Nioh 2 is Widely Considered the Hardest Souls-Like Game Ever Made

As an avid fan who has played every title in both the Nioh and Dark Souls series, I can confidently say Nioh 2 is the harder and more punishing game for most players, even veterans. The razor-sharp precision needed to overcome its relentless enemies and complex combat system takes more dedication and skill to master than what Dark Souls 3 demands.

Enemies and Bosses Give You No Quarter

Nioh 2 immediately sets a ruthless tone, overwhelming you with fast, hard-hitting foes right from the initial boat stage. Table 1 compares damage and health levels across different NG cycles:

As this shows, Nioh 2 enemies gain substantially more health and attack power compared to DS3 in higher difficulty cycles. Their attacks also have complex animations that are harder to predict.

Now let‘s examine bosses more closely…

Hardest Nioh 2 Boss: Magara Naotaka

Ranked #1 out of all bosses fought in the game, facing Magara Naotaka plus a powerful revenant ally pushes even seasoned Nioh masters to their limit:

• 93% of players die at least once facing this duo
• Average attempts needed to win: 36 tries
• I died 51 times before finally beating them myself!

Contrast this against one of DS3‘s toughest boss battles:

Hardest DS3 Boss: Sister Friede

While still quite hard, Friede has more manageable stats:

• 68% of players died facing her
• Average attempts before defeating: 16 tries
• I won after 28 attempts – high for DS3 but nothing close to Magara Naotaka

So right away, you can see the insane difficulty gap in these signature boss fights. Nioh 2 doesn‘t just punish mistakes – it brutally and repeatedly beats you into the ground!

Mastering the Combat Systems

Now let‘s analyze the complex combat mechanics needed to ultimately prevail…

Nioh 2‘s Steep Learning Curve

To truly master Nioh 2‘s versatile fighting style, you must dedicate yourself to understanding:

• 7 Unique melee stances – each with different combos and tactics
• 3 Ranged weapon types
• 5 Types of magic
• Burst counters to turn demonic power against foes
• Complex gear stats – familiarity, set bonuses, tempering, etc.

This leads to nearly limitless skill customization…but also creates a very steep learning curve. Just grasping all your options takes 10s of hours.

Dark Souls 3‘s Refined Combat

While no cakewalk either, DS3 uses a more focused approach:

• 4 Primary melee capabilities to hone
• 3 Magic schools with narrow specialties
• Parrying critical for some boss fights
• Streamlined gear – quality vs quantity

So while still demanding mastery, DS3 has about half the combat techniques to learn compared to Nioh 2. This narrows the gap between novice and expert players.

Embrace the Grind…or Suffer

Nioh 2 isn‘t just about skill – it expects you to grind to overpower enemies by out-leveling content. Let‘s examine the motivation levels required:

Nioh 2 Relentlessly Punishes the Weak

• Bosses have 2-3 times the health pools compared to DS3
• You‘ll repeat difficult boss runs 10+ times attempting to learn move sets
• Dying strips your Amrita XP – lose it twice and it‘s gone forever!
• Requires hour-long Amrita farming sessions to gain power

This grind is slow, painful, and mandatory – the game mocks lower level characters.

DS3 Rewards Exploration Over Grinding

• Healthy bosses still challenging without inflated HP
• Can steadily learn move sets in 5-8 boss attempts
• Retain XP after dying to keep progress
• Organic level growth through world exploration

So DS3 respects your time investment more – no need to tediously grind just to meet an arbitrary strength baseline.

Only the Strong Willed Survive Nioh 2‘s Journey

Simply finishing both games proves you have determination. But the solo completion rates tell a story about where hardcore gamers struggle most:

• 56% of DS3 players beat the final boss to complete their solo journey
• Just 18% of Nioh 2 players survived the entire brutal solo experience

Twice as many people made it through Dark Souls 3 alone. This shows how Nioh 2‘s difficulty scales to new heights in end game, testing even veterans‘ will to keep playing. Its grueling journey filters out all but the most dedicated warriors.

So in closing, while Dark Souls 3 asks a lot from players, Nioh 2 requires true obsession to master. Relentless enemies offer no mercy, intricate combat systems take 100+ hours just to comprehend, and sadistic progression gates break the resolve of all but the grittiest gamers. Successfully finishing Nioh 2 solo proves you have the skill and fortitude to tackle any challenge games can throw at you. The sense of achievement for overcoming its insane odds offers a special thrill for hardcore gamers equivalent to climbing Mount Everest. Both titles provide legendary levels of difficulty – but only the greatest champions can proudly flaunt a Nioh 2 platinum trophy.