The first two bosses of Nioh 2 aren’t exactly easy but can be beaten relatively quickly by players who understand the game’s mechanics. Understanding those mechanics is absolutely critical to progressing through Nioh 2’s various enemies. However, there are some enemies in the game that require a little more than understanding the game to beat.
The first such enemy that players will encounter is Yatsu-No-Kami. This is a massive snake boss that can poison players, attack from both long and short distances, and even summon two smaller snakes to help fight. This forces players to not only understand game mechanics but learn how to move and block attacks effectively. This may be the first time that players truly struggle while playing Nioh 2, so this guide is here to help those who need it.
Find The Snakes in Nioh 2
Those who have attempted this fight may find themselves struggling to avoid the massive pools of poison that populate the boss room. They can be particularly annoying as players attempt to dodge and wind up poisoning themselves in the process. There is a way to get rid of these pools though. Before entering the boss room players can look around the level and discover 3 separate snake statues. If these statues are destroyed then one of the pools inside the boss room will dry up. One can be found in the open area before the boss area, the other can be found next to the corrupted shrine, and the third will be deep in the tunnel system. If Yatsu-No-Kami proves too difficult then this may help take the edge off.
Yatsu-no-kami Attacks in Nioh 2
Long Ranged Attack- The giant snake will shoot a wave of projectiles at the player that can chip away a decent amount of damage.
Tail Swipe- Whenever the player gets close Yatsu will swing his tail at the player.
Tail Slam– Occasionally Yatsu will slam his tail on the ground directly in front of him. This will cause a huge amount of damage.
Underground Snakes- If players are far enough away from Yatsu, he can push his snake arms into the ground. These snakes will then emerge out of the ground at the player’s feet.
Snake Swipe- Sometimes after an attack Yatsu will stretch his snake arms out at the player.
Grab Attack– If Yatsu begins to grow white then he is about to perform his grab attack. This is one of his most powerful moves and is capable of killing players in one hit.
Charge- Yatsu will glow red before charging directly at the player. If he hits a wall then he will turn around and rush at the player again. This is his only ability that can be Burst Countered.
Yatsu-no-kami Strategy in Nioh 2
Fighting Yatsu will most likely wind up being a very long fight and patient players are the only ones who will come out on the other side. Before going into this fight players should ensure that they have plenty of elixirs and as many anima boosting items that they can carry. It is also preferable to have either a spear for reach or a sword for speed as players won’t have many opportunities to attack this boss.
Players will want to cause as much damage as possible to Yatsu in the opening moments of the fight. The snake will most likely begin the fight by slithering towards the player. After this, Yatsu will most likely plunge his snake arms into the ground. When this happens the player should rush at Yatsu as quickly as possible, avoid the arms that come out of the ground, and take a few swings. As soon as the player gets a few hits they should run away before Yatsu retaliates.
From here the player should try their best to only attack when Yatsu tries to attack from underground. This is the only time that the snake isn’t able to attack back. The rest of the fight will be learning how to avoid his other attacks. Eventually, he will try to use his long-ranged attack. This is fairly easy to dodge or block, so players should use this as a chance to develop their blocking skills.
If the player gets too close to Yatsu he will most likely try to use one of his physical attacks. The best bet is to just not be close to him if the player can avoid it, but sometimes that isn’t an option. Players should try not to block any of his attacks unless they have a massive amount of Ki. Yatsu will quickly deplete a player’s Ki bar and leave them open to a lot of damage. If Yatsu tries to use his grab attack, then the player should run as far away as possible. This will most likely kill lower leveled players.
Yatsu will eventually try to use his charge attack as well. This ability is extremely annoying as it is the only attack that can be Burst Countered but is extremely difficult to counter. There is a very short window where a counter will work, and that window is even smaller if the player wants to do it without getting damaged. The best thing to do here is just to run away from Yatsu and attempt to avoid the attack entirely.
The fight will become much more difficult once Yatsu decides to enter the Dark Realm. Upon doing so he will detach his snake arms and players will now have to fight three separate enemies. When this happens players should shift their focus to the smaller snakes and try to kill them as quickly as possible. This will prevent the player from getting overwhelmed. It is also effective to take the snakes out with a bow from afar, but players must keep an eye on Yatsu if they attempt this. It is crucial that Yatsu’s attacks are avoided as they become a lot more powerful while in the Dark Realm.
After a minute or so Yatsu will leave the Dark Realm and players should continue following this same strategy until he is dead. A quick way to bring him down is to use Yokai Skills as often as possible to drain his health and Ki. Save the Yokai Shift until Yatsu is down to less than a quarter of health, and then try to finish him off. This fight is not an easy one and will most definitely try the patience of new players, but if they take it slow and watch his patterns they will become victorious.
Nioh 2 can be played on PlayStation 4.
