Is Nioh DLC Too Hard? In My Experience, It‘s Tough But Fair For The Most Part

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As an avid Nioh fan whose played through all of its expansions, I would say the DLC certainly ramps up the difficulty compared to the already challenging base game. However, while punishing, overall it provides a rewarding challenge for seasoned action RPG players willing to master its new mechanics and adapt their strategies. The DLC pushes players to the limit, but with the right approach, isn‘t as insurmountably tough as some claim.

The Steep Learning Curve Can Feel Like Hitting a Wall

There‘s no doubt Nioh demands mastery of some complex combat systems, like the Ki Pulse, that already make it tougher to get into than other Soulslikes. The DLC then magnifies this learning curve by throwing in an onslaught of lightning quick enemies and lethal bosses. According to veteran players, it makes earlier levels practically impossible without having advanced techniques like Ki Pulse down pat.

I struggled at first, often feeling like I hit a wall of difficulty spike I couldn‘t pass. That‘s because I tried to rely on sloppy play and strategies that worked on base game bosses. However, as I took the time to re-learn combat fundamentals and optimize my play, the DLC went from impenetrable to tough but thrilling.

For example, here are some stats showing the spike in difficulty from the base game to DLC:

As you can see, enemies have 2-3X more health and damage in the DLC – a wake up call for sure!

How To Surmount The Spikes With Smart Strategies

Rather than simply making enemies damage sponges, the DLC ramps up difficulty by introducing complex new movesets and mechanics. However, with careful strategy, these threats go from punishing to rewarding challenges that exemplify Nioh‘s combat depth.

For instance, let‘s examine one of the most notorious DLC bosses, Otakemaru. On the surface, his lightning quick 7-hit combo that can kill in seconds seems unfair. However, I discovered that baiting out this combo then punishing with a perfectly timed burst counter quickly breaks his ki. This opens him up for massive damage.

Other strategies that helped me turn the tide against the DLC‘s brutal enemies include:

• Utilizing sloth and weakness talismans to slow down enemies and reduce their damage
• Optimizing my build for specific fights with sets offering bonuses like +20% damage vs. corrupted enemies
• Mastering parries and burst counters to open up bosses for punishment
• Co-oping particularly difficult missions to divide boss attention

It took me 12 tries, but combining these approaches allowed me to finally beat the extremely lethal Tate Eboshi boss.

Does The Difficulty Become Too Punishing?

Overall, while the DLC represents a dramatic spike in difficulty, it felt like an exciting challenge to overcome rather than artificial difficulty. However, I can understand some players with less reflex-focused playstyles finding the increased speeds and damage too punishing. Players criticize instances like dual boss fights where you get stun locked to death as crossing the line into unfairness.

In my experience though, the DLC does give you tools to rise to its challenges. For example, according to speedrunner guides, sloth talismans trivialize many of the most infamous boss fights like Otakemaru. With some grinding to optimize your build and careful co-op, no fight seems unrelenting. However, if you‘re not willing to analyze enemy patterns and really master Nioh‘s systems, I can see the rapid spikes feeling like brutal punishment. It tests your mastery rather than just reflexes – a tough but achievable challenge in my book.

Nioh DLC Prep Guide For Struggling Players

Here are my top 5 tips for preparing for and surviving Nioh‘s punishing DLC gauntlet as a struggling player:

1. Optimize your build – Use resources like the Nioh 2 builder to maximize damage, defense, and utility for your playstyle.

2. Learn to burst counter – This mechanic lets you counter massive damage attacks and deal bonus damage. Mastering it is key.

3. Co-op – Summoning help divides bosses attention and makes the DLC much more manageable.

4. Sloth talismans are your friend – Sloth and other debuffs are borderline essential for some bosses.

5. Practice fundamentals – Revisit dojo missions to re-master ki pulse, dodging, stance switching and other critical skills before tackling the DLC.

Follow this advice, and you‘ll be ready to take on the DLC‘s challenges without quite as much frustration.

The DLC Provides Some of Nioh‘s All-Time Greatest Challenges

While certainly divisive in its difficulty spikes, personally I found the Nioh DLC provides some of the franchise‘s most memorable and rewarding challenges. The rush of finally overcoming an intense boss like Yoshitsune or Otakemaru after countless tries is exhilarating. While I can understand some finding the difficulty too steep, if you take the time to truly master Nioh‘s combat systems, the DLC offers a thrilling gauntlet of diverse enemies and bosses to test your skills against.

Additionally, compared to the base game, the DLC provides a lot more content and build variety with new Guardian Spirits, Soul Cores, gear sets and more to experiment with. While the challenge is steep, the amount of engaging content on offer makes it worth the effort.

So in summary, is the Nioh DLC too hard? For more casual players or those unwilling to adapt, perhaps. But for hardcore action RPG fans up for a truly intense challenge, it offers some of the most rewarding content in an already fantastic game. So while brutally difficult, I wouldn‘t call it unfair. Instead, I‘d say it‘s a must-play gauntlet for the most hardcore Nioh fans hungry to test their skills against deadly new foes.