Kosaka Masanobu is a formidable enemy you will encounter on your way to your first battle with Takeda Shingen. Kosaka Masanobu is not a mandatory opponent; you can simply walk past him if you wish. But he is not really difficult, so defeating him will not be hard.

Nioh 3 Kosaka Masanobu location

I have shown you where he is. It is a small tent or just a fenced-off area where you will see a battle in progress. In addition to Kosaka Masanobu, there are two other easy opponents and a samurai who is clearly losing the battle, but he is on your side. During your battle, he will be resting exhausted on the sidelines, and you will only talk to him after your victory.

So don’t pay attention to him now. Of course, it’s better to deal with the easier opponents first so they don’t get in your way. You can shoot them with a bow from a distance, or just rush into the tent and destroy everyone. When you are left alone with Kosaka Masanobu, you can focus on the battle with this opponent. During the battle, I use two combinations that most often help me defeat such opponents.

Nioh 3 Kosaka Masanobu boss fight

The first combination is the simplest attack. To do this, jump, and then when your character is in the air, press heavy attack. The character will land with a powerful blow and deal a lot of damage to the enemy. The second combination is a little more complicated. I fly into the air, raising a whirlwind of fire. To do this, you need to learn the Cloudsplitter Fire skill in the ninja branch.

Then you press the light attack button several times and the character changes direction, attacking the enemy without touching the ground. But here you need to keep an eye on your stamina level and stop in time to recover before the next attack. At this time, it is ideal to stop the enemy by throwing shuriken and kunai at them. This damages the enemy and stops them when they run towards you.

By alternating and repeating these combinations several times, you will quickly defeat Kosaka Masanobu and receive a reward for your victory. The enemy is really not difficult, and I think any tactic is suitable for this battle. Consider him to be nothing more than an elite enemy. He’s definitely not boss material.