Nioh 3 Weapon Rankings

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Nioh 3 redefines combat with weapon symphonies that melt into one seamless, brutal rhythm.

Best Samurai weapons in Nioh 3

Samurai weapons in Nioh 3 honor the traditional styles of precision and discipline, giving players a balance between speed and defense. The katana remains a favorite for its versatile stance system and smooth combos, letting warriors adapt to different enemy types. Paired with defensive tools like the dual swords or the spear’s extended reach, samurai builds thrive on timing, counterattacks, and Ki management. Mastery of these weapons turns every encounter into a calculated exchange of strikes and blocks, rewarding patient and skilled play.

Here are all of the weapon types available to the Samurai in Nioh 3, followed by the three best:

  • Axes
  • Cestuses
  • Dual Swords
  • Odachi
  • Spears
  • Switchglaives
  • Swords

Odachi

When it comes to dealing a lot of damage in one go, the Odachi is your best shout. This is a tremendously heavy greatsword that deals immense damage when you connect with your attacks, but you’re punished if you miss. Therefore, you should only commit to the most devastating attacks when your foe is vulnerable, and this should always be paired with a faster weapon like the Dual Swords, but it is one of the most powerful weapons in the game once you master it.

Managing your Ki consumption is key (heh) if you want to succeed with the Odachi, so you should look for passive effects on all of your items that boost Ki recovery, or reduce Ki consumption. The Odachi is most devastating in high stance, but has some suitable mid and low stance martial arts that make it ideal once the stance system has become second nature to you.

Here are some of the best martial arts for the Odachi:

  • Moonlit Snow
  • Retrograde Flow
  • Bolting Boar
  • Crashing Waves
  • Thunderbolt

Dual Swords

On the contrary to the Odachi, the Dual Swords are a much faster weapon to use, as you’d expect given you can equip one in each hand. This is the closest you can get to the Ninja play style while still being a Samurai, which means you’re a little more agile, but you need to get up close and personal with your foes to be effective.

The Dual Swords are better used in either high or mid stance as opposed to low, because they’re not a particularly defensive weapon, and the best parry-focused martial arts are only performable in mid stance. So the Dual Swords have high damage potential overall, but you’re dealing less damage per swing, meaning the Ki consumption isn’t as high.

Here are some of the best martial arts for the Dual Swords:

  • Punish the Proud
  • Earthrender
  • Spinning Dragon
  • Windstorm
  • Sign of the Cross

Spear

Finally for the Samurai, we have the Spear, which is the most defensive of the three weapons listed here, and is your best option for maintaining distance from your foe. They’re also capable of fighting multiple enemies simultaneously, which means they’re versatile against big groups, but can deal heavy targeted damage during boss fights, too.

Because keeping your distance is essential though, you need to master getting the heck outta dodge when enemies close the gap against you. Much like the Odachi, because the Spear is quite a heavy weapon, Ki management is essential.

Here are some of the best martial arts for the Spears:

  • Spear Bash
  • Flying Monkey
  • Cull the Herd
  • Rising Dragon
  • Triple Threat

Best Ninja weapons in Nioh 3

Ninja weapons in Nioh 3 shine through kusarigama’s versatile chain attacks that stagger foes and kusabana’s explosive shuriken barrages for crowd control. Dual katanas deliver rapid combos ideal for quick strikes, while the odachi slices wide arcs to punish groups. Players pair these with ninjutsu for stealthy ambushes or status builds, making them perfect for agile, high-mobility playstyles that exploit enemy weaknesses in tough encounters.

Here are all of the weapon types available to the Ninja in Nioh 3, followed by the three best:

  • Dual Ninja Swords
  • Hatchets
  • Kusarigama
  • Ninja Swords
  • Splitstaves
  • Talons
  • Tonfa

Kusarigama

The Kusarigama is my personal go-to weapon in Nioh 3, because it enhances the perks of the Ninja style perfectly. With the right martial arts, it can deal fight at range alongside close quarters combat, and since you don’t need to worry about stances with any weapons for the Ninja, you can kit your build to balance both simultaneously.

The downside to the Kusarigama is that it isn’t very good at blocking whatsoever, as just one or two hits absorbed will drain most of your Ki, and as a Ninja, maintaining enough Ki to evade is essential. If you disregard the idea of blocking and rely solely on evading though, you’re in a great spot, especially when combined with the power of Ninjutsu from range.

Here are some of the best martial arts for the Kusarigama:

  • Pollard
  • Foot Sweep
  • Whirlwind Kick
  • Tangle Strike
  • Leaping Strike

Tonfa

The Tonfa is all about being as up close and personal to your enemy as you can get, because this weapon has about as much range as your fist. It deals significantly more damage than being unarmed though, and because each attack can be executed quickly, you can chain together long combos with ease. This results in being able to stagger enemies easily due to the relentless nature of the attacks.

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Because you always need to be up close and personal though, you need to master dodging, and knowing when to retreat and when to go on the offensive again. You should wear armor that boosts your toughness and physical resistance too, because you’re likely going to take hits unless you land every single evade perfectly. The Tonfa is a high risk, high reward weapon that excels in the right hands.

Here are some of the best martial arts for the Tonfa:

  • Demon Dance
  • Pulverize
  • Sacred Fire
  • Impenetrability
  • Wasp Sting

Ninja Sword

Finally, we have the Ninja Sword, which is possibly the Ninja’s easiest to learn weapon, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It isn’t great at blocking, but it’s well-balanced in terms of speed and damage, and a lot of the best martial arts are found in similar versions with other weapons, so it’s great at teaching you the basics.

You’ll want a fairly balanced build for the Ninja Sword, with a particular focus on Ki management, because every action you take will use a considerable amount of it. There’s high potential here if you can master the weapon though.

Which weapon types scale best with stat builds in Nioh 3

In Nioh 3, every weapon type scales from three “reference stats,” and the one you stack highest gives the biggest damage boost, so the “best” weapon types for stat builds are the ones that line up cleanly with what you’re already leveling (Heart, Body/Constitution, Strength, etc.).​​

How scaling works (brief)

  • Each weapon type has three base scaling stats (for example, sword: Heart / Strength / Intellect).​

  • Your highest of those three gives the strongest boost, the second highest gives a smaller boost, and the lowest only a minor contribution.​

  • At early game, raw weapon level matters more than perfect scaling, but in NG+/endgame the stat-weapon pairing starts to noticeably increase attack.​

Weapon types by main stat

These are the “natural” stat pairings from the base scaling table.​

Heart-focused builds (samurai stamina/ki)

  • Sword: Heart / Strength / Intellect, so it fits a Heart-centric samurai build with some flexibility into hybrid Strength or caster.​

  • Dual Swords: Heart / Strength / Magic; ideal for Heart + Magic or Heart + Strength builds, giving both melee damage and access to ninjutsu/onmyo tools.​

Constitution/Body-focused builds (HP/tanky)

  • Spear: Constitution / Heart / Skill; perfect if you’re stacking HP (Constitution) for a tanky playstyle while still gaining good damage.​

  • Axe: Constitution / Stamina / Strength; great for a high-HP bruiser or heavy-armor build, since it double-dips into HP (Constitution) and equipment weight (Stamina).​

Strength-focused builds (raw power)

  • Axe again: Constitution / Stamina / Strength; if you push Strength, axe benefits and also pairs naturally with heavy armor.​

  • Odachi: Stamina / Strength / Magic; this is the classic big blade for Strength + Stamina or Strength + Magic hybrid builds.​

Stamina-focused builds (heavy armor)

  • Odachi: Stamina / Strength / Magic; Stamina and Strength together make it perfect for a heavy build that still wants strong damage.​

  • Axe: Constitution / Stamina / Strength; using Stamina and Strength together lets you carry very heavy gear without sacrificing raw melee.​

“Best” weapon types for clean scaling

If you want weapons that line up very cleanly with your primary stat (or two-stat focus), these pairings are particularly efficient:​​

  • Heart main: Sword or Dual Swords (Heart plus either Strength or Magic).

  • Constitution main: Spear (safe, long reach) or Axe (slower, high damage).

  • Strength main: Axe (pure power) or Odachi (reach + versatility).

  • Stamina main: Odachi (heavy armor samurai) or Axe (heavy bruiser).

Because you can later remodel scaling at the blacksmith to change which stats a weapon uses, scaling is most important for mid-late game optimization; early on, pick the weapon whose move set you like, then grow into a stat pairing that supports it.​​

How to change weapon reference stats at blacksmith

You change a weapon’s reference (scaling) stats in Nioh 3 through the Blacksmith’s Remodeling feature, but it only becomes available on certain upgraded (“plus-value”) gear.​

Requirements to remodel

  • Remodeling unlocks on equipment that has been upgraded enough to gain a “+” value (for example, a Sword +1, +2, etc.).​

  • Only qualifying weapons can have their scaling stats altered; basic, low-level weapons generally cannot be remodeled.​

Where to do it

  • Go to the Blacksmith and open the forge/customization menu.​

  • Choose the Remodeling option (separate from Tempering, Reforging, and Soul Matching).​

How remodeling works

  • Select an eligible weapon; the menu will show its current reference stats (for example, Heart / Strength / Magic).​

  • You can switch these scaling stats to a different combination (for example, from Heart/Strength/Magic to Strength/Stamina/Constitution), effectively changing which character stats give it the most damage.​

  • Remodeling costs specific materials and gold, and each remodel “locks in” until you change it again.​

Practical tips

  • Remodel weapons that you plan to keep for a long time, such as high-rarity or endgame drops, so you don’t waste expensive materials.​

  • Match the new reference stats to your main build (e.g., high Strength + Stamina for Odachi/Axe bruiser builds, or Heart + Magic for katana or dual-sword caster hybrids).​

If you tell me your main stats (e.g., Heart 25, Strength 20, Magic 15), I can suggest exactly which remodel pattern to choose for your favorite weapon.

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Best weapon types combat mechanics Nioh 3
Shoaib Rashid

A dedicated gaming journalist for more than three years, his passion for the industry is evident in his commitment to the competitive scenes of Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege, and Battlefield.

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