Nioh 2, the Souls-like Action-RPG prequel from Ninja Studios, has recently been released on PC and PlayStation 4. The game expands on the world and lore of 2017's Nioh, and brings new monsters inspired by Japanese mythology for the player to defeat in epic boss fights.
One of the most complex of these boss fights is the one against the Yatsu-no-Kami, or Snake God. Encountered at the end of Nioh 2's third story mission, The Viper's Sanctum, the Yatsu-no-Kami is a gigantic serpent with multiple heads and some deadly attack patterns. Taking it down for good is no easy feat, but with the right tactics and preparation, it can be done.
The Viper's Sanctum
The first thing players will notice when confronting the Yatsu-no-Kami is that it has three heads. The main head is the most dangerous, while the smaller ones don't do much in the first stage. Mostly, players will be dealing with tail swipes, volleys of poison daggers, and powerful lunges. The last of these can be Burst Countered, though opportunities to do so won't come up as frequently as they did in the Enenra battle.
In addition to these basic attacks, the Yatsu-no-Kami can also make snakes shoot up from the ground. Fortunately, all of these moves are fairly easy to dodge, and players should simply keep moving and strike the body with any of Nioh 2's weapons during the obvious openings. The Yatsu-no-Kami is particularly vulnerable to fire damage, and players with Fire Amulets or the Infernal Oni-Bi Soul Core will have an easier time.
Into the Dark Realm
While the beginning of the fight is fairly straightforward, that all changes when the battle enters the Dark Realm. The two side-heads will detach from the Yatsu-no-Kami and attack separately, giving the player three individual foes to face. The key to dealing with these smaller enemies, which are quite easy to kill, is to avoid locking onto them. Instead, players should keep moving and chip away until they're both dead.
Once both of the smaller snakes have been defeated, the fight will leave the Dark World of Demons once again, and two new snake-heads will appear on the Yatsu-no-Kami's body. Players should then fall back on the tactics from the first part of the fight. In particular, the Burst Counter, which if timed correctly can bring the fight to a swift conclusion.
Nioh 2 is out now for PC and PlayStation 4.