Nioh really begins when you reach the shores of Japan, and the first area you visit is a small fishing village that has been assaulted by a supernatural presence. Once you battle your way through the village, you meet the second boss in the game, Onryoki. Onryoki makes Derrick the Executioner look like a regular foot soldier, and it's possible for him to kill you in two or three hits. Our article will tell you how to win the Onryoki boss battle while saving those valuable healing items for toughter fights down the road.

Onryoki Boss Battle Phase One

When the Onryoki boss battle begins, your primary concern is the iron balls attached by a chain to Onryoki's arm. If you move into range of his attack, Onryoki will attack with at least one and possibly both of the iron balls.

To dodge this attack, pay attention to which iron ball Onryoki is about to use to attack and move to be pointed at the opposite side of him while still facing him. When he attacks, you can dodge forward and attack multiple times before Onryoki recovers. If he looks like he's going to attack with both balls simultaneously, dodge left or right and try to get him to attack with one ball again.

If you get too close to Onryoki, he'll attack you with a spinning attack. This attack causes a moderate amount of damage, but you can avoid it as long as you dodge back at the right time. He'll often use this attack when he's missed you with an iron ball and you're attacking him. If you're precise enough, you can dodge through the chain when he attacks, which will allow you to get extra hits.

Never stand behind Onryoki. He has a spin attack he'll perform if you're behind him that is very quick and is almost sure to hit you. The easiest way to defeat him is to wait for a normal one iron ball attack, move in and hit Onryoki with one or two attacks, then fall back to a safe distance. It might take you a while to take him down this way, but you can get through the first phase of the fight relatively unscathed this way.

Onryoki Boss Battle Phase Two

Once you've knocked a quarter of Onryoki's health down the chains on his iron balls will break. Now you have to watch for Onryoki's slam attacks. If you stand too close to him, he'll grab you and slam you onto the ground for a large amount of damage.

In the second phase of battle Onryoki has some new attacks. Besides the grab attack above, he also has an attack where he'll jump a short distance and slam his fists onto the ground. Dodge this attack and move in for a few quick attacks while he's recovering.

Onryoki still has the irritating fast attack he'll perform if you're close behind him, so continue to stay away from that area. If he gets close to an iron ball, he may pick it up and throw it at you. This attack has a slow wind-up and is easy to avoid. However, if you're willing to take the risk, you can attack Onryoki as he's picking up the iron ball and dodge away quickly.

The easiest strategy to defeat Onryoki's second phase is to stay just outisde of his attack radius so that he continually uses a three-hit combo. As long as all three swipes miss you, Oryoki will tumble to the ground, and you can hit it with several attacks. Just keep repeating this process and Onryoki will go down.

You've made it through the fishing village in Nioh, for more info to help you as you continue your adventure, check our Nioh guide hub.