22.2%
4PC Close Combat Damage 13.8%
5PC Recurrent Damage From Fire 100%
6PC Unlimited Burning Oil Jar 67.2%
7PC Close Combat Attack (Enemy Scorched)
41.7%

Sarutahiko's Grace
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Enemy / Treasure / Amrita Sense
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Unlimited Tengu's Fan 47.2%
6PC Unlimited Sacred Ash 82.2%
7PC Nullify Damage (Timely Gaurd)

Tajikarao's Grace (Bare Hands)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Bonus After Bare-Handed Attack
(Increase Attack)
4PC Close Combat Damage +13.8%
5PC Close Combat Attack Ki Reduction 14.9%
6PC Change To Attack (Strength) A+
7PC Bare-Handed Attack Damage +322.0%

Takeminakata's Grace (New Wind)
2PC Damage Reduction 3.2%
3PC Wind Damage +17.7%
4PC Lower Enemy Defence (Blustered)
5PC Close Combat Damage +15.9%
6PC Status Ailment Augmentation (Bluster)
+30.3%
7PC Close Combat Attack (Enemy Blustered)
+41.7%

Farming graces works best in the abyss beyond
floor 30. The floors cycle 3 sets of graces. First:
the graces that also drops randomly in way of
the demon/wise/nioh...

Old graces: Susano, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi,
kagutsuchi (fire), owatatsumi (water),
oyamatsumi (earth), takemikazuchi (lightning),
shinatsuhiko (wind). If you divide floor number
by 3, there is no remainder. Like 30, 33, 300,
333, etc.

Futsunushi, magatsuhi, izanagi, izanami,
kushinadahime, okuninushi, sakunahikona,
takeminekata. Divide floor number by 3,
remainder of 1. Example: 31, 34, 301, 334, 667,
etc. Each yield 3.3333333 on a calculator.

Omoikane, sakuyahime, sarutahiko, tajikarao,
ninigi, ame-no-uzume. Divide floor number by
3, remainder of 2. Example: 32, 35, 302, 335,
668, etc. Each yield 3.6666667 on a calculator.

Many like to do their grace farming on 32-38:
Kelley, Ogress, Hino-Enma, 100 Eyes, Hino-
Enma, Ogress, Date Masamune.

Final but important note: these locations are
simply where there is highest chance of them
dropping (because it's where you fight the guy
who's wearing it) but they're also where you
hunt the smithing texts.

Any piece of any gear can be a random drop in
any mission. And any of these bosses can be
the added dude in abyss co-op or when you
summon a visitor.

And abyss drops smithing texts like crazy. And
ALL types of gear. Itokuri and fans help
smithing texts drop: boost item drop rate and
luck, but do not boost equipment drop rate.

Marobashi is a mission in Tokai where you fight
all dojo masters one by one and is unlocked by
beating sword and spear dojos to unlock the
two masters and beating that unlocks
marobashi.

Grand Tournament is unlocked after beating all
main missions in Osaka Summer. Imagine
playing Iga style with most every enemy type
and having a marobashi style brawl at the end.
Only the bosses are all the non-dojo, non-main
human bosses.

A note about defiling i copy/pasted from my
own comment on another thread:

So... defiling is funny. In my tests, i found this:

Defiling is best after floor 30. After 30, a single
defiling run of 4 floors will yield 80 or 90 %
ethereals from defiled divines. However, floors
20-30: it can be done for a greater cost.

3 and a third cycles. So 4 floors 3 times and at
least a single floor on a fourth defiling run.
That's how you get it on floors 20-30. Costs a
ton. Unless you save-scum, but i don't and
that's why i know it takes 3 and a third cycles ;)

But floors 30+: if the first run doesn't turn it, the
second will. 80% chance the first will, though.
80-90% of all defiled divines will turn ethereal in
a single defiling run.

Just remember that graces are determined by
the floor you leave the abyss on, and the last
boss doesn't contribute to the defilement
counter.

Many people want abyss graces and get
frustrated when they hear it's from the abyss.
They farm and farm and farm and don't get it...
here's how you get it: defiling runs.

Start in the forge. Make several (talking 6-10+)
copies of the item you need the grace on. For
me, that's usually bows and rifles. Use up your
divine fragments because you need them to be
divine.

Next, farm a bunch of amrita. I like grand
tournament for this but others use marobashi or
their favorite level full of enemy waves.

Now go to the abyss. You are going to run 4
floors and leave on the floor that gives your
grace (there's 3 cycles that swap each floor.)

On the first floor of this run, you are going to
defile all the stuff you forged. If you run out of
amrita, farm the debuff planes for more amrita.

After you run the 4 floors and leave on the floor
that gives the grace you want, you check what
graces came out. Hopefully, you consistantly
are able to get at least one of the grace you
want for each category you defile (bows, rifles,
duals, helmets, etc.)

Then, use + value inheritance (soul matching)
to get it up to the level you want and reforging/
tempering to get the proper/preferred skills on it.

And that's how you get the gear you want from
the abyss. I just did this with odachi, hammer,
bow, rifle, and helmet in 2 runs (32-35) to get
my tajikarao. I use 33-37 for futsu/izanami/etc.

Find a run with bosses you can easily kill (many
like runs of yokai bosses, no humans. If i have
to fight a human, i do them first.)

Reforge/Temper Weapon/Armor Skills
[RT.WAS]

By now, you know all about the blacksmith and
upgrading equipment. But i havenâ€™t mentioned it
so let me give a quick run-down.

First: youâ€™ll be selling a lot of exotic and below
gear for gold for use in the blacksmith. Youâ€™ll
likely dismantle a lot of divines for divine
fragments and rare smithing materials
(purchase the rare materials drop rate boosts
from Muramasa with your patronage points.)

Forging gear is a standard. Forged gear takes
half the required stats of found gear. Forging a
piece of equipment repeatedly is one method to
obtaining star skills. It is very useful in first
playthrough, and mildly helpful in the 2nd.
However, it then loses its effectiveness until you
get into the abyss.

End-game, you use this process a lot;
1) forge what you want.
2) Defile it in the abyss to raise its level quickly
without increasing soul matching cost. Above
floor 30, defiling has a high chance of turning it
ethereal. There are 3 cycles of ethereal graces
that alternate each floor. For example, floors
30, 33, 36 can give the sets you can aquire in
WotW/WotN. Floors 31, 34, 37 can give the
futsu cycle of graces. Floors 32, 35, 38 gives
the 3rd cycle of graces.
3) After defiling, use a + value inheritable in
soul matching to get it a much higher plus value
quickly.
4)The equipment that defiles to the grace you
want, you will take that back to the forge and
reforge or temper (probably temper) all the
weapon/armor skills you want onto it. Voila!
One beastly OP piece of gear.

But what do you reforge/temper onto it? Wellâ€¦
this information here i got from a reddit from a
user named Sljm8D. Keep in mind that the list
is incomplete. It is missing things like deflect
projectiles, no guard break, onmyo amulet
protection, etc.

The stuff i donâ€™t care about that you might like is
things like:

Armor: evasion ki usage / dash endurance, item/
amrita/gold regular/yokai/human drop rates,
toughness, defense, ki, fall damage, luck, life,
bare-handed attack.

Melee: cca ki reduction, guard ki reduction,
back damage, parry, break, etc.

Ranged: amrita/ gold earned from humans/
yokai, item/equipment regular/yokai/human
drop rates, break, familiarity bonus, etc.

What is this section for then?
Ranged: Equipment Weight/Lightness Damage
Bonus A is a must (EWDB/ELDB.) If you get
that from your armor, you could use instead
agility damage bonus A, or enemies defeated /
consecutive hits damage bonuses (enemies
defeated for melee users, consecutive hits for
kunai and kusarigama users.) (or ninjutsu DB if
200 dex or Magic DB is 200 magic)
Recurring damage from fire: 10.9-15.9%
Fire damage: 13.9-23.9%
Ranged bulls-eye bonus: 17.9-23.9%
Life recovery from bulls-eye: 100-170
Unlimited ammo: 4.9-5.4%
Long/close range damage: 25-30%
Bow/matchlock/H.cannon damage: 19.9-24.9%

Melee:
Familiarity damage bonus A
Change to Attack (stat) A
Parry disabled
Pierce guard (close combat) 10-13%
Grapple/final blow damage 19-24%
Weaken (weapon/armor) 17-22%
Life recovery (close combat / grapple / final
blow) 223-293
(Element of choice) damage (weapon) 45-50%
Element + (weapon level Ã· 15 + 5)
CC ki damage (or high/mid/low/strong/skill)
CCA (enemy: out of ki / zero ki / staâ€™ailâ€™ed)
And your choice between CCD 15-20%, skill
damage 16-21%, strong/quick/stance attack
damage 14-20%, human/yokai CCD 14-19%

Armor:
Received Firearm Damage
Reduced 10.9-15.9% on chest/head
Received elemental attack damage
Reduced 16.9-22.9% on chest
Damage Reduction (Zero ki or Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Suffered)
14-17% on chest
Elixir effect on Life Recovery 5.9% chest/gloves
Increase Attack (Zero Ki) on chest/boots
Vs element or yokai realm
Unlimited Magic/Ninjutsu on chest/gloves
Unlimited Ammo on gloves
Running speed 9.9-14.9%
Life recovery (finished LW) 209-229
Tenacity (recurring damage)
Shorten recovery time (out of ki)
Sense enemies/treasure/kodama on head
+55 attack (gloves)
And the bonuses;
Choose between attack, DEF, mobility, LW gage
For amrita absorption (head)
Surrounded (chest)
Timely guard (gloves)
Status ailment suffered (legs)
Purification (boots)

You know what i didnâ€™t see?

1) Deflect projectiles. I love that on an ethereal
gauntlets. Some use the yata mirror accessory
to have it regardless of their choice in gloves.
2) Bonus for evasion or dash attack boosts. The
description says the boost kicks in when you
get hit by evasion/dash attack, but it actually
pings when you perform a dash/evasion attack
and strike the enemy.
3) Or No Guard Break (critical) which happens
on your chest.
4) Or Onmyo Amulet Protection (block spells)
on your chest.
5) Extend Evasion Invulnerability on chests.
6) Thrown Weapon Damage on gloves.
7) Thrown Weapon Damage X2
8) Thrown Weapon/skill ki damage
9) Throwing Speed boosts
10) Onmyo/Ninjutsu Damage/Duration boosts

_____-----Example Builds
[ex.builds]

To make things simpleâ€¦ the 5 armor skills per
armor for every build will be the same. They are
this:

Head:
Bonus for Amrita Absorption (Increase Attack)
Received Elemental Attack Dam (Guarding)
-29.4%
Received Firearm Damage -10.9%
Elixir Effect on Life Recovery
(Inherited) +55 Attack or Recâ€™Elemâ€™Attâ€™Dam

Chest:
Bonus for Surrounded (Increase Attack)
Recâ€™ Elemâ€™ Attack Dam -16.9%
Received Firearm Damage -10.9%
Onmyo Amulet Protection
(Inherit) Recâ€™ Elemâ€™ Attack Dam (guarding)
-29.4% or +55 Attack or RFD -10.9%

Gloves:
Increase Attack (Timely Guard)
+55 Attack
Close Combat Attack Increase (purple)
Deflect projectiles or elixir effect on life recovery
(Inherited) RFD - 10.9% or READ/(G)

Legs:
Bonus for Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Suffered (Increase Attack)
Star skill: Lower Enemy Defense (scorched)
Shorten recovery time (out of ki)
Tenacity (recurring damage)
(Inherited) RFD or Attack or READ/(G)

Boots:
Bonus for Purification (Increase Attack)
Zero ki Bonus (Increase Attack)
Running speed
+ Skill of Your Choice
(Inherited) RFD or Attack or READ/(G)

The other 2 slots per piece being damage
reduction and set/grace.

After familiarity the RFD goes from 10.9% to
15.9% each. The READ goes from 16.9% to
22.9% each. The READ (guarding) goes from
29.9% to 34.9%

RFD makes you immune to all projectiles
except melee projectiles from bosses - and
lazer/breath attacks. Can also be gotten from
2p Tatenashi or 3p Hiraishi.
READ (Received Elemental Attack Damage)
makes you nearly one-third immune to all
elemental damage.
READ(G) (Recâ€™ Elemâ€™ Attâ€™k Damâ€™ (Guarding))
makes your block more resistant to elemental
projectiles of all kinds. Can also be gotten from
Blue Dragon.
Thatâ€™s why these are the top 3 inheritables
aside from +55 Attack.

Every triggered bonus could be attack, defense,
movement speed, or amrita gage (LW charge
rate). The timely guard can do other things too -
like relieve status ailments.

Inheritables are usually RFD (received firearm
damage - 10.9%) from helmet/chestplate. Or
READ (Received Elemental Attack Damage
-16.9%) from chestplate. Or +55 attack from
gloves.

Zero ki Bonus is chest or boots only. Long
lasting boost.

Weapon skills:
Ranged: the only important bit is that ranged
weapon has EWDB for heavy builds (unless
Tate) and ELDB for super light builds (unless 5p
Sarutobi Armor). The exceptions use Agility DB
(unless Aya-Komori).
Melee: Familiarity DB (FamDam or
FamDamBon) A, Change to Attack (200 Stat) A,
AND either CCD or Skill Damage (whichever is
lower - want both above 20%, preferably above
30%. Diminishing returns at 33%.)

As for stats, armor, and guardian spirit; i threw
together a wide variety of builds for you. Some
may have a few holes in them, but close
enough; you get the idea.

EXAMPLES BELOW:

Spear-tonfa
Body 200 Heart 100
Stamina 61 Strength 45
Skill 200 Dexterity 100
Magic 50 Spirit 36
-----><---
Warrior of the East - 5 pieces
DR 2.0%, Skill Dam (Merciless Barrage): +30%
CCD +10.2%, Attack & DEF (Shin-roku): +10
CTA (Body): AA
-----><---
Kara-Jishi Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1814
Usable Time 22.3
Lightning Damage +36%, Ki +25
Guard Ki Reduction -26%, Skill Life Drain +20
Increase Attack (Skill Attacks)
As secondary: skill life drain +10
-----><---
Shin-Rokuâ€™s Stats:
Attack enhancement 19%
Might 2120
Usable Time 18.0
Life +180, Kodama Sense
Strong Attack Life Drain +15
Increase Ki Recovery and Defense (After LW)
Earth damage +36%
As secondary: strong attack ki drain +7.5%
+--> PLUS 6 PIECE GRACE

Spear-duals
Body 200 Heart 100
Stamina 61 Strength 100
Skill 200 Dexterity 50
Magic 30 Spirit 51
-----><---
Righteous in the Eyes of Heaven
(Scion of Virtue) - 6 pieces
DR +2.0%,Everlasting Ki +50.0%, CCD +10.2%
Toughness +25, Thrust Damage +13.0%
Bonus After Dash-Attack (Attack Dam Surge)
Grace of Kagutsuchi (Fire) - 5 pieces
DR +3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Scorch) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Recurrent Damage Dealt +21.7%
-----><---
Enku Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540
Usable Time 25.5
Dash speed +10%, Thrust Damage +14%
CCA (Enemy Attacking) +17%
Damage (Status Ailment Suffered) B-
Nullify Damage (Dash Attack)
As secondary: Thrust Damage +7%
-----><---
Kato Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1520
Usable Time 19.0
Ki Recovery Speed +32%, ki +34
CCA ki Reduction (crit) +32%
Skill Damage +23%, CCA +17%
As secondary: ki +17

spear-hammer
Body 200 Heart 50
Stamina 100 Strength 200
Skill 126 Dexterity 30
Magic 50 Spirit 36
-----><---
Kaido-maru - 6 pieces
DR +2.0%, Skill DaM (Rumbling Earth): +30%
CCD+10.2%, Incâ€™ Attack & DEF (Axe) +10
Skill Effect extended (Battle Focus): +30%
Strong Attack Dam +17.4%
Scion of Virtue - 3 pieces
DR +2.0%, Everlasting Ki +50.0%
Izanami's Grace - 3 pieces
DR +3.2%, Life Recovery (Yokai Realm)
-----><---
Enko Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.7
Fire Damage +36%, Break +25
Grapple Damage +33%
Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Strong Attack Ki Reduction -16%
As secondary: break +12.5
-----><---
Atlas Bear Stats:
Attack enhancement 25.5%
Might 1668
Usable Time 22.0
Increase Damage (Low ki), vs lightning +25
Shorten Recovery Time (Out of Ki)
Life Recovery (Grapple) +230
Close Combat Damage +13.5%
As secondary: vs lightning +12.5%

triple katana
Body 51 Heart 200
Stamina 61 Strength 130
Skill 200 Dexterity 50
Magic 50 Spirit 50
-----><---
Master Swordsman - 4 pieces
DR 2.0%, Skill Ki Reduction: 12.2%
CCD +10.2%, Skill Dam (SotC): +30%
Righteous Strategist (Justice Ministry Armor) -2p
DR1.0%, Skill Damage (Moon Shadow): +30%
Okuninushi - 6 pieces
DR 3.2%, Inc Attack & DEF (Gyokuto) +67
CCD +13.8%, Strong Attack Dam +19.3%
Status Ailments Relieved (Strong Attack) 20.7%

Duals-odachi
Body 51 Heart 145
Stamina 100 Strength 200
Skill 200 Dexterity 30
Magic 30 Spirit 36
-----><---
Master Swordsman - 4 pieces
DR 2.0%, Skill Ki Reduction: 12.2%
CCD +10.2%, Skill Dam (SotC): +30%
Seven Misfortunes, Eight Hardships
(General of Kigetsuâ€™s Armor) - 4 pieces
DR +2.0%, CCD +10.2%
Reduced Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Duration
Dam (Status Ailment Inflicted) A+
DR (Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Suffered) +18.0%
Izanagi's Grace - 4 pieces
DR 3.2%, Inc Attack (Life Recov), CCD +13.8%
-----><---
Kara-Jishi Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1814
Usable Time 22.3
Lightning Damage +36%, Ki +25
Guard Ki Reduction -26%, Skill Life Drain +20
Increase Attack (Skill Attacks)
As secondary: skill life drain +10
-----><---
Paired Raiken Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 25.8
Treasure Sense, vs Lightning +30
Dash Endurance +23%, Skill ki Damage 20.5%
Yokai Close Combat Damage +21%
As secondary: dash endurance +11.5%

dual-kusa
Body 100 Heart 100
Stamina 61 Strength 65
Skill 200 Dexterity 200
Magic 30 Spirit 36
-----><---
Grace of Susano (Melee specialist) - 7pieces
DR 3.2%, Bare-Handed Attack Dam +50.0%
CCD +13.8%, Strong Attack Dam +17.7%
Bonus After Dash-Attack (Inc Ki Recov Spd)
Quick Attack Dam +23.2%
Master Swordsman - 4 pieces
DR 2.0%, Skill Ki Reduction: 12.2%
CCD +10.2%, Skill Dam (SotC): +30%
-----><---
Paired Raiken Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 25.8
Treasure Sense, vs Lightning +30
Dash Endurance +23%, Skill ki Damage 20.5%
Yokai Close Combat Damage +21%
As secondary: dash endurance +11.5%
-----><---
Kato Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1520
Usable Time 19.0
Ki Recovery Speed +32%, ki +34
CCA ki Reduction (crit) +32%
Skill Damage +23%, CCA +17%
As secondary: ki +17

Katana-odachi
Body 51 Heart 200
Stamina 100 Strength 200
Skill 145 Dexterity 30
Magic 30 Spirit 36
-----><---
Grace of Futsunushi (iai) - 6 pieces
DR +3.2%, Glory From Battles +19.3%
CCD +13.8%, Skill Dam (Iai) +40.0%
Nullify Weakening (Weapons) 100.0%
Seven Misfortunes, Eight Hardships
(General of Kigetsuâ€™s Armor) - 3 pieces
DR +2.0%, CCD +10.2%
Reduced Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Duration
The God of War Looks Down (Tatenashi)
3 pieces - DR +2.0%, RFD -25.4%, EWDB A
-----><---
Kato Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1520
Usable Time 19.0
Ki Recovery Speed +32%, ki +34
CCA ki Reduction (crit) +32%
Skill Damage +23%, CCA +17%
As secondary: ki +17
-----><---
Kara-Jishi Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1814
Usable Time 22.3
Lightning Damage +36%, Ki +25
Guard Ki Reduction -26%, Skill Life Drain +20
Increase Attack (Skill Attacks)
As secondary: skill life drain +10

katana-kusa
Body 51 Heart 184
Stamina 61 Strength 100
Skill 180 Dexterity 200
Magic 30 Spirit 36
7DN+4izanagi
Dragon Ninja/Hayabusa - 7 pieces
DR +2.0%, increase Attack (Ninjutsu Item Hits)
CCD +10.2%, Extend Evasion Invulnerability
Unlimited Shuriken, Dragon Sword: Truth
Izanagi's Grace - 4 pieces
DR +3.2%, Inc Attack (Life Recov), CCD+13.8%
-----><---
Enko Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.7
Fire Damage +36%, Break +25
Grapple Damage +33%
Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Strong Attack Ki Reduction -16%
As secondary: break +12.5
-----><---
Bishaâ€™s Centipede
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 2532
Usable Time 21.0
Money from Enemies +56%, poison +35
Strong Attack ki Reduction +16%
Pierce Guard (Close Combat) +28%
CCD (For Removal of Rear Damage) +18%
As secondary: pierce guard (CC) +14%

katana-spear
Body 200 Heart 200
Stamina 61 Strength 100
Skill 135 Dexterity 30
Magic 30 Spirit 36
-----><---
Ii, The Red Demon - 5 pieces
DR +1.0%, Skill Dam (Spearfall) +20.0%
CCD +9.1%, Attack & DEF (Enko): +10
5p CCD (Enemy Scorched): +27.5%
Grace of Susano (Melee specialist) - 5 pieces
DR 3.2%, Bare-Handed Attack Dam +50.0%
CCD +13.8%, Strong Attack Dam +17.7%
Head of the Iga Ninja (Iga Jonin Apparel) - 2p
DR +1%, Recov 31% Nin items (after LW)
-----><---
Enku Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540
Usable Time 25.5
Dash speed +10%, Thrust Damage +14%
CCA (Enemy Attacking) +17%
Damage (Status Ailment Suffered) B-
Nullify Damage (Dash Attack)
As secondary: Thrust Damage +7%
---><---
Kara-Jishi Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1814
Usable Time 22.3
Lightning Damage +36%, Ki +25
Guard Ki Reduction -26%, Skill Life Drain +20
Increase Attack (Skill Attacks)
As secondary: skill life drain +10

Tonfa-kusa
Body 150 Heart 100
Stamina 61 Strength 20
Skill 200 Dexterity 200
Magic 30 Spirit 31
Paired Raiken + Isonade
Head of the Iga Ninja (Iga Jonin Apparel) - 4p
DR +1%, Recov 31% Nin Items (LW)
CCD +10.2%, +50 NinPow
Leader of the Ten Braves (Sarutobi Shinobi) - 5p
DR +2.0%, Dash Endurance +15.0%
CCD +10.2%, ELDB A+
Parry Disabled Vs Guarding Enemy (Tonfa)
Grace of Kagutsuchi (Fire) - 3 pieces
DR +3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Scorch) +29.3%
-----><---
Paired Raiken Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 25.8
Treasure Sense, vs Lightning +30
Dash Endurance +23%, Skill ki Damage 20.5%
Yokai Close Combat Damage +21%
As secondary: dash endurance +11.5%

tonfa-duals
Body 100 Heart 90
Stamina 61 Strength 80
Skill 200 Dexterity 200
Magic 30 Spirit 31
5shina/6Kingo+aya-komori/janomecho
The Crossed Sickles (Kingoâ€™s Armor) - 6 pieces
DR 2.0%, Final Blow Damage +15%
CCD +10.2%, Attack and DEF (Aya-komori) +10
Damage From Behind +20%, CCD +7.1%
Grace of Shinatsuhiko (Wind) - 5 pieces
DR 3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Bluster) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Extend Evasion Invulnerability
-----><---
Aya-Komori Stats:
Attack enhancement 6.5%
Might 480
Usable time 25.5
Unlimited ninjutsu +22%
Increased attack from behind +18%
Agility Damage Bonus A
Life recovery from grapple
Vs paralysis +28
As secondary: Attack from Behind +9%
-----><---
Janomecho Stats:
Attack enhancement 16.5%
Might 818
Usable Time 23.0
Increased ki Recovery Speed (crit)
Auto-Recovery (Finished Using LW)
CCA (crit) +22.5%, evasion ki usage +28%
Prevent Death Unless in Critical State +60%
As secondary: evasion ki usage +14%

Odachi-hammer
Body 181 Heart 181
Stamina 100 Strength 200
Skill 20 Dexterity 30
Magic 40 Spirit 40
-----><---
Enko Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.7
Fire Damage +36%, Break +25
Grapple Damage +33%
Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Strong Attack Ki Reduction -16%
As secondary: break +12.5
-----><---
Paired Raiken Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1740
Usable Time 25.8
Treasure Sense, vs Lightning +30
Dash Endurance +23%, Skill ki Damage 20.5%
Yokai Close Combat Damage +21%
As secondary: dash endurance +11.5%
-----><---
The God of War Looks Down (Tatenashi) - 5p
DR +2.0%, RFD -25.4%, EWDB A, CCD +6.1%
Recâ€™ Elemental Attack Dam -25.6%, DR +10%
Grace of Oyamatsumi (Earth) - 6 pieces
DR +19.5%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Muddy) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Inc DEF (Timely Guard)
-----><---
Above Armor VS Below
-----><---
Grace of Oyamatsumi (Earth)
DR +19.5%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Muddy) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Inc DEF (Timely Guard)
Seven Misfortunes, Eight Hardships
(General of Kigetsuâ€™s Armor) - 3 pieces
DR +2.0%, CCD +10.2%
Reduced Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Duration
The God of War Looks Down (Tatenashi) - 3p
DR +2.0%, RFD -25.4%, EWDB A

Kusa+magic (kunai armor)
Body 100 Heart 70
Stamina 61 Strength 20
Skill 200 Dexterity 200
Magic 100 Spirit 41
5pScion + 5pLightning vs 6pOne-Eye + 5pWater
Note that best is supposed to be 7p iga +
4p grace or 5p Scion + 3p Tate.
Enku/gyokuto or enku/nekomata
-----><---
Scion of Virtue - 5 pieces
DR +2.0%, Everlasting Ki +50.0%, CCD +10.2%
Toughness +25, Thrust Damage +13.0%
Grace of Takemikazuchi (Lightning) - 5 pieces
DR +3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Electrify) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Bow Dam +22.2%
The God of War Looks Down (Tatenashi)
2 pieces - DR +2.0%, RFD -25.4%,
-----><---
Above armor versus below armor.
-----><---
One-Eyed Dragon's Ambition - 6 pieces
DR 1.5%, Amrita Sense, CCD +8.6%
Wind Dam (weapon) +45%, Ki +8
Inc-Dam (Consecutive Attacks) A+
Grace of Owatatsumi (Water) - 5 pieces
DR 3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Saturate) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%, Reduced Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Duration 33.3%
-----><---
Enku Stats:
Attack enhancement 22.5%
Might 1540
Usable Time 25.5
Dash speed +10%, Thrust Damage +14%
CCA (Enemy Attacking) +17%
Damage (Status Ailment Suffered) B-
Nullify Damage (Dash Attack)
As secondary: Thrust Damage +7%
-----><---
Nekomata Stats:
Attack enhancement 10%
Might 792
Usable time 24.0
Thrown Weapon Damage +18%
Close Combat Ki Damage +16%
Recurring Damage Dealt +18%
Sense Enemies, vs Yokai Realm +460
As secondary: Thrown Weapon Damage +9%
-----><---
Gyokuto Stats:
Attack enhancement 7.5%
Might 592
Usable time 21.3
Dash speed +10%, +115 Nin Power
Low damage +11.5%, +140 Luck in LW
Elixer effect on life recovery +28%
As secondary: Ninjutsu Power +57

hammer
Body 200 Heart 50
Stamina 172 Strength 200
Skill 20 Dexterity 50
Magic 50 Spirit 51
Kaido 6p + Susano 5p + Enko + Blue Dragon
Kaido-maru - 6 pieces
DR +2.0%, Skill Dam (Rumbling Earth): +30%
CCD +10.2%, Incâ€™ Attack & DEF (Axe) +10
Skill Effect extended (Battle Focus): +30%
Strong Attack Dam +17.4%
Grace of Susano (Melee specialist) - 5 pieces
DR +3.2%, Bare-Handed Attack Dam +50.0%
CCD +13.8%, Strong Attack Dam +17.7%
-----><---
Enko Stats:
Attack enhancement 24.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.7
Fire Damage +36%, Break +25
Grapple Damage +33%
Strong Attack Damage +16.5%
Strong Attack Ki Reduction -16%
As secondary: break +12.5
-----><---
Blue Dragon Stats:
Attack enhancement 27.5%
Might 1592
Usable Time 22.4
Ki Recovery Speed +28%, Wind Damage +36%
Elemental Damage Reduction (Guarding) +56%
Damage Reduction (while Attacking) +16%
Close Combat Damage (Full-Life) +23%
As secondary: Elemental Damage Reduction
(Guarding) +28%

Magic Ninja:
Body 70 Heart 70
Stamina 61 Strength 20
Skill 135 Dex 200
Magic 200 Spirit 36
-----><---
Solo and Abyss Armor:
Grace of Tsukuyomi (Infinite Magic) - 6 pieces
DR +3.2%, MagPow +65, CCD +13.8%
Ki Recovery (Timely Guard), Magic DB A+
Omoikane's Grace (Magic Damage) - 5 pieces
DR +3.2%, Nullify Staâ€™Ailâ€™ (Sludge) 64.4%
CCD +13.8%, CTA (Magic) A
-----><---><-----
Co-op Armor:
Grace of Tsukuyomi (Infinite Magic) - 7p
DR +3.2%, Magic Power +65, CCD +13.8%
Ki Recovery (Timely Guard), Magic DB A+
Recover Onmyo Items (Finished Using LW) 30%
Kigetsu - 3p (7 Misfortunes, 8 Hardships)
DR +2.0%, CCD +10.2%
Reduced (actually extended) Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Duration
Head of the Iga Ninja (Iga Jonin Apparel) - 2p
DR +1%, Recov 31% Nin Items (LW)
-----><---><-----
============
-----><---><-----
Final musings:
-----><---
Check out the double wind:
Grace of Shinatsuhiko (Wind)
DR +3.2%, Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Bluster) +29.3%
CCD +13.8%
Takeminakata's Grace (New Wind)
DR +3.2%, Wind Dam +17.7%, CCD +15.9%
Lower Enemy Defence (Blustered)
Staâ€™Ailâ€™ Augâ€™ (Bluster) +30.3%
CCA (Enemy Blustered) +41.7%
-----><---><-----
Living Weapon Build:
Mid-Heaven's Light
(Armor of the Rising Sun) - 6 pieces
DR +2.0%, CCD (Full Life) +9.0%
Increase Ki Recovery Speed (Full Life)
Bonus 4 Amrita Absorption (Auto-Recovery)
Increase Attack (No Status Ailments)
Bonus For Abs. Amrita (Attack Damage Surge)
Ninigi's Grace - 5 pieces
DR +3.2%, Bon for Absâ€™ Amrita (Increase DEF)
CCD +13.8%, Earn Amrita (Strong Attack) 20
-----><---><-----
>-<__Critical build Choice of Armor:-------___>-<
Intentions of a Gallant Warrior
(Last Great Generalâ€™s Armor)
DR 2.0%, CCD +10.2%, Life +800
Maintain Amrita Gauge (When Attacked) 80%
Activate Living Weapon (No Life)
Increase Damage (Damage Received) B
---CHOICE ABOVE OR BELOW---
Legendary Mikawa Warrior (Fanatic Armor)
DR +2.0%, CCA (Critical) +20%, CCD +10.2%
Attack & DEF (Suzaku): +10, Ki +10
Special Effects (Critical): +50%
-----><---><-----
Japan's Bravest
(Armor of the Exceptional)
2p Damage Reduction: 2.0%
Skill Damage (Tornado): +30%</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
4p Close Combat Damage: +10.2%
Attack & Defense (Kara-Jishi): +10
5p Life +134
6p Skill Damage: +17.4%
Plus what? 5 Susano?Omoikane? Sakuyahime?
-----><---><----
-----><---><----
===========