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Nioh 3

Best Dual Ninja Swords Build

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Best Dual Ninja Swords Build Nioh 3

This is a guide to the best build for Dual Ninja Swords in Nioh 3. See the best armor and accessories to use with the Dual Ninja Swords, which Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores to equip, as well as which stats to level up.

Dual Ninja Swords Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses
✔︎ Faster attack speed than Ninja Swords.
✔︎ Multi-attacks break Ki faster.
✔︎ Smoother combo chaining.
✔︎ Weapon scales with Magic, encouraging the use of Onmyo and Talismans.
✖︎ Relies on small multi-hits to build-up damage compared to the Ninja Swords' higher raw damage.
✖︎ Shorter range than Ninja Swords.
✖︎ Executing combos are needed to do optimal damage.

The Dual Ninja Swords provide faster attacks and mobility than their single counterpart, the Ninja Swords. Due to their speed, the Dual Ninja Swords have more space to dash and dodge while delivering flurry of slashes that swiftly destroy an enemy's Ki. The Dual Ninja Swords are best paired with a combo of Martial Arts or Ninjutsu as their swift attacks allow smoother chaining of combos.

On the downside, the Dual Ninja Swords rely on multiple attacks to build up damage. It lacks strength when utilizing a poke-and-retreat strategy in comparison to the Ninja Swords, which have better burst damage. To maximize this weapon, unleash your attacks and combos whenever an opponent presents a wide opening.

Best Scaling for Dual Ninja Swords

Put Points Into Magic, Intellect, and Heart

Dual Ninja Swords Scaling
HeartHeart
IntellectIntellect
MagicMagic
Character Stats
ConstitutionConstitution
Stamina.pngStamina

The Dual Ninja Swords scale with Heart, Intellect, and Magic. Prioritize having at least 25 points in Magic to unlock 5 Soul Core slots for Yin, then focus on Intellect next. If you have extra Amrita, you can also put it into Heart to increase the amount of Ki you have.

If you feel that the stats where a weapon scales are not beneficial to your play style or build, you can use Remodel in the Blacksmith to change them. However, do note that this will cost materials and Gold, as such, it's not recommended to do until you get better equipment.

Best Special Effects for Dual Ninja Swords

Jump to Section!
Weapon Armor
Accessories

Best Special Effects for Weapons

Common Special Effects
・Melee Ki Damage
・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption)
・Life Drain (Melee Attack)
・Imbue Wind/Fire
・Burn/Blustered Accumulation (Enemy)
・Damage Over Time
・Attack Bonus (Heart/Intellect/Magic)
・Increase Damage Dealt
・Increase Damage Dealt (Evade)
Fixed Special Effects
・Quick Attack Ki Consumption
Weapons: Mino Dual Uchigatana
・Melee Attack Ki Consumption
Weapons: Basket Blade & Boar Cutter
・Martial Arts Ki Consumption
Weapons: Seki Dual Uchigatana

You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.

As the Dual Ninja Swords inflict fast Ki damage due to their consecutive slashes, having special effects that increases attack can help take out enemies faster. Specifically, Attack Bonus that's based on your Heart, Intellect, or Magic will be beneficial, as these are the stats where the Dual Ninja Swords naturally scale.

As the Dual Ninja Swords scale with Magic, take advantage of using Onmyo Magic and Talismans. For example, having Burn Accumulation on your weapon would build up Burn every attack on the target, then combine this with another element by using Water Familiar Talisman to build up Saturation. Inflicting two or more status effects would cause the enemy to suffer from Confusion, which increases damage received.

Best Special Effects for Armor

Common Special Effects
・Ki
・Ki Recovery Speed
・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption)
・Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption)
・Defense Bonus (Heart/Intellect/Magic)
・Ki Recovery Speed
・Melee Damage
・Final Blow/Grapple Damage
・Auto Life Recovery (Evade)
・Faster Movement (Evade)
・Yokai Realm Resistance
Fixed Special Effects
・Dodge Ki Consumption
Armor: Ascetic or Heir's Shinob
・Ki
Armor: Any Ferryman's armor piece
Armor Sets
Iga Jonin Armor Set (Head of the Iga Ninja)
Heizo Armor Set (Devious Loyalty)

You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.

For armor, it is recommended to wear Light Armor to keep your Agility in A, as this allows you to dodge farther and lessens the Ki consumption of some actions. However, this sacrifices your Toughness, making you prone to Ki Damage and staggering. Alternatively, you can also wear Medium Armor, but keep your Agility to at least B rank.

As for special effects, proritize special effects with Amrita Absorption as we will be using the Extraction Talisman for this build. Otherwise, pick Ki and Ki Recovery to be able to use combos often.

Best Special Effects for Accessories

Common Special Effects
・Toughness
・Ki
・Living Artifact Duration
・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption)
・Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption)
・Defense Bonus (Heart/Intellect/Magic)
・Ki Recovery Speed
・Melee Damage
・Imbue Fire/Wind
・Blustered/Burn Accumulation (Enemy)
・Damage Over Time
・Amrita/Gold Earned (Optional)
Fixed Special Effects
・Life
Accessories: Omamori
・Ki Recovery Speed
Accessories: Fan
・Onmyo Magic Power
Accessories: Divination Board

You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.

For Accessories, Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) or Decrease Damage Taken (Amrita Absorption) are the main priority of this build as it'll synergize with using the Extraction Talisman. If you don't have any of those, Ki or Ki Recovery are a must-have to lessen stamina management during combos.

Best Ninjutsu and Martial Arts for Dual Ninja Swords

Jump to Section!
Dual Ninja Swords Skills Ninja Style Skills
Crucible Arts

Where to Spend Skill Points?

Spend your points on the Dual Ninja Swords and Ninja Style skill trees to learn new combos for the Dual Ninja Swords, while also acquiring useful Ninjutsu and Martial Arts.

Dual Ninja Swords Skills

Skills Requirements
Abscission Unlocked at the start
Water Sword Unlocked at the start
Coiled Spring 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Drifting Counter
Spinning Drill 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Water Sword
Moon Shadow 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Abscission
Spinning Gale 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Drifting Counter
Wave Slash 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Cloudsplitter
Double-Headed Slice 3 Ninja Points
Prerequisite:
Spinning Gale
Cloudsplitter Fire 2 Ninja Points
Prerequisite:
Cloudsplitter
・Unlocked with Martial Arts Guide
Abscission Combo 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Abscission
・Unlocked with Martial Arts Guide

The Water Sword skill is a solid starter Martial Art to cancel enemy attacks and quickly damage their Ki. As this is a strong attack, execute this skill at the end of your combos to stagger enemies as much as possible, but be aware of your timing as this skill has a relatively long windup and could leave you open to counterattacks.

Spinning Gale, Drifting Counters, and Moon Shadow are parry attacks and are very useful to have when facing defensive or slow-hitting enemies. Moon Shadow takes advantage of guarded enemies, giving you a chance to backstab them and open their defenses.

Then, Cloudspitter and Clousplitter Fire inflict fire damage with the last part of the move surging upwards, where you can continue with aerial combos like the Spinning Drill or the Divine Flight Crucible Art.

Lastly, once you reach Lake Hamana in the Warring States era, you'll unlock the Abscission Combo skill. This will be part of your basic combo chain as it's extremely effective in breaking the enemy's Ki.

Ninja Style Skills

Skills Requirements
Evade 1 Ninja Point
Cicada Shell 1 Ninja Point
Uncanny Breeze 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Uncanny Flame
Shrapnel Bomb 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Gunpowder Bomb
Pinwheel Shuriken 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Shuriken
Lightning Step 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Cicada Shell
Footstool Jump 1 Ninja Point
Prerequisite:
Evade
Fire Shuriken Prerequisite:
Pinwheel Shuriken
・Learned from a Handbook
Tempestuous Calamity Prerequisite:
Uncanny Breeze
Flame Breath
・Complete The Way of the Ninja: Veteran

For Ninjutsu, Uncanny Breeze, Shrapnel Bomb, and Pinwheel Shuriken will be your main loadout when doing missions. Uncanny Flame and Shrapnel Bomb deal decent damage and builds up Burn while Pinwheel Shuriken is used to take out enemies from a distance.

You can change your Ninja Tools depending on your current opponent. If you're needing something more defensive, consider replacing Pinwheel Shuriken with either Cicada Shell or Lightning Step. Additionally, if the enemy has a resistance to the element you're using, replace it with its corresponding weakness.

Crucible Arts

Divine Flight Charge at the enemy while guarding in mid-air. For use while airborne.

Divine Flight can be put into a combo with the Cloudsplitter and Spinning Drill to do an aerial combo and hit enemies in their heads. Divine Flight can be done repeatedly as long as you remain in the air, which you can then finish the move by performing a Spinning Drill.

How to Unlock Divine Flight

Best Combo for Dual Ninja Swords

Abscission Combo with Wind Familiar Talismans

This is a very basic combo that could quickly drain the enemy's Ki and build up status ailments fairly fast. Cast the Wind Familiar Talisman before or during the battle, then perform the Abscission Combo by repeatedly pressing the quick attack button until you run out of Ki.

To make this combo more effective, build up another status ailment, like Burn or Saturation, to inflict Confusion on the enemy. When Confusion is active, the more status ailments you put on the target, the higher your damage will be.

Do note that when doing the Abscission Combo, you're prone to getting punished or grabbed by the enemy so try not to overcommit and don't forget to use Mist or Cicada Shell to strategically position yourself. Any elemental talisman will work for this combo. However, you can change the talisman based on your enemy's weaknesses or the special effects available in your equipment.

Cloudsplitter to Divine Flight

For this aerial combo, you'll need the Divine Flight Crucible Art and either Cloudsplitter or its Tranformed Art version. To execute this combo, start with a Cloudsplitter which will launch you into the air, then do a Divine Flight by keeping the guard button pressed and pushing the quick attack button repeatedly. Once you're almost near the ground, finish it off with a strong attack or use Spinning Drill. This combo is effective against an individual target or a group of enemies.

As long as you're hitting an enemy with Divine Flight, you'll be able to remain airborne to do the move over and over. Be cautious when using this skill as enemies with long reach can easily bring you down and deal significant damage.

Best Skills for Dual Ninja Swords

Secret Skills Text

Secret Skill Effects
Evil-Dispelling Evade Dispels the Yokai Realm from an area where you have successfully Evaded.
Armor Piercer Increases damage dealt by Final Blow and Grapple by 10.0%.
Tachi Arts Increase melee attack by 8.4% against enemies with maximum Life.
Awakening Allows to use Onmyo Magic faster.
Panacea Curefast Increase Life restored by elixirs by 15.0%
Lingering Spirit Recovers 30.0% of the Amrita left at your grave when you die.

The Evil-Dispelling Evade is a must-have Secret Skill for any Ninja Style user as it is the only way to clear Yokai Realm pools in Ninja Style. It requires having the Ninja Style skill Evade to be used.

Secret Skills for the Ninja Style like Tachi Arts increases damage against enemies with full health, this gives you an advantage every first attack you do against an enemy.

Common Secret Styles like Panacea Curefast will allow you to survive battles even if you have a few Elixirs left, while Lingering Spirit is a good safety net in case you fail to retrieve your grave after dying.

Best Guardian Spirits for Dual Ninja Swords

Early Game
Mid Game
Late Game

Use Enko in Early Game

Enko ATK DEF Element
Enko Icon.png 12 11 Fire
Quest
The Hamamatsu Incident
Special Effects
・Melee Damage vs Scorched Enemy +6.3%
・Damage Over Time +10.6%
・Damage Taken Over Time +16.8%
・Amrita Gauge Charge +6.9%
・Reduced Spirit Force Consumption -7.4%
Guardian Spirit Skill
・Blazing Claw (Spirit Force: 60)
・Hellfire Maul (Spirit Force: 40)

Enko will enhance the damage output of Fire attacks and increases its damage per second. Additionally, Enko makes your Amrita Gauge faster so you can enter Living Artifact form sooner.

Its Guardian Spirit skill, Hellfire Maul, does a slam kick move that releases a shockwave and spawns a fire tornado, dealing strong Fire damage and Burn buildup.

Enko Guardian Spirit Guide

Use Kurama Tengu in Mid Game and Late Game

Kurama Tengu ATK DEF Element
Kurama Tengu 18 11 Fire
Quest
The Age of Clans Begins
Special Effects
・Martial Arts Ki Damage +6.6%
・Enemy Sensor
・Wind Damage Reduction +18
・Spirit Force Bonus (Elixir) +12
・Elemental Damage +7.2%
Guardian Spirit Skill
・Kurama's Slicer (Spirit Force: 30)

Equip Kurama Tengu for its Elemental Damage and Martial Arts KI Damage special effect as this boosts your overall Ki damage when doing combos as well as the elements you use. Kurama also has Enemy Sensor that allows you to see enemies as red dots in the mini-map and is useful if you want to avoid an enemy encounter.

As for its Guardian Spirit skill, Kurama launches wind blades with its amount increasing the closer you are to an enemy. You can use this skill twice.

Kurama Tengu Guardian Spirit Guide

Best Soul Cores for Dual Ninja Swords

Yang Position
Yin Position

Use Sunakake-baba Soul Core for Yang

Sunakake-baba Soul Core
Sunakake-baba
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Ki Pulse Bonus +50
・Blindness (Onmyo Magic Hit)
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Sunakake-baba x4
Yin Position Talisman:
・Devigorate Talisman x3

Use Sunakake-baba in the Yang position to get Blindness (Onmyo Magic Hit). This status ailment inflicts Blindness upon an enemy when they are hit with any offensive Onmyo Magic, temporarily disorienting the target and causing them to run or attack in random directions. A Blinded enemy can easily be backstabbed or damaged as long as the effect is active, so make the most out of that opening.

Use Magatsu Warrior Soul Core for Yang

Magatsu Warrior Soul Core
Magatsu Warrior
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Ki Recovery Speed +3.5%
・Break +10
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Magatsu Warrior x2
Yin Position Talisman:
・Last Stand Talisman x4

For your second Yang slot, use the Magatsu Warrior for its Break special effect to increase your Ki damage. Its Ki Recovery Speed (Unscathed) can also help regenerate your Ki as long as you have full health.

Use Infernal Oni-bi Soul Core for Yin

Infernal Oni-bi Soul Core
Infernal Oni-bi Soul Core
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Burn Accumulation +3.5%
・Fire Damage +4.4%
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Infernal Oni-bi x3
Yin Position Talisman:
・Fire Talisman x2

Put Infernal Oni-bi in the Yin position for the Fire Talisman, which imbues your weapon with fire damage and easily builds up the Burn status ailment. If you're using Enko as the Guardian Spirit, the Fire damage and Burn status you inflict are much stronger.

Use Kamaitachi Soul Core for Yin

Kamaitachi Soul Core
Kamaitachi Soul Core
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Wind Damage +4.4%
・Dodge Ki Consumption +8.0%
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Kamaitachi x2
Yin Position Talisman:
・Wind Familiar Talisman x4

In the Yin position, Kamaitachi gives the Wind Familiar Talismans. This summons orbs that hit opponents with Wind damage and Bluster accumulation when they get near you. Activate this talisman before or during combat to effectively build up the Blustered status ailment, which increases the enemy's Ki consumption and Ki damage received.

How to Beat Kamaitachi

Use Gaki Chief Soul Core for Yin

Gaki Chief Soul Core
Gaki Chief Soul Core
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Amrita Guage Charge +7.5%
・Strong Attack Ki Damage +3.5%
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Gaki Chief x2
Yin Position Talisman:
・Extraction Talisman x5

The Extraction Talisman can be acquired through the Gaki Chief Soul Core in the Yin position. This talisman allows you to steal Amrita from any enemy you hit, causing all your special effects with the Amrita Absorption condition to activate. As you'll be engaging closely with enemies, having Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) on any of your equipment ensures that your health will be topped-up as you do damage. Always cast this talisman before or during combat.

Use Mermaid Soul Core for Yin

Mermaid Soul Core
Mermaid Soul Core
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Life Drain (Water Damage) B-
・Faster Movement (Ailing)
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Mermaid x5
Yin Position Talisman:
・Life Leech Talisman x3

The Life Leech Talisman can be found in the Mermaid Soul Core in the Yin position. As this talisman makes enemies release life force when you hit them, using any Dual Ninja Sword skills that attack in succession, like Abscission Combo or Water Sword, will give you a significant amount of healing.

If you haven't reached the Heian period nor encountered the Mermaid yokai yet, use the Yoki Soul Core for its Power Talisman as an alternative.

Use Bloodedge Demon Soul Core for Yin

Bloodedge Demon Soul Core
Bloodedge Demon
Yang Position Special Effects:
・Elemental Damage +5.5%
・Damage vs. Revenants +7.5%
Yokai Ability:
・Summoning Seal: Bloodedge Demon x1
Yin Position Talisman:
・Carnage Talisman x5

To further boost your melee attack, get the Carnage Talisman from the Bloodedge Demon Soul Core. This talisman gives a significant increase to your melee attack but also lowers your Defense so using this talisman will be a risk early game. We recommend equipping better armor, having higher Toughness, or using other buffs like the Life Leech Talisman or Steel Talisman to mitigate the reduction in Defense.

If you haven't beaten the Bloodedge Demon, use the Daidara Bocchi Soul Core for the Sloth Talisman as an alternative. The Daidara Bocchi can be found at Lake Hamana in the Warring States period.

How to Beat Bloodedge Demon

Dual Ninja Swords Tips and Tricks

Spend Your Prestige Points to Get Bonuses

Prestige Points can be used to obtain permanent bonuses (known as Prestige) to enhance a variety of stats from 9 different categories. For the Ninja Style, we suggest using your points on some of the following Prestige:

  • Ninja: Dodge Ki Consumption, Melee Attack Ki Consumption
  • Tactics: Ki Recovery Speed, Onmyo Magic Power
  • Subjugation: Amrita Earned, Damage Taken (Ki Depleted)
  • Exploration: Medicine Efficacy
  • Crucible: Amrita Earned (Crucible)

Take note that the Prestige Points you've spent can be reset and redistributed to another bonus within the same category.

How to Get Prestige Points?

To get more Prestige Points for a category, fulfill a milestone or complete challenges to earn Titles. To see the available Titles you can unlock, open the Main Menu then go to Titles > Title List.

Use Equipment Suited to Your Level

To get the best bonuses, always use equipment that suits your current level. Using underleved items will give you less attack bonuses for weapons, and less defense bonuses for armor.

Use Purple Rarity If Possible

Items with Purple (Exotic) rarities provide better and rarer special effects. Additionally, you'll sometimes find better combinations of special effects from Exotic weapons.

Raise the Dual Ninja Swords to Full Familiarity

Constantly using weapons will increase its Familiarity. Weapons with full Familiarity gets a significant bonus in damage.

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