Nioh 2: All about guardian spirits, soul cores & yokai transformation

In this guide to Nioh 2 you will learn:

  • The function of the guardian spirit
  • What the Yokai change is
  • Peculiarities of the three Yokai forms
  • How and where you get and strengthen soul cores
  • The right combination of guardian spirit and soul core

In Nioh 2 you have the possibility to transform into a Yokai for the first time. The key to this lies in the various guardian spirits.

Unlike in the first part, the guardian spirits can no longer be leveled up, but they can be strengthened with the new soul cores. Soul cores allow you to use the abilities of slain Yokai and give you the decisive advantage in battle.

The guardian spirit in Nioh 2

Equipping a guardian spirit gives you bonuses. You can see which bonuses you get in the menu item "Protective Spirit". Directly below the name of the spirit is a sword and shield icon. The multiplier next to it tells you the bonus you get on your attack and defense power.

The guardian spirits in Nioh 2 grant you various bonuses.

The item "Protective Spirit Protection" lists special effects that you get by equipping the spirit. The grayed-out effects are only activated when the required base values have reached the appropriate level.

The points required for this are made up of the total score of two basic values. Thus, the selection of your guardian spirit depends on your play style and the points you have invested.

In the tutorial, you can choose from three ghosts. Later on in the game you will unlock more. A total of 25 different guard ian spirits can be unlocked via main and side missions.

At the beginning, you can only use one guardian spirit. Later on, you can also equip a secondary guardian spirit. However, the second guardian spirit only grants an additional special effect, which is marked with a small animal symbol under the item "Protective Spirit Protection".

Yokai Change and Yokai Forms

A new key feature in Nioh 2 is the Yokai Change, which is the ability to turn you into a demon. The Yokai transformation is a trump card and should only be used to deal with particularly unruly enemies. You will need a full Amrita meter for the transformation. Amrita is obtained by defeating enemies and also represents the experience gained.

When you have collected enough anima, the guardian spirit icon will pulse.

The Amrita indicator is marked as the symbol of your guardian spirit and is located in the upper left corner of the screen. When the indicator is filled, the image pulses. To transform into a Yokai, triangle circle must be held on the PS4 controller.

In Yokai form, you are invulnerable and the life meter is replaced by a special bar. This bar steadily decreases and represents the remaining duration of the transformation. Every injury inflicted on you reduces the bar - so be careful!

By holding Triangle Circle again, you use the powerful ability of your guardian spirit. However, this immediately ends the Yokai transformation. If you just want to end the Yokai change early, hold R1 Circle. The remaining duration goes directly into the next Amrita recharge.

There are three different Yokai forms, which are determined by the equipped guardian spirit. Each of these forms differs with its own play style and comes with unique abilities:

  1. Crusher Form: The breaker is armed with a giant club and trades attack speed for strength.
  2. Wildling Form: The Wildling possesses two incredibly fast daggers and is the most agile.
  3. Phantom Form: The Phantom is equipped with a floating spear and excels in ranged combat.

The active and passive abilities of the Yokai forms can be improved through their own ability tree. In the metamorphosis tree , for example, you can extend the duration of your Yokai form, or increase resistances to the Dark Realm.

Function & locations of the soul cores

Unlike in Nioh 1 (), the level of the guardian spirits can no longer be increased. This is where the new soul cores come into play, which are used in guardian spirits. Soul Cores theoretically come from every slain Yokai, and through them you can perform a unique Yokai attack. However, the chance of getting a soul core is very low and success depends on several factors.

The Soul Core of Yatsu-no-Kai unleashes the serpent deity on your enemies.

The first time you defeat a Yokai boss, you are guaranteed a soul core. You also have an increased chance of getting a soul core from the Yokai who uphold the Dark Realm and drag small orange flowers behind them. A total of 46 soul cores can be obtained in the game and are necessary to get the Soul Seeker trophyin Nioh 2.

Management & improvement of soul cores

Equipped guardian spirits can hold up to two soul cores. Within a mission, you can switch between your primary and secondary guardian spirits at any time to gain access to multiple Yokai abilities.

Soul Cores can be attuned to your Guardian Spirits at any shrine. However, be careful not to exceed the attunement limit. The attunement cost of a Soul Core depends on its strength, level, and color.

The tuning cost is indicated by a light blue bar.

The strength of the soul core depends on the Yokai you got the core from. A weak Gaki Soul Core costs significantly less than the Soul Core of a boss Yokai, which is all the more powerful for it. A higher level soul core is more expensive than a low level one. Lastly, the color of the soul cores also plays a role:

  • Red soul cor es work best with guardian spirits, which give you a breaker form.
  • Blue soul cores work best with guardian spirits that give you a wildling form.
  • Purple soul cores work best with guardian spirits that give you a phantom form.

Aside from the active Yokai ability, Soul Cores give you passive special effects - similar to the special effects of Protective Spirits. The first two special effects of a Soul Core are always the same and do not change in strength with higher level.

To improve the special effects of a Soul Core, you must increase the Soul Core rank. Attention: Rank and level of a Soul Core are two different things! About the so-called soul fusion you can merge soul cores of the same type to increase the soul core rank.

Soul Cores that you no longer need can be broken down into Soul Fragments in the Ritual of Rest. Once you have accumulated a certain number of soul fragments, you will receive a skill point in the metamorphosis tree. Also, when you disassemble them, there is a small chance of getting very rare blacksmith materials, which are needed for especially strong equipment.

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