Yeah I finished the game about a week back (at least all of regular difficulty). You begin noticing the lack of depth. vs a game like DS or BB in the later half. I think I said it earlier but Nioh is much more "video gamey" than the Souls/Bourne games and that's just fine, it's a style that works well for it.

I played through the first map region of NG+ and it does look and feel promising, many of the enemies seem to have new moves, including bosses, which was refreshing and catches you off guard.

I'll probably make an effort to clear all the missions in NG+ at some point down the line but for now I had Nioh burnout (had about 90 hours on my file). I did pretty much every single thing there was to do possible, hell I'm just one trophy away from a Platinum (the blacksmithing one which apparently is a huge grind)

Game has gotten significantly easier and while I'm enjoying it I sort of wish there was a middle ground between that 2nd boss and where I am now

I died 86x to that second boss. Since then I don't think any boss fight has taken more than 5 attempts, many of which I'm winning on first or second try

Ya, once you get sloth the game gets significantly easier, I got all the sloths so I can use it 6x. Only challenge is doing an entire level on NG+ without dying at all, doesn't happen often.

Feel like the game got easier when human opponents started showing up again, the demon folk that don't get stunned on every hit with the potential to kill you on any one shot can be quite difficult even if their attacks are easy to dodge (only takes 1 slip up). The humans with the kusarigama is so easy, Grapple hook to pull them in--->foot sweep---> switch to sword for 1 shot killing strike

It's wrong complain game is too easy if frequently using sloths, imo. Those are just as much of an "I admit defeat, let me skip this part" button as summoning.

Under 30% equip load forever, sloths never.

About to buy this game for a friend who's a big D-Souls fan.

What is the difference between the regular edition and the COMPLETE EDITION? I can't find this info anywhere.

It's a $10 difference, so if it includes all of the map packs or whatever, it's obv worth it.

Thanks in advance.

Includes all the DLC yeah

I just bought a used copy of this for about $21 today after using a $15 off coupon at Gamestop. It's 2nd on the list after I run through DS3 again...looking forward to it!

Got this when it came out on PC. Now I've played a fair bit of Dark Souls, Ninja Garden, and Bayonetta, but holy hell is this difficult. I died many, many times on the second boss and the third killed me a few times before I called it a night. The big demons and these two bosses seem to hit even harder than enemies in DS, and they strike a lot faster. It does feel a bit cheesy when it's this punishing.

I've been keeping my equip load just under 70%, should I drop to under 30% in order to be more agile? That might make sense given that the big demons can sometimes one-shot me even if I have full health.

Yes and use the chain sickle thing. Stop letting the bosses hit you.

Now why didn't I think of that?

Early stages I went lightest armor possible and kursigama

I just finished DS3 last night and started this up. I still have Midir to beat in DS3 but that can wait lol.

Is there any early tips I should be aware of? The controls seem not too different then a souls game even though I found myself trying to roll and that doesn't work haha.

Roll works? Maybe it's more like a Bloodborne dodge, can't remember. Early tip - remember stances are a thing and stance-switching can be useful.

Hey Dave, I am just now playing the first level after the tutorial. I find myself using solely the medium stance. Did you find yourself changing stances a lot throughout the game or did you stick with one?

As for the roll, maybe I need to unlock it as the x does a dodge or strafe for me.

Also, did you find yourself selling a lot of your stuff at the save shrine for currency or did you keep all the items for later on? I'm just thinking cleanup of the inventory.

One question I did have which is a bit confusing to me is the purpose of hitting R1 after you are done with your combo to get the glow on your character. Is it supposed to speed up the stamina regen or does it serve some other important purpose? I didn't do it much, but occasionally did and didn't really notice anything happening. This game reminds me of a cross between souls, ninja gaiden, and diablo...very cool so far.

I played it for the first time in ages, had a go at the "twilight" mission (nightfall) the other day - game is goat.

I do find myself sticking with one "main" stance, though it varies depending on weapons. I like high for Axe, low for dual swords, mid for spear (not sure about this one). High is good on dual swords too, with those I will swap around more than the others. A big one is if you're not in high, switch to it when an enemy is downed and you can do a finisher, so you get the most damage - then back to your preference. Also it changes the area your attacks strike, important for some enemies - demons you can stun them if you hit the head, downed enemies you can only hit with a low stance with certain weapons etc.

Dodge/ roll - stances play in to it also. It costs more stamina the higher your stance. Low stance can't roll, it has a double-dash instead. Med and High you can roll by holding block (L1) and double-tap dodge, I think.

So if you're in heavy/high stance and take a damaging blow, it's worthwhile to switch to low if you really need to gtfo with a load of dodges!

Gear is plentiful, you can sell it (tho I never wanted for gold), break it for crafting mats (prob ideal) or just let it pile up (mostly what I did lol). You are unlikely to need any gear for later, though maybe keep your eye on purples before you trash them - a godroll is always worth keeping!

The stamina recharge mechanic is vital to experting in Nioh. Practice in a quiet area. do a few slashes, you will see stamina go down. It then very quickly refills with white. When you press R1, it refills your stamina to the point the white got up to. Time it well and you have much more effective stamina than the bar would suggest. Time it perfect, it will send out a "Ki Pulse" that disperses the shadow puddles demons create that buffs them / nerfs you. You don't need to have your eye on the stamina meter, but it will help as you investigate / practice when not actually in combat. In addition to the meter, there are white glowy particles that swirl around and converge on your dude - you can use those to time it well with some practice. Also you can unlock a perk that does it on dodge, which is brilliant. slash slash wait-a-moment dodge slash repeat! Since you're already pressing R1, this is a time to switch stances too for some crazy combo-ing (there's a perk that gives you bonus for doing that too, I think).

Game is a little bit complicated (deep!), lol.

Thanks Dave. I just read it looks like double tap x for the roll vs evade...a bit lame but I'll get used to it. I do like the intensity/challenge early on and have died plenty of times in the first village section after the tutorial that I know I am in for a fun/challenging experience.

Wow bat chick is bat crazy and quick. This boss may take awhile especially if I'm only level 20 and put points early in magic even though I can't use some if them yet lol. I assume dismantle all unwanted gear vs selling for future crafting?

I died to her like 80x don’t feel bad, she’s the hardest boss in the game imo. Next level boss (Nue) took me quite a bit and all other bosses took me 10 tries or less with most of them only 1 or 2

Yeah I mean even when blocking she has moves when deplete all of your stamina leaving you open. I may need to try to farm to level up and maybe try to craft a stronger weapon.

key is to not get hit, just dodge - no blocking. if you're struggling for stamina, use low stance.

I can see that for sure. I spent about 2 hours now disassembling things and doing a few soul matches or bumping armors up a bit as well as my main weapon. At level 23 since I put in enough stats in magic and dex early it sort of hurts my overall stats since I don't really use that yet since most isn't unlocked. I did buy 1 reforge book just in case I need a redo. I'm on vacation the next couple of days so I have plenty of time to try it or even farm a few more levels on the side level 10 quest.

Took about 7 tries but got her. The paralysis charm helped a lot.

Yeah Bat Lady boss was insanely fun and difficult. Remember that and Nue being the toughest ones in the game

Game gets easier when you can cast slow on bosses. It gets harder again when you have to fight two bosses at once.