In this Nioh 2 Build Guide I’m going to show you how to play an Odachi Build that uses Paralysis to stun its enemies, dealing increased damage when they are immobile. I’ll be showing you where to place your Stat and Skill Points to get the maximum impact for this Build, as well what equipment to use, and which Guardian Spirit and Soul Cores to have. This is a starter Build meant for players just beginning Nioh 2, or for those that are early on in the game and are having trouble. This Build will be updated as I reach higher levels of the game and more equipment becomes available.

Nioh 2 Builds: Paralyzing Blade (Odachi)

The Paralyzing Blade Build uses a combination of the Bloodspider Blade and Paralysis Ninjutsu to destroy enemies by rendering them immobile and then hitting them like a truck. The Bloodspider Blade does nearly 30% extra damage to enemies that are Paralyzed, which only means one hit, so you’ve got to make the most of that.

The way this Build works is that you’ll use your Rifle to pick off weaker enemies, and use your Cannon as necessary to deal tons of damage against stronger foes. Then you’ll Paralyzed your target, if it can be, with Ninjutsu and then deal a massive damage hit to it to finish it off. If it’s a human enemy, then you’ll be able to Grapple it when Paralyzed dealing tons of damage, and giving you an opportunity to attack them further as they are getting off the ground. Additionally, Odachis deal increased damage to humans, so this Build is especially good against difficult human enemies like Revenants or Bosses.

Paralyzing Blade Stats

The Paralyzing Blade Build uses a combination of many Stats to be effective, but it uses primarily Strength, Constitution and Heart. Stamina is also not bad as it increases Odachi damage, but is not particularly necessary unless you are using Heavy Armor. Strength is the best Stat for Odachi scaling so we load up on this one, and it also increases Hand Cannon damage. Constitution increases Health and is needed to meet the requirements of Medium Armor, which is what I recommend for this Build. And Heart further boosts Odachi damage, gives you Ki and increases Bow Damage. You’ll want a few points into Dexterity as well in order to increase your Ninjutsu Capacity so you can carry what you need.

Paralyzing Blade Weapons, Armor & Accessories

Because you’ll have a tons of points into Strength and a good amount into Heart, Odachi is a natural choice for this Build, and since you’ll be using one very specific Odachi you can’t really use any other weapon type.

Paralyzing Blade Weapons

As mentioned before, this whole Build revolves around Paralyzing enemies and then hitting them for massive damage. The Bloodspider Blade gives you nearly 30% increased damage against Paralyzed enemies, which is a lot. This Weapon is actually craftable, so once you have the Smithing Text for it you can continue to make higher level versions as you progress the game, preventing damage drop off. I can’t recall exactly where the text drops, but it isn’t very far into the game, and you should have it by the time you’re finished with the first Region.

For bonuses on it you want to try to get Paralysis Accumulation in order to build up Paralysis faster, which is very important for this Build. Beyond that, Grapple Damage is great since you will Grapple a lot with this Build, and anything at affects High Stance Damage or just Damage in general. Remember that you can keep crafting this once you have the text and try to get better bonuses, and that you can “Temper” these at the Blacksmith to change the bonuses.

When it comes to Ranged Weapons you’ll use a Bow and Rifle early on until you can find a Hand Cannon, and then you’ll drop the Bow for it. Hand Cannon’s scale with Strength so this is very good for this Build, and you want to look for ones with damage bonuses so that they hit as hard as possible. Additionally, don’t be afraid to swap out your Hand Cannon or Rifle mid Mission for a Bow if you run out of ammo, and then swap it back later.

Paralyzing Blade Armor

When it comes to Armor there isn’t really any particular set that excels at Paralyzing early on, or benefits an Odachi specifically, so you just want to look for Sets that are good in general and that are at least Medium Armor. I highly recommend the Yokai Annihilator Set early on as fighting Yokai is not the strength of this Build, and it will help to increase your damage against them and allow you to get a Backstab on them almost every time you face them. Later on consider using Saruyasha’s Valor for increased Anima gain, a damage bonus based on the Amrita you are holding, and reduced Ki cost when Dodging.

Paralyzing Blade Accessories

Accessory wise you’ll want bonuses that provide increased Paralysis Accumulation if possible, since this is priority. You need to build up Paralysis as quickly as possible in order to be able to make best use of this Build, so you want to have this in both slots if you can find it.

Paralyzing Blade Skills

Where to place your Skill Points is a vital part of making any Build in Nioh 2 work, and in this section we’ll take a look at the things you need to create the Paralyzing Blade Build. Since all Nioh 2 players use Samurai Skills, let’s begin there before we take a look at Odachi, Ninja Skills and Shifting Skills.

Samurai Skills

In the Samurai Skills tree you’ll mostly focusing on passives that benefit all Stances like Fortitude and Damage Boost: Strength, but you’ll also want some passives from each part of the tree that buff you when you Ki Pulse in each Stance. Prioritize High Stance slightly when placing points into this Tree as you will use this the most, and you’ll want some points into increased Matchlock and Hand Cannon damage and ammo count as well, since you use these a lot.

Odachi Skills

When it comes to Odachi Skills there are so many good things here for this Build, but priority is gaining some passives that just boost your general effectiveness with the weapon like Relentless, Tachi Arts, and Passage to the Afterlife. Relentless will give you more Ki, Tachi Arts will increase your attack against full Health enemies, and Passage to the Afterlife will increase damage when you Grapple. Sword of Severance is also not bad, and makes human enemies even easier to kill.

You’re going to want to use Imperative Strike against enemies that are Paralyzed that cannot be Grappled, and you’ll want to make sure to do this from behind them once you have Shadow Strike for increased damage. Waking Winds is great for adding another strike onto your combo, and putting you into Mid Stance at the end, which is great for Blocking. Just make sure to switch back to High Stance before you attack again if you need to. Devastating Rush does less damage than Imperative Strike by a tiny bit, but has much longer range, so is a nice to have as well.

Ninjutsu Skills

When it comes to Ninjutsu you really only need a few things here, and these are Sneak Attack, Medusa Powder, Paralytic Groundfire and Paralysis Shurikens. Sneak Attack is needed for Backstabs, Medusa Power is excellent for setting Paralysis and can sometimes Paralyze an enemy twice if you are quick. Paralytic Groundfire is also useful for setting Paralysis, and Paralysis Shurikens are great for getting that last bit of Paralysis you need to make them Paralyzed. However, once you have Tachi Arts you may want to avoid opening with Shurikens to give you increased damage with your first Grapple or use Imperative Strike. None of these Jutus are damage based, so you only need Ninjutsu Capacity and not damage.

Shifting Skills

When it comes to Shifting Skills you’ll want The Yokai Within and The Dark Within to help with Ki Recovery when fighting Yokai or in the Dark Realm. Special Finesse: Invigorate will increase Your Ki Recovery after using a Burst Counter, and Special Finesse: Refresh will replenish a ton of Ki after performing one, so be sure to get these when you can. Arcana of Vermin can be used to put Paralysis on an attack like Devastating Rush, which can help to Paralyze enemies faster, so you’ll likely want this.

Paralyzing Blade Guardian Spirits

Guardian Spirits play a pretty large role with most builds, particularly when you are min/maxing. For this Build I recommend a Feral Guardian type for the added mobility, because its Burst Counter can be used as a dodge in addition to the Counter mechanic, but you can use any type.

I suggest beginning with Ame-no-Mitori. This Guardian Spirit increases your Running Speed and Ki Recovery Speed, both of which are excellent for this Build. Divine Rice can be used to trade for items at Shrines, which is nice, but not a must have. It’s not necessary to unlock the Lightning Damage.

Another great option a bit later in the game, if you don’t care about using a Brute Guardian, is Okuri-Inu since it gives you increased damage against Unscathed enemies and extra Anima. Anima is very important to this Build because it allows for the use of more Yokai Skills before you need to gain Anima, and we use them a ton with this Build.

Paralyzing Blade Soul Cores

Soul Cores are new to Nioh 2 and help further flesh out your build by adding new Skills as well as bonuses. For your first Soul Core you’ll absolutely want the Nure-Onna Soul Core as this allows you to Paralyze enemies, almost always in one use, and it doesn’t cost much at 4 Anima. This allows you to Grapple humans and almost refund the entire cost of its use if you use a Feral Guardian Spirit. There is a huge gap in levels where you find these enemies, so you might have to farm some when you get higher levels or your damage will suffer.

For your second Soul Core I like to use the Karakasa Umbrella Soul Core for increased Paralysis Accumulation. You can’t have enough of this, so it’s a solid choice. Additionally, look for passive bonuses among the ones that are random, that increase Anima gain since you will want to spam the Nure-Onna ability often.

Final Tips

Some enemies have tons of Paralysis Resistance, like for instance the Nure-Onna and Gaki, so you will not try to use Paralysis against them. There are very few enemies that cannot be Paralyzed with a bit of cleverness, but there are some, so learn to recognize these and don’t waste your Ninjutu or items on them.

When setup properly you can Paralyze enemies very frequently and deal excellent damage at the same time. The Nure-Onna Soul Core and Arcana of Vermin will allow you to Paralyze enemies without having to use Ninjutsu or items, allowing you to save these for more difficult enemies or Bosses, where they can be spammed to great effect.

Be sure to craft higher and higher levels of the Bloodspider Blade so that your damage doesn’t go to shit. I won’t say how often you should do this, but you should have more than enough materials if you pick up most everything that drops to do this every ten levels or so. And if you find one with all the perfect bonuses, and don’t want to change it, then just craft a high level one and then Soul Match it up to the high level.

Lastly, learn to fight inside your Medusa Powder. This one Jutsu is so strong that you can often Paralyze enemies 2 times with it if you are fast, and if not, then you can use Nure-Onna to get the second one extremely easily. Play around with this Jutsu and learn how to use it effectively. Doing so will make all the difference in the world!

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Stay tuned for more Nioh 2 Guides, including Builds and Weapon Guides, and be sure to check out our Review for our thoughts on the game. If you need further help, head over to the Nioh 2 Wiki, and don’t be afraid to add information that might help others out!