Onimusha: Way of the Sword: Combat Mistakes Guide
Avoid the most common missteps at the start of your adventure with this in-depth analysis.This guide shows you how to make the most of parries, perfect dodges, counterattacks, and stamina breaks to dominate every encounter with ease.
Focus on the two-handed attack against armored enemies
The two-handed attack is slower than the standard combo, but it deals significantly more damage to the enemy's stamina bar and can break the guard of sturdier opponents.Use it when an enemy repeatedly blocks your light strikes: the risk of being dodged or punished increases, but a single two-handed attack is as effective as several normal slashes on stamina.
Deflect instead of blocking
The simple block drains your stamina with each hit absorbed and is less effective against longer bursts.Deflecting, performed by holding the appropriate button just before impact, drastically reduces the enemy's stamina instead of yours. It also works on arrows and ranged attacks, which are physically deflected onto the ground.
Build up the Blazing state before bosses
Each parry fills the Blaze gauge.When it reaches full, you enter the Blazing state: your attacks deal increased damage to both health and enemy stamina, and deflecting a blow while you're in this state deals even more stamina damage and produces more blue souls.Against bosses, it's best to arrive with a full gauge before the actual fight begins, not mid-fight.
Use L1+X to convert a parry into an Issen
Pressing the parry button and light attack button at the right time unbalances the enemy and opens the way for an Issen Strike, a one-hit finisher that quickly ends the exchange.It's the fastest way to shorten duels against human enemies, much more reliable than simple repeating combos.
Choose souls by color, not randomly
The Oni Gauntlet absorbs souls dropped by defeated enemies: yellow ones heal, blue ones power Oni Armaments, and red ones unlock permanent upgrades.Absorbing multiple attacks at once increases the effect, so it's best to focus your final runs on identifying which type of soul you really need at that point in your run.
Recognize attacks highlighted in blue and respond with a grab
Some enemy attacks, indicated by a blue glow, cannot be blocked or deflected and have a wider radius than normal.Only a grab works against these attacks: press the dedicated button at the right time to grab the enemy and throw them across the arena, gaining space instead of taking a hit that no other defense can stop.
