With so many weapons in the game, which are among the best out there?
Nioh 2, the sequel to Team Ninja’s Nioh, features a variety of powerful weapons which gives you more flexibility when it comes to making your own builds. But of course, such an overwhelming arsenal of weapons can make it hard to pick the one which you should use.
You don’t want to end up scratching your head just because the variety of weapons in the game overwhelmed you. Luckily, I’m here to help. I have created this list of the top 10 best weapons in Nioh 2, and how you can get them. Let’s get started.
10. Firefly Blade
The Firefly Blade is perhaps the best Odachi in the game, capable of dishing out tons of damage even against a group of enemies at once.
First on the list is the Firefly Blade, an odachi favored for its special effect that allows you to gradually restore health over time whenever you absorb amrita. You can choose to pair it with Yoshiee’s Birthright gear for that sweet defense increase during amrita absorption.
As an odachi, it has high Strength scaling which makes it ideal if you want to go for a Strength build. The caveat, however, is that it’s a bit too slow compared to the other weapons and requires proper timing and Ki management during combat.
Why Firefly Blade is Great:
- Great for survivability
- Allows you to sustain fights even longer
- High base damage output
- Impressive reach
How to Get It:
The weapon can be farmed from William in the Blue-Eyed Samurai mission.
Firefly Blade Smithing Text Farm
9. Earthfall Kusarigama
The go-to ninja weapon, the Earthfall Kusarigama excels at performing fast combos from a relatively safe distance.
If you’re planning to play a Ninja/Ninjutsu build, then the Earthfall Kusarigama is surely for you. It features a long reach which allows you to attack enemies from a somewhat safe distance. Apart from that, it comes with the Imbue Purity effect so you can inflict the Purified status on enemies and deal additional Ki damage.
As a Dex-scaling weapon, it works well with Dexterity builds since you can use ninjutsu in conjunction with the weapon for even greater damage output. Also, kusarigama can inflict status effects pretty quickly, allowing you to inflict Purified on your targets without any issues.
Why Earthfall Kusarigama is Great:
- Complements Dex-focused builds
- Good range and fast attack speed
- Can inflict status effects pretty quickly
- Comes with the Imbue Purity effect
How to Get It:
You can farm its smithing text from William on The Blue Eyed Samurai mission.
Blue-Eyed Samurai Mission Smithing Text Farming
8. Mataza's Long Spear
Thrusting and poking are the name of the game; one that Mataza's Long Spear excels in.
Spears are ideal for those who want to attack enemies from a relatively safe distance. But when it comes to the best, nothing beats Mataza’s Long Spear. The reason is pretty simple: it comes with an increased thrust damage effect which is only found in three other weapons. It’s also a part of the Master of Spears set bonus which gives you an extra 10% increased thrust damage when using the full set.
If you want to go for a spear build, then I would highly recommend this one. Pair it with the Piercing Rain skill, and you can quickly poke your enemies to death. Lastly, it has high break damage at 65 which makes it a potent weapon to use against block-spamming human enemies.
The caveat is that it’s not ideal for fighting multiple enemies at once due to the lack of AOE skills in the spear tree.
Why Mataza's Long Spear is Great:
- Great for 1v1 fights
- Inflicts the Scorched status pretty easily
- High thrust damage output
How to Get It:
The spear, as well as its smithing text, can be farmed from the Mataza of the Spear mission on the Dream region.
Mataza's Long Spear Smithing Text Farm
7. White Bone Spirit Tonfa
If depleting enemy's Ki is your objective, then the White Bone Spirit Tonfa can be your trusted armament.
Fighting against yokai enemies can be a pain in the butt. Luckily, you can solve that issue by using weapons that specialize in dealing with them. One such example is the White Bone Spirit Tonfa. Unlike other weapons, it comes with the Melee Damage vs. Yokai effect which allows you to deal more damage against yokai enemies using melee attacks.
Besides, it’s a yokai weapon, so it gets even stronger once its sentience charge has been filled. This allows you to destroy yokai enemies and shred their Ki, even preventing them from recovering it in most cases.
Why White Bone Spirit Tonfa is Great:
- Deals extra damage against yokai enemies
- Gets even stronger once awakened
- Can quickly destroy enemies’ Ki and prevent them from recovering
- Quick combos
How to Get It:
The weapon’s smithing text can be farmed from Imagawa Yoshimoto on the Imagawa Diehard.
Imagawa Diehard Smithing Text Farming
6. Seething Dragon
The Seething Dragon switchglaive's amazing combos and sick look makes quite the appeal among Magic-focused builds.
If you love using swithglaives due to their kickass combos, and the fact that they scale with Magic and complement Onmyo skills, then the Seething Dragon is your best bet. It offers amazing mid-range reach and also has the Faster Ki Recovery effect each time you kill an enemy. This basically means you’ll be able to solve issues with the switchglaive’s quick stamina drain.
Personally, I like using Seething Dragon as it can apply the Corruption status on enemies pretty quickly while still remaining mobile. It does take a bit of getting used to, which is a common case with switchglaives in general.
Why Seething Dragon is Great:
- Scales with Magic which combos perfectly with Onmyo magic
- Offers amazing Ki recovery to sustain your combos during combat
- Inflicts the Corrupted status and has the potential to increase damage output once awakened
- Quick and amazing combos
How to Get It:
The weapon’s smithing text can be farmed from Otakemaru in In the Eye of the Beholder main mission.
Smithing Text Farming Locations
5. Barbarian Hatchets
Fast throwing attacks and decent damage are what these hatchets have to offer. What more can you axe for?
As one of the weapon types that don’t get much love, hatchets are actually fun to use provided you can do away with their very short range. Once you’re able to master them, however, you’ll certainly be rewarded with their high damage output as long as you properly time your attack.
One amazing pair of hatches is the Barbarian Hatchets. It’s for the simple reason that it is quite fast and can dish out heavy damage when thrown. However, its main selling point is the Item Drop Rate effect which is really beneficial when you’re farming for certain items. After all, the game is all about RNG and tons of grinding, so every bit of item drop rate helps.
I’m not particularly a fan of hatchets, but if I’m going to go for a hatchet build, I’ll definitely pick this pair while farming for Ethereal items on Dream of the Nioh.
Why Barbarian Hatchets are Great:
- Quick attack speed and high damage output
- Fun to use when going for a throw-focused build
- Can inflict the Corrupted status on enemies
- Excellent for increasing your item drop rate
How to Get It:
The weapon’s smithing text can be farmed from Otakemaru in In the Eye of the Beholder main mission.
Smithing Text Farming Locations
4. Ippon-Datara’s Hammer
If you want to go bonk your enemies, then the Ippon-Datara's Hammer is your guy.
Hammers are among the most difficult weapons to use in Nioh 2. After all, they are a stark contrast to other weapon types considering how slow they are and how long their windup animations are. If not timed properly, your attacks will only leave you prone to damage from enemies and your Ki being consumed for nothing.
However, one particular hammer is worth taking note of due to its high Break damage. What it does is it allows you to break through enemy guards pretty easily. This is something that’s common among human enemies and a few yokais as well.
The one I’m talking about is the Ippon-Datara’s Hammer. This particular hammer comes with a massive 126 Break damage stat, which opens up enemies for that easy stagger.
Besides, it also has an innate Imbue Corruption effect which allows you to inflict the Corrupted status on your enemies. The caveat, however, is that this type of weapon isn’t really suited to inflicting statuses due to its slow attack speed. You’re better off going for heavy damage and applying status using Onmyo magic or a secondary weapon.
Why Ippon-Datara’s Hammer is Great:
- Insanely high break damage
- Capable of dishing out huge damage numbers in a single strike
- Trivializes human enemies who spam block
How to Get It:
The weapon’s smithing text can be farmed from the Ippon-Datara boss in the A Favor for the Blacksmith mission. The weapon also drops from normal Ippon-Datara encounters.
Ippon-Datara's Hammer Farming Location
3. Raikiri
Lightning-infused attacks on a somewhat lightning-fast moveset is Raikiri's signature.
From the name itself, you can tell that this weapon does lightning damage, and you’re right. The Raikiri has an innate Imbue Lightning effect which allows you to inflict the Shocked status on your enemies. This is pretty useful as it slows them down, allowing you to perform your combos without worrying about them getting canceled.
Also, like all other katanas, this one scales with Heart which makes it perfect for new players who’ll likely put tons of points into increasing their Ki anyway.
I haven’t messed around with katana builds that much, but I’m confident that the Raikiri is one of the best out there. Even if it doesn’t belong to a set, its innate lightning damage is just too good to pass up.
Why Raikiri is Great:
- Comes with innate lightning damage for inflicting Shocked on enemies
- Decent Break damage at 76
- Perfect for beginners as the Shocked status really helps with crowd control
How to Get It:
The weapon’s smithing text can be farmed from Shuten Doji in The Mausoleum of Evil mission.
Shuten-Doji Smithing Text Farming
2. Benkei’s Splitstaff
Pummel your enemies to death with the hard-hitting Benkei's splitstaff.
One of my personal favorites, Benkei’s Splitstaff is one of the strongest splitstaves you could use in the game. It comes with the Imbue Corruption effect which allows you to inflict the Corrupted status on your enemies. Apart from that, it’s also a Yokai weapon which further adds to its overall damage output once its sentience gauge is filled.
In my opinion, this is one of the strongest weapons you can use all the way up to Dream of the Wise as using it with the Dragon Dance lets you shred bosses in seconds. Then there’s the fact that it’s part of the Mighty Monk set, granting you a significant +15% increase in Melee Damage if you wear the entire set.
Why Benkei’s Splitstaff is Great:
- Comes with the Imbue Corruption effect
- High base damage output
- Works well for Magic builds
- Can shred bosses in seconds
How to Get It:
You can farm the weapon, as well as its smithing text, from Benkei in the Soul of the Warrior Monk mission on The Tengu’s Disciple DLC.
Benkei's Splitstaff Farming Location
1. Demon Arm Fists
Channel your inner kungfu master with this pair of whacky but highly efficient fists.
Possibly my favorite among the other weapons on this list, the Demon Arm Fists allow you to beat your enemies to death in style. While there are tons of fist weapons in the game, the reason why I prefer this one is simply because it belongs to the First of the Four Guardians set which is a fist-focused set.
In addition to a very high Break damage at 86, this fist also has the Imbue Corruption effect which allows you to inflict the Corrupted status on your enemies.
But of course, the main reason why I’m using this is due to the bonuses that come with the set. For one, it has an A scaling for Strength, a 15% decrease in skill Ki consumption, a 15% increased Ki recovery, and a 13% increased damage for the Archer’s Impact skill. All of these are basically the perfect stats you’ll need if you’re running a fist build.
Why Demon Arm Fists are Great:
- High Break damage which allows you to break through blocking humans
- Can inflict the Corrupted status on enemies
- The set it comes along with is pretty amazing
- Fists in general are just great at destroying enemy Ki, and this just happens to be among the best of them
How to Get It:
You can farm the weapon, as well as its smithing text, from Watanabe no Tsuna in The Demon Slayer mission on The Tengu’s Disciple DLC.
Demon Arm Fists Farming Location
That wraps up this list of the best weapons you can use in Nioh 2. If you think I missed something or you just can’t find your favorite, feel free to leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!
