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In Nioh 3, you’ll encounter a variety of enemies and bosses, mostly including enemy samurai or terrifying yokai that will do everything possible to defeat you. Occasionally, you’ll come across friendly fighters looking to spar or other warriors eager to test their skills.
One such opponent is the Master, Taigen Sessai. He wields a large hammer to smash his foes. Despite his intimidating look, Taigen Sessai is a tough adversary who can kill you instantly if you’re not careful. Here’s what you need to do to beat him and how to unlock this fight.
How to Unlock Taigen Sessai
You must complete the side quest called Disaster at Lake Hamana first. To start this quest, go to Lake Hamana on the western side of the map. When you arrive, your Guardian Spirit will tell you that a powerful yokai named Daidara Bocchi is causing chaos, and it’s up to you to calm him down.
To do this, sprint across the beach from cover to cover to avoid Daidara Bocchi’s massive energy projectiles. Keep moving or stay behind sturdy objects to evade the blasts. Head south until you reach a cracked rock. Lure Daidara Bocchi into hurling a projectile at this rock to break it open, which will reveal a path leading to a large castle.
Enter the castle and progress upward until you reach a podium that appears incomplete when you try to interact with it. Behind you, there is a passage leading to a Lesser Crucible. Purify it to get a totem, which you can carry back to the empty altar. Placing the totem on the altar will calm Daidara Bocchi and make him retreat into the sea.
After that, go back to the beach and head north from Horie Castle — Outwork Shrine. Look for a small path leading to a lone revenant sword stuck in the ground. Interacting with this sword will trigger a boss fight against Taigen Sessai.
How to Defeat Taigen Sessai
Once the fight begins, you’ll face a formidable opponent wielding a massive hammer, which is actually classified as an axe. Taigen Sessai can deal a ton of damage with melee attacks, magic, and charged moves. Before the battle, equip any Soul Core that boosts attack damage and choose a weapon with good range—such as a spear, kusarigama, axe, or odachi.
Although he looks like he’s swinging a hammer, his weapon falls into the axe category. This means he can use all the moves and stances associated with axes. Expect powerful hits and decent reach, especially since some of his moves (mainly in high stance) propel him forward and can stun lock you if they connect.
Taigen Sessai also uses magic spells, including a lightning beam in a straight line, wind projectiles, and three fire orbs spinning in a corkscrew pattern. Occasionally, he will try to buff his damage with a charm, which can be a threat if he manages to cast it.
Fortunately, his magic is easy to dodge because it fires directly in front of him. Use your ki to sprint around him and attack from the sides for openings to chip away at his health and deplete his ki. Watch for a small purple orb appearing in his face; destroying it before he throws it at his feet will interrupt his damage buff spell and cancel the attack.
Tips for Success
The key to beating Taigen Sessai is recognizing when you are at a disadvantage. If he’s blocking, don’t attack blindly—back off and recover ki instead. When you see an opportunity to land a hit and stun him, go all out until he stabilizes and starts blocking again. Be careful not to become greedy; dealing excessive damage can easily lead to your defeat.
Weapons with longer reach, like spears or kusarigama, are especially effective because they let you poke him from a safe distance. Axe users should consider using the Thunderous Crash ability, which Taigen Sessai is notably bad at blocking, often taking full damage. Just be sure to roll away immediately after landing this move to avoid counterattacks.
Defeating Taigen Sessai grants you the Lumber Chop Swift ability and rewards you with some of his armor and weapon. Be prepared, stay alert, and avoid letting him land any critical hits—that’s often an instant death, so keep your guard up and never overcommit.
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