Nioh 3, being a Soulslike at heart, throws players into all sorts of encounters against powerful, near-unstoppable enemies. These boss fights are often major turning points in the plot, and beating them is mandatory to drive the story forward.
One of the earliest major challengers players will fight is Jakotsu-Baba, the final boss of the first Crucible and the last great fight in the game’s demo. She is a tough one and very unpredictable, but not impossible to beat.
So, here’s how you should go about it.
Defeating Jakotsu-Baba in Nioh 3
Jakotsu-Baba is a formidable demonic boss that sports several weapons, two of which are the snakes on her back, alongside her massive stick.
Her attacks alternate between using the big red snake and the white frosted one, with the boss performing a special move to “activate” the frost snake, as the red is her default one.
The red snake does a lot more damage and hits much harder, but is generally a lot slower, whereas the frost one has quick and sweeping attacks that do less damage per hit but can still hurt you. The stick is slow and normal, and even if she does delay it a bit, quite easy to defend against.
With this in mind, your best bet would be to utilize the Samurai form at a Low Stance, prioritizing counterattacks and deflection over dodging and the relentless onslaught that the Ninja would be better fit for.
This is because every single thing Jakotsu-Baba throws at you can easily be deflected, and even if it isn’t, it doesn’t do that much Ki damage (which you can still make up for with Ki pulses once you do start attacking).
For example, she often throws the red snake straight at you in a thrusting sort of way, which you can block and not try to deflect (the red snake is fairly easy to just block and ignore). With the frost snake, Jakotsu-Baba goes 1-2 slowly in two sweeping attacks and then 1-2 quickly in shorter-ranged strikes. These four attacks follow a patterned rhythm, which you can easily memorize and deflect, charging up your arts gauge and using it to land counterattacks.
She also has a Burst Attack (when she lights up red, cannot be deflected) that is easily countered by a stance shift. She lifts up her stick, strikes once, then again, and then charges up with a Burst Attack. Simply shift stance as soon as the stick starts going down, and you’ll have landed a great counter and opened her up for a lot of damage.
By aiming to block the red snake, deflect the frost one, and break every Burst Attack she does, you’ll frequently leave Jakotsu-Baba staggered or winded, allowing you to land a few hits every now and again.
This is a slow, methodical approach to beating the boss, and since you’ll have to rely on your Samurai stance, then respecig at the shrine just before her arena is a solid strategy. Pour everything into Strength, Heart, and Constitution, and watch Jakotsu-Baba suffer tremendous damage from any weapon you use.
I opted for the Crimson General Set, Odachi, Bow, and all, which offered me lots of poise and defense while simultaneously providing tremendous damage on my melee attacks. Speaking of which, you should also totally cover yourself in the most potent, high-defense equipment you have to ensure she does not do damage, even if her attacks somehow connect.
You’ll have to dance with her, essentially, deflecting and getting a hit or two in before going back on the defense.
Rinse and repeat many times (and it did take me many times), and you’ll eventually get her.
Oh, and in her Yokai form, don’t fret. She doesn’t do many things differently, and the strategy above applies to the entire fight.
