For Musashi to be able to take down enemy hordes, and more importantly, some pretty tough bosses, you will need all the help that you can get from the rich set of options under the skill tree in Onimusha Way of the Sword. However, within that, considering the limited options of Red Souls and Power Stones that you will get, it just makes a lot of sense to have the better skills unlocked first, and save others for later.
Though, which should be the ones that you prioritize? That, is what I have put up in this article on the best skills to unlock in Onimusha Way of the Sword
Best Basic Skills In Onimusha Way of the Sword
I have broken down the best Basic Skills to take in the game into early game; and mid-late game; and have put a total of 14 – 5 in early game and 9 in the second half of the game.
Early Game Basic Skills
Reflex Combo – You will be dodging a lot in early game, and this gives you the ability to land a good hit after a Reflex Dodge. This helps you till you get confidence on landing Issen attacks instead of a dodge. Even then, there are grab attacks which need to be compulsorily dodged, so this skill will remain useful till the end of the game.
Blazing State – Makes your normal sword attacks powerful after the Blaze Gauge is filled. Sword attacks will be the main way of dealing health damage to the enemies, so anything which makes them powerful is a no-brainer.
Oni Bow Power 1 – Helps you get rid of those pesky floating heads and faraway archers, who can be a nuisance and break your dodges and parries against melee enemies.
Absorb Souls While Attacking – This is a super valuable skill, in fact I would term it as a gamechanger. It helps you continue building pressure on enemies by constantly attacking and absorbing souls at the same time.
Charms Capacity 1 – Consider it an extra set of permanent buff that your character can have – ranging from higher sword damage, to higher health restoration on using your pouch, to lesser damage taken.
Mid & Late Game Best Basic Skills
Reflex Combo Power 1 & 2 – The higher upgrades will help you increase damage levels against tougher mobs, mini-bosses and bosses.
Issen Power 1 & 2 – This will be a big help mid and late game, as you start learning patterns and figure out which attacks to Issen – especially against tough bosses like Shuten Doji, Sasaki Ganryu and others.
Deflection Power 1 & 2 – A no-brainer, again, as it significantly increases stamina depletion. A couple or so of Deflects with a fully charged Earth Shakers skill can wipe out the stamina bar of bosses, allowing you to perform a Break Issen and deal massive damage.
Item: Quick Use – Musashi takes a LOT of time to take items, and against swift enemies, this can mean handing over the momentum to them. Quickly taking in a damage reduction, or higher damage increase to enemies consumables at the right time can swing a battle your way, and so this is a skill worth having.
Charm Capacity 2 – Never hurts to have another set of buffs – in particular when you fully upgrade a Charm.
Best Special Skills to Unlock First in Onimusha: Way of the Sword
The big ones are the first three Oni Armaments that the game gives you:
The Two Celestials – Invaluable early on till you are able to fully upgrade your Pouch – it gives you a breather where the enemy is staggered, and you can absorb Yellow Souls to replenish health. I would recommend to keep upgrading this. While you may not use it much mid / late game, there will still be specific use cases – against swift bosses, for example, who do not give you a window to chug a potion.
Wind-Whipper – The go-to Special Skill for mob control. If you get overwhelmed by too many different types of enemies, each requiring a different approach, the Wind-Whipper can whittle down the enemy numbers to a much more manageable level. Upgrade this at least till the Power level, you can leave the Range one for later.
Earth-Shakers – If the Wind-Whipper is for mobs, Earth-Shakers is for bosses. When you have dwindled down the stamina to 30-40% for a boss, pulling this one out and executing a fully charged attack can get you to land a Break Issen on the boss – where you can then decide if you want the damage, or the Yellow and Blue souls for health and attack boost. I recommend fully upgrading Earth-Shakers your priority.
Don’t sit on these skills either in the Special Skills tree:
Oni Agility: Fall Recovery – Another big gamechanger, as it allows you to bounce back and get on your feet again, as opposed to slowly getting up – and seeing that the boss is already into his next move animation without time for you to do anything.
Oni Vision – This helps identify and get you precious materials to upgrade your gear, and you will be doing a lot of running around especially if you plan to complete side activities (and you should). Upgrading this skill till at least Treasures, and then Treasures 2 if you have enough Souls / Stones, will ensure you don’t miss that Tempered Iron or Silk Cloth. It has options to increase range, but that is useful late in the game specifically for the Dokyo boss fight.
