Rakuyo's Kusarigama Build | nioh Wiki

Rakuyo's Kusarigama Build

Rakuyo's Kusarigama Build

A powerful Kusarigama build with high end applications.

Description

The Kusarigama may be the best weapon Nioh has to offer. It's flexible, it's damaging, it's got range, it's got speed, it comes with powerful attack buffs, and is excellent for inflicting Status Effects. It's only real weakness is that it's got low Parry stats, which means poor blocking capabilities. One of the first skill you want to learn is Summer Twilight, a buff which dramatically increases your damage at the reasonable price of making you take more Ki damage. Another skill to get right away is Serpent Strike, a highly versatile skill that triggers from High Stance. What it does is draw enemies closer, after which you're set to perform the High Stance quick attack combo to perfection. Things to know about Serpent Strike, its timing is a little slower than the inherent High Stance strong attack, which is a very powerful attack in its own right. What this means is that you can alternate between the two, thereby catching enemies off guard. Serpent Strike has excellent range, but if the enemy is really far away, it will not draw them close enough to follow up with a the Kusarigama High Stance combo. Furthermore, some enemies are too "heavy" to pull towards to you. If that's the case, Serpent Strike will catapult you towards the target instead. The rule of thumb is that Yokai are heavy and that Humans are light, even light looking Yokai like Dwellers and Skeleton Warriors count as heavy. Serpent Strike is very effective against Revenants (which are light). Other moves you can get right off the bat are: Whirlwind Kick, a fast counterattack that works in any stance, and Tangle Strike, a combo ender that works in Low Stance or Mid Stance. After you unlock Novice level skills you can acquire Tangle Strike II and Leaping Strike. Leaping Strike is a very fast and effective counterattack, while Tangle Strike is good for its added damage and powerful guard breaking capabilities. The next skills to get are Whirlwind, Renegade Dragon and Deliverance. These skills all require first reaching Veteran skill level. Whirlwind is a powerful alternative to Whirlwind Kick, it makes you uninterruptible, while hitting enemies in a 360° angle, and it ends with a powerful long range attack. Mind that Whirlwind leaves you unable to dodge or stop the attack for some time, which can be a problem at high difficulties. Renegade Dragon  is a very impressive looking combo which excels at knocking enemies away from you at mid range. Mind that the AI of some enemies, like Ninjas, or Revenants, is smart enough sidestep the combo, making most of the attacks miss. Deliverance is a combo ender for High Stance, which otherwise doesn't have a combo ender, and which really helps seal up the gaps in your High Stance combos. The Mystic Art of my choosing is Shooting Star.

There are really a good number of ways of using the Kusarigama. I myself started out favoring Mid Stance, then gravitated towards favoring High Stance, and now I mostly use either Low Stance or High Stance depending on how I'm specced and what enemies I'm facing. After you get Tangle Strike II, I would consider Low Stance to be most generally useful stance. It's really fast, really good for stunlocking, really good for inflicting status effects, and with Tangle Strike it can also break guard. Mid Stance is best for cautious player who want to minimize damage and sneak in hits. High Stance is excellent for dealing damage, and punishing enemies from range with its strong attack.
The best way to knock the horns off a Yoki or Namahage is the High Stance quick attack combo, but the Low Stance quick attack combo is a very good choice as well.

Because this build allows for heavy use of High Stance it combines well with Tengen Kujaku, who can greatly increase the damage of High Stance users. Because this build allows for heavy use of Skills it combines well with Kara-Jishi's Attack Boost. One particularly powerful kusarigama to look for is the Hayabusa Kusarigama which can be combined with the Dragon Ninja Set for substantially increased damage.

Kusarigama Skills In The Build

• Summer Twilight
• Whirlwind Kick
• Leaping Strike
• Serpent Strike
• Masterful Guard (optional)
• Whirlwind
• Tangle Strike I
• Tangle Strike II
• Deliverance
• Renegade Dragon
• Shooting Star (mystic art)
• Armor Piercer (passive)
• Shadow Strike (passive)
• Full Moon Kata (passive)

Kusarigama Skills I Don't Like

• Reaper
• Waterfall
• Foot Sweep (can be used to great effect against Human enemies, if you use it after Serpent Strike)