Nioh and Nioh 2 (including all DLCs) are also bundled in the Nioh Collection on PS5.
Best Axe Build
Focus on Stamina
Because Stamina scales with Axes the most, focus on leveling up Stamina. Leveling up Strength is also effective since it also scales with Axes, and Axes are compatible with Heavy Armor.
A weapon that requires somewhat similar stats but scale differently is the Odachi.
Balanced Stats for Early Game
The status increase between level 5 to level 10 is large compared to other levels for all stats. Therefore, it’s better to balance out your stats rather than focusing on just one stat in the early game.
Best Build for Axe
| Constitution | Heart | Courage | Stamina | Strength | Skill | Dexterity | Magic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lv.30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Lv.60 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 36 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Lv.100 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 66 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Lv.150 | 10 | 10 | 32 | 99 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
About Build
Since Spears scales with Stamina, leveling up Stamina is your first priority. Due to the low attack speed, keeping Toughness rank above B is also important. Therefore, leveling up Strength is effective as well when using the Axe.
Recommended Axe Skills
Recommended Active Skills
| Stance | Name | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| High | Heaven and Earth | Follows up a Quick Attack with a jumping slice that knocks the enemy into the air, thn slams them back down to earth. |
| – | Mad Spinner | Spins your Constitution and your axe. |
| – | Mad Spinner II | Gradually increases speed of your spin. |
| – | Titanic Strength | Launches the enemy up before slamming them back down. |
Recommended Passive Skills
| Name | Effects |
|---|---|
| Shadow Strike | Damage dealt to enemies from behind increases when you have a Axe equipped as your main weapon. |
| Relentless | Maximum Ki increases when you have Axe equipped as your main weapon. |
| Kintaro Kata | Axe damage increased against yokai. |
Overview and Strategy
Slow but Deadly
The Axe has short range and slow attack speed in exchange for massive damage per hit. Don’t be greedy with the Axe, as going for second hits often leads to unnecessary damage or possibly death.
Recommended Stance is High
To make use of Axe’s high damage output, High Stance is your only option. Use strong attack as it has the longest reach, and Mad Spinner for DPS when going against large enemies.
Nioh 2 Recommended Articles
| ▼Popular Articles | |
|---|---|
| Recommended Starting Weapon and Spirit | Best Stat to Focus and Recommended Build |
| Weapon Type Tier list | |
| ▼Best Build for each Weapon Type | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sword | Dual Swords | Spear |
| Axe | Kusarigama | Odachi |
| Tonfas | Hatchets | Switchglaive |
I feel like whoever wrote this just said “yeah the axe sucks so lets just say what looks good on paper”
No. It doesnt.
I would argue axe is midtier due to staggers.
Use mid stance light attacks and treat it like a switchglaive/odachi/spear with less range.
Once youve hit most enemies you just r1 spam, ki burst and repeat.
I do agree with the beyblade strategy but dont use that against bosses.
Always level up stamina whenever you dont know what to upgrade, as having A toughness and B agility really helps if you get hit trying to stagger a boss and take a hit.
If you stagger them but have taken a hit, use the time to heal and recover ki, as you’ll be using it to butt**** them next flurry
Also use high stance strong attacks against revenants.
Happy Hunting!