Nioh 3's first major story expansion, titled Hell's Rising, is set to launch on August 19. This upcoming content will transport players to 1651 Edo during the Keian Era, a new time period and landmass that introduces a host of new gameplay elements and challenges. The expansion aims to address the aftermath of the death of Takechiyo, the protagonist and future shogun.
Players will partner with Yagyu Jubei, a one-eyed swordsman, and Rodrigo, a Spanish envoy, as they unravel new mysteries connected to the Spirit Stones. The Keian Era map will feature a variety of new human and yokai enemies, alongside a new Crucible mode. To combat these threats, players will have access to new hoko and shield weapons, usable with both Samurai and Ninja combat styles. These weapons allow for offensive short spear attacks with the hoko and defensive maneuvers with the shield, which can also be used as a thrown projectile.
Hell's Rising also introduces a new equipment category: the Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scroll. These scrolls are rare drops from defeated enemies and, when equipped, trigger an automatically generated battle. These battles are replayable and offer opportunities to modify and strengthen the scroll's special effects.
An additional layer of challenge comes with the new extreme difficulty setting, the Enlightened One's Journey, unlocked on the third playthrough. This mode imbues certain enemies with random curse buffs, making them more formidable but yielding divine-rarity loot upon defeat. Players can further enhance their character builds through divine-rarity Grace set bonuses and other unique effects.
Hell's Rising will be available for all versions of Nioh 3 on August 19. It is the first of two planned story expansions, with the second DLC, Bloody Insurrection, slated for a future release.