In this Nioh 2 Samurai Skills guide, we will be focusing on Samurai Skills and will enlist each and every Samurai Skill in the game. We will also tell you about the prerequisites for each skill and what exactly each skill does. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
Nioh 2 Samurai Skills
Nioh 2 has many Skill Trees and one of these is the Samurai Skill tree that consists of skills that use Katanas. Players who prefer to play with their swords should definitely know about the variety of Samurai Skills available.
Ki impulse and increasing the efficiency of ranged weapons is the main focus of Samurai Skills.
How to Unlock Samurai Skills
You can acquire Samurai skills by purchasing them with Samurai Skill points and also by becoming proficient with different weapons. Exploration is the best way to acquire all these skills.
We have divided the Samurai Skills into 3 categories, i.e., Active, Passive and Custom Active Skills. Each of them costs 1 Samurai Skill point with the exception of a few that are free as they are basic mechanics.
These are all the Samurai Skills that you can use in your Nioh 2 builds:
Active Skills
| Skill Name | Prerequisite | Function |
| Ki Pulse: Heaven | Basic Ability | Activates when you recover full Ki from a Ki Pulse. Your next attack will deal extra damage. (High Stance only) |
| Running Water: Heaven | Ki Pulse: Heaven | Dodging with perfect timing will now automatically trigger a Ki Pulse. (High stance only) |
| Ki Pulse: Man | Basic Ability | Activates when you recover full Ki from a Ki Pulse. Negates the ki damage you take from the next guarded attack. (Mid stance only) |
| Running Water: Man | Ki Pulse: Man | Dodging with perfect timing all now automatically trigger a Ki Pulse (Mid stance only) |
| Composure | Hands of Death I | Press the button when guarding against an armed human enemy to take their weapons and perform a counterattack. It can only be used when bare-handed. |
| Ki Pulse: Earth | Basic Ability | Activates when you recover full Ki from a Ki Pulse. Your next dodge doesn’t consume ki. (Low stance only) |
| Running Water: Earth | Ki Pulse: Earth | Dodging with perfect timing will now automatically trigger a Ki Pulse. (Low stance only) |
| Stance | Basic Ability | Press the Button to switch between high, mid and low stances. |
| Final Blow | Stance | Grapple a downed enemy before following up with a powerful attack. |
| Grapple | Stance | Grapples an enemy human or downed yokai who is out of Ki, then follow up with a powerful attack. |
| Ki Pulse | Stance | When surrounded by blue light after an attack, press the button to recover your Ki. |
| Purify Yokai Realm | Ki Pulse | Activates when you recover the maximum amount of Ki from a Ki Pulse while inside a Yokai Realm pool. Purifies and removes any Youkai Realm pools around you. |
| Flux | Ki Pulse | Changing to another stance or a successful Ki Pulse increases the amount of Ki recovered. |
| Flux II | Flux | Increases Ki recovery of Flux |
| Flux Attack | Flux II | Performs a quick attack when switching weapons after a successful Ki Pulse |
| Sacred Bird Cry | Drop by Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Eternal Rivals | Use Sohayamaru to attack your enemy with a barrage of slices. Holding the button down will use your Anima to perform a charge ranged attack, with Anima decreasing by 1 each time you launch an attack. |
| Flash Attack | Flux II Complete The Way of the Warrior: Novice | Performs a quick attack when switching weapons after a Ki Pulse |
Passive Skills
| Skill Name | Prerequisite | Function |
| Bowmaster I | Ki Pulse: Man Ki Pulse: Heaven | Increases bow damage by 5% |
| Bowmaster II | Bowmaster I | Increases bow damage by 3% |
| Quivermaker | Bowmaster I | Increases the number of arrows that can be carried by 3 |
| Matchlock Master I | Bowmaster I | Increases matchlock damage by 5% |
| Cannonmaster I | Matchlock Master I Complete The Way of the Warrior: Veteran | Increases cannon damage by 5%. |
| Shot Pouch | Matchlock Master I | Increases the number of rifle rounds that can be carried by 2 |
| Round Carrier | Cannonmaster I | Increases the number of cannon rounds that can be carried by 1 |
| Fortitude I | Hands of Death I | Life +50 |
| Fortitude II | Fortitude I Damage Boost: Stamina Cleared Mission ”The Sun Sets on Mount Tenno” | Life +30 |
| Fortitude III | Fortitude II Composure | Life +20 |
| Hands of Death I | Ki Pulse: Man Ki Pulse: Earth | Increases bare-handed attack damage by 20% |
| Hands of Death II | Hands of Death I | Increases bare-handed attack damage by 20% |
| Hands of Death III | Hands of Death II Complete The Way of the Warrior: Veteran | Increases bare-handed attack damage by 20% |
| Purify Yokai Realm: Heaven | Ki Pulse: Heaven | While in High Stance: Increases your attack strength when performing a purification with a perfectly timed Ki Pulse, recovering the maximum amount of Ki possible. |
| Purify Yokai Realm: Man | Ki Pulse: Man | While in Mind Stance: Increases your defense when you perform a purification with a perfectly timed Ki Pulse, recovering the maximum amount of Ki possible. |
| Purify Yokai Realm: Earth | Ki Pulse: Earth | While in Low Stance: Increases your Ki recovery Speed when you perform a purification with a perfectly timed Ki Pulse, recovering the maximum amount of Ki possible. |
| Fatal Fists | Complete The Way of the Warrior: Adept | Bare-handed Attack +3 (multiple ranks) |
| Deadly Eye | Bowmaster | Ranged Weapon Attack +3 (multiple ranks) |
Custom Active Skills
| Skill Name | Prerequisite | Function |
| Masterful Slice | Running Water: Man | Increases the Ki damage dealt by certain Active Skills by 20%. Ki consumption Rate 1.40 |
| Damage Boost: Courage | Cleared Mission ”The Sun Sets On Mount Tenno” Composure | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Courage. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Damage Boost: Magic | Purify Yokai Realm: Earth | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Magic. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Damage Boost: Constitution | Cleared Mission ”The Sun Sets On Mount Tenno” Fortitude II | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Constitution. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Damage Boost: Skill | Bowmaster I Masterful Slice | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your skill. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Deliberate Slice | Flux II | Increases the maximum amount that can be recovered by Ki Pulse by 30% certain Active Skills. Ki consumption Rate 1.20 |
| Damage Boost: Heart | Deliberate Slice | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Heart. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Reckless Slice | Running Water: Heaven | Increases the damage dealt by certain Active Skills by 10%. In exchange, you will not be able to perform a Ki Pulse. |
| Damage Boost: Strength | Reckless Slice Cleared Mission: ”The Sun Sets On Mount Tenno” | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Strength. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Damage Boost: Stamina | Running Water: Man | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Stamina. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
| Nimble Slice | Running Water: Earth | Reduces the damage dealt by certain Active Skills by 20% but, they will consume less ki to perform. Ki Consumption Rate 0.90 |
| Damage Boost: Dexterity | Nimble Slice | Grants certain Active Skills a damage bonus based on your Dexterity. Ki Consumption Rate 1.10 |
