Is the Kusarigama the best guard breaker of them all?

[Mander]

Story time: sometimes ago, I decided to unlock all the Angyo and Ungyo titles, and to reach max proficiency with all weapons at the same time.
This ofc forced me to learn weapons I never really took the time to use before, and among the last 3, I found the Kusarigama. Which is quite a different weapon from what I assumed it to be and I’m amazed by its potential (you know what they say about assuming, I believe).
Reaper + Summer Twilight on a Waxing Crescent Mystic Arts is a monster for dealing damage, especially if executed from behind: I’m farming proficiency in the final Underworld strata /Upper Abyss and there is very little that scares me, even with a weapon I literally begun to use 2 days ago. I mean, I managed to grapple Kashin Koji (not even with Tonfas I managed to do it) and pull Doman on me for a ground slam (secret technique).
Yes, the range of the sickle is super short, but the damage is insane.
On top of that, attacks made with the chain are incredibly good at peltering the enemy guard, and coupled with the bonus damage on both grapples and final blows, the Kusarigama is amazing at punishing human enemies who abuse their guard from a safe distance (even if the startup animation is slower than most).
So, you of the Kusarigama gang: do you have any tip to further augment damage and fun with this weapon? I’m seriously considering of making Kusarigama one of my main and considering what I’ve found until now, I’m surprised so few of us use it.

[Mander]

And because sharing is caring, this is what I've atm:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2579055482

[Kurosu]

Personaly I prefer switchglaive wit the l1+ triangle ( or Y ) skill (the name eludes me atm )
But i remember Kusa from Nioh 1 so I wouldnt doubt that its strong again

[Xeno42]

odachi can absolutely shred an enemies ki if they're blocking but is doesn't have a lot in the way of just ki damage so you cant just kick em over and over like duel swords can

[Mander]

Originally posted by Xeno42:

odachi can absolutely shred an enemies ki if they're blocking but is doesn't have a lot in the way of just ki damage so you cant just kick em over and over like duel swords can

Kusarigama Reaper is significantly faster than Odachi's Swirling Snow, and also less ki demanding (Odachi’s is better with parries though, especially because it works on yokai too).
Dual sword’s Moonshadow is faster/almost as fast (depends on what skill you are using to empower your moves with the Kusarigama) in breaking guards yes, but DS lack the bonus damage in grapple and finishing moves the Kusarigama skill tree possesses (+9% grapple damage, +16% finishing move). Basically, DS guard breaking doesn’t deliver as much oomph as the Kusarigama.

[Mander]

Originally posted by Karhrandras:

Originally posted by Mander:

So, you of the Kusarigama gang: do you have any tip to further augment damage and fun with this weapon? I’m seriously considering of making Kusarigama one of my main and considering what I’ve found until now, I’m surprised so few of us use it.

I spent roughly 900 of my 1000 hours in the game with the Kusarigama as my Main Weapon and whenever none of my Slots had it, I felt empty.

It has a lot of awesome Attacks and Skills for sure and once you're used to the wind up, it becomes pretty devastating. My End Game build was 7 Oya 6 Susano with a Glaive or Tonfa as my second and the Kusarigama main. Modeled to Magic. (150 Const/Stam 200 Skill/Magic, Todo Clan)

Im not a huge fan of Reaper as it's reach has always been an issue for me and after some Dragon Drancing with the Splittstaff, it really didn't want to use it anymore. I used a lot of different Skills and that's why I really liked Susano, as it encouraged me not spam only one or two skills but mix up things a little.

That being said, if I had to name one single Skill I absolutely recommend, it would be Crimson Flurry. I used the Skill Enhancement that granted more anima gain and the way my build was set up, I was able to launch the Ryumen-Core after every single CF I landed. Fun times.

Mid Stance was my "Boss Skills Setup" with the Leap and Whirlwind+, both of which I've really come to appreciate. Whirlwind damage is surprisingly high; Bladespin is not as powerful as it was in Nioh 1 but still good. I have it in Low and High stance. Lastly I also use Renegade Dragon. Other skills I used were Deliverance/Tangle Strike/Rereat (for max. Susano stacks, could use 2x Tangle instead) and the usual Black Vines/Serpent thingy.

The Kusarigama is without a doubt my absolute favorite and I can only recommend to spend some time with it :D

I'll do it for sure: it has been quite some time since I found a weapon as fun as the Kusarigama (and I only have hatchets and spear left).
Regarding Reaper reach, I agree it’s a bit of a problem, but strangely enough, not that much for me: I suppose I’m used to cornering bosses from my dalliance with the Splitstaff: “Dragon Dance” (+Law of Largess) is the main DPS option there, so it’s not much different here. And even with such short range, the damage is too good to pass up: out of curiosity, would it be viable in your experience to cast both Summer Twilight and Winter Dawn on yourself before going to town on a boss? Because if so, on top of all the bonuses from a Susano + Iza build and carnage talisman…
Ooohh…
Finally, last question: doesn’t Crimson Flurry expose you to bosses’ retaliation? I would like to avoid being skewered by the Abyss chaps while I’m dancing in the moonlight with the Kusarigama :D

EDIT: just because Nioh 2 loves to keep my joy in check, I went to level 16 in the Abyss... and found Yoshimitsu and Shouten Doji waiting for me...
So, I lowered the bar a little (wave 6) and on the 8th one, Nightmare Bringer came for me: I suppose I snapped, because I sliced the little bundle of joy with the Kusarigama without dying once... XD

[CazadorDeLobo]

Odachi's shoulder tackle (L1+Square or LB+X) decimates guards quickly and easily. Low recovery time, 0-frame startup, low ki usage. For keeping an enemy in blockstun indefinitely, I prefer using fist weapons.

[Xeno42]

Originally posted by Mander:

Originally posted by Xeno42:

odachi can absolutely shred an enemies ki if they're blocking but is doesn't have a lot in the way of just ki damage so you cant just kick em over and over like duel swords can

Kusarigama Reaper is significantly faster than Odachi's Swirling Snow, and also less ki demanding (Odachi’s is better with parries though, especially because it works on yokai too).
Dual sword’s Moonshadow is faster/almost as fast (depends on what skill you are using to empower your moves with the Kusarigama) in breaking guards yes, but DS lack the bonus damage in grapple and finishing moves the Kusarigama skill tree possesses (+9% grapple damage, +16% finishing move). Basically, DS guard breaking doesn’t deliver as much oomph as the Kusarigama.

the problem with reaper is it has really poor motion value and the knockback will push enemies out of it unless you get their back against the wall while other options dont suffer from this.

[JtDarth]

Originally posted by Mander:

Originally posted by Xeno42:

odachi can absolutely shred an enemies ki if they're blocking but is doesn't have a lot in the way of just ki damage so you cant just kick em over and over like duel swords can

Kusarigama Reaper is significantly faster than Odachi's Swirling Snow, and also less ki demanding (Odachi’s is better with parries though, especially because it works on yokai too).
Dual sword’s Moonshadow is faster/almost as fast (depends on what skill you are using to empower your moves with the Kusarigama) in breaking guards yes, but DS lack the bonus damage in grapple and finishing moves the Kusarigama skill tree possesses (+9% grapple damage, +16% finishing move). Basically, DS guard breaking doesn’t deliver as much oomph as the Kusarigama.

I don't remember him mentioning swirling snow.
Even moonlit snow's basic version SHREDS the ki of enemies that are blocking. It's also far more efficient than swirling snow in multiple ways.
Swirling snow is the 'no brain' option that is only really better in some specific scenarios where you can use it to functionally stunlock enemies.


Also, grappling/finishing an enemy when they run out of ki isn't always the best option. For most weapons it's usually not the best option.
Using Dualswords as an example, a pair of Signs of the cross will usually result in more damage by a noticeable margin than a grapple, for typical builds and on 'large' enemies, water sword is obscene. Basic Sword has a few options. I tend toward 'true and through' or the three-hit that rotates you around them into a full Iai from behind. Axe can charge a chop, Odachi can full charge a moonlit snow. I don't know of scythe having any particular better option, but it's ki-damage and multi-hit moves are fast enough that you can basically attack infinitely and human enemies won't be able to get their ki back. Splitstaff has the obvious dance, Fists have quite a few options, and Tonfa can probably do something similar to what I mentioned from Switchglaive via using the opponent being on the ground to ki pulse before going right back in.

[Gebba]

Sure Reaper would be best if you can get it properly set up, unfortunately quite rare. Enemies will get pushed back too fast and it's hard to really get the value off of it

Technically Shin Crusher (splitstaff) is likely the most ki-damage and guard-break DPS wise. Problem is ofcourse you can't just perma-hold that like Reaper, and if they're guarding they fly even farther back than Reaper because Shin Crusher has some range to it

Wolf's Rage (hatchets) has nuclear guard damage if it doesn't outright ki-break them, but faster bosses can easily dodge the animation and leave you vulnerable. DPS-wise idk if it would compete with Shin Crusher, you can probably get Shin Crusher off faster than Wolf's Rage

Rumbling Earth (axe) is probably the highest value because it's also AoE, but when i personally used it, it didn't feel that strong against guards in particular. It's really strong otherwise for ki damage

[Mander]

Originally posted by JtDarth:

Originally posted by Mander:

Kusarigama Reaper is significantly faster than Odachi's Swirling Snow, and also less ki demanding (Odachi’s is better with parries though, especially because it works on yokai too).
Dual sword’s Moonshadow is faster/almost as fast (depends on what skill you are using to empower your moves with the Kusarigama) in breaking guards yes, but DS lack the bonus damage in grapple and finishing moves the Kusarigama skill tree possesses (+9% grapple damage, +16% finishing move). Basically, DS guard breaking doesn’t deliver as much oomph as the Kusarigama.

I don't remember him mentioning swirling snow.
Even moonlit snow's basic version SHREDS the ki of enemies that are blocking. It's also far more efficient than swirling snow in multiple ways.
Swirling snow is the 'no brain' option that is only really better in some specific scenarios where you can use it to functionally stunlock enemies.


Also, grappling/finishing an enemy when they run out of ki isn't always the best option. For most weapons it's usually not the best option.
Using Dualswords as an example, a pair of Signs of the cross will usually result in more damage by a noticeable margin than a grapple, for typical builds and on 'large' enemies, water sword is obscene. Basic Sword has a few options. I tend toward 'true and through' or the three-hit that rotates you around them into a full Iai from behind. Axe can charge a chop, Odachi can full charge a moonlit snow. I don't know of scythe having any particular better option, but it's ki-damage and multi-hit moves are fast enough that you can basically attack infinitely and human enemies won't be able to get their ki back. Splitstaff has the obvious dance, Fists have quite a few options, and Tonfa can probably do something similar to what I mentioned from Switchglaive via using the opponent being on the ground to ki pulse before going right back in.

I used Swirling Snow as an example because, at least in my experience, any other technique offers windows of opportunity to human bosses to attack. Which is a problem only in the Abyss, because 9 out of 10 you get one shotted by the guard abusers fresh out of their turf. And it is why I like to punish guard abuser (and only them) with Swirling Snow: safest and surest option imo (Or bolting boar if you have the timing down to a T).

Now, I know all too well that using the Abyss as a weapon acid test is warped, but at the same time it’s the grounds I’m treading nowadays and having a weapon that I literally pick up 3 days ago already able to carrying me through the Abyss Nightmare Bringer is amazing for me, especially because many of the Kusarigama techniques works only on humans. None the less, the DPS and guard breaking abilities it possesses are amazing (who cares about the range, I just have to adapt to it): hence this little appreciation thread for a weapon I’ve never seen used.

[Mander]

Originally posted by Gebba:

Sure Reaper would be best if you can get it properly set up, unfortunately quite rare. Enemies will get pushed back too fast and it's hard to really get the value off of it

Technically Shin Crusher (splitstaff) is likely the most ki-damage and guard-break DPS wise. Problem is ofcourse you can't just perma-hold that like Reaper, and if they're guarding they fly even farther back than Reaper because Shin Crusher has some range to it

Wolf's Rage (hatchets) has nuclear guard damage if it doesn't outright ki-break them, but faster bosses can easily dodge the animation and leave you vulnerable. DPS-wise idk if it would compete with Shin Crusher, you can probably get Shin Crusher off faster than Wolf's Rage

Rumbling Earth (axe) is probably the highest value because it's also AoE, but when i personally used it, it didn't feel that strong against guards in particular. It's really strong otherwise for ki damage

I’ve reached a good set up (which works on everything and isn't really weapon dependent) with lightning magic and sloth on magic. After burning some Ki and pulling the enemy in a corner, simply put your foot on the enemies’ shins and go to town with what you prefer.
I've melted the White Tiger in less than 20 seconds with Reaper and this set up. XD
I still have to try hatchets (and spear), and I'm looking forward to it. I really hope I'll find other hidden gems.
I've also tested the axe, and other than how slow it is, I consider it a solid weapon with a good chance of being the top DPS among them all (mystic dyad is tremendous on it). Unfortunately we really never “clicked” together: I prefer something a little faster :S

Also, I'm in love with the Odachi since day 1