Kusanagi
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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 stat scaling to prioritize.
List of Contents
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 Scaling for Cestus
Put Points Into Heart and Strength
| 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. Strength should be your secondary focus, boosting both melee damage and Ki Damage to make staggering enemies easier. Invest in Stamina only as needed to equip armor with beneficial effects while keeping your Agility in the green range.
Magic is also an important investment, enabling the use of talismans for buffs and debuffs that further enhance the Cestus’ offensive potential during engagements.
Use any remaining points to invest in stats that activate beneficial Special Effects from your armor and accessories, further strengthening your build.
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)
・Martial Art Ki Damage (Hachiya Cestuses) ・Auto Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) (Shugendo Hermit Cestuses) ・First of the Four Guardians (Demon Arm 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 the Brave Demon Hunter Set, as it provides beneficial effects such as a significant increase to Martial Art Damage, reduced Ki Consumption, and an Attack Bonus, 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) ・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) (Prayer Beads) |
|
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 |
| Crucible 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: ・Kick Cycle ・Unbroken ・Spinning Kicks |
| Kick Cycle Water | 2 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Kick Cycle |
| Reckless Charge | 1 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Kick Cycle ・Stomp |
| Unbowed | 3 Samurai Points
Prerequisite: ・High Stance ・Limitless ・Heavenly Strike |
| Dreadslayer | 2 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Kick Cycle ・Stomp ・Reckless Charge |
| 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 Lightning (Mid/Low Stance) |
3 Samurai Point
Prerequisite: ・Low Stance ・Flying Fist ・Fractured Foe |
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 best movesets for this build are Kick Cycle Water, a flurry of kicks imbued with Water Damage that is ideal for maintaining pressure on enemies, and Reckless Charge, which lets you charge into enemies while resisting attacks, making it effective for closing gaps and creating combo opportunities.
For follow-up options, Battering Ram and Fracture Foe Lightning 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, Dreadslayer is a great follow-up for Reckless Charge, letting you circle around the enemy while delivering swift, continuous blows.
Lastly, Beyond Infinity is one of the best Martial Arts for Cestus, but also one of the hardest to execute flawlessly, as it requires precise timing of Strong Attack presses to increase its speed. When mastered, it delivers a relentless series of rapid strikes, making it incredibly effective for staggering enemies and maintaining offensive pressure.
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, as it restores more Ki while switching stances, allowing you to recover more efficiently during combat.
Crucible Arts
| Fists of Reckoning | Follow up a Quick Attack with a flurry of punches. Hold down the Strong Attack button to increase the number of punches. (High Stance Only) |
|---|
Fist of Reckoning performs a series of wide left and right swings, ending with a powerful uppercut. It is an excellent Crucible Art best used against a single opponent, as it applies strong pressure and creates valuable stagger opportunities.
How to Unlock Fists of Reckoning
Best Combo for Cestus
Reckless Charge to Fists of Reckoning
This combo utilizes one of the best Crucible Arts for Cestus. From High Stance, use Reckless Charge to close the gap, then follow up with Rising Gale to perform a Ki Pulse, and finish with Fists of Reckoning to deal heavy damage.
To maximize the effectiveness of this combo, include Dreadslayer, which synergizes well with Reckless Charge. When using Fists of Reckoning, hold the Strong Attack button to unleash additional punches for increased damage.
This combo is especially effective against single opponents, dealing significant Ki damage and creating strong stagger opportunities.
Kick Cycle Water Loop
This combo utilizes a flurry of kicks that continuously pressure the enemy. From any stance, perform Kick Cycle Water, then follow up with Rising Gale to perform a Ki Pulse before repeating Kick Cycle Water.
This combo works especially well against single opponents. When executed while Arts Proficiency is active, Ki consumption is drastically reduced, allowing the combo to be sustained for extended periods and maintaining constant pressure on the enemy.
Best Skills for Cestus
Secret Skills Text
| Secret Skill | Effects |
|---|---|
| Running Water | Enables you to perform a Ki Pulse by dodging. |
| Polished Form | Reduces Ki consumed by Martial Arts by 5.0% |
| Unshakable | Reduces damage taken while you are attacking by 10.0%. |
| Awakening | Allows you to use Onmyo Magic faster. |
| Resilient Arts | Increases damage dealt by Strong Attacks and Martial Arts by 8.0% while Arts Proficiency is active. Makes it more difficult to fill the Arts Gauge. |
| Oppressive Strength | Prevents you from being staggered during Strong Attacks and Martial Arts while Arts Proficiency is active. |
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, Oppressive Strength and Resilient Arts prevent stagger and increase your Strong Attack and Martial Arts damage while Arts Proficiency is active, while Polished Form reduces Martial Arts Ki consumption, helping you extend combos more effectively.
Awakening allows for faster casting of your talismans during combat, improving your overall offensive versatility.
Best Guardian Spirits for Cestus
| Early to Mid Game | |
|---|---|
| Late Game |
Use Guhin in Early to Mid Game
| 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 is excellent for early to mid-game, as it 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 Early to Late Game 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 early to late-game 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.
Kusanagi (Samurai) Guardian Spirit Guide
Use Oh in Late Game
| Oh | ATK | DEF | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
|
14 | 22 | Wind |
| Quest | |||
| Defeat Minamoto no Yoritomo at the end of the Heian era | |||
| Special Effects | |||
|
・Spirit Force Charge Bonus (Amrita Gauge) A-
・Guard Ki Consumption -8.6% ・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) 11 ・Faster Ki Recovery (Deflect) ・Item Drop Rate +17.0% |
|||
| Guardian Spirit Skill | |||
|
・Gusting Crosswind (Spirit Force: 60)
・Cutting Wings (Spirit Force: 40) |
|||
Oh is a strong late-game option, as its Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) provides essential survivability that synergizes with the recommended Soul Cores. It also grants enhanced Spirit Force Charge Bonus, increased Item Drop Rate, reduced Guard Ki Consumption, and provides Faster Ki Recovery (Deflect), which helps improve overall Ki management.
Best Soul Cores for Cestus
| Yang Position |
|---|
| Yin Position |
Use Nuppeppo Soul Core for Yang
| Nuppeppo Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Life +100 ・Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption) 12 Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Nuppeppo x3 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Rejuvenation Talisman x5 |
Nuppeppo provides strong survivability effects, including increased Life and Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption), which synergize well with the recommended Yin Soul Cores. When summoned, Nuppeppo lunges forward with a spinning attack that hits all nearby enemies, making it excellent for crowd control.
You can carry three Nuppeppo Summoning Seals, and they are replenished at the Shrine.
Use Yasha Soul Core for Yang
| Yasha Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Martial Arts Ki Consumption -4.0% ・Life Drain (Water Damage) Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Yasha x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Geyser Shot Talisman x8 |
Yasha provides reduced Martial Arts Ki Consumption and Life Drain (Water Damage), synergizing with the Water Familiar Talisman and Kick Cycle Water Martial Arts to improve health recovery while dealing Water Damage. When summoned, Yasha attacks the enemy with multiple slashes, finishing with Water Damage, making it especially effective against individual foes.
You can carry two Yasha Summoning Seals, and they are replenished at the Shrine.
Use Gaki Chief Soul Core for Yin
| Gaki Chief Soul Core | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Amrita Gauge Charge +7.5% ・Strong Attack Ki Damage +3.5% Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Gaki Chief x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Extraction Talisman x5 |
Gaki provides the Extraction Talisman, which generates Amrita from enemies with any attack. This synergizes well with Life Recovery (Amrita Absorption), replenishing your Life while on offense.
You can carry five Extraction Talismans at a time. They are replenished when resting at a Shrine.
Use Otoroshi Soul Core for Yang
| Otoroshi Soul Core | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Yang Position | Special Effects:
・Ki Recovery Speed +2.5% ・Life Recovery (Yokai Realm) Yokai Ability: ・Summoning Seal: Otoroshi x2 |
| Yin Position | Talisman:
・Barrier Talisman x5 |
Otoroshi's Barrier Talisman increases Ki Recovery Speed and dispels Yokai Realm pools on contact, helping you sustain combos for longer.
You can carry five Barrier Talismans at a time. They are 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’s Water Familiar Talisman summons water orbs that deal Water Damage to nearby enemies, inflicting Saturated status and increasing the damage they take.
You can carry four Water Familiar Talismans at a time. 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 to recover Ki while dodging. Incorporate Martial Arts such as Rising Gale and Unbowed, which reduce Ki consumption on connected attacks and allow you to sustain offensive pressure while chaining combos.
Use Guardian Spirit Skills When Low on Ki
Executing Guardian Spirit Skills can be a lifesaver when your Ki is low or completely depleted, especially since blocking with the Cestus consumes a large amount of Ki. Using these skills immediately begins Ki recovery while performing the attack, allowing you to turn a vulnerable moment into an opportunity to regain control of the fight.
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
- Subjugation: Final Blow/Grapple Damage
- Formidable Enemies: Melee Ki Damage, Melee Damage vs. Winded Enemy
- Exploration: Medicine Efficacy, Dash Ki Consumption
- 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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Best Cestus Build
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