- What to know
- How to check which skills are locked
- Using the shrine to unlock hidden missions
- Samurai and Ninja skill locks
- Secret skill texts and passive unlocks
- Story progression and NPC trainers
- Example: Unlocking Noxious Groundfire
- Skill capacity and equipping
- Why Hidden Skills matter in high-level play
- Unlocking all Hidden Skills
What to know
- Hidden Skills are unlocked by completing specific dojo-style missions.
- You must access the Battle Scroll at a shrine to find required missions.
- Some skills require clearing “Way of the Warrior” or “Way of the Ninja” tiers.
- After completing missions, you must still spend Samurai or Ninja Points to activate the skill.
In Nioh 3, Hidden Skills are abilities that do not appear as immediately available nodes in your martial arts trees. Instead, they remain locked behind mission completions, discipline progression, or item-based unlocks. Many players miss them because they assume skill points alone are enough.
Unlocking these abilities requires interacting with the shrine system and engaging with dojo-style content.
How to check which skills are locked
To see Hidden Skills, open your Martial Arts or Ninjutsu skill menu. Skills that require mission completion will display a red requirement notice indicating which mission must be cleared.
For example, in the Ninja tree, the skill Noxious Groundfire shows a requirement stating that you must clear “The Way of the Ninja: Adept” before unlocking it.
| Skill Example | Required Mission |
|---|---|
| Noxious Groundfire | The Way of the Ninja: Adept |
| Advanced Samurai Arts | Way of the Warrior tiers |
| Weapon-Specific Arts | Discipline-based dojo missions |
If the requirement is unmet, the skill cannot be purchased—even if you have enough points.
The key system for unlocking Hidden Skills is the Battle Scroll, accessed at any shrine.
After praying at a shrine, navigate to the Battle Scroll menu. Here, you will find dojo missions such as:
- Way of the Warrior
- Way of the Ninja
- Adept and advanced tiers
Completing these missions unlocks higher tiers and allows access to previously hidden skills.
| Shrine Interaction | Result |
|---|---|
| Pray at Shrine | Opens Menu |
| Select Battle Scroll | View Training Missions |
| Clear Required Mission | Unlock Skill Eligibility |
The mission chain progresses in tiers. Clearing a Novice mission unlocks Adept, which then unlocks further advanced training. Each tier completion may reveal new skill nodes.
Samurai and Ninja skill locks
Beyond mission-based unlocks, Hidden Skills often require Samurai’s Locks or Ninja’s Locks. These are consumable items that grant skill points in their respective trees.
These locks are obtained through mission rewards, boss drops, and chests.
| Lock Type | Grants |
|---|---|
| Samurai’s Lock | 1 Samurai Skill Point |
| Ninja’s Lock | 1 Ninja Skill Point |
Without these locks, you may meet mission requirements but still lack the necessary points to activate the skill.
This dual requirement—mission completion plus skill investment—is why many players believe certain skills are hidden.
Secret skill texts and passive unlocks
In addition to dojo missions, some abilities are unlocked through Secret Skill Texts found in the world. These are collectible items hidden in treasure chests or on corpses.
Once used, they unlock new passive nodes in your Skill Management menu.
| Unlock Method | Appears In |
|---|---|
| Secret Skill Text | Passive tree |
| Dojo Mission | Martial Arts tree |
| Lock Item | Skill Points |
These passive unlocks often remain invisible until the item is consumed, which reinforces the “hidden” label.
Story progression and NPC trainers
Some Hidden Skills are tied to story milestones. Progressing the main campaign and unlocking hubs like the Eternal Rift introduces NPC trainers who open new mission tiers.
Characters such as Hattori Hanzo may become accessible after certain arcs, unlocking additional dojo missions.
| Progress Trigger | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Story Completion | New dojo tiers |
| NPC Interaction | Advanced missions |
| Mission Chain Clear | Hidden skill access |
If a skill does not appear available, progressing the story may be the missing requirement.
Example: Unlocking Noxious Groundfire
To unlock Noxious Groundfire in the Ninja tree, you must:
Complete “The Way of the Ninja: Adept” via Battle Scroll at a shrine.
Earn at least one Ninja Point through Ninja’s Locks.
Return to the Ninja skill tree and purchase the skill.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Shrine → Battle Scroll |
| 2 | Clear Adept Mission |
| 3 | Acquire Ninja Point |
| 4 | Purchase Skill |
Only after these steps does the skill become usable.
Skill capacity and equipping
Unlocking a skill does not always mean you can equip unlimited abilities. Skill capacity increases as you progress, often through Memorandums or additional progression milestones.
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Skill Capacity | Determines how many skills can be equipped |
| Memorandum Items | Increase capacity |
| Tree Investment | Expands loadout options |
This ensures that hidden skills must be integrated strategically rather than stacked endlessly.
Hidden Skills are often stronger or more specialized than early abilities. They frequently introduce advanced mechanics such as:
- Enhanced traps
- Multi-hit martial arts
- Specialized stance transitions
- Advanced elemental applications
Because they are tied to dojo mastery, they reward players who engage with training missions.
| Combat Impact | Hidden Skill Value |
|---|---|
| Advanced Builds | High |
| Early Game | Moderate |
| Endgame Bosses | Very High |
Unlocking them early improves build flexibility significantly.
To unlock Hidden Skills in Nioh 3, access the Battle Scroll at a shrine, complete required dojo missions such as “Way of the Warrior” or “Way of the Ninja,” obtain Samurai or Ninja skill points through Locks, and then purchase the skill in the appropriate tree.
Some abilities also require Secret Skill Texts found in the world, while others are unlocked through story progression and NPC trainer access.
Hidden Skills are not truly secret—they are gated behind discipline mastery and mission completion. If a skill appears locked, the answer is almost always found in the Battle Scroll.
