In Koei Tecmo's latest title, Nioh 2, the Guardian Spirits will bestow very powerful abilities on Hideyoshi and guard the spot where he dies under enemy blows. During the game they will meet different ones and each one will have particular effects, in addition to its characteristics.
Guardian Spirits in Nioh 2
Initially, the choice regarding which Guardian Spirit to adopt lies not so much in the advantages that this grants us but in type of transformation into Yokai that we will be equipped with. In fact, the Burst Counter that will be used in combat also depends on this. The transformation into Brutus grants us powerful attacks and does not suffer from blockages. It is one of the recommended transformations if you prefer close range combat. The transformation into Ferale will give advantages such as being able to spam fast and continuous attacks. For the Burst Counter, you will have to dodge towards the enemy and if they hit you in a certain time window, they will be stunned. It is also a good transformation for the positioning advantage that can be obtained with dodging.
Another form is the Phantom, a transformation that relies heavily on medium range attacks and is capable of causing a static block such as Burst Counter. The Phantom also has a special ability which consists in being able to throw his weapon at the enemy, in order to reposition himself right next to it.
Whatever transformation you decide to adopt, this will not be permanent but you can change it during the campaign in Nioh 2 indeed, it is much better to change from time to time to become familiar with all the variants and know how to use them in such a way as to be able to bring them out in the most moment appropriate.
Soul Nuclei in Nioh 2
Soul Cores are items dropped by the Yokai once defeated, although they can also be dropped by human enemies. These can be used in conjunction with the Guardian Spirit to create unique move sets. You can combine 3 Soul Cores with the Guardian Spirit, in addition to the fact that each Guardian has different Limits that can go in combo with the Cores. To use a Soul Core you will have to return to the Temple to purify it. If you die while having one equipped it will be lost until we return to our "grave" site to retrieve it or, alternatively, use a summoner candle. Guardian Spirits boost both attack and defense, depending on the Soul Cores they are paired with. The bonus is calculated by multiplying the Core value by the Guardian Spirit multiplier.
Each Soul Core will give us some special effects, from being able to make ranged attacks up to some buffs, such as empowering the senses to find Kodama more easily. However, the most important element that the Soul Cores give are certainly the Yokai Skills. These are very powerful attacks that the enemy Yokai also use against us and which, in turn, we can use to build our movesets. Yokai Skills require Soul to perform, which is none other than the purple bar under the Ki. Obviously, each skill will have its own cost.
Soul Fusion
Fusion can be used to strengthen the effects of the Soul Cores. Fusion increases the power of the Core making it rank up thanks to a second Soul Core sacrificed to fortify it. All effects are obviously enhanced. The sacrificed Core can also be one level below the one to be upgraded but must be of the same type (Brutus, Phantom, Feral). Mortal Soul Cores have the special ability to change the type of transformation into Yokai.
► Nioh 2 is an Action-RPG type game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo for PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 13/03/2020
