Power Stones are an essential currency in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, vital for unlocking a majority of Miyamoto Musashi's significant skills. Despite their importance, the game does not explicitly guide players on their acquisition. There are two main avenues for obtaining these valuable items: one tied to story progression and another that requires diligent exploration.
Story Progression Rewards
The most straightforward way to earn Power Stones is by defeating bosses encountered during the main story. These rewards are exclusively given for overcoming story-related adversaries, and not for those found in Takamura's training trials. The game paces these boss encounters regularly, meaning players can expect to accumulate enough Power Stones to unlock approximately four skills within the first few hours of gameplay. While minor skill upgrades, such as damage enhancements, often cost souls, Power Stones remain necessary for more substantial upgrades.
Exploration and Looting
The second method involves discovering Power Stones within black-and-gold chests scattered throughout the game's various levels. Most areas outside of the central Kyoto hub contain at least one such chest. While chests in East Kyoto typically yield Oni Stones, crucial for other purposes, chests in areas like the Oni Refuge and Underground Lab have been found to contain a single Power Stone each. Thorough exploration of all accessible environments is key to finding these hidden caches.
Players seeking a more streamlined approach to locating these chests can upgrade their Oni Vision using Oni Stones. This enhancement will highlight collectibles and treasures, making the search for Power Stones less time-consuming. It is worth noting that Onimusha: Way of the Sword allows players to refund Power Stones and souls at no cost. This system permits experimentation with different skills and upgrades, offering the flexibility to reset and reallocate resources if initial choices prove unsatisfactory.