Nioh 3: How To Get Moonlit Snow Charge Early – Unlock Odachi Art Fast

What to know

• Moonlit Snow Charge is a powerful Odachi martial art tied to a specific flying Chijiko in the Tenryu River region, and you can get it very early.

• Unlock it by shooting the Chijiko out of the sky with a ranged weapon and looting the dropped martial art scroll.

• After getting the scroll, you still need Samurai skill points to purchase Moonlit Snow Charge in the Odachi skill tree and then equip it in a martial arts slot.

• Fully charged Moonlit Snow-style arts deliver huge burst damage, but they require careful timing and Ki management to use safely.

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In Nioh 3, once you can access Tenryu River, you can detour to pick up Moonlit Snow Charge and dramatically raise your early-game damage instead of waiting for random drops or late missions.

Location: How to reach the Tenryu River Chijiko

The trick to getting Moonlit Snow Charge early is knowing it comes from one particular Chijiko in Tenryu River, not from a generic mission clear or smithing book. Tenryu River becomes available as you push the main story into the Tokai region, shortly after missions around Hamamatsu open up. Once this region appears on the map, you can jump into the Aada Ferry section specifically to grab the skill.

The mission path runs alongside the river, weaving between wooden structures, shacks, and small campsite areas. The Chijiko you need floats over the southeast side of the river near a small shack with a fireplace. It is easy to miss if you sprint through, so you want to slow down as you reach an open space where a shack overlooks the river and a fire is burning nearby. From there, you scan the sky to find the flying spirit.

How to get Moonlit Snow Charge early

Step 1: Unlock and start the Aada Ferry mission

Head to the region map and select the Tenryu River area once it becomes available in the story flow. Pick the mission that covers the Aada Ferry stretch of the river, since that is where the specific Chijiko spawns. You can enter this mission even if you are slightly underleveled, because you do not need to clear everything to get the skill.

Step 2: Follow the riverside path

From the starting shrine, follow the main route that roughly tracks the river’s edge.

You can fight enemies or run past them; the only goal here is to reach the section with the shack and fireplace. Stay near the river whenever possible so you do not accidentally wander away from the area where the Chijiko patrols.

Step 3: Find the shack and fireplace landmark

Eventually you reach a small open area with a noticeable fireplace and a simple wooden shack overlooking the water.

This spot is your main landmark for Moonlit Snow Charge. Before you start aiming at anything in the sky, clear out nearby enemies so you are not harassed while you line up your shot.

Step 4: Look up and locate the flying Chijiko

Stand somewhere between the shack and the riverbank, then slowly tilt the camera up and across the river.

The Chijiko appears as a small glowing spirit flying a looping path above the river or near the shack roof. If you struggle to see it, focus on movement against the sky rather than the background. Take a moment to follow its path so you understand where it passes closest to you.

Step 5: Equip a ranged weapon and aim carefully

Equip a bow, rifle, or hand cannon and go into aiming mode facing the Chijiko’s route. Wait until it drifts into an angle you are comfortable with instead of snapping off a rushed shot. If it moves horizontally, aim a bit ahead of its path to account for travel time, then loose your arrow or bullet when the timing feels right.

Step 6: Shoot the Chijiko and grab the drop

A successful hit knocks the Chijiko out of the air and sends it crashing to the ground, leaving behind a glowing pickup. Approach the fallen spirit and pet it.

The drop includes Samurai locks and, crucially, the martial art scroll for Moonlit Snow Charge.

Step 7: Leave or finish the mission

Once you have the drop, you are done with the requirement for unlocking the skill. You can continue the mission, push to the next shrine, or finish your objectives if you want the rewards. If you are only there for Moonlit Snow Charge, you can safely head back to the map after reaching a good stopping point.

Step 8: Purchase Moonlit Snow Charge in the Odachi skill tree

Open the Skills menu at a shrine or from the main interface and go into the Samurai skill tree, then into the Odachi branch. Moonlit Snow Charge now appears among your learnable martial arts because you picked up its scroll. Spend the needed Samurai skill points to unlock it, balancing this cost against other important Odachi basics like stance passives and Ki-related skills.

Step 9: Equip Moonlit Snow Charge in a martial art slot

After learning the skill, go to your Odachi’s martial art assignment screen. Choose which stance will host Moonlit Snow Charge and assign it to an available slot. High stance is the most common choice because it lines up with heavy-hitting, commit-style moves, but you can adjust based on your preferred stance.

Step 10: Practice the move timing on weaker enemies

Before you rely on Moonlit Snow Charge in boss fights, take it into a safer mission or against weaker mobs. Practice how long you need to hold the button to get a full charge and learn the visual and audio cues that tell you the charge is ready. Use this practice to feel how much Ki the skill consumes and how far the swings reach.

Moonlit Snow-style Odachi in combat

Moonlit Snow-style arts give Odachi its identity: slow, committed swings that explode into huge damage when they land. The base Moonlit Snow usually consists of a three-hit sequence with wide arcs that can clip multiple enemies or chew into a boss’s hurtbox. Moonlit Snow Charge turns this concept into a charged combo that further boosts damage and Ki damage.

These moves are not meant to be spammed in neutral. They shine when you create a guaranteed opening, usually by breaking an enemy’s Ki or staggering them with a heavy hit, Yokai skill, or projectile. If you try to throw them out in the middle of pressure, you will often get interrupted and lose Ki. When used as a punish or finisher, they can rip off massive chunks of health or completely drain an enemy’s Ki bar.

How to use Moonlit Snow Charge effectively

Step 1: Learn the input and charge rhythm

Moonlit Snow Charge expects you to hold the heavy-attack or martial art button long enough to hit a charge threshold rather than simply tapping. Usually the Odachi will show a glow or some other effect to signal that the charge is ready. You want to get comfortable doing this under mild pressure and chaining the swings so you do not accidentally drop the sequence.

Step 2: Use it after Ki breaks and safe openings

The ideal time to use Moonlit Snow Charge is when an enemy has no Ki left or is stuck in a long recovery animation. You can use your regular combos, burst counters, or soul cores to strip Ki, then swap into Moonlit Snow Charge when they enter a vulnerable state. This playstyle turns the art into a reward for good fundamentals instead of a risky gamble.

Step 3: Adjust your spacing to hit all swings

Because the combo uses wide arcs, starting position matters. You want to begin the skill at a range where the first swing lands near the tip of your blade. That spacing usually lines up the second and third swings so they all connect and maximize your damage. Against big bosses you have more room for error; against small or agile enemies, wait until they are locked into a slow move.

Step 4: Keep a close eye on your Ki bar

Moonlit Snow Charge eats a lot of Ki, and getting stuck at zero Ki mid-animation is a quick route to taking a hit. Before starting the combo, make sure your Ki bar is high enough that you can finish the sequence and still have some left to dodge or block. Follow the last hit with a manual Ki Pulse whenever possible to recover quickly.

Step 5: Build around the skill with gear and stats

Odachi builds usually favor high stamina, decent toughness, and heavy armor, which helps you survive the risk of big swings. If you can roll life-leech or health-on-hit on your Odachi, Moonlit Snow Charge becomes even more valuable because each hit will return a lot of health. Effects that increase Ki damage, boost melee damage while charging, or enhance high-stance attacks all pair well with this martial art.

How to integrate Moonlit Snow Charge into your early build

Step 1: Budget Samurai points for both basics and the art

As you level up and complete missions, you will gather Samurai points you can distribute through the Odachi tree. Try to secure core passives first, such as Ki Pulse bonuses, damage increases, and stance enhancements. Once those are in place, spending points on Moonlit Snow Charge gives you a powerful finisher that sits on top of a strong foundation.

Step 2: Decide which stance will host the skill

Most players naturally lean on high stance when using large, committed skills like Moonlit Snow Charge, because high stance already favors big damage and strong Ki damage. If you are still getting used to the game, you might play more in mid stance for safety, then gradually migrate the skill into high stance once your comfort grows. The key is to put the skill in the stance you actually use in normal play so it is always accessible.

Step 3: Pair it with safer tools and defensive habits

Because Moonlit Snow Charge is slow, you should frame it as a punish tool in a toolkit that also includes quick attacks, blocks, dodges, and more reactive abilities. Your basic plan can be to poke safely, drain Ki, then commit to Moonlit Snow Charge once the enemy is clearly locked down. Over time, you will learn which boss patterns always leave a punish window that you can fill with this art.

Rewards

Turning your Odachi into a Moonlit Snow machine

Rushing Moonlit Snow Charge early transforms your Nioh 3 Odachi run, giving you a clear power spike and a satisfying finisher within a few hours of starting the game. As long as you respect its Ki cost and animation time, it will carry you through tough encounters by rewarding smart timing and good fundamentals with some of the biggest damage strings your weapon can deliver.