Nioh 3 update 1.05 is live, and the Ninja build is finally viable?

Nioh 3 Ver1.05.00 is now being rolled out in batches on Steam and PS5, a little over two months after its official February 6 launch on PC and PS5.

The patch arrived faster than expected. Koei Tecmo delivered a sizable package at once: new content, feature additions and adjustments, set bonus tuning, weapon balance changes, and bug fixes.

The weapon section is the part players care about most. Early after launch, the Ninja style took heavy criticism—not because it was unusable, but because the gap versus the Samurai style felt too stark. In a game built around freely switching between Samurai and Ninja combat styles, that split was hard to ignore. This update specifically adjusts Ninja weapons. Koei Tecmo did not publish exact values, but community feedback suggests it is no longer “pick Ninja and suffer.”

The added features also matter. Nioh 3’s open map is designed to combine freedom with tension, but too much freedom can turn into getting lost. The new fast-travel point optimization and improved quest tracking are practical fixes for players who keep losing direction. In intense combat pacing, repeatedly opening the map can break immersion completely.

Looking back, Koei Tecmo has handled this update cadence with reasonable stability. Instead of rushing DLC, it focused first on strengthening the core experience. For players who dropped the game because of the Ninja style, or those frustrated by specific bugs, this is a good time to return. As for whether to buy in: if you enjoy Soulslike hardcore combat and can accept a Japanese Sengoku setting, this title should not disappoint. The most alarming line in the notes, though, is still “fixed an issue where save data could be lost under certain conditions.” For action game players, save loss is scarier than any horror film.