Up to this point you’ve probably realized yokai are much bigger threats than humans, but humans that have some yokai aspects are typically the most dangerous things in Nioh 2. Magara Naotaka is the first example of this, but not the hardest, which requires a fairly different play style to overcome. Thankfully, this is more repetition than anything else.
General tips
- While every boss has their own specific details, which are detailed below, these tips are designed to give you additional insight into how to improve at Nioh 2 in general.
- You always get three elixirs on spawn. There is no reason to be frugal with that amount.
- Spear is the easiest weapon to use
- Once you have a bosses move set down, don’t be afraid to invest in additional supplies to come out ahead
- Most fights follow a predictable arc. Dropping the bosses Ki down to zero typically causes them to enter the other world phase and dropping it to zero again will bring them out. There is also a timer but it’s good to know when these phases are going to take place.
- Build around your play style or where you fall short. If you lose in the other world, increase your resistance there. If you can’t manage your Ki due to blocking, increase your toughness.
- Typically the best way to block attacks is to do it before you take each hit, over holding the button down. Certain attacks have enough of a delay that you can actually block, wait to regain your Ki and then block again to withstand attacks.
- As you progress, look into useful abilities like sloth to help you overcome tricky parts.
- Don’t be afraid to use summons. Regardless of what people say, Nioh 2 is not a super easy game and there is no shame in using any and all mechanics to your advantage.
- You can also find more general tips here.
How to Defeat Magara Naotaka
What makes Magara Naotaka different from most bosses is, he is big, has a lot of combos, is pretty aggressive and doesn’t care if you hit him. As a result, this fight is all about taking what you can get, over maximizing damage. You’ll always be better off doing a hit or two and punishing him than going for longer combos or more complicated moves.
The best advice I can give is, avoid as much as possible and focus on dodging. Without good Ki management, he will simply overwhelm you and leave you open to attacks that can and often will kill you. Thankfully, he isn’t the most complicated boss, so learn the moves, avoid what you can and punish whenever possible. By doing this you should win within a couple attempts.
