Sword – Stats and Armor
Sword Build
Eventually, you are going to need to level up William if you have any hope of survival in this demon filled world. Yet, there are eight different stats, all of which affect different aspects of your character so you’ll want to know where to put those hard earned Amrita to make the most of your sword build in Nioh. Remember, you will also need to balance your upgrades between two different weapons, however, if you are making the sword your primary tool of destruction, then you’ll want to invest in these three stats.
- Heart
- Body
- Spirit
Heart is your main damage upgrade stat, as this will help you upgrade William’s DPS output beyond the base sword damage. During our testing, we typically leveled up this stat either alongside Body (Health) or right behind it. This will be the primary way you increase your damage outside of the Blacksmith or finding better loot.
Spirit may seem like an odd choice because at first glance it doesn’t seem to directly affect your sword damage, stamina, or it’s overall use. However, the Living Weapon ability is critical to winning some tough fights. The sword is arguably one of the best weapons to use your Guardian Spirit’s ability with as the three stances allow you to output insane amounts of damage across a rather large radius. Spirit also has the added benefit of raising your DPS against the Yokai Realms and magical abilities which offer much-needed range support and buffs to your gear. While you won’t need to upgrade this at the same rate as Heart, it’s always important to progress it further.
Body is the final skill that can help enhance a good sword build, as you won’t be as agile and thus will be hit from time to time. Unlike a dual sword build, much of your combat will be more direct thanks to a number of parry and guard breaking abilities. Having extra health will keep you from getting one shot by an angry Yokai or fellow swordsman. This skill also has the added effect of giving you Samurai Skill Points which are very important as what pushes a good sword build over the edge are the skills.
