Nioh 3 Best Weapons Tier List

Nioh 3 Best Weapons Tier List Quick Summary:

• S-Tier Weapons: Switchglaive, Tonfa, Spear, Dual Ninja Swords, Odachi
• A-Tier Weapons: Cestuses, Sword, Ninja Sword, Dual Sword, Axe, Kusarigama
• B-Tier Weapons: Splitstaves, Hatchets

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Nioh 3 Weapon Tier List Explained

Before I rank the weapons, I have to have my Nioh 3 weapon tier list explained. Nioh 3 makes a transition from the previous iterations' stance system to a different one. You still have stances, but this time they’re split into Samurai and Ninja styles:

• Samurai: A classic Nioh combat with high, medium, and low stances. If you’ve ever played Nioh, you have a good idea of how it works.
• Ninja: A much faster style that spends less Ki to perform actions and lets you use ninjutsu instead of stances. Your R1 Ki replenish is replaced with a step that lets you dodge in any direction without spending Ki. You also deal more damage when attacking an enemy from behind.

Each style has its own weapons. Understanding these two styles is crucial to understanding this tier list. I won’t split the weapons into two categories. Instead, I’ll rank ’em and mark what style the weapon uses.

Some of the best weapons in Nioh 3 are exceptionally powerful without requiring you to master them perfectly, while others require nigh-perfect execution with very questionable payoff. Splitstaves are a latter kind of weapon. Most of the time, I’ll give my preference to the weapons with higher DPS. Specifically, the number of actions you need to do to actually get a high DPS. It means the lower the learning curve, the higher the weapon will be placed. 

It’s not always the case, as Switchglaive is one of the more mechanically demanding weapons in the game, but its damage is hard to ignore. Don’t feel forced into playing the S-Tier weapon if it’s too hard to handle. After all, Nioh is already quite difficult, so starting with more approachable weapon types is recommended. Below is the list of all weapon types available in the game:

• Samurai: Swords, Dual Swords, Spears, Axes, Odachi, Switchglaives, Cestuses
• Ninja: Ninja Swords, Dual Ninja Swords, Kusarigama, Tonfa, Hatchets, Splitstaves, Talons
• Ranged Weapons: Bows, Rifles

I’m not including ranged weapons in the tier list, as they’re more utilitarian tools for stealth assassinations or armor-breaking. The rest of them will be ranked S to B-Tiers, as none of them are truly bad. Now let’s move on to the actual tier list. BLOG20

Nioh 3 Weapon Tier List

In this section, I’ll provide a quick reference table so that you know what to focus on and then explain each of the weapon styles and how they behave in combat. If your favorite weapon got ranked lower, it’s not because it’s bad, but because it has a higher skill ceiling ratio compared to its performance. Basically, high DPS is always given a priority, while ease of use comes next in the list of criteria. Here’s a Nioh 3 weapon tier list:

Once again, this tier list is purely subjective, as all weapons in the game are very balanced and none of them work poorly. I know I’m still gonna get flak for ranking it this way, and I partially agree that the weapon tier list in Nioh is somewhat pointless, but bear with me as I’m trying to explain why the weapon that you like or hate was given such a position.

Switchglaive

This Samurai weapon is the most demanding in terms of your skill. I know, I know. I said that the ease of use is the second priority when it comes to the weapon ranking, but I just can’t overlook Switchglaive’s potential. Here are the reasons why Switchglaive is the strongest weapon in Nioh 3:

• All-Rounder: All stances of this weapon have high damage, plus you can use it to fight at any distance.
• Relentless Attacks: Stances change the weapon’s range, so you can constantly advance on your enemy while changing them.
• Strong at any Encounter: Doesn’t matter if you’re fighting a boss or regular enemies, this weapon is useful in any type of fight.

This monster is the highest DPS weapon in Nioh 3. I consider it to be the pinnacle weapon of the game, but yeah, you can’t ignore the highest skill ceiling in the game. While it probably won’t take long for you to learn the weapon, its combos require you to switch between the stances all the time, while controlling your Ki consumption. If you’re completely new to the series, this is something to consider. 

Talons

This one is Nioh 3 best ninja weapon easily. Ninja’s playstyle is centered around fast attacks and even faster retreat. This weapon fulfils these criteria brilliantly. Wanna feel like Wolverine with your claws out? Look no further. Here are its strong sides:

• High Tempo: High attack speed is enough to deal with most enemies in a matter of seconds, and before they even hit ya you’re already far from them.
• Fast Movement: This weapon lets you engage and disengage at a moment’s notice.
• Easy to Learn: The weapon itself is easy to understand, especially if you’ve ever played Monster Hunter using Dual Blades as your main weapon.

I didn’t mention Dual Blades from MH for nothing. This weapon has something similar to the Demon Mode, where it drains your Ki continuously while allowing you to deal a ton of damage without managing the stamina drain. It’s also great for aerial grapples, which are one of the key features of a ninja style.

Tonfa

Another Ninja weapon to consider is the Tonfa. In my opinion, one of the most fun and best Nioh 3 weapons. It’s somewhat similar to talons, but offers just a bit more range. It focuses more on the defensive capabilities, having a Deflect option that Samurai weapons have. It also grants you more i-frames upon Mist dodge. Here’s what to look out for:

• Tactical: While the Tonfa is good at applying pressure, you need to play slower with it.
• Stagger Galore: This weapon drains Ki like no other. Your enemies will forever be stunned if you play this weapon correctly.
• Defensive: This weapon provides much more defensive capabilities than other ninja weapons, allowing you to outplay your opponents and drain their Ki even further.

This weapon is so good at draining Ki and leaving enemies off balance that it can turn some fights into a cakewalk. Combined with understandable patterns of this weapon, you can learn how to use it to its maximum fairly quickly.

Spear

Safe, simple, sometimes cheesy. This is how I can describe the weapon. Spear is among Nioh 3 best weapons for beginners. It allows you to spam light and heavy attacks at your opponent using high stance (yeah, it’s a Samurai weapon) or use a charged attack to drain your opponent’s Ki in the blink of an eye. Below are the reasons why the spear is so strong:

• Good Range: This weapon allows you to hold the enemy in the perfect spot for you. You can reach them faster than they do. When you see that the enemy tries to attack you, simply use the charged attack and watch them suffer.
• Easy to Use: This might not be the flashiest weapon when it comes to outsmarting your opponents or doing complex combos, but it does its job. If you’re new to the game, you’ll have no problem using it.

This weapon is strong, but it can seem a bit boring after you’ve played it for some time. Its consistency and reliability make the game feel less exciting, turning it into a clicker.

Dual Ninja Swords

Second to last in our list of S-Tier top weapons of Nioh 3. If you’re not comfortable enough with the Ninja style just yet, but want to learn it, this weapon is the best. It does great damage, can use some of the familiar skills from Samurai’s Dual Swords, but most importantly, it has the best mobility skill in the game:

• Familiar Hybrid: This weapon is a transitioning weapon from Samurai to Ninja, which helps to learn the playstyle safely.
• Best Movement Skill: DNS have the ability that lets you reposition yourself behind the enemy when attacking them with a big iframe window.

The weapon does good DPS, teaches you how to play the Ninja playstyle, and has the all-rounder written all over it. One of the best weapons to start playing with, and you can even beat most of the game without switching from it. The downside is that it’s not really pushing the envelope, unlike other weapons.

Odachi

It’s kinda Nioh’s version of Souls’ greatswords. Slow, long reach, big damage. In my opinion, it’s the best weapon for bosses in Nioh 3. Despite familiar points, it’s not the weapon for newbies. Mastering Odachi requires you to constantly switch between stances and control your Ki, as it drains your stamina very fast. Everything you need to know about this big sword:

• Good Crowd Control: With its long reach and moveset, you won’t let crowds of enemies surround you.
• Big Damage: This weapon can match the Axe with its damage output, while being more convenient, imo.
• Boss Killer: This weapon is good both with single and multiple targets. Your charged attacks will chew through the boss’s HP.

Odachi is easily one of the best samurai weapons in Nioh 3. Odachi combines the damage of the Axe with the reach of the Spear. This weapon will teach you stamina management and how to chain the stances into big damage combos. It can be infuriating to learn it in the beginning, but it’s definitely worth it.

Other Strong Weapons to Consider in Nioh 3

Now that I’ve covered the best weapon types of Nioh 3, let’s briefly look over other weapons. I’ll give them shorter descriptions that can perfectly describe their playstyle. Weapons from A-Tier might require you to have more prowess in handling them, while not being much worse than S-Tier ones. The B-Tier weapons are either situational, too hard to handle, or outshone by other candidates in what they do best. Check out this good Nioh 3 weapons list:

• Cestuses: Fun, but hard to master. Specializes in one-to-one battles and has the strongest hitting one-punch strike, which combos with its Stomp skill.
• Sword: Your default Samurai weapon. The very definition of a jack-of-all-trades. It can do everything, but maybe not as well as other weapons. It’s very easy to learn, though. 
• Ninja Sword: Interchangeable with a normal Samurai sword, but has more options for escaping and movement.
• Dual Sword: Basically the same as Dual Ninja Swords, but just a tad worse. They are nimble and also have the Watersword skill that unleashes a flurry of blows on one target. They don’t have the repositioning skill like DNS, hence A-Tier.
• Axe: Hardest-hitting weapon in the game, but it’s so slow. You can use it only if the enemy lets you. Nioh isn’t as fast as Ninja Gaiden, which is another game by the same devs, but it’s still faster than any of the Souls games, and using such a weapon in it just feels awkward.
• Kusarigama: This weapon focuses on aerial attacks, grapples, and so on. It also lets you either drag the enemies to you or pull yourself to them.
• Splitstaves: A transforming weapon for the Ninja style. It has a long reach, but you don’t need that when playing Ninja, so it’s a bit awkward. Its charged attacks release the chain that reaches far, but it doesn’t disrupt enemies’ attacks, making you eat all the blows.
• Hatchets: This weapon’s gimmick is that you can throw it. You charge the attack for some time and then throw a small axe at the enemy. The main problem with the weapon is its low DPS, and that Tonfas and Talons exist.

The plethora of weapon types lets you find the one you like, and even though I’ve placed two of them in B-Tier, I’d still say they’re decent if you can master them. The final advice I can give you is to pick the weapon that you like and run with it. Everyone who’s played Nioh will tell you that the true min-maxing experience starts in NG+, and until then, just have fun, learn the movesets, learn what weapon works best for you, and run with it.

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