Nioh 2 Difficulty Level and Dark Realm Penalties to Be Adjusted

Team Ninja has published the results of Nioh 2‘s open beta survey, revealing a comprehensive list of adjustments and improvements that it plans to make in light of players’ feedback.

Overall, players felt that Nioh 2‘s difficulty needed adjustment alongside the penalties against players in the Dark Realm. Team Ninja has also been asked to improve and expand the game’s tutorials.

Results are as follows:

Overall Direction

Improve parts that felt unbalanced, and adjust the difficulty level
Adjust the penalties against the players in the Dark Realm, and introduce greater returns.
Alleviate the overall strictness of the player’s Ki management
Expand and improve tutorial elements
Make refinements to the action and level design

Key Aspects to be Addressed

Player Action & Controls

Improve the lock-on tracking for the switchglaive. In addition to this, increase the amount of damage inflicted by low attacks.
Add Active Skills to all weapons. In particular, add several Active Skills for the new weapons (hand axe, switchglaive)
Strengthen several Yokai Abilities, and make them easier to use. Adjust the balance for all Yokai Abilities
Adjust the Yokai Shift and Burst Counters. Adjust the balance of the Brute, Feral, and Phantom, and adjust the counter ability against Burst Attacks
Adjust the Ki Pulse Bonus
Add a custom setting in controls, making it possible for more flexible key configurations

Enemy Action

Adjust the life and attack strength parameters of enemies. In particular, reduce the Ki damage inflicted on the player
Make performance adjustments to enemy attack tracking and hit frames
Make adjustments so that yokai enemies become downed when their maximum Ki limit is reduced
Change some enemy yokai, so that they express hit reactions when they have Ki remaining.
Reduce the Ki recovery speed for yokai in the Yokai Realm

Level Design, Stages

Adjust the placement of enemies and the collision detection in narrow spots, and areas where it is possible to fall.
Improve the camera behaviour in narrow areas
Adjust areas where multiple enemies are placed
Adjust the location of shrines. In particular, shrines that were in hard to find places will be easier to find
Make adjustments so that status enhancements are not removed when entering hot springs

Dark Realm

Alleviate the penalty to Ki recovery speed while inside the Dark Realm
Add merits which increase the damage made to the maximum Ki limits of enemy yokai.
Adjust the bonus amount of Yokai Force earned in the Dark Realm
Adjust the conditions determining when bosses generate and dispel the Dark Realm to make them easier to understand

Tutorial

Expand the Interim tutorial to include basic actions and Yokai Shift controls
Add and improve information shown on-screen after a death
Character Advancement Elements
Make adjustments to increase the number of Core Stats that can improve the Ki Recovery Rate
Make adjustments to increase the number of Core Stats that can improve the Ki Pulse Bonus
Expand the Soul Fusion functions
Improve the AI for Acolytes and NPC characters.
Revise some of the specifications related to increasing the proficiency of Ninja and Onmyo skills.

Add a system which allows Active Skill customisation settings to be saved/loaded.
Divide the tabs for shrine Offerings, and Blacksmith disassembly and selling
Add icons to identify consumable items that raise the proficiency of Ninjutsu and Onmyo Magic
Other interface and usability related improvements

Character Creation