Nioh 2 Boss Guide – How To Defeat Mezuki

First boss giving you hassle? Pass us the controller.

Nioh 2

After you have traversed the baptism of fire that is Village of the Cursed Blossoms, the first mission in Nioh 2, it is time to go toe to toe with the first real boss in the game, the horse-headed demon Mezuki who resides at the top of a temple next to a very large sakura tree. Mezuki is a formidable enemy and will put all of what you have learned from playing the first level to the test.

For one, Mezuki is larger than any enemy you have faced up to this point, except for Gozuki who prowls around in the starting area. Mezuki will also force you to learn how to properly manage your Ki while depleting your foe’s, if you haven’t mastered it already at this point. Luckily there are a few ways to tip the scale of this battle in your favor and here are the ones that worked the best for me.

 

Preparing for the Fight

Nioh 2

First things first, a great way to get yourself ready for the Mezuki fight is to go back to the beginning of ‘Village of the Cursed Blossoms’ and take on the bull-headed Gozuki that prowl the village cemetery. The mini-boss shares a lot of things in common with Mezuki like its huge size and overall attack patterns, therefore it is a good way to practice fighting large yokai enemies before the real deal.

Additionally, it’s a good thing to remember that you can buy extra Elixirs for the upcoming battle in the Kodama Bazar at the shrine. Once you have pounded Gozuki into a pulp, it’s time to get back to the temple and take care of his meaner horse cousin.

 

Attacks and Counters

Nioh 2

At the start of the battle, Mezuki will likely swipe from side to side with his big sword. The attacks are easily blocked, but taking all hits will likely leave you without any Ki left to counter-attack or evade his next attack. Therefore it is better to either hang back while he sweeps away or dodge forward so you end up next to or behind him.

Keep an eye out for Mezuki raising his left arm backward. This is a grapple move and if you get caught by it he will lift you up and saw at your body with his jagged sword. This will most likely kill you or leave you with just a sliver of health left. You can’t block this attack so your only option is to stay far away or dodge away from it. On the upside, Mezuki is somewhat exposed when he whiffs this attack, which makes it a good opportunity to land some hits.

It’s prudent to back off and keep your distance and look for an opening when fighting Mezuki. Unfortunately, he has a couple of strong attacks to come after you at a distance. The most common one is the spirit attack. During this attack, the demon will shoot out a couple of spirit faces (three if you are in the Yokai Realm). If you are far enough away from Mezuki, just block the attacks and evade the corrupted mist that springs up where they pop. In addition to this, he does an energy slash that travels along the ground towards the player. They do a large amount of damage but are easily dodged or blocked if you have enough distance to the boss.

 

Surviving The Yokai Realm

Nioh 2

When you have taken off about one third to half of Mezuki’s health, he will start to shift into the Yokai Realm. He telegraphs this by lifting his arm straight up and gathers corruption swirling around him. While in the Yokai Realm, all of the attacks that Mezuki does are amplified. They’re faster, longer reaching and do more damage. He will eventually shift back to the normal realm if he sustains enough damage or you evade him for long enough.

While in the Yokai Realm it is a good idea to pop your full spirit animal shift and become a yokai yourself. This way you can soak some of the more devastating attacks he does but also dish out some powerful punishments on your own. Keep in mind that much like the Yokai mist, the Yokai Realm messes with your Ki meter. While in the dark realm, your Ki will deplete faster and recharge slower– it’s a really bad place to be in.

 

Beating Mezuki

Nioh 2

This fight, like most hard fights in Nioh 2, comes down to managing your own Ki while making sure your opponent loses his. Both you and every enemy you face become completely immobile after fully depleting Ki. Normal enemies are usually staggered enough for you to perform a grapple attack or a devastating deathblow. Larger enemies and bosses who run out of Ki can be staggered with each blow, essentially stun-locking them for a while when their Ki is out.

For Mezuki, the easiest way to achieve this is to perform a burst attack counter. These are done by pressing R2 and circle at the same time and cost one bar of anima — the resource used for Yokai powers.

To perform a burst counter you need to time your burst attack with that of your opponent. These attacks are telegraphed by red flames shooting out of enemies. The actual timing depends on where you are in relation to the attack but you should be ready to push R2 and circle as soon as you see the red flames come up. For instance, the initial side to side sweep Mezuki does with his sword is sometimes followed by an overhead slash that is a burst attack.

In the same vein, he will sometimes do a bull-rush attack after shooting his spirit faces at you. Just be ready to counter and once he is staggered, slash him up good. Combine this with a few Ki-pulses to regain Ki, and you’ll deal significant damage. If you master the Burst Attack counter and learn how to deplete the Ki of Mezuki, he isn’t all that hard to deal with as long as you can avoid spending all of your own Ki. Once the horse-faced bastard is dead you can pick up some good loot, a Yokai core and you meet your first companion for the adventure that lies ahead.

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