In Nioh 3 you can keep your favorite weapon! However, this is not explained very well in the game itself. At first you will be switching your weapons out frequently so upgrading your gear often does not feel needed. Eventually, when fighting tougher enemies, the katana or spear you’ve been using may begin to become weaker than from the previous ever.
When it comes to upgrading your weapons in Nioh 3 you’ll do so through the Blacksmith. However, your ability to upgrade your weapons through Blacksmith will only unlock through progressing through the story and doing one side mission. Thus, many players will get to the hub, notice that all the Blacksmith’s (upgrading weapons) options are greyed out and will believe they cannot upgrade their weapons yet.
If you’re confused by this process, our guide will show you step by step how to start at the Blacksmith and finish with extracting and enhancing the weapon you want to keep!
Nioh 3 Weapon Upgrade: Unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3
Image via Team Ninja.
Image via Team Ninja.
You won’t be able to upgrade anything until after you have completed the main area of the game. To unlock the Blacksmith, you need to progress through the first part of the Warring States area (the other areas are also available once you finish this) and finish the first Crucible.
You will have to kill Jakotsu-Baba (the Boss for the Hamamatsu Incident) and then during the story scene, you will receive the Guiding Mirror and eventually you will be transported to the Eternal Rift where you will be able to get into the Blacksmith.
Inside the Eternal Rift:
- Head south in the area
- Enter the building
- Talk to the Fox-masked Blacksmith
At this point you only unlock basic functions:
- Forge weapons and armor
- Forge tools like arrows and healing items
- Remodel equipment
- Disassemble gear into materials
All upgrades to weapons are still locked here. The upgrade that you are looking for is called Soul Match and you will need to have completed a Side Mission before you will be able to obtain it.
Unlock Nioh 3 Weapon Upgrades (A Fierce Flame Myth)
Talk to the Blacksmith again to get a myth called A Fierce Flame.
Here are the steps to follow in this process:
- Travel to Lake Sanaru
- Move north of Maisaka Post Shrine
- Enter the Lesser Crucible path
- Follow the Scampuss creature
- Climb the mountain and collect Kagutsuchi’s Magatama
- Return it to the Blacksmith in Eternal Rift
Once you hand over the item, two new options unlock:
- Soul Match
- Soul Extraction
Now you can finally upgrade weapons.
How to Nioh 3 Upgrade Weapons Using Soul Match
Image via Team Ninja.
Soul Match is the real upgrade system in Nioh 3. It increases weapon level and +value, which directly boosts attack power.
What You Need:
- Base weapon you wish to upgrade
- Offering weapon or piece of gear to use as the offering
- Soul Materials
- Gold
Steps To Perform Soul Match:
- Select Soul Match at Blacksmith
- Place primary weapon in base slot
- Select secondary weapon as offering
- Confirm upgrade
The offering weapon will be destroyed and your primary weapon will gain a level and damage from the offering weapon. The only rule to this is that item or piece of gear cannot exceed your character level plus two.
How to Get Nioh 3 Weapon Upgrade Materials (Soul Extraction)
Image via Team Ninja.
Soul Match requires special resources, not normal crafting materials.
Use Soul Extraction:
- Select unwanted equipment
- Break it down
- Receive Soul cores or ores
Types of upgrade materials include
- Yellow
- Azure
- Viridian
Higher rarity gear gives better materials, so dismantling is usually smarter than selling.
Although upgrading weapons is hard early in Nioh 3, once you get Soul Match, it will help with progression significantly. You’ll be able to keep a weapon from mission to mission and create one that fits your playstyle, allowing you to use that weapon long into the later regions of the game.
