Getting into the Nioh 3 Mikatagahara locked gate was the easy part; the rest was a little harder

On my first run through Mikatagahara, I was a little confused as to why so much of the map was behind a locked gate. There’s no key for getting beyond this gate, however, as I just had to wait for the appropriate time in the story. More on that below. 

Once I was there, though, the easy part was mostly over. Once I stepped over the threshold, the true test began in the form of a truly explosive challenge.

✓ VideoGamer Summary

• To unlock most of Mikatagahara, you need patience and persistence in the main quest.
• It will unlock for you once you hit The Battle of Mikatagahara.
• Stay on your toes, but don’t worry too much. Burst breaks and parries are your best tools against the hard-hitting bosses.

Unlocking Nioh 3’s Mikataghara locked gate

While Nioh 3’s Mikatagahara locked gate was in a level 20 zone, I didn’t reach beyond it until well into my 40s. All I had to do was keep on with the main missions. After completing ‘The Battle for Futamata Castle’, I kept going with ‘The Battle of Mikatagahara’.

I grabbed the nearby shrine as a spawn point and went through the now-open doors. There I found the quest ‘A Fiery Invasion’, and the next major dungeon in Nioh 3.

Nioh 3’s Mikatagahara military encampment

The first half of the Battle of Mikatagahara was pretty simple. I weaved through the corridors of the Takeda military camp, taking the ample assassination opportunities against the soldiers.

When I reached the more Yokai-infested area, I found a killing field where a cyclops was hurling boulders with surprising accuracy. I just ran out of the area, killing the minor enemies once I was safe. Beyond that, there’s little that posed a threat before the next boss.

Here I had a rematch with Yamagata Masakage, the first real boss of the game, but this time on a horse. He’s got a lot of mobility, but his burst attacks are big and obvious enough to make this boss fight fairly easy once you have the rhythm. 

I dodged the grabs and blocked most other things, and made ample use of the Sloth Talisman from the Daidara Bocchi Soul Core. Once he died, I went on to the second half of Mikatagahara: a newly formed crucible.

The Nioh 3 Mikatagahara Crucible

The main danger inside Nioh 3’s Mikatagahara Crucible wasn’t really the enemies; it was the random explosives. They’re big cart-like Yokai that will spot you, charge at you, and then explode on contact for massive damage. My best move was to bait them with an arrow and then have a clean getaway.

Near the end of the Crucible, there is a small side boss in the form of a Samurai called Kosaka Msanobu, who’s worth fighting. I just used the same strategy I had for any normal soldier: deplete their ki and hit them hard.

Then I came face to face with the big bad of the Warring States map: Takeda Shingen. He hit hard, but his slow movements meant that I could easily control the pace of the fight. His attacks with his spear are slow and obvious, and give plenty of room to strike.

At certain points, he changed his attacks to have more elemental oomph, giving him extra abilities, but I found sticking to Ninja mode at a distance, and Samurai mode close up gave enough burst damage to wreck him.

After his defeat, I’d finished off ‘A Fiery Invasion’, and now had free rein to clear out the rest of Migatagahara. 

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