Needless to say, there are spoilers in this article!
Nioh 2 released on the 12th of March, 2020 for the PlayStation 4, and on the 5th of February, 2021 for PC as part of the complete edition re-release.
This sequel to the hit ARPG by Team Ninja sports a hefty sum of 42 bosses (including DLC). The final boss of this game is the brutal yokai - Otakemaru.
As the game states, he is said to be one of Japan's three greatest yokai, aside from Tamamo-no-mae and Shuten Doji. After his execution by order of the emperor, his remains were sealed at Byodo-In. However, it was also said that he could not be killed as long as he had his three swords - the Sanmyoken. Since the swords have repairing capabilities, he was said to be invincible.
Without getting into details about the context of the fight, let's jump straight into the mechanics and strategies.
How To Beat Otakemaru
For starters, it is imperative to know that he uses all three yokai shifts - Feral, Brutal as well as Phantom. He also uses moves from each of the shifts that the player can use.
In his Brutal shift, he will glow red and use a club. He will be slow but he will hit VERY hard. Be cautious, and roll backward when trying to get to safety. Run around behind him when he finishes a combo, and get in a hit or two, then move out.
In his Feral shift, he wields daggers imbued with electricity. He becomes very agile and moves around a lot. The best thing to do would be to bait his burst attack and counter it, remaining at a medium distance. He also does a jump attack, which can be dodged and punished. if you have Steel Talisman and Rejuvenation active, he won't be able to do too much damage in this form.
In his Phantom shift, he will adopt a ranged moveset and glow purple. Get up close and personal and spam him with attacks as much as you can. He will summon a disc that follows you around, keep running to avoid it, and damage him as much as possible.
At around half health, he will transform into his true form. He will no longer shift forms. In this phase, he will use a single sword, but he will switch between the Sanmyoken - the Daitoren, Shotoren, and Kenmyoren. Using these swords, he will attack using the fire, water, and lighting elements. He has a different moveset for each sword, so play it safe and try not to get too greedy when taking hits. He can also perform a dual sword burst move, which can be countered. Be careful, though, because this attack happens pretty fast and it is very easy to miss the timing. It's advisable to avoid it entirely by running. When he plunges the ice sword into the ground, ice puddles will spawn under you. Runaway from him, avoiding those puddles. They hit very hard, and can easily kill you if all of them hit. He can also do AoE attacks with the other swords. If you're not at medium range, you won't be able to get away in time and will take massive damage. Keep that in mind and position yourself accordingly at around mid-range.
At about a quarter of his health, he will transform yet again. This time, his sword will float around him and he will gain extra hands. He will continue doing all the moves from the previous phase, along with some new ones as well. At any point, if he throws his sword at you in any way, do your best to avoid them. There is absolutely no point in blocking them, they WILL one-shot kill you. You might get away with a little bit of HP left if you have a high enough constitution and health (which you should), but it's still very risky. Play it safe and whittle his health down little by little, avoiding all of his attacks.
That's all you need to know with regards to the Otakemaru fight! If you're struggling still, try bringing additional steel talismans and elixirs, and saving them for the second and third phases.
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