Every self-respecting souls-like always has its “poisonous” map ready to make our life impossible, perhaps located right at the start of the game to further complicate things. Even in Nioh 2 this does not change, and the exclusive PlayStation 4 immediately takes us to a hostile level, which culminates with an equally annoying boss: Yatsu-No-Kami.
Yatsu-No-Kami: appearance and origins
Yatsu-No-Kami is a snake deity with two snakes for arms and a horn formed by blades protruding from its head; he can use the blades of his horn as arrows against enemies and his arms detach when in the Dark Realm and move independently of the creature. When his white body turns black it is a sign of evocation of the Dark Realm.
Clash with Yatsu-No-Kami: main attacks
In Nioh 2 The clash with Yatsu-No-Kami is initially difficult and requires a certain strategy to be carried out in the best way. First of all you have to equip yourself with Antidotes, as the boss can poison you quite quickly. As soon as you enter the arena, pay attention to the creature's first attack: it comes towards you, trying to "run over" you, almost like a drill. You should dodge this blow sideways, as it is very damaging, both in terms of health points and in terms of ki, if you try to parry it. Then pay attention to the two snakes that it has as its arms: plant them in the ground and these come out directly under you: when it happens, run towards Yatsu-No-Kami and hit the two parts still attached to its sides; if you manage to do the right amount of damage you will eliminate his particular "arms", which he can also use to hit you with "punches". Also these two snakes, once the Yokai enters the Dark Realm, they will detach from his body and attack independently.
Then pay close attention to the tails with which the boss will often try to hit you: they can be really dangerous, given the huge amount of damage they inflict. If you move away, then, Yatsu-No-Kami will lower his head and shoot a fan of arrows at you.: dodge them sideways. The most damaging attack with which the creature is able to hit you is the grab: it will grab you in its coils and inflict an enormous amount of damage. When you see that the boss is about to turn around, run away, because it will mean that he is trying to grab you. Then when you see that it is possible to carry out the Explosive Counterattack (when the Yokai's head lights up red), do it, or dodge sideways: it will be trying to hit you as it does at the beginning of the fight.
Remember that he won't make a single attempt, so be very careful and don't let your guard down until he stops. Also beware of its poisonous spits and those of smaller snakes: they do not inflict much damage but are very annoying, due to poisoning, an altered status capable of taking away many life points. Another one of his attacks to watch out for is his headbutt - he'll try to hit you with his head, dealing a modest amount of damage or taking a lot of ki away if you try to parry.
Clash with Yatsu-No-Kami: tips for attack and various sensitivities
In Nioh 2 the first piece of advice we give you to get the better of Yatsu-No-Kami is: be patient. During this battle everything will be about being able to elaborate (and put into practice) the most effective strategy for you, more in your ropes. Know that the Yokai in question is fast and capable of damaging you, as you have seen by reading its attacks, in a thousand different ways. But also know that if you manage not to be enticed and not to panic you will have victory in your pocket. Keep in mind that by keeping Yatsu-No-Kami at a distance, it will only attack you in the following ways: the tail (and this means that you have to move further), the fanning of arrows and the snakes stuck in the ground.
But when you see him trying to reach you, move away again. Once he has put the two snakes in the ground run to meet him and don't hit the snakes but hit Yatsu-No-Kami. You better let the snakes stay where they are because they will be the ones to give you the right window to hit the enemy. When he enters the Dark Realm the speech will change, as the snakes will be detached from the creature. Here you will have to hit it by executing the Explosive Counterattack on the attacks that we have illustrated above. Continue like this and you will finish the battle victorious. It won't be a very fast victory, but at least you will have a certain margin of safety.
final Thoughts
In Nioh 2 the clash with Yatsu-No-Kami, although initially very difficult, will not be excessively complex if you manage to apply the strategy we have illustrated to you. The key here will be, we repeat once again, to have a steady nerve.
difficulty: 2,5/5
Appearance: 2/5
Thematic inspiration: 3/5
Overall rating: 2/5
► 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
