Team Ninja has deployed the substantial Nioh 3 update 1.04, a comprehensive patch that delivers critical weapon balancing, system-wide quality-of-life improvements, and a sweeping wave of bug fixes addressing issues from mission progression to specific weapon skill functionality. The update, released on March 11, also introduces free commemorative armor to celebrate the series surpassing 10 million copies sold worldwide.
Core Gameplay and System Enhancements
The foundation of update 1.04 is built on significant adjustments to the game’s core systems, designed to refine the player experience across both single-player and cooperative modes. A primary focus has been on improving the reward structure for high-level play and multiplayer engagement.
Reward Structure and Multiplayer Adjustments
The amount of Glory earned upon clearing missions in multiplayer has been increased, providing a more substantial incentive for cooperative play. Furthermore, following the completion of “The Shogun’s Journey,” there is now an increased chance for higher +value equipment to drop, giving seasoned players better tools to tackle the game’s most demanding challenges.
Quality-of-Life and User Interface Upgrades
Numerous interface and system tweaks aim to reduce friction in inventory and character management. The update eases the material cost when using “Soul Matching” on equipment that exceeds a player’s previously obtained +value. A highly requested feature now allows players to disable the automatic replenishment of usable items, granting finer control over resource management.
New system settings automatically lock equipment with rare special effect icons upon acquisition, preventing accidental dismantling or selling. The visibility of Soul Cores set in the Onmyo Box has been improved, and character models now appear brighter during appearance customization. The update also adds a new eye shape (Type 6) to the character creator.
Comprehensive Weapon Balance and Bug Fixes
A massive portion of the patch notes is dedicated to rectifying bugs and adjusting the performance of every weapon class. These changes range from fixing specific Skill (武技) malfunctions to improving general usability, ensuring a smoother and more consistent combat experience.
Samurai Weapons: From Katana to Switchglaive
For the Katana, bugs affecting the “Mist” and “Water Shadow” skills have been fixed, where failing a parry would always result in a guard break. The Dual Swords saw a correction for an issue preventing Skill usage after a dodge-attack. Odachi users will find the “Soaring Bird” skill can now properly execute a Ki Pulse, and the “Snow Moon Flower – Abridged” version now correctly applies weapon attributes.
The Spear‘s “Spear Stance Change” skill no longer deflects off guards, and its “Crying Mountain – Extend” skill’s movement distance is now consistent regardless of lock-on. The Axe received a usability boost, with the “Rock Crusher” skill adjusted to hit more easily, and several follow-up attacks after a successful parry with “Spinning Slide” have been fixed. Fists and Switchglaive also received numerous adjustments, including fixes for Ki consumption bugs and improvements to the fluidity of their complex skill trees.
Ninja Weapons: Refining the Agile Arsenal
The ninja toolkit received similar scrutiny. The Splitstaff had a bug fixed where a light attack would continue unexpectedly when trying to chain into a specific Skill. The Kusarigama saw adjustments to the Ki cost of several skills deemed too high. Issues with the Ninja Sword‘s aerial skills have been addressed, improving input consistency. Bugs with the Tonfa‘s “Divine Mowing” and “Impregnable Fortress” skills that allowed unintended damage or prevented counters have been resolved.
Mission, Boss, and Progression Bug Fixes
Beyond combat, update 1.04 tackles a long list of progression-halting and experiential bugs. A critical fix resolves an issue where players could rarely become unable to use Spirit Springs. Several boss behaviors have been corrected, including the “Bloody Slasher” mistakenly damaging itself and losing target focus, and the “Tesso” (Weasel) occasionally returning to its grave mid-fight.
Critical Mission and Scroll Fixes
Specific mission blockers have been eliminated. In “The Ice Capital’s Burning Spirit Tree,” reducing the Ki of “Minamoto no Yoritomo” to zero with damage-over-time effects will no longer prevent mission completion. A bug in the scroll mission “Invading Like Fire” that could cause Hattori Hanzo to disappear has been fixed. Multiple issues in the “Tales” side missions, such as “The Calamity Arrives at Lake Hamana” and “The Value of Flawlessness,” which could cause progression to halt under certain conditions, have been resolved.
Equipment and Set Bonus Corrections
A significant bug where some Samurai armor pieces incorrectly had Ninja-exclusive special effects has been fixed; these effects will be replaced with appropriate Samurai counterparts. The set bonus “Resentment Transcending the World” had two effects—health recovery on Amrita absorption and the “Spirit Power Transfer” trigger—that were not functioning correctly; both have been repaired. The six-piece bonus for the “Harbinger of Peace” set, which modifies reflected skills for Ninja, now activates properly.
Platform-Specific Updates
The patch includes tailored improvements for each platform. On PlayStation 5, a bug preventing the cumulative tally of military glory in the Clan Battle from updating has been fixed.
Steam Enhancements and Fixes
The PC version receives several notable enhancements. Stick input recognition for subtle movements has been improved. A highly convenient feature allowing players to copy appearance setting codes to the clipboard has been added. Certain cutscenes previously locked to 30 FPS now support 60 FPS depending on settings. New system settings let players toggle the HUD display for close-range weapon switching buttons. The game will now pause when a controller is disconnected during pausable moments.
Several PC-specific bugs have been squashed, including graphical noise at certain resolutions, controller input failures when the window is inactive, and an issue where anisotropic filtering was stuck at 4x regardless of the chosen setting. The patch also fixes controller vibration occurring during keyboard and mouse use.
Commemorative Content and Apology Items
To celebrate the milestone of Nioh 3 selling 1 million copies and the series surpassing 10 million, all players receive two free armor sets: the “Myriads of Thunder Warrior Armor” and the “Myriads of Thunder Ninja Garb.” Additionally, as an apology for a bug where the “Chichigo Soul Core” could not be obtained under certain conditions, players will find “Ayakashi Tear Drops” added as offerings at shrines, with the quantity based on how many times they have petted the character Chichigo.
Update 1.04 represents a substantial commitment to polishing the Nioh 3 experience, addressing community feedback with a methodical and extensive list of corrections. By fine-tuning weapon balance, eradicating progression blockers, and implementing thoughtful quality-of-life features, Team Ninja ensures the punishing yet rewarding world of Nioh 3 remains as engaging and technically sound as possible for both lone warriors and those who walk the twilight realm together.
