Nioh 3 Onmyo Magic Guide: Talismans, Soul Cores, and Best Locations to Cast

What to know

• Onmyo Magic is built from Soul Cores placed in the Yin and Yang positions of the Onmyo Box, which then generate usable talismans.

• Each Core in Yin gives you an Onmyo Magic talisman, while Yang affects summoning and yokai‑related abilities; you can only equip a limited number of Core slots at once.​​

• Talismans sit in your soul core inventory, are mapped to a D‑pad button, and use a shared Onmyo Magic gauge that scales with your Magic stat and passive skills.

• Utility talismans like Sloth, Kekkai, Earthfolding, and Extraction are often more powerful long‑term than raw damage, letting you control spawns, manage Yokai Realm, and return to the last shrine instantly.

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Onmyo magic in Nioh 3 turns your souleater into a mystic engineer: you craft Onmyo Magic talismans from Soul Cores, then cast them during combat to buff, debuff, and bend the flow of battle. It rewards planning more than spam, letting you stack elemental buffs, panic‑inducing slow‑booms, and instant escape options when you misjudge a boss’s next move.

How Onmyo Magic works in Nioh 3

Onmyo Magic is Nioh’s equivalent of a spellbook, but it’s tied to your Soul Cores instead of a traditional skill tree. You acquire Cores by defeating Yokai, purchasing them, or completing quests, then plug them into the Onmyo Box at any shrine. The Yin slot determines which talisman‑type you can cast, while the Yang slot modifies summoning and certain yokai‑linked abilities.

Once a Core is slotted into Yin, you unlock a specific Onmyo Magic (talisman) that appears in your inventory. You then equip it like a consumable item, bind it to a D‑pad button, and expend part of your Onmyo gauge to channel it. The gauge behaves like a mana bar that refills naturally but can be expanded through skills such as Mysteries of Onmyo Magic and other Magic‑focused passives.

Unlocking and upgrading Onmyo Magic

You do not need a separate skill point tree to unlock Onmyo Magic itself; it is available early as long as you have at least one Soul Core slotted into Yin. The game prompts you at the Onmyo Box when you first place a Core, and the resulting talisman will appear in your inventory.

Growth comes from two directions:

• Magic stat on your gear, which increases gauge size and casting speed.​​

• Onmyo‑focused skills such as Mysteries of Onmyo Magic and later mastery‑type skills that expand your gauge, reduce casting time, or extend buff durations.

Many players prioritize Awakening‑style skills that let you cast Onmyo Magic on yourself instantly, then spread buffs to allies faster, which is especially strong in boss fights or dense Yokai‑crowd areas.

How to choose and equip Onmyo Magic talismans

Each Yin‑Core produces a specific Onmyo Magic with a fixed effect; you cannot change the formula itself, only which Core you plug in. Recommended early‑game talismans include:

• Sloth Talisman – Slows enemies dramatically, perfect for crowd control and buying time against fast‑moving Yokai.​​

• Kekkai (Barrier) Talisman – Creates a purification field that clears Yokai Realm effects and boosts your Ki‑regen inside it.​​

• Oasis / Rejuvenation Talismans – Provide gradual health regeneration, useful for solo‑runners and stamina‑heavy builds.​​

• Extraction / Luck‑Bringer Talismans – Boost Anima and Amrita gain, supercharging your burst‑damage loop and loot economy.​​

• Earthfolding Talisman – Lets you teleport back to the last shrine, turning it into a built‑in escape hatch from bad encounters.​​

You can hold multiple Cores and talisman types, so you typically swap them at shrines depending on the mission:

• Cruel‑mode purgatory? Bring Sloth, Kekkai, and Extraction.

• Farming yokai for cores? Prioritize Luck‑Bringer or Anima‑focused talismans.​​

How to map Onmyo Magic to your controls

Step 1 – Access your inventory

At a shrine, open your inventory and navigate to the Onmyo Magic or talisman section. This lists all available talismans from your currently equipped Yin Cores.

Step 2 – Equip your chosen talisman

Select the talisman you want to use (for example, Sloth or Kekkai) and “equip” it like any other consumable; it will appear in a quick‑item slot.

Step 3 – Bind to D‑pad

Go to Controls > Button Mapping and assign the talisman slot to a D‑pad direction (for example, down or right). This lets you pull the talisman without opening your full menu mid‑fight.

Step 4 – Test and adjust

In a safe area, cast the talisman once to confirm camera direction, input timing, and range. Fine‑tune your binding if rapid‑casting feels awkward.

Strong Onmyo Magic combos and playstyles

Onmyo Magic shines when chained into your existing loop rather than used on‑demand‑only. Here are a few common patterns:

• Control + Burst – Cast Sloth over a choke‑point, then swap to Fire or Lightning elemental enchants and burn slowed enemies with your main weapon.​​

• Ki‑centric Temple Runs – Use Kekkai to clear Yokai Realm pollution and then stay inside the barrier while you spam heavy attacks and Ki‑burst counters, letting the field boost your Ki‑regen.​​

• Escape‑heavy Farming – Slot Earthfolding, then as soon as a fight goes wrong, trigger a teleport back to the last shrine while enemies are still pathing toward you.​​

If you lean into a Magic‑heavy build (high Magic stat, Magic gear, and Onmyo passives), you can sustain multiple buffs at once, making your Onmyo gauge feel far less “mana‑starved” than in early‑game runs.​​

How to make Onmyo Magic powerful long‑term

To scale Onmyo Magic beyond early‑game, you want three things working together:

• Magic stat investment – Enchant gear with Magic or Onmyo Magic bonuses, including weapons, armor, and talismans.​​

• Onmyo‑focused skills – Pick up nodes that extend your Onmyo gauge, reduce casting time, and lengthen buff durations (Awakening‑type skills, Incantation Mastery equivalents, etc.).

• Core‑slot expansion – Unlock more Core slots so you can carry multiple Yin Cores without constantly swapping, giving you access to several different talismans per mission.​​

Combining these lets you cast utility‑heavy talismans like Sloth and Kekkai while still having enough gauge left for elemental overlays or emergency heals, turning your Onmyo Magic into a flexible swiss‑army‑knife instead of a one‑shot “oh‑crap” button.

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Onmyo Magic is not just an add‑on in Nioh 3; it’s a core system that shapes how you approach spawns, bosses, and Yokai‑dense areas. Smart use of Sloth, Kekkai, Extraction, and Earthfolding can make temple‑runs feel less punishing and more cerebral, letting you dictate the flow of fights instead of reacting to every telegraph.

If you’re planning a build that leans into Ninjutsu already, Onmyo Magic adds a layer of passive ecosystem control—slowing, healing, purifying, and escaping—while Ninja‑style skills keep the damage and agility high. Treat it as your tactical toolkit rather than a damage‑driver, and you’ll find Onmyo Magic quietly becoming one of the most essential systems in your playthrough.