Nioh 3's first major story expansion, titled Hell Rising, is set to launch on August 19. This DLC will take players to 1651 Edo during the Keian Era, a new time period and landmass within the game, to investigate the consequences of the death of Takechiyo, the protagonist and future shogun. Players will ally with Yagyu Jubei, a one-eyed swordsman, and Rodrigo, a Spanish envoy, as they uncover new mysteries surrounding the Spirit Stones.
The Keian Era map will feature new human and yokai adversaries, alongside a revamped Crucible mode. For combat, the expansion introduces the hoko and shield weapons, compatible with both Samurai and Ninja fighting styles. The hoko functions as a short spear for offense, while the shield offers defense and can also be thrown at enemies.
Hell Rising also adds a new equipment type: the Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scroll. These scrolls are rare drops from defeated enemies and require players to win an automatically generated battle to equip them. These battles can be replayed, allowing for modifications to the scroll's special effects and further strengthening.
A new extreme difficulty level, the Enlightened One’s Journey, will be unlocked on the third playthrough. In this mode, certain enemies will gain random curse buffs, making them more formidable but yielding divine-rarity loot upon defeat. Players can further enhance their character builds with divine-rarity Grace set bonuses and other unique effects.
Hell Rising will be available across all versions of Nioh 3 on August 19. This is the first of two planned story expansions, with the second DLC, Bloody Insurrection, scheduled for a later release.