Which weapon type suits your playstyle while still being viable in the endgame?

Nioh 2 offers a wider variety of customization options than its predecessor. The weapons, in particular, offer a lot of choices that keeping track of which one to use can be hard. Luckily, you can just settle with a weapon that suits your playstyle.

There are a total of 11 weapon types in the game, and I’m here to help you choose which one fits you best. Let’s have a breakdown of each of them.

11. Odachi

Odachi is a pretty easy weapon to play with. It doesn’t come with any weird mechanics and is capable of dishing out pretty heavy damage without the need to rely on lengthy combos. It also has a pretty good range and heavy break damage, similar to an ax but much simpler to use.

It’s a really beginner-friendly weapon that can surely carry you to the endgame with the right build. Besides, the fact that it scales with Strength means you can enjoy more survivability as you progress through the game.

What Makes Odachi Great:

• Beginner-friendly and very easy to use
• Amazing damage with a decent range
• Scales with Strength for better survivability

Choose Odachi If You:

• Find combos to be complicated
• Don’t want to go through the hassle of managing your ki
• Want to see high damage numbers on your targets

Odachi Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Odachis

10. Kusarigama

The kusarigama is ideal for those who want to run a Ninjutsu build or just want to cosplay as a ninja. It’s capable of dealing a good amount of damage while keeping a safe distance from your enemies. It also scales with Dexterity which is also the main stat that ninjutsu scales with. Lastly, it comes with cool animations and combos which are a good addition if you want an anime-esque type of combat.

Despite its decent damage and range, the kusarigama will take some time to get used to. The reason is because its attacks vary greatly between stances. If you just swing it around wildly, you’ll be opening yourself up to counter-attacks which can work against your favor instead.

What Makes Kusarigama Great:

• Wider variety of moves with every stance
• Pairs well with Ninjutsu items and skills
• Can apply status effects pretty quickly

Choose Kusarigama If You:

• Want to play a ninja-type character
• Like its cool swing animations
• Prefer fast-paced combat with some cool combos

Kusarigama Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Kusarigamas

9. Dual Swords

Dual swords are pretty fun to use. They deal heavy damage up close and can also chain a wide variety of combos to punish your enemies. With enough practice and patience, you can chain your combos using this weapon type without any interruption.

Apart from those, dual swords have access to one of the highest damage dealing skills in the game, the Sign of the Cross. The caveat is that it lacks range, so you’ll have to get pretty up close to your target. Not to mention, it lacks heavy Ki damage and doesn’t have the ability to punish block-spamming enemies.

What Makes Dual Swords Great:

• Very high attack speed
• Swift combos that can chain from one to another
• Fairly flexible during combat

Choose Dual Swords If You:

• Are a fan of dual-wielding weapons
• Want to play a ronin-type character
• Want a weapon type that has a lot of amazing combos

Dual Swords Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Dual+Swords 

8. Sword

The sword, or the katana if you will, is a really good all-rounder that opens up a lot of different playstyles. It’s also a pretty beginner-friendly weapon type that can take you to the endgame as soon as you master it.

Like the dual swords, it also has access to one of the highest damage dealing skills in the game, the Iai Quickdraw. However, it does come with counter skills as well so you can play defensively while dishing out a good amount of damage in return.

Unlike most weapon types, mastering the sword takes some time getting used to as you’ll have to switch stances every now and then to make the most out of it. However, as long as you manage to do that, getting in and out of combat should come naturally.

What Makes Sword Great:

• High Ki damage with certain skills
• Heavy damage with its charged skills
• Versatile with both offensive and defensive options

Choose Sword If You:

• Prefer a samurai-type character
• Want to weave through fights without taking a lot of damage
• Want a weapon that deals burst damage

Sword Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Swords

7. Spear

The spear is yet another beginner-friendly weapon type that allows you to poke your enemies while keeping a safe distance from them. Its good old point-and-stab mechanic means you don’t have to worry too much about getting damaged as long as you hit your target before it gets close to you.

Also, as you unlock more skills, you’ll gain access to some really powerful ones that are capable of dishing out heavy damage. Some good examples are Piercing Rain and Spearfall.

One drawback with the spear, however, is that it lacks some good AOE and crowd control skills, but against a single target, you can surely count on it to deal huge amounts of damage.

What Makes Spear Great:

• Damage enemies from a safe distance
• Can benefit greatly from increases to thrust damage
• Capable of grounding human enemies
• High DPS output on most targets

Choose Spear If You:

• Are a fan of poking enemies from a distance
• Want a weapon that performs really well in 1v1

Spear Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Spears

6. Hatchets

Hatchets aren’t really popular among players for a couple of reasons.

For one, it’s really difficult to master, making them not ideal for beginners. Besides, even players who have sunk plenty of hours into the game still don’t bother mastering them. Then there’s the fact that they have a very short range which can be confusing at times, especially if you’re up against a highly mobile enemy.

Despite their shortcomings, the hatchets can deal huge amounts of damage when thrown, though this means you’ll have to build around ranged attacks that require you to have good aim.

If anything, hatchets are a niche weapon that heavily relies on their throwing skills. They do come with high mobility which somehow makes up for their relatively long windups.

What Makes Hatchets Great:

• Excel at attacking enemies at a very safe distance
• Highly mobile

Choose Hatchets If You:

• Don’t mind dancing around your enemies while throwing your axes
• Prefer a highly mobile build that doesn’t bother getting up close to your enemies
• Want to test a build that’s relatively uncommon among players

Hatchets Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Hatchets 

5. Splitstaff

Yet another weapon type that has a unique mechanic, the splitstaff allows you to hold the button you used for attacking to either extend its range, get in more hits, or increase its damage overall. Of course, it does come with additional Ki consumption, but it opens up a wider variety of options that several other weapon types don’t have.

One of my personal favorites, the splitstaff offers a wide variety of build options that you can go for. However, if you’re going for a build that melts bosses in seconds, then it’s definitely the one for you, thanks to its Dragon Dance skill.

Then there’s also the fact that it’s capable of applying status effects to your targets pretty easily.

What Makes Splitstaff Great:

• Amazing boss killer with its Dragon Dance skill
• Applies status effects quickly and easily
• Quite versatile
• Deals a good amount of Ki damage with its extended attacks

Choose Splitstaff If You:

• Want to destroy bosses in seconds
• Like its unique extending mechanic
• Want a build that lets you play as a monk

Splitstaff Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Splitstaff

4. Axes and Hammers

Dealing heavy damage with just a single swing is what the ax and hammer are all about. As long as you can forego its very slow attack speed, then this is the absolute best weapon to go for as far as heavy damage goes.

Apart from that, this weapon type has access to the Rage skill, a buff that gives you a 50% multiplier to your melee damage for a certain duration.

The problem with the ax and hammer is that it’s pretty slow to attack. However, you can circumvent this by going for a more defensive build in the form of heavy armors so you can tank any incoming damage while dishing out heavy damage in return.

Just take note that every swing opens you up to enemy attacks, not to mention it uses a lot of Ki per swing. It’s by far my least favorite weapon in the game, saved only by its really useful Rage buff.

What Makes Axes and Hammers Great:

• Highest damage output per swing
• Grants hyper armor in most attacks
• Has access to the highest damage dealing skill in the game, the Lumber Chop

Choose Axes and Hammers If You:

• Don’t like being staggered in the middle of an attack animation
• Are a fan of high damage numbers in a single attack
• Want consistent access to the Rage buff

Axes and Hammers Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Axes

3. Tonfas

Tonfas excel at dealing heavy Ki damage - quite possibly the best in the game as far as Ki damage is concerned. It has an amazing variety of combos as well as a pretty quick attack speed to boot. If you don’t mind getting up close to your enemy more than the dual swords, then the tonfas are a solid choice.

What you need to keep in mind is that tonfas rely mostly on depleting an enemy’s ki. Therefore, you won’t see any major damage to your target’s health right off the bat. Basically, every tonfa build focuses around depleting a target’s Ki so they can then execute their combos and deal more damage in the process.

What Makes Tonfas Great:

• The best weapon type when it comes to depleting enemy Ki
• Comes with various combos that you can easily chain
• Perfect for getting up close and personal to your enemies

Choose Tonfas If You:

• Center your build around depleting enemy ki
• Focus on getting the Melee Damage vs. Zero-Ki Enemy stat on your items
• Want a weapon that fires a gun at the end of its combo (limited only to Sarutobi’s Gunsticks)

Tonfas Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Tonfas 

2. Switchglaive

The switchglaive is a magic-based weapon which scales with Magic, making it ideal for those who run Onmyo magic builds. It has a unique mechanic which causes it to change its form depending on which stance you’re attacking from.

There’s High stance which transforms it to a scythe, the Mid stance which features a halberd, and the Low stance which transforms it to a blade.

Due to its switching mechanic, the switchglaive is pretty tricky to use. As such, I don’t really recommend using it during your first playthrough as you might have a hard time figuring out how to perform its combos. However, if you stick to just a single stance, then you should be fine.

That said, the switchglaive is the most adaptable weapon type in the game. Its various forms give you more options for your offense, and you can even unlock skills that automatically switch its form to another at the end of its combo.

What Makes Switchglaive Great:

• Good range with some pretty decent staggers
• Strong defensive options using skills like Just Reprisal
• Ability to deflect projectiles back to enemies

Choose Switchglaive If You:

• Like the switching mechanic
• Want access to a weapon buff that grants increased Anima generation
• Prefer a single weapon type that comes with various playstyles

Switchglaive Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Switchglaives

1. Fists

Fist weapons come in two versions: the clawed version which deals 25% more damage and the normal version which deals 25% more Ki damage. Depending on which of the two you prefer, I can say they are a bit flexible in terms of your options.

Just like the hatchets, fist weapons require you to get pretty up close to your target. They have the shortest range of all the weapon types in the game, so if you don’t mind the distance, then this is a solid choice for you.

What I personally like about the fists is that they come with a ton of amazing combos that you can chain pretty easily. There’s my favorite Beyond Infinity skill which allows you to deal an insane amount of hits which translates to insane damage over a certain period.

However, it does take a bit of mastery due to the timing required to pull off the combo properly.

Then there’s the Limitless skill which allows you to deal massive damage in a single hit. The caveat is that it has a pretty long windup, so it’s best used against downed enemies who already have their ki depleted.

Another selling point of the fist weapons is that they come with the Unbroken skill which essentially increases your damage whenever you connect an active skill with another active skill or an active skill with a normal attack.

What Makes Fists Great:

• Flashy combos with decent damage
• Heavy Ki damage
• Wide variety of moves for various situations
• Huge damage potential, thanks to its Unbroken mechanic

Choose Fists If You:

• Love martial arts as your main playstyle
• Want to deplete enemy Ki and deal heavy damage right after

Fists Details:

https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Fists

To be fair, if you want a weapon type that will take you to the endgame without much difficulty, then I would recommend either Odachi or Switchglaive. The former is a bit easier to use though while the latter requires some practice to get used to.

Regardless, you can choose whatever weapon type you want as long as it fits your specific playstyle.

You may also be interested in:

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• Nioh 2 Best Guardian Spirits
• Nioh 2 Best Soul Cores (And What's Great About Them)
• Nioh 2 Best Weapon Types - Which Should You Choose?