Helmets are an essential part of a character's loadout, but which of them are the best?

In Nioh 2, the armor that a player dons can be a matter of life and death; it is easily one of the most important parts of a character build. That being said, the helmet is often overlooked which is a shame considering there are numerous helmets with abilities that are unique to them.

Thankfully, I am here to set people straight; here is a list of the top 5 best helmets in Nioh 2 along with instructions on how to get them.  

5. Kodama Bowl 

The Kodama Bowl, a piece of light armor, comes in at #5 on the list; it is fixed with the "Enhanced Kodama Blessings" effect that boosts the potency of the Kodama Blessings that you can activate at shrines. The impact of this depends on how many Kodama you've found in each region of the game, but it is fantastic for farming nonetheless. 

The majority of helmets in Nioh 2 belong to a set, but there are a handful of helmets that are stand-alone; and the Kodama Bowl is one such helmet. The Kodama Bowl can be obtained as a reward for completing the Sub Mission "The Search". If, however, players are looking to acquire the smithing text, then they will need to beat every Main Mission and Sub Mission in a NG+ cycle. 

What makes the Kodama Bowl great: 

• Its fixed effect boosts the potency of Kodama Blessings
• It is classified as Light Armor and thus won't impact equipment load by much

Kodama Bowl full stats: https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Kodama+Bowl

4. Royal Horned Helm 

The Royal Horned Helmm is a piece of heavy armor that comes fixed with the "Life Drain (Strong Attack)" effect, allowing players to recover a bit of health with every strong attack they land on an enemy. 

Not unlike the Kodama Bowl, the Royal Horned Helm does not have a matching armor set; the helmet itself along with its smithing text can be found as a drop from William in the Main Mission  "The Blue-eyes Samurai".  

What makes Royal Horned Helm great: 

• Its fixed effect lets players recover health with Strong Attacks.
• It is classified as Heavy Armor and thus offers great defense. 

Royal Horned Helm full stats: https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Royal+Horned+Helm

3. Usurper's Helmet 

The Usurper's Helmet is a piece of Medium Armor that comes fixed with the "Enemy Sensor" effect that displays the position of enemies on the minimap. In Nioh 2, a large portion of the difficulty comes from not knowing where enemies are located; players are certainly going to get blindsided more than a few times if they aren't vigilant. There are no doubt a large number of players who enjoy the element of surprise and thus would not want to use this helmet, but nobody can deny that this helmet will save lives. 

The Usurper's Helmet is standalone, meaning that it does not have a matching armor set; the helmet itself can be found in the general loot pool between mid game and late game. Nevertheless, it is worth getting since players are unlikely to have finished their first playthrough of the game and enemy placements do change a bit in the NG+ cycles. 

What makes the Usurper's Helmet great: 

• Its fixed effect lets players see enemies on the minimap. 
• It is classified as Medium Armor and thus offers a balance between weight and defense.

Usurper’s Helmet full stats: https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Usurper's+Helmet

2. Scampuss Hat 

Though its appearance would suggest otherwise, the Scampuss Hat is easily one of the best helmets in the game; it is a piece of Light Armor that comes fixed with the "Untouched Clay Bell of Beckoning" effect that gives a chance for a Clay Bell of Beckoning to be used without consuming the item. Given that memes about the Clay Bell of Beckoning are made because of how overwhelming powerful it can be, it is safe to say that this is one of the best effects in the entire game. 

The Scampuss Hat is a stand alone helmet and that should come as no surprise given its look; unfortunately, the Scampuss Hat can only be dropped by Revenants who are wearing it. The smithing text is received only after a player has beaten all the Main Missions and Sub Missions on NG++ or the "Dream  of the Demon" difficulty.

Its understandable given how powerful the Clay Bell of Awakening has proven itself to be, but it is a tall order to ask someone to beat an entire NG+ cycle just to forge a helmet.

What makes the Scampuss Hat great: 

• Its fixed effect gives a chance for Clay Bells of Beckoning to not be consumed on use. 
• It is classified as Light Armor and thus won't impact equipment weight much.

1. Shuten Doji Mask 

It was not a landslide victory by any means, but the Shuten Doji Mask did win out; it is a piece of Heavy Armor that comes fixed with the "Increased Attack (Amrita Absorption) and "Anima" effects that respectively increase attack upon the player gaining Amrita and boost the player's Anima capacity.

Since there is hardly a time in Nioh 2 where the player isn't gaining Amrita, those wearing the helmet will effectively be dealing an increased amount of damage whenever it matters; the increase in Anima is negligible but may allow players to get off an extra burst counter or Yokai Ability before they need to refill the Anima Gauge. 

The Shuten Doji Mask is a standalone helmet, meaning that it does not have a matching armor set. The helmet itself can be dropped by Shuten Doji in the Sub Mission "The Revelry Ends" which is accessible in the second DLC. If, however, a player wants to obtain the smithing text, then they will need to famr Shuten Doji in that same mission; it is difficult but definitely worth it considering how powerful the helmet is. 

What makes the Shuten Doji Mask great: 

• Its first fixed effect temporarily increases attack after absorbing Amrita 
• Its second fixed effect increases the player's Anima capacity. 

Shuten Doji Mask full stats: https://nioh2.wiki.fextralife.com/Shuten+Doji+Mask

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