The latest major patch for Team Ninja’s action RPG, Nioh 3, has been deployed, bringing a substantial wave of new content, quality-of-life improvements, and a comprehensive list of bug fixes aimed at refining the punishing combat experience. Update 1.04, released on March 11, 2026, addresses longstanding community feedback regarding multiplayer rewards, drop rates, and weapon balance while introducing free celebratory armor sets to mark the series’ sales milestones.
New Content and Core System Improvements
In celebration of Nioh 3 selling one million copies and the series surpassing ten million sales worldwide, all players receive two commemorative armor sets: the “Mighty Thunder Warrior Armor” and the “Mighty Thunder Ninja Garb.” These sets are automatically added to the player’s inventory, offering a stylish reward for the community’s support.
Enhanced Rewards and Progression
Significant adjustments have been made to the game’s reward structure. The amount of Glory earned upon clearing missions in multiplayer has been increased, incentivizing cooperative play. Furthermore, following the completion of the “Shogun’s Journey” endgame mode, there is now a chance for equipment with higher “+” values to drop, providing a more rewarding grind for top-tier gear.
Quality-of-Life and User Interface Upgrades
The update introduces numerous system tweaks designed to streamline the user experience. The “Soul Matching” process has been eased, reducing the material cost when matching equipment that exceeds a player’s current highest +value. Auto-replenishment for usable items like “Sacred Arrows” at shrines is now the default, with an added system setting to disable this feature for those who prefer manual management.
New system settings automatically lock equipment with rare special effects upon acquisition, preventing accidental dismantling or selling. The visibility of Yokai Cores set in the Onmyo Box has been improved, and character models now appear brighter during appearance customization. A new eye shape, Type 6, has been added to the character creator.
Comprehensive Weapon Balance and Bug Fixes
The core of Update 1.04 lies in its extensive rebalancing and correction of technical issues across Nioh 3’s vast arsenal. Nearly every weapon type has received specific adjustments to improve functionality and fix broken skills.
Samurai Weapons
Katana
Fixes target the “Sōmaki” skill, ensuring its buff during active skill enhancement (技研ぎ) is properly applied. Issues with the parry skills “Oboro” and “Mikage” have been resolved, preventing guaranteed guard breaks from unparryable attacks. The “Oboro Ni” skill no longer causes enemies to vanish during camera sequences.
Dual Swords
A bug preventing skill use after a quick attack following a dodge has been fixed. The “Frost Wind” skill now correctly maintains its skill enhancement state, and the consecutive use of “Falling Leaf Sword – Chain” no longer consumes Ki without properly activating.
Odachi
The “Shōchō” skill can now properly execute a Ki pulse. A bug preventing specific skills from being used after “Yūkaze – Earth” has been corrected, and the “Snow Moon Flower – Abbreviation” skill now correctly applies weapon attributes.
Spear
The “Sōtaihen” skill will no longer be deflected by guarding enemies. The movement distance of “Naruyama – Extend” is now consistent regardless of lock-on status, and both “Sōtaihen” and “Un’ei” properly maintain skill enhancement.
Axe
The “Rock Hammer” skill’s hit detection has been improved. Several issues with the “Spinning Slip” skill have been addressed, including fixes to its follow-up charged attacks and adjustments to make post-parry inputs more responsive.
Fists
Hit detection for aerial “Finishing Blows” has been improved. Bugs preventing the “Dawn Shadow Kick” from being used while an enemy is downed and causing excessive Ki consumption on high-stance strong attacks have been fixed.
Switchglaive
General adjustments make several transformation skills easier to use. Aerial “Finishing Blows” are more reliable. Critical fixes were applied to the secret skills “Transformation Raging Wildfire” and “Transformation Raging Waves,” which previously lacked guard properties, couldn’t be used during Living Weapon, and were not affected by skill enhancement.
Ninja Weapons
Staff
Input bugs causing quick attacks to repeat when attempting specific skills and allowing double finishing blows have been corrected. The transition from the “Whirlpool” skill to aerial strong attacks is now smoother.
Claw
Issues with parrying after a deflected strong attack and incorrect buff applications have been fixed. Bugs preventing the “Body Thrust” skill from chaining out of “Shadow Step” and “Flying Deer – Step” were resolved.
Kusarigama
The excessively high Ki cost for the skills “Yae-gaki,” “Snakebite Formation,” and “Leg Bind” has been reduced. A bug allowing the “Pheasant Jump” ninjutsu during Living Weapon activation sequences was fixed.
Ninja Blade
Multiple aerial skill issues were addressed, including the inability to use “Rending Sky” after an aerial jump, unresponsive input buffering, and unintended skill chaining through aerial dodges.
Hatchet & Splitstaff
The Hatchet’s “Tile Crusher” skill can no longer parry grab attacks. The Splitstaff received numerous fixes, particularly for the “Divine Mowing” secret skill and the “Impregnable Fortress” skill, which had multiple problems with cancels, follow-ups, and input conflicts.
Mission, Boss, and Endgame Fixes
Beyond weapons, Update 1.04 tackles a wide array of progression-halting bugs and gameplay inconsistencies. Boss behavior has been tuned; for example, bosses will no longer relentlessly target a single player in multiplayer, and the camera during the “Onryoki” boss fight has been adjusted for better visibility.
Critical Bug Resolutions
Significant mission-blocking issues have been resolved. In the “Ice Capital’s Burning Spirit Tree” mission, reducing “Minamoto no Yoritomo’s” Ki to zero via damage-over-time effects no longer prevents mission completion. A bug causing Hattori Hanzō to disappear in Hamamatsu Castle under specific mission overlap conditions has been fixed.
Endgame and Scroll of the Wise Adjustments
Several bugs in the challenging “Scroll of the Wise” missions have been corrected. Issues preventing progression in “The Calamity Arrives at Lake Hamana” and “The Flawless Value” under specific conditions are now resolved. The drop rates for rare smithing texts, such as for the “Yamauba’s Kitchen Knife,” have been restored.
Platform-Specific Enhancements
PlayStation 5
The primary fix for the PS5 version resolves an issue where accumulated military prestige during Clan Battles was not being tallied correctly.
Steam (PC)
PC players receive several notable enhancements, including improved stick sensitivity recognition, the ability to copy appearance setting codes to the clipboard, and support for 60 FPS in certain cutscenes. A new setting allows players to toggle the HUD display for close-range weapon switching buttons. Bug fixes address graphical noise at specific resolutions, controller recognition problems, and input conflicts between keyboard/mouse and controller vibration.
This substantial update demonstrates Team Ninja’s ongoing commitment to supporting Nioh 3’s dedicated player base. By directly addressing weapon balance, rewarding cooperative play more generously, and systematically eliminating scores of bugs, Update 1.04 refines the game’s sharp edges without dulling its challenging core. The addition of free celebratory armor serves as both a thank-you and an invitation for players to jump back into the fray, experiencing a more polished and rewarding version of the game’s demanding combat loop.
