In this Nioh 2 Guardian Spirit Guide, we will guide you on which Guardian Spirit you should choose at the start of the game. Each Guardian Spirit comes with its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Since you choose the Guardian Spirit right at the start of the game and it is quite some time before you find more of them, hence it is important that you choose a Guardian Spirit that suits your playstyle.
At the start of the game, you only have access to three Guardian Spirits however as you progress in the game, you will continue to unlock more Guardian Spirits as well. We have curated this Nioh 2 Guardian Spirit Guide in which we will not only guide you on which Guardian Spirit to choose when you begin your game but also how you can find and unlock more Guardian Spirits in Nioh 2.
Guardian Spirit Guide – Nioh 2
Our Nioh 2 Guardian Spirit Guide details everything that you need to know about Guardian Spirits in Nioh 2.
Choosing the Right Guardian Spirit
When you start Nioh 2, you get the option of choosing a Guardian Spirit out of three options. Each of these Guardian Spirits will grant you will various bonuses and some debuffs as well. Depending on your playstyle, you can choose one out of these three Guardian Spirits. The three options you get are listed below along with their prominent stats:
Kagewani – Shark
- Anima Bonus – A-
- Attack – 0.85
- Defense – 1.20
- Life – +200
- Life Drain – A
- Tenacity – Damage Over Time
- Type: Phantom
Ame-no-Mitori – Bird
- Anima Bonus – A-
- Attack – 1
- Defense – 0.85
- Ki Recovery Speed – +12.5%
- Running Speed – +10%
- Type: Feral
Makami – Wolf
- Anima Bonus – A-
- Attack – 1.10
- Defense – 0.90
- Final Blow Damage – +12.5%
- Melee Attack Ki Consumption – -10%
- Type: Brute
These are the three Starting Guardians that you can choose from. Judging from the stats above, you can see that when it comes to damage, Makami is the highest damage dealer among the dealer. If you want to play in the role of a damage dealer, then Makami should be your choice. However, you must also note that its Defense rating is lower when compared with the other 2 Guardian Spirit options so you will need to watch out for enemy attacks.
If you are new to the franchise, then Kagewani is the Guardian Spirit that you should opt for. It has the highest Defense rating out of all three and it means that you will be able to take more damage with Kagewani as compared to the other two Guardian Spirits, specially Makami. Kagewani also grants +200 life so it means that you will survive longer in every battle than the other Guardian Spirits.
The third option Ame-no-Mitori is strictly for advanced players. If you are new to the Nioh franchise or this genre in general, I will highly recommend that you avoid using this Guardian Spirit unless you can get better at new games fairly quickly. Ame-no-Mitori prefers speed and agility over Offense and Defense. Its Attack and Defense stats are not that high however it excels in speed and agility. It boosts your Ki Recovery Speed and also gets a +10% increase in running speed allowing you to run circles around your enemies and dodging their attacks.
Unlocking More Guardian Spirits
Apart from the initial Guardian Spirits, you can also find and unlock different Guardian Spirits in the world of Nioh 2. Each of the new Guardian Spirits can be unlocked by completing certain tasks associated with them. The best method to continue unlocking more Guardian Spirits is to keep playing the main story of the game and the side quests that you get in the game. We have listed all of the Guardian Spirits you can find in Nioh 2 and how you can unlock them.
| Guardian Spirit | Type | How to Unlock |
| Ame-no-Mitori (Bird) | Feral | Available from the start |
| Kagewani (Shark) | Phantom | Available from the start |
| Makami (Wolf) | Brute | Available from the start |
| Masaru (Monkey) | Feral | Available after you complete Village of Cursed Blossoms |
| Okuri-Inu (Dog) | Brute | Available after you complete the side village A Hot Blooded |
| Rokegezo (Elephant) | Phantom | Available after you complete The Hidden Monsters of Okehazama |
| Shirohami (Snake) | Brute | Available after you complete The Viper’s Sanctum |
We are adding more Guardian Spirits to this guide as we play the game. Keep checking back for more Guardian Spirits added to this guide.
In the meantime, check out more Nioh 2 guides linked below.
This concludes our Nioh 2 Guardian Spirit Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
