What are Martial Arts in Nioh 3?

Battles in Nioh 3 are about more than simply dodging and attacking. Players can use powerful Martial Arts skills to become much stronger in combat. These skills have different uses – some are perfect for starting combos, while others finish them. Some skills let you quickly change positions, and others help you block and counter enemy attacks. Nioh 3 features a lot of different Martial Arts skills, and we’ve put together a list of the best ones here.

What are Martial Arts in Nioh 3?

As a big fan, here’s how I understand Martial Arts in the game: they’re basically special moves you unlock and then assign to specific button combinations in the customization menu. Most of them you get by leveling up your character’s Style or weapon skills. But there’s also a cool type called Crucible Arts – you earn those by mastering the special Crucible weapons. It’s a really neat system for tailoring your combat style!

These skills manifest in a variety of ways and are influenced by things like equipment bonuses, the Samurai’s Martial Arts Gauge, and specific passive abilities.

The Arts Proficiency boosts the damage of your Martial Arts attacks when you’re using the Martial Arts Gauge in Samurai Style.

Best Martial Arts in Nioh 3

Every Martial Arts move serves a different function, and there isn’t one single ‘best’ choice for weapons or fighting styles. If you’re just starting out in Nioh 3, focus on learning the most effective skills first. Then, once you’re comfortable, feel free to try out different Martial Arts to find what works best for you.

If you’re just looking for some weapon skills to try out, here’s what we recommend:

Weapon Martial Arts
Sword Night Rain, Kick, Iai Quickdraw
Spear Wild Spear, Spear Fluorish
Odachi Thunderbolt, Twin Moons
Axes Victory Rush
Dual Swords God of Wind, Water Sword
Switchglaive Cyclone, Stance Switch skills
Cestuses Spinning Kicks, Rushing Gale
Ninja Sword Shadow Cyclone
Dual Ninja Swords Spinning Drill, Kurama Sword Dance
Kusarigama Crimson Flurry
Tonfa Impenetrability, Dragon Slayer, Storm of Strikes,
Hatchets Wild Surge
Splitstaff Shin Crusher, Radiant Moon
Talons Whirling Tiger, Spinning Kicks

Sometimes different Martial Arts moves use the same button combinations. When this happens, you can choose which move you want to use in the Customize Martial Arts/Ninjutsu menu.

Most of the weapon-based fighting styles in this game are designed to either start or end attack combinations. Some weapons, like the Switchglaive, are more complex and depend on special abilities like changing stances and blocking. Even the best skills won’t help if you don’t practice and learn how to use them effectively.

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2026-02-14 18:05