Nioh 3 NG+ Explained: Shogun’s Journey Divine Gear and Crucible Weapons

What to know

• Shogun’s Journey unlocks after beating the final boss of Heir’s Journey.
• Divine rarity gear and Crucible weapons begin dropping immediately.
• Level caps, plus values, and Guardian Spirit limits increase.
• Sudama Blessings and Soul Core Transformation enable targeted endgame farming.

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Finishing your first playthrough of Nioh 3 does not mark the end of progression. Instead, it unlocks a new difficulty tier called Shogun’s Journey, the game’s New Game Plus mode. This mode introduces stronger enemies, new gear tiers, expanded upgrade systems, and mechanics designed to push builds into true endgame territory.

If you are stepping into NG+ for the first time, you will notice immediately that the rules change. Damage scaling shifts, loot quality improves, and build optimization becomes far more important. Below is everything you need to understand before diving in.

Nioh 3 Shogun’s Journey changes – Nothing is missable in NG+

System	Heir’s Journey (First Playthrough)	Shogun’s Journey (NG+)
Max Equipment Level	155	170
Crafted Gear Cap	155	160 (+15 value)
Dropped Gear Cap	155	170
Weapon Plus Value	+5	+15
Guardian Spirit Max Level	25	30
Soul Core Rarity	Standard	Rare (Blue), Exotic (Purple)
Divine Gear	Not available	Begins dropping
Crucible Weapons	Not available	Available
Enemy Strength	Base	Increased HP and damage

The jump is not cosmetic. It fundamentally alters how you build your character.

One of the most reassuring mechanics in Nioh 3 is that nothing is permanently missable. Even after entering Shogun’s Journey, you can return to any mission or region from Heir’s Journey. That means unfinished side missions, hidden items, and missed rewards remain accessible.

This design choice removes the pressure of perfect completion during your first run. You are free to experiment and progress without fear of losing content.

Divine rarity gear and why it matters

The biggest change in NG+ is the introduction of Divine rarity gear. Once you defeat the final boss of Heir’s Journey, Divine equipment begins dropping in both playthrough tiers.

Divine gear is distinguished by:

• Four aixes (bonus affixes) instead of lower rarity limits.
• New and stronger armor set bonuses.
• Higher base stats and scaling potential.

Divine rarity represents the start of true build crafting. The additional affix slot alone dramatically increases customization potential, allowing stronger synergy between weapons, armor, and accessories.

Here is how Divine compares to earlier rarities:

Rarity	Max Affixes	Build Potential	NG+ Viable
Rare	2	Limited	No
Exotic	3	Moderate	Transitional
Divine	4	High	Yes

Once Divine gear becomes available, farming in Heir’s Journey becomes far less efficient compared to Shogun’s Journey.

Crucible weapons explained

Among Divine drops, you may encounter Crucible weapons. These are specialized Divine weapons marked by a unique green aix, which makes them exceptionally strong.

However, Crucible weapons come with a trade-off. When you take damage, your health becomes corrupted or partially restricted, making survivability more difficult. This risk-versus-reward mechanic makes Crucible weapons powerful but demanding.

Feature	Standard Divine	Crucible Divine
Affixes	4	4 (one green)
Damage Output	High	Very High
Drawback	None	Health corruption when hit
Best For	Balanced builds	Aggressive players

They are ideal for confident players who prioritize damage and can avoid being hit consistently.

Sudama blessings and targeted farming

Shogun’s Journey introduces Sudama Blessings, a major improvement to loot targeting. This system allows you to increase the drop rate of specific gear types.

You upgrade your Sudama by selling, disassembling, or donating equipment. As your Sudama level increases, you gain more control over what kind of items drop.

This reduces RNG frustration significantly. Instead of farming blindly, you can influence drop categories and accelerate build completion.

Sudama Leveling Method	Benefit
Selling equipment	Increases blessing power
Disassembling gear	Generates materials and progression
Donating items	Speeds Sudama upgrades

The system becomes a core part of endgame farming strategy.

Equipment and plus value expansion

Shogun’s Journey raises multiple caps simultaneously.

Equipment max level increases from 155 to 170. Crafted gear can reach level 160 with +15 value, while dropped gear can reach 170, making dropped items superior in pure stat potential.

Weapon plus values expand dramatically from +5 to +15. This change alone significantly boosts late-game damage scaling.

Upgrade Type	Heir’s Journey	Shogun’s Journey
Weapon Plus	+5	+15
Gear Max Level	155	170
Crafted Cap	155	160
Dropped Cap	155	170

This expansion is why heavy farming during your first playthrough is discouraged. Higher caps in NG+ make earlier farming inefficient.

Soul cores receive rarity upgrades

Soul cores also benefit from NG+ progression. They now drop in Rare (blue) and Exotic (purple) rarities. These upgraded cores include a third aix, granting additional passive bonuses.

This fundamentally improves Yokai build potential.

Furthermore, the game introduces Soul Core Transformation, allowing you to change the third aix on blue or purple cores. This process costs soul fragments but enables fine-tuning of passive bonuses.

Soul Core Rarity	Number of Aixes	Transformation Available
Standard	2	No
Blue (Rare)	3	Yes
Purple (Exotic)	3	Yes

The transformation system reduces RNG dependency and strengthens long-term build planning.

Guardian spirit level expansion

Guardian Spirit max level increases from 25 to 30 in Shogun’s Journey. This directly enhances passive bonuses and Yokai Shift performance.

Because Guardian Spirits influence elemental resistances, damage bonuses, and utility effects, this level increase meaningfully boosts overall power.

Yasakani Magatama and build flexibility

One of the most impactful accessories in NG+ is the Yasakani Magatama. This item reduces set bonus requirements by one piece, making it easier to activate powerful armor or weapon set bonuses.

If a set normally requires four pieces for a bonus tier, Yasakani reduces that to three. However, it does not stack if multiple are equipped.

Accessory Effect	Benefit
Reduces set requirement by 1	Greater build flexibility
Does not stack	Only one effective

For hybrid builds or mixed-set optimization, Yasakani Magatama is transformative.

Enemy scaling and difficulty changes

Shogun’s Journey is not just about better loot. Enemies have:

• Increased health pools.
• Higher damage output.
• Adjusted placements.
• Some altered boss encounters.

These changes ensure NG+ feels fresh rather than repetitive. You must adapt, especially since Divine gear and higher stat caps encourage more aggressive builds.

Additionally, certain bosses now have secret smithing texts that drop randomly, adding incentive to revisit encounters.

Currently, Shogun’s Journey represents a single NG+ tier, though future expansions are expected to introduce additional difficulty layers.

Crafting advice before entering NG+

Crafting during Heir’s Journey is highly recommended for progression efficiency. The material cost is relatively low, and targeted crafting can help overcome specific difficulty spikes.

However, extensive farming for perfect gear in the first playthrough is not efficient. Since NG+ unlocks higher level caps, better rarities, and expanded plus values, serious farming should begin after defeating the final boss.

Strategy	Recommended Timing
Crafting for progression	First playthrough
Heavy farming for optimization	After unlocking NG+
Soul Core min-maxing	NG+ onward
Divine gear targeting	NG+

This approach maximizes time efficiency. Before entering NG+, ensure that:

• Your weapon scaling stats are optimized.
• Your armor weight and agility tiers are stable.
• Your Guardian Spirit complements your build.
• You understand your Ki management fundamentals.

NG+ rewards polished fundamentals more than raw experimentation.

Shogun’s Journey is where the real build crafting begins

Shogun’s Journey transforms Nioh 3 from a structured action RPG into a full build optimization sandbox. Divine gear, Crucible weapons, Sudama Blessings, Soul Core Transformation, increased caps, and Yasakani Magatama collectively open deep customization layers.

The first playthrough teaches mechanics. NG+ refines mastery.

If you approach Shogun’s Journey with preparation and patience, it becomes the most rewarding phase of progression.