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Nioh 3
Best Cestus Build
This is a guide to the best build for Cestus in Nioh 3. See the best armor and accessories to use with the Cestus, which Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores to equip, as well as which stats to level up.
List of Contents
Attention! |
The following builds are currently based on early-game content. We are working on improving them as information becomes available.
|
|---|
Cestus Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✔︎ High attack speed that enables quick combo chains
✔︎ Highly versatile moveset for combo mix ups |
✖︎ Short attack range, requiring close-range engagement
✖︎ Requires continuous combos to maximize damage |
The Cestus excels at fast and aggressive combat, allowing you to overwhelm enemies through rapid attacks and flexible combo chains. Its highly versatile moveset enables constant mix ups, making it effective at maintaining pressure and adapting to different combat situations.
However, its short attack range requires you to stay close to enemies, and its damage potential relies on maintaining continuous combos, making timing and positioning important for consistent performance.
Best Stats for Cestus
| Cestus Scaling |
|---|
 Heart  Stamina  Strength |
| Character Stats |
 Magic |
For stat distribution, prioritize Heart as your main investment since it increases Melee Attack, Ki, and Ki Recovery Speed, all of which are essential for sustaining long combo sequences. Stamina should be your secondary stat, allowing you to maintain agility while equipping heavier armor for improved defense and survivability in close range fights.
Magic is also an important investment to support the use of Onmyo Magic, enabling the use of talismans for elemental debuffs that further enhance the Cestus’ offensive potential during engagements.
Best Special Effects for Cestus
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Armor |
| Accessories | |
Best Special Effects for Weapons
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
・Low Stance Martial Art Ki Consumption ・Mid Stance Martial Art Ki Consumption ・High Stance Martial Art Ki Consumption ・Melee Ki Damage |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Martial Arts Ki Consumption (Martial Artist Cestuses) | |
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
Cestus’ rapid attacks and combos can consume a lot of Ki, making effects like increased Ki Recovery Speed and reduced Ki Consumption essential for any stance. Additionally, include effects that boost your damage output to maximize the effectiveness of your fast, aggressive playstyle.
Best Special Effects for Armor
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Ki Recovery Speed
・Toughness ・Defense ・Dodge Ki Consumption ・Damage Taken ・Guard Ki Recovery Speed |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・First of the Four Guardians (Brave Demon Hunter Set) | |
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
Continue adding effects that support your Ki, such as increased Ki Recovery Speed and reduced Ki Consumption. Include defensive effects like boosted Toughness, Defense, and reduced Damage Taken, all of which are essential for staying in the fight.
For armor, equip at least four pieces of the Brave Demon Hunter Set, as it provides enhanced Attack and Defense when Cestuses are equipped, making it particularly well suited for this build. This set is generally obtained later in the game, so players should focus on other armor options during the early game.
Best Special Effects for Accessories
| Common Special Effects | |
|---|---|
| ・Fire Damage
・Water Damage ・Ki Recovery Speed ・Dodge Ki Consumption ・Untouched Elixirs |
|
| Fixed Special Effects | |
| ・Ki Recovery Speed (Fan)
・Effect Duration (Writing Set) |
|
You may use any equipment that has one or two of the special effects listed above.
For accessories, include Special Effects that boost Elemental Damage to enhance the effectiveness of your elemental talismans. Ki-related enhancements, such as improved Ki Recovery or reduced Ki Consumption, are essential for sustaining your combos. Additionally, effects like Untouched Elixirs, which give you a chance not to consume an Elixir when used, help maintain your supply and improve overall survivability.
Best Martial Arts for Cestus
| Jump to Section! | |
|---|---|
| Cestus Martial Arts | Samurai Martial Arts |
Where to Spend Samurai Points?
Spend your Samurai Points to unlock the High and Low stances in the Samurai tree first, as these are required to access their corresponding movesets in the Cestuses tree.
Cestus Martial Arts
| Skills | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Rising Gale | 2 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・Spinning Kicks |
| Limitless (High Stance) |
1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance |
| Heavenly Strike | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless |
| Unbowed | 3 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless ・Heavenly Strike |
| Dancing Kick | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless |
| Beyond Infinity (High Stance) |
2 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless ・Dancing Kick |
| Battering Ram (High/Mid Stance) |
1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless |
| Fracture Foe (Mid/Low Stance) |
1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・Flying Fist |
| Stomp | 1 Samurai Point |
Prioritize Rising Gale, as it turns your Ki Pulse into an offensive follow up, allowing you to continue combos while restoring Ki. Unbowed also plays an important role by reducing Ki consumption when your skills connect, helping you sustain offense during extended exchanges.
Two of the strongest movesets for this build are Limitless, a charge attack that delivers a devastating blow at the cost of high Ki consumption, making it ideal against staggered enemies or when you have proper positioning, and Beyond Infinity, which unleashes continuous strikes that become even stronger when timed correctly with Strong Attacks.
For follow up options, Battering Ram and Fracture Foe are excellent choices, as they naturally extend Quick and Strong Attack sequences into heavier finishing strikes, allowing you to maintain pressure while maximizing combo damage. Additionally, Stomp can be integrated between combos to increase the power of your next Martial Art.
For airborne attacks, Heavenly Strike performs an uppercut that launches you upward and opens opportunities for mid air follow ups. This can be combined with Dancing Kick, which delivers a descending flying kick, making it useful for quick strikes or repositioning.
Samurai Martial Arts
| Martial Arts | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Low Stance | 1 Samurai Point |
| High Stance | 1 Samurai Point |
| Deflect | 1 Samurai Point |
| Flux II | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Low Stance ・Flux |
Unlock the High and Low Stance to access the essential movesets for this Cestus build. Include Deflect, which allows you to parry enemy attacks, helping conserve Ki and improve survivability. Flux II also plays an important role by allowing you to perform a Ki Pulse while switching stances.
Best Skills for Cestus
Secret Skills Text
| Secret Skill | Effects |
|---|---|
| Running Water | Enables you to perform a Ki Pulse by dodging. |
| Roaring Dragon Deflect | Inflicts Increased Damage Received (Elemental) on an enemy after a successful Deflect. |
| Unshakable | Reduces damage taken while you are attacking by 10.0%. |
| Awakening | Allows you to use Onmyo Magic faster. |
| Aerial Strike | Increases mid-air damage by 7.0%. |
The listed skills provide support for both offense and defense. On the defensive side, Running Water turns your dodge into a Ki Pulse, helping you recover Ki while evading enemy attacks, while Unshakable reduces damage taken when clashing with enemies.
For offense, Roaring Dragon Deflect increases your elemental damage after successfully parrying, and Awakening boosts your Onmyo Magic casting speed. Additionally, Aerial Strike enhances mid-air damage, improving the effectiveness of Martial Arts such as Heavenly Strike and Dancing Kick.
Best Guardian Spirits for Cestus
Use Guhin as Guardian Spirit
| Guhin | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10 | 10 | Wind |
| Quest | |||
| Unlocked at the start | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Martial Arts Ki Consumption -8.4%
・Damage Taken -4.2% ・Strong Attack Break +11.0% ・Faster Winded Recovery ・Melee Damage vs Winded Enemy +8.4% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
| ・Eight-Handed Blade (Spirit Force: 40) | |||
Guhin reduces Martial Arts Ki Consumption, allowing you to chain more combos efficiently. It also provides several useful effects, including reduced Damage Taken, increased Strong Attack Break, faster Winded Recovery, which shortens the downtime after Ki depletion, and Melee Damage vs. Winded Enemy, boosting your damage against foes with depleted Ki.
Use Kusanagi as Alternative
| Kusanagi | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
|
12 | 7 | Fire |
| Quest | |||
| Unlocked at the start | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Martial Art Damage +6.3%
・Fire Damage Reduction +13 ・Ki Pulse Recovery +10.8% ・Increased Arts Proficiency Damage +6.9% ・Spirit Force Charge (Martial Art) +11.0% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
| ・Heaven's Fire (Spirit Force: 40) | |||
Kusanagi is a great alternative, providing a strong offensive boost through increased Martial Arts Damage and Arts Proficiency Damage. It also enhances Spirit Force Charge while using Martial Arts, and offers Fire Damage Reduction and Ki Pulse Recovery, which are essential for sustaining your combos.
Best Soul Cores for Cestus
Use Bloodedge Demon Soul Core for Yang
| Bloodedge Demon Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 |
Bloodedge Demon provides the Summoning Seal, allowing you to summon it to unleash an elemental attack based on your equipped Guardian Spirit, followed by multiple melee strikes that deal substantial damage. It also boosts Elemental Damage, enhancing your elemental talismans and maximizing the build’s offensive potential.
You can carry one Summoning Seal: Bloodedge Demon at a time, which is replenished when resting at a Shrine.
Use Jakotsu-baba Soul Core for Yin
| Jakotsu-baba Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Water Damage +4.4% ・Auto-Grave Recovery +17.0% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Jakotsu-baba x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Water Familiar Talisman x4 |
Jakotsu-baba provides the Water Familiar Talisman, which summons floating orbs that deal Water Damage to nearby enemies. This builds up the Saturated status, increasing the damage enemies take.
You can equip up to four Water Familiar Talismans at a time, and they are replenished when resting at a Shrine.
Use Infernal Oni-bi Soul Coure for Yin
| Infernal Oni-bi Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Burn Accumulation (Enemy) +3.5% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Infernal Oni-bi x3 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Fire Talisman x3 |
Infernal Oni-bi provides the Fire Talisman, which imbues your Cestuses with the Fire Element. This builds up the Burn status, causing enemies to take damage over time.
You can equip up to three Fire Talismans at a time, and they are replenished when resting at a Shrine.
Cestus Tips and Tricks
Maintain Fast Combos and Ki Management
Cestus excels at rapid attacks and flexible combo chains. Focus on chaining short sequences to keep pressure on enemies without overextending, as longer combos can leave you vulnerable.
Combining Martial Arts moves consumes a lot of Ki, making proper management essential. Use Ki Pulse frequently, and take skills like Running Water and Rising Gale to recover Ki while dodging or chaining combos. Unbowed also helps by reducing Ki consumption on connected attacks, letting you sustain offense longer.
Use Elemental Effects and Guardian Spirit Skills
Use elemental talismans and Guardian Spirit skills to boost your damage output and apply status effects. Pairing elemental effects with your attacks can significantly increase your offensive potential and even trigger Confusion when multiple elements are combined.
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 this Cestus build, we suggest using your points on some of the following Prestige:
- Samurai: Melee Attack Ki Consumption, Martial Art Ki Damage
- Tactics: Ki Recovery Speed, Onmyo Magic Power
- Subjugation: Amrita Earned, Elemental Damage
- Formidable Enemies: Melee Ki Damage, Melee Damage vs. Winded Enemy
- Exploration: Medicine Efficacy
- Collection: Martial Art Damage
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.
Nioh 3 Related Guides
All Samurai Builds
| Samurai Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Swords |
 Dual Swords |
 Spears |
 Axes |
 Odachi |
 Switchglaives |
 Cestesus |
||
All Ninja Builds
| Ninja Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Ninja Swords |
 Dual Ninja Swords |
 Kusarigama |
 Tonfa |
 Hatchets |
 Splitstaff |
 Talons |
||
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