Guide: Nioh 2 - How to Beat Imagawa Yoshimoto

How do you beat Imagawa Yoshimoto in Nioh 2? How do you kill the boss in The Hidden Monsters of Okehazama mission? After venturing to a new region, you've come up against the first level's main boss. It's quite a unique one which makes a welcome break from the demons you've been facing, but it's still a tough fight. Here's how to beat Imagawa Yoshimoto in Nioh 2.

How to Beat Imagawa Yoshimoto in Nioh 2

Recommended level - 38

This is quite a unique boss fight thanks to the fact that it's the first human enemy with a name attached to them and their own arena to take them down within. Imagawa Yoshimoto is just a human, but like us, they also have a Guardian Spirit to implement in battle. The boss takes inspiration from the area it's based in with lightning attacks which can deal some serious damage if you haven't built up resistance until now. Therefore, this boss fight is going to be all about dodging and dashing.

Due to the small nature of the boss arena, there's no really getting away from Imagawa Yoshimoto. He uses a bow and arrow should you build up some distance, either shot directly at you or into the sky to reign down hell. They're fairly easy to dodge once you get the timing down, but then in comes the Guardian Spirit. Taking the form of an elephant, it rains down lightning within a large radius. As soon it telegraphs where damage will be dealt, you need to dash out of the vicinity immediately to avoid taking damage. The attack suggests that it can be countered with the usual Burst Counter, however, at the time of writing we haven't managed to work out when exactly you need to time it. Because of that, we recommend playing it safe and dodging out of the way.

Thankfully, Imagawa Yoshimoto cannot spawn a Dark Realm so what you see is what you get from beginning to end. Make sure you're out of the way when lightning strikes and begin to chip away at the boss' health when openings become apparent. Don't forget to take advantage of your Yokai Skills too -- they always come in handy. Just remember that Imagawa Yoshimoto faces the same constraints as you do and you'll quickly understand when you can get a combo in.

One tactic you can use which makes the fight almost trivial is to bait the boss into using its charged up lunge attack. It's very easy to notice when Imagawa Yoshimoto is going to use it as he stands still, preparing to unsheath his sword before lunging at you. Make sure to dodge the follow-up blow and you'll have an easy opening to reliably deliver three strikes. Take advantage of this time and time again and the boss fight will become much, much easier.