From the developers of Ninja Gaiden and one of the few genuinely great Soulslikes, Team Ninja’sWo Longtakes us to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, revelling in the period as well as the grandeur of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story.
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With a combat system based on fluidity, you will be swiftly moving across the battlefield like water, striking fast. Martial arts are a new piece of combat that takes advantage of the Spirit Gauge. With so many of them, most of them randomly assigned, it can help to know the good ones to weave into your moveset.
10Plum Rend
Plum Rend can appear on any Dual Wielded weapon at random. Per the game’s own description, Plum Rend has you “cut forward, then quickly step back”. It is as simple as that. You perform a fast attack directly in front of you before jumping backwards.
It works great as an evasive manoeuvre when the action gets a bit heavy, or to finish off an enemy and give you some breathing room while picking out your next target. And at a base Spirit cost of 128, it’s safe to use even at low levels of the Spirit Gauge.
9Skyward Evergreen
Just like Plum Rend, Skyward Evergreen can be found on any Dual Wielded you come across. Using this martial art, you twist yourself upwards into the sky, damaging any enemy you come in contact with.
You remain in the air afterwards too, letting you perform any action you wish.
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Skyward Evergreen only has a Spirit cost of 126, letting it easily weave into any combo. However, it actually proves most effective at higher spirit levels, as you can then instantly perform a damaging Spirit Attack from above the enemy.
8Goshawk’s Dance
Goshawk’s Dance can be found on most long, fast weapons such as spears, staves and slashing spears. It has you stab your weapon into the ground to vault you upwards, followed by a damaging slice amongst any surrounding enemies.
Goshawk’s Dance is a great move for repositioning as you can fully control the movement of the ability. This makes it great for taking on multiple enemies, though it has a Spirit cost of 256 so it’s best to be tactical with it so you don’t deplete your Spirit Gauge.
7Sudden Tornado
Another martial art gracing Dual Wielded weapons, Sudden Tornado has you (metaphorically) take on the aspect of wind, dashing forward in a whirlwind motion that lands multiple strikes upon any enemy in your path.
Sudden Tornado is best used for closing the gap between enemies, though the high damage can also be an effective means of finishing off an enemy and keeping yourself in the middle of combat. At 256 spirit cost, it’s a tad expensive, though maintaining high spirit shouldn’t be an issue with fast-striking dual weapons.
6Crescent Gale
Crescent Gale is the unique martial art of the Dual Reaper Halberds, which can be obtained as a reward for the Decisive Battle of Guandu mission. Sporting a high Fire Phase scaling, they promote an aggressive playstyle, which fits the Crescent Gale martial art wonderfully.
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Most dual weapons feature fast attacks but a short range, which is rectified by Crescent Gale. With it, you latch your dual halberds together and swing them in a wide arc around you.
It deals good damage and hits a wide area all around you. At a cost of 256 Spirit, it should be deployed as a tactical choice with high Spirit.
5Shimmering Sun
Shimmering Sun is the unique martial art of the Drought Demon Blade, a Curved Sabre. It can initially be found after defeating the bosses Yan Liang & Wen Chou.
Its highest scaling is inthe Fire Phase, though the martial art Shimmering Sun takes this rather literally. Curved Sabres has short-ranged, fast combos and Shimmering Sun works to keep an enemy cornered.
It has you dash around the enemy in a triangle formation, striking each time. At High Spirit, it even enwreathes your weapon in flame dealing extra damage. However, it costs 424 Spirit, making it one of the more costly martial arts.
4Prancing Dragon
Prancing Dragon is the unique martial art of the Sky-Piercing Halberd, obtained after defeating Lu Bu in his self-named mission. Most boss weapons feature a move reminiscent of one in their move set, but Prancing Dragon is an exact replica.
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When used, it has you plant your halberd in the ground and drag it along as long as you hold down the button, ending in a heavy upwards slash. Even better, it becomes coated in flames at high spirit for the entire attack, leaving a trail of flames in your wake.
Another high-cost martial art with a cost of 424, it’s best used when your spirit is at the max.
3Monkey’s Wisdom
Monkey’s Wisdom is found in spears, staves, and slashing spears at random, andharnesses the spirit of Sun Wukong. It has you wrap yourself around your weapon and spin your legs as you dash across the battlefield, striking anything that comes in contact with you.
On top of how obscene the martial art looks, it’s exceedingly effective at dealing incredible Spirit damage. It actually deals very little physical damage or stagger but hits a massive amount of times during the attack.
At 256 Spirit, it’s not the most demanding martial art for the great Spirit damage it deals in return.
2Feasting Ursine
Feasting Ursine can only be found on the Triumphant Conquest glaive, the signature weapon of Dong Zhou. It can be acquired during the Tyrant’s Final Banquet mission upon defeating Dong Zhou himself.
Like the Prancing Dragon martial art, Feasting Ursine is a direct recreation of Dong Zhou’s own abilities.
Like a ferocious bear, Feasting Ursine has you leap into the air, slamming down your glaive from above like a heavy set of claws. It has a somewhat precise hitbox but keeps you out of harm’s way.
In that regard, Feasting Ursine can be used to both attack and avoid getting attacked yourself. It does cost 424 Spirit, however, so it’s best used only when the timing is right.
1Meteoric Strike
Meteoric Strike can be found randomly on Swords, Straight Sabres, and Curved Sabres. In fact, it’s one of the more common martial arts to find, yet is also one of the best. It’s relatively simple, performing a quick thrust with the pommel of your weapon.
The real power of Meteoric Strike is in the incredible speed it unleashes at. It’s basically instant and deals incredible Spirit damage. It costs 376 Spirit to use, but considering it keeps you close to the enemy and has basically no idle period after the attack, it lets you effectively stun-lock many enemies until their spirit is broken, physically and mentally.
