Are you wondering whether Nioh 2 is harder or easier than Nioh 1?
The answer: Nioh 2 is definitely easier than Nioh 1.
There are a few reasons for this which we’ll break down in more detail below and compare Nioh 2 difficulty against Nioh 1 difficulty.
Why Nioh 2 is easier:
- Nioh 2 lets you summon AI partners from blue graves. These fight alongside you and draw the attention of enemies and bosses.
- A lot more missions feature AI partners by default and those can never die. In the original Nioh you had to play a lot more on your own without having AI to help you out. Now you can let the AI take all the damage while you lean back and attack from behind without risk.
- Bosses’ Ki (Stamina) is easier to drain now / drains faster. With most Yokai (Monster) bosses their Ki barely recharges. Monster Bosses now go into a “Yokai Realm” multiple times throughout the fight and during this time their Ki is more easy to drain. Draining their Ki leaves them completely unable to attack while you land hits on them. Meaning you can do a lot more damage without any risk.
- Bosses do less damage. Meaning you can take a lot more hits (there are exceptions to this – the early bosses still hit hard but many do less damage than the average non-boss enemy, e.g. “Kamaitachi” or “Azai Nagamasa”).
- Boss attack patterns are a bit easier to predict. They are slower and don’t jump around as much as many of the Nioh 1 bosses. For 90% of fights you can simply run sideways to evade all attacks, do a single high-stance
counter-attack after they miss and repeat. - Burst Counters (pressing
+ 
while enemies do red charged attacks) lets you stun them instantly. While this new mechanic takes some practice to get the timing right, once you learn how to do it, it makes fights a lot easier. You could exploit just those Burst Counters against some bosses. This new mechanic is completely optional too, you can also outrun or block all attacks if you have trouble with the timing. - Without farming anything you are usually 10-20 levels above mission requirement all the way throughout the game. In Nioh 1 I had to farm Amrita (XP) for hours to stay sufficiently leveled. This time leveling is much faster and no farming is necessary. Being constantly above level requirement certainly helps to make things easier.
- A lot of enemies and bosses are copy & paste, so if you played Nioh 1 you will already be familiar with a lot of them.
- More weapons, which means more ways to break the AI.
- More overpowered and game-breaking skills that can easily exploit the AI. For example the High-stance spear skill “Spear Flourish” can stunlock human enemies and bosses for the entirety of the fight, leaving them unable to attack you even once. For most human bosses all I pressed was
in Spear High-Stance and the enemy was unable to move or attack (see video example). - Fewer traps in the game environments (in first Nioh you had lots of enemies standing behind corners or bats flying at you from cave openings and pushing you down cliffs – some jumpscares are still there but far fewer).
- No insanely overpowered double bosses like Nioh 1 had. There are some double bosses but their health and damage is that of level 1 enemies. By the time you encounter them you’ll be level 100 or so, so they hardly do any damage and are quite slow and easy to separate. In fact, a lot of bosses are 2v1 in your favor (an AI partner that cannot die fighting for you).
- Shrines are closer to the bosses in Nioh 2. While this in itself does not make the bosses easier, it allows you to retry them more quickly and waste less time walking.
- The developers have confirmed after feedback from the Alpha and Beta that they have downgraded the difficulty of Nioh 2.
Personally, I did most bosses in Nioh 2 first try without any trouble. The most tries a boss took me was 5 and I did everything 100% solo without even summoning AI partners from blue graves. In Nioh 1 some bosses took me dozens of tries and hours to beat. Nothing like that is even remotely the case with Nioh 2.
How does Nioh 2 difficulty compare to Nioh 1?:
- For new players who played neither game before, I would rate Nioh 1 difficulty 7/10 and Nioh 2 difficulty 5.5/10 as an average for the entirety of the game. New players to this genre who never ever played any other “Dark Souls-like” game will probably find it to be a challenging 9/10 for the first 2 bosses and the difficulty goes down as you get more familiar with the combat (it gets progressively easier the further you get).
- For Nioh 1 veterans who are experienced with the game mechanics I would rate Nioh 2 a 4/10.
That’s not to say there isn’t still plenty of challenge. The new enemies are punishing on first encounters and you will suffer some deaths by them until you’ve memorized their move sets. The bosses still require good reflexes, but if you played Nioh 1 you’ll find the bosses much easier in comparison, for the above-mentioned reasons.
The above is based on 200 hours+ of playtime with either game, having cleared all missions in either game 100% Solo, and having also played through New Game+.
What is your difficulty rating of Nioh 2 after having beaten it? Did you find it easier too? Which bosses did you find the hardest? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
More Nioh 2 Guides:
- Nioh 2 Wiki & Strategy Guide
- Nioh 2 Boss Guide (All Bosses)
- Nioh 2 Walkthrough
- Nioh 2 All Kodama Locations
Aproximate time to platinum? Thanks!
I’m sad. x(
The last demo was waaay easier than the others, so i’m not a surprised.
This is surprising! I’m not very good at Souls-esque games, but I always appreciate them and admire people who are good at them . I am a ‘completionist’ who likes to go through as many upcoming AAA and indie releases as possible, so I never really dedicated the time neccesary to master these games and learn the mechanics, which appears critical.
I love the aesthetic of games like Nioh/the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima, so this games intruiges me. Nioh 2 sounds attractive to me because it could be an easier introduction into the series as a whole, and could possibly be a stepping stone into some of the more typical ‘difficult’ games. Your thoughts give me that impression, anyway. This also doesn’t seem an over-nerfing situation, as your analaysis seem to indicate that a lot of this is indicative of design and mechanics rather than just ‘bosses have less moves’ (although that’s also the case).
Wonder if people think Nioh 2 wil have its difficulty tweaked in post-game patches or DLC content? For the game to be so much easier seems a strange decision, as its what so many people liked about Nioh 1, at least amongst my friends. Not complaining though.
By series, I mean backtracking to Nioh 1 – appreciate Nioh and Dark Souls/ Bloodborne/ Sekiro etc. are not connecting in any way lol.
People like you are part of the problem, not complaining about an easier entry is why team ninja moves from a niche product to mainstream BS
I remember the blob boss in the first game giving me a lot of trouble for whatever reason.
That thing destroyed me over and over again and then I thought it would be a good idea to try the Twilight mission with him…
Are there dumb twilight missions in this one?
This is disappointing to hear. At times, Nioh one made me wonder how long my TV will last until i threw a controller through it. However, it was also the same element of the game I loved. Oh well I’ll still give it a chance.
I’ve finished nioh 1 twice but I remember having a lot of trouble with the bosses in the demo that came out before the recent one so I don’t know how it’s been tweaked
The devs made it significantly easier after player feedback. People were complaining it was too hard. Hence, final game is much easier than Alpha or Beta.
Hi Power, I am planning to get Nioh 1 to replay it again before getting Nioh2. Would you suggest to get complete edition that comes with DLC? I heard the DLC is good but super hard.
Please advice.
If you want to play the DLC anyway then yes go for the complete edition. It’s cheaper than buying the DLC separately 🙂
Enjoy both games – both are fantastic!
I read this got excited as i loved 1 but it was hard 4 me. Been playing a few hours 2 is way harder so far unless i use blue phantoms.
Yep. I also feel that Nioh 2 is way harder if you’re playing solo. I completed all Nioh 1 had to offer as well.
I agree 100%!!! I am getting wrecked and do not remember dieing this much in 1. In my opinion unless you have just recently finished 1 and going into the game already tuned up from the mechanics then 2 is harder. For players that haven’t played nioh since it came out it, nioh 2 will surely bring you to your knees. And I have been on a souls binge just recently finishing Bloodborne and DS3 again. Which was a few years since playing both and didn’t think it was this hard.
really? cause i’m finding it harder than the first game. more BS game mechanics and move sets.
It’s only the first 2 boss fights (which are comparable to Onryoki in Nioh 1 in terms of difficulty), after that the difficulty goes down fast.
First 2 boss is easy. Yatsu no kami made me retry for 2 hours. Maybe i was underleveled
For Yatsu you need to drain the poison pools first, then he’s easy.
Already 200 hours… how is that possible!! Did you even went outside bro? Not hating just makes me wonder how can someone possibly spend so much time in a small time margin. One thing i wanted to know is the game just as repetetive late game as nioh 1 or less? I platinumed the game and some levels where just too much of the same also with the enemy variety. Those 2 points made it that darksouls franchise is bit better. Not sekiro btw:p that game is nothing compared to nioh even tough the level design was very nice.
I’ve had the game for weeks so I had plenty of time to spend with it.
And I’ve also been playing the *don’t get Corona Virus* game, so not going outside seems like a safe option right about now :p
It does get mildly repetitive at the end with repeated enemies, but I never found it annoying. Because you encounter them in a mix with different enemies and in different numbers it still requires some adjusting to each situation.
My opinion on sekiro is it is way nicer, polished an Fair than nioh. No bs homing attacks and strange hitboxes. I fo from DS background and I say nioh bosses are really cheap and doing same stuff all the time. No interesting moves in the end. Also repearing same look enemies rhrough the whole game is just boring and lazy. Even small variation in look might be nice. Ordinary soldier still kicking you at the end of the game, where you are 100lv more and using highly polished gear…
To make it short, when you say DS and Sekiro, I see games harder but more fair and polished. I enjoyed nioh in my 10-20 hours but now it is kinda boring to mee…
I think you are waaaaaaay over exaggerating the difficulty.. at a difficulty of 5.5/10, that is like saying it is of average difficulty.. implying that a casual could pick this game up and beat it.. I have friends who are only casual gamers and they look in horror at games like this. They watch me play, and if I die like 3 or 4 times to a boss( I don’t on most bosses, but sometimes).. they say stuff like, “Wow, I would just quit” ( I don’t use the blue phantom things though.. cuz if I do, I don’t like how the boss acts.. if he is attacking me, it’s easier for me)
anyways, the point is that 5.5/10 is a bad way to score this..
but your choice in the end..
Appreciate the feedback Jon. What’s your difficulty rating?
The Souls-like genre is definitely not for everyone, so it will vary a lot for players across the board.
I gave Nioh 1 a 7/10. Not giving Nioh 2 a lower average difficulty would not be realistic in comparison. The game is easier to beat/complete than Nioh 1 (no crazy double bosses). Remember, you can also overlevel as much as you want, thus you effectively decide the difficulty for yourself. If someone struggles they could just grind out 50 level-ups and blaze through it. So it really depends on how you play it, too.
If you’ve never played a Souls-like game ever, then yes you’ll struggle at first. The average gamer can beat this, it just takes some patience at first to get used to the combat. Rating a game based on the first 15 minutes doesn’t paint the full picture, especially since this particular one gets progressively easier the further you get (after the first 2 bosses the difficulty goes down). That’s why the 5.5/10 is an average based on the entirety of the game. If you are new to Nioh/Souls-like genre, then the first 2 bosses will probably be a 9/10 for you. But once you’re done with the game and look back, you’ll find most of it wasn’t that bad 🙂
I encourage everyone to leave their difficulty rating please 🙂
The more community feedback, the better. If enough people leave a rating we can form an average community score.
So after about 15 hours I switched from phantom to Brute, I’m assuming people that struggle arent using this spirit. Ridiculous how much easier game is as your burst counter is honestly too easy to use. Went from a 10 to a 5 difficulty for me.
I play nioh 1 before i think nioh 2 is extremely hard than nioh 2. nioh 1 it took me only 40 hrs and this nioh 2 it took me over 80 hrs to complete.
Yeah I’m on the dream region with 3 main missions left and so far the only boss’ that I died more then 5 times to is gyuki and ryomen sukuna….. which is a bit of a bummer because I was CRAVING that difficulty I experienced in nioh 1. Honestly I think nioh 1 ORIGINAL ALPHA was the hardest and should’ve been the actual difficulty but I’m not complaining with what nioh 1 dished out cuz it was pretty hard. Nioh 2 I find myself repeating habits I made with 1 which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I found myself plenty of times not needing to be as cautious as I was in 1. Per say checking corners to see if there ain’t an enemy waiting. Taking out humans/yokai from far away, luring enemies away from crowds. More methodical gameplay. I’d give the difficulty of nioh 2 a 5.5/10 as well, but I’m no casual when it comes to these games and rpg’s so there’s that. But the game is awesome though and I truly missed me some nioh.
It’s all subjective nioh 2 is harder by a country mile I put 500 hours into nioh 1
Just finished nioh2 and started ng+. Definitely agree that nioh2 is easier. I felt that nioh2 was long and repetitive compared to the variety of maps that were in nioh1. There were a few bosses that were difficult only because they were long fights. I rate nioh2 a 6.5/10 on difficulty and 8/10 for nioh1.
Much harder than the first one. Stupid enemy placement aka constant ambushes, traps like enki/gaki on a tree, goddamn rolling boulders and the worst thing: every enemy spams grab constantly.
Bosses are mostly okay but the levels are made to torture the players.
Nioh1 was much more about figuring how to fight and using items in the fight to your advantage, this one is based on reflexes and burst counters. Bad influence from Sekiro. Shame!!!
I doubt Sekiro had any influence on it as this was way into the final stages of development when Sekiro was released.
I picked Nioh 1 as my first soulslike to play. I know right? Terrible choice if you want to ease into the genre. If I told you it took me 30 tries to beat the first boss, that yokai in the ship, I would be grossly underexaggerating. The second boss, that vampire bitch, OMG I was there FOREVER and I had to farm to level up for, jeez I don’t know how long. Quite embarrassing. Anyways I have now finished all Dark Souls, Bloodborne many, many times, and Sekiro at least a dozen times. Possibly more (Sekiro). I recently restarted a game on Nioh from scratch even though I STILL haven’t finished the DLC.
Dude, Nioh 1 is HARD. It is superior to many of the souls games in some respects although I think the level design is inferior to Dark Souls. But the crafting, combat, and weapons are much better. The story is a little lame but acceptable. I was really stoked for Nioh 2 and I must say your article, although quite informative, is pretty disappointing. I am usually a PC player but I was going to go ahead and order it for PS because I was so desperate to play Nioh 2. I think I will hold out for the PC release after reading this. SO disappointing that they nerfed it. Thank you so much for the info,.
I’m a huge fan of the souls games and played them all starting with Demon Souls. I’d have to say Nioh 2 has it’s challenging moments and the first two boss fights are a little hard but the rest are easier and I’m not at all disappointed great game I’d give it 8.5/10.
I was really pleasantly surprised at how much easier Nioh 2 was than nioh 1! For example 2 AI and 2 real players helping for the final boss!!! Certain boss battles in nioh 1 took me days to beat. I’m so relieved not to go through that again!!