Nioh 2 is full of hard bosses and they throw a pretty hard one at you right from the get-go. The horse-looking boss is named Gozuki and can put you through the ringer in the first level. While you’ll still need to be quick, here are some tips on how to beat the Nioh 2 Gozuki boss.
Nioh 2 Gozuki | How to beat
Gozuki is a mini-boss that doesn’t even have a visible health bar, but he is one of the first enemies you face in Nioh 2. You can kill it. You just have to be patient in your feeble state. And of course, it’s good to run through these tips before you start. While you can get it later, you can get the “Grazer Eraser” trophy for killing Gozuki and Mezuki in the same level since Mezuki is the last boss you can’t skip. Gozuki is weak toward fire (so fire Onmyo magic or Ninjutsu items would help) and resistant to poison, water, lightning, paralysis, and corruption.
Gozuki’s main attack, the overhead slam, can be blocked but you can dodge it. Just delay your dodge a little bit since he hesitates slightly before he actually slams it down. If you dodge too early, he’ll just slam you.
ALSO: Nioh 2 Beginner’s Tip Guide
He’ll usually do this slam and then follow up with two more slams. Dodge or block the second slam and Burst Counter the third one and go in for so damage. Just get a few hits in and don’t get greedy. If you get too greedy, he will sometimes do an incredibly fast headbutt charge move with his horns that’ll do some damage. It’s fast and hard to see coming.
He also has a Burst Attack move where he slams his sword down on the ground with both of his hands after letting out a roar. Burst Counter this, which is easy because of how long it takes. Even if you don’t Burst Counter it, he’s still pretty vulnerable after. Just be careful because he’ll swing his sword out of the ground if he whiffs, which will hurt you if you are near it.
If you get far away from him, he use his sword to throw two sets of rocks at you. These don’t go very and are easy to block or avoid. He might also do a running jump slam at you so be careful. It’s also easy to avoid or dodge. His horizontal sword swipe is slow and can be blocked or dodged if you get use your invulnerability frames correctly.
Generally, play defensively and wait for opportunities to Burst Counter and get in. Being an early boss, he is a good practice for such a vital move.