Combat & Arts
Nioh 3's combat is the deepest in the series, and most of its trophies tick over just by engaging with the systems — Burst Breaks, Ninjutsu, Crucible Arts, Guardian Spirits and Soul Cores all unlock as you fight. The only one that demands real skill is A God Among Men: defeating every optional master duel. They're brutal but fully replayable, so build up and pick them off as you grow stronger. Everything here is missable-free.
A God Among Men
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Defeat all masters.
A God Among Men
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Defeat every 'master' — the optional elite duel opponents scattered across the game.
How to earn it
- Find and beat each master encounter (some are tucked behind side content).
- They're tough, skill-check duels — the trickiest non-story trophy in the platinum.
- All replayable, so chip away at them as your build improves.
Pro tips
- Masters punish greed — play patient, parry/Burst-Counter their big swings and manage your ki.
Masterful Pupil
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Defeat a master for the first time.
Masterful Pupil
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Beat your first master duel — the first step toward A God Among Men.
How to earn it
- Find and defeat any one master.
- Unlocks naturally on the way to clearing them all.
Crucible Arts Adopter
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Learn a Martial Art from a Crucible weapon for the first time.
Crucible Arts Adopter
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Learn your first Martial Art from a Crucible weapon.
How to earn it
- Obtain a Crucible weapon and learn one of its Martial Arts at the relevant menu/shrine.
- One-time, early.
Arts Proficiency
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Defeat 10 enemies with an Arts-Proficiency-enhanced Strong Attack or Martial Art.
Arts Proficiency
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Kill 10 enemies using a Strong Attack or Martial Art that's been enhanced via Arts Proficiency.
How to earn it
- Build Arts Proficiency on a weapon, then finish 10 enemies with the enhanced attacks.
- Cumulative.
Ninjutsu
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Defeat 10 enemies with Ninjutsu.
Ninjutsu
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Defeat 10 enemies using Ninjutsu skills (shuriken, kunai, traps, etc.).
How to earn it
- Equip Ninjutsu skills and use them to land killing blows on 10 enemies.
- Cumulative; the Ninja style makes this trivial.
Burst Break
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Successfully activate Burst Break 10 times.
Burst Break
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Pull off a Burst Break (the timed counter to an enemy's red Burst attack) 10 times.
How to earn it
- When an enemy flashes red for a Burst attack, time your Burst Counter to break it.
- Do it 10 times — comes naturally as you learn boss tells.
Pro tips
- Practise the timing on basic yokai before relying on it against bosses.
Guardian Spirit's Aid
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Activate a Guardian Spirit Skill Burst Break for the first time.
Guardian Spirit's Aid
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Trigger a Burst Break using a Guardian Spirit Skill for the first time.
How to earn it
- Equip a Guardian Spirit with the relevant skill and use it to break an enemy Burst once.
Yokai Manipulator
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Use a Summoning Seal to summon a yokai for the first time.
Yokai Manipulator
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Use a Summoning Seal to call a yokai ally into a fight for the first time.
How to earn it
- Acquire a Summoning Seal and use it in combat.
- One-time.
Soul Core Owner
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Purify a Soul Core for the first time.
Soul Core Owner
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Purify your first Soul Core — the yokai-ability cores you collect from enemies.
How to earn it
- Obtain a Soul Core from a yokai, then purify it at a shrine.
- One-time.
Unimpeded
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Use all methods to traverse Spirit Veins.
Unimpeded
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Use every traversal method available for crossing the open world's Spirit Veins (grapple, glide, dash, etc.).
How to earn it
- As you explore, make a point of using each Spirit Vein traversal option at least once.
- Naturally done while exploring.