Players who loved Nioh can look at Nioh 2 to discover events leading up to the first game. Now taking on the role of half-yokai Hide, Nioh 2 will take players on yet another gripping journey set in Japan in the 1500s. Similar to its predecessor, Nioh 2 lets Hide take on swaths of enemies through sheer swordsmanship or destructive Onmyo magics. And for players who want to devastate the battlefield with spells, then the path of the war mage is for them.
Newcomers in Nioh 2 might think it's impossible to make a magic-focused build given the immense pressure of facing opponents. At the hands of a pro, however, an Onmyo build can become one of the most powerful builds a Nioh 2 player can pull off.
10 Focus On Magic For Stats
Players who want to pursue the Onmyo magic build would want to start from the ground up in order to make their ideal builds. This usually involves focusing on the right stats for their particular playstyle. At its core, Magic easily becomes the priority Stat as this helps determine the capacity and potency of their Onmyo Magic. As such, improving Magic will make the player more efficient in both the Switchglaive and the Splitstaff.
In the case of the other stats, this primarily depends on the player’s ideal playstyle:
- Constitution, Stamina: Increasing these will help boost Life. Moreover, raising these two will increase Poison and Paralysis resistance, as well as Equipment Weight.
- Heart, Courage: Increasing these will help raise maximum Ki. These two Stats also increase Fire and Lightning Resistance, as well as improve Onmyo Power for Courage.
- Strength, Skill: Heavy-duty Onmyo players will want to increase Strength for heavy armor. Likewise, nimbler Onmyo players will like Skill for light armor.
- Dexterity: Increasing this will boost the capacity and power of Ninjutsu.
9 Anima Is The Key Resource
Given the focus of this setup, it’s natural for Anima to become the prime resource for the Onmyo Magic build. After all, it’s Anima that allows players to proc Yokai Skills and use Burst Counters to transform combat to their advantage. In the context of the Onmyo Magic build, it helps players to procure as much Anima as possible.
With this in mind, players might want to focus on obtaining Soul Cores or Guardian Spirits with specialized Anima Bonus effects. These effects give players Anima in exchange for specific conditions, such as when guarding. With the Onmyo magic build in mind, great Anima Bonuses would come from Onmyo Magic Hit or Inflict Ailment.
8 Victory Lies In The Confused
Confused becomes a necessary win condition for any dominating Onmyo magic build. At its core, a creature with Confused receives 50% more damage from all kinds of attacks. In terms of specific creatures, Humans get a significant reduction in recovery, whereas Winded Yokai will no longer be able to use their realm abilities.
Of course, players do need to inflict two status ailments to bestow the Confused effect. These include a combination of Electrified, Scorched, Saturated, or Corrupted/Petrified. Thankfully, an Onmyo magic build will likely cause a status effect with their attacks. With the right tinkering, a magic-reliant build can dish out multiple statuses to inflict Confused - heavily boosting their damage output.
7 Purified Over Corrupted For Speed
Being mutually exclusive effects, inflicting either Purified or Corrupted will cancel out the other. In the case of Corrupted, the afflicted receive 30% more Ki damage. And players who apply Corruption can gain Ki lost throughout the process. Yokai who get corrupted also get a reduction to maximum Ki. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of ways to apply Corrupted except for a Corruption Imbued weapon or via the Arcana of Power.
Meanwhile, Purified targets get 50% more Ki damage. The afflicted with Purified also can’t place new enhancements on themselves throughout its duration. Contrary to Corrupted, Purified is much easier to apply in combat. After all, while Humans don’t have immunity against Purified, Yokai are much prone to the status condition. Players who want to focus on applying Confused as often as possible would want to try a Purified-reliant setup.
6 Trust In The Elements
With Confused being the desired status effect, an Onmyo Magic Build shouldn’t hesitate to try to proc as many of its required statuses as often as possible. In this regard, players may want to choose a pair of status effects that could work with their particular playstyle and combat strategy. Outside Purified or Corruption, this should leave them with either Saturated, Scorched, or Electrified.
In the case of Saturated (Water), this effect simply gives a 20% increase to Physical damage taken from attacks. Meanwhile, Scorched (Fire) gives a mean damage-over-time to foes. Lastly, Electrified (Lightning) reduces both movement speed and attack speed. Players who want to whittle the health of enemy groups would want Scorched, whereas Electrified is useful for a movement-heavy build.
5 Small Fries Determine Efficiency
Given the expansive options in the game, it gets tricky to define a “must-use” Onmyo magic build. However, players could look at weaker Humans and Yokai enemies as a demarcation line regarding their overall strength. At its core, a player that needs more than one hit to eliminate weaker enemies will likely lose Anima before finishing the stage and fighting tougher foes.
As such, it’s important to strike a balance between spell strength and reserve Onmyo. In that regard, boosting Onmyo Magic Power should be a priority when it comes to upgrades. That way, players always have a way to strike hard with their spells.
4 Pay Attention To Sustainable Offense
Players will likely have their go-to elemental triggers for their Confused proc. At its core, this should make the Onmyo magic build quite an easy thing to create. However, its efficiency as a build really depends on how the player ensures these benefits get activated in the first place. Players should mind their mobility and ensure they equip a weapon that can help them hit enemies as often as possible without sacrificing defense. In this regard, the Switchglaive may be a useful weapon.
Other than that, players should consider getting buffs to their overall damage or even constant healing. That way, they have the means to ensure survivability while sustaining their offense.
3 Grace Of Tsukuyomi For Offense
Players should try building Grace of Tsukuyomi as soon as possible to cement their melee damage potential with magic. At four pieces, players can see a 2% damage reduction, +50 Onmyo Magic Power, and a 10.2% boost in melee combat damage.
With more pieces come more perks as well. At six pieces, players get an A+ Onmyo Magic Damage Bonus. This means their Onmyo Magic Power increase will now result in a staggering boost in Close Combat Damage. And a 7-piece set will now restore Onmyo Items at 30% after unleashing Living Weapon.
2 The Spirit Of Seimei Debilitates Defense
Players who want an Onmyo magic build with a focus on debilitating enemy defense will appreciate the Spirit of Seimei set. At three items, players get a 10% boost in Onmyo Magic Damage (Unscathed) and a +51 to Onmyo Magic Power.
However, the fury of Semei begins with more pieces. At four pieces, the set has Reduced Defense (Onmyo Magic). At five items, players get a 15% boost to Untouched Onmyo Magic. And lastly, 5+ items will get them Ultimate Magic, letting them use two Onmyo Magic Mystic Arts. The 4-piece defense reduction alone can leave opponents more vulnerable to magical attacks. And attaining Ultimate Magic is a great investment for dishing out powerful spells.
1 Onymo Austerity Is A Godsend
Players who want a standout Onmyo magic build equipment set will want to get Onmyo Austerity. Its starting benefit already boosts Onmyo potential with +25 to Onmyo Magic Power. And its perks slowly build a spellcaster’s repertoire with more items. Players who take the time to get 5+ items of this set will get B- to Empowered Onmyo Magic. This ability grants players a melee damage multiplier that can replenish Onmyo magic items.
Regardless, the effects of a complete set can bolster an Onmyo spellcaster’s damage potency, particularly with increased damage to a lower-defense enemy. With four items, players get Reduced Attack (Onmyo Magic Hit). At five items, players will also get A- Damage Bonus (Onmyo Magic Power).