Baba Nobuharu in Nioh 3 is a large, corrupted boss armed with an axe who uses projections of himself to direct some of his attacks. Next, I will show you how I defeated this boss using a very simple setup. Let me remind you that the previous boss was Green Shadow’s Blade.

Preparation for battle with Baba Nobuharu

If you want to play in ninja mode, you need to reduce your Current Encumbrance Rate to 30 percent. This is very important, actually. Next, you must learn the passive skill Evade. That’s all you need to defeat Baba Nobuharu.

In most cases, I use long-range attacks, dodge in time, and attack the boss with ninjutsu elements. Next, I will tell you the key points of the battle that you need to know.

By reducing the weight of your equipment by 30%, your character will dodge and run much faster. This is very noticeable during gameplay. So, if you haven’t done so yet, be sure to do it. You need to use lighter armor, even if it is slightly inferior in overall protection, and increase your Stamina parameter accordingly.

Thanks to the passive Evade skill, you will replenish some of your throwing items during a perfect dodge. And reducing your equipment weight by 30% will allow you to do this very often. As a result, you will almost always have Baba Nobuharu’s ranged attack weapon.

You see, in addition to using ninjutsu, I alternate my attacks with powerful strikes. To do this, I press jump and then heavy attack. As a result, the character directs his swords downward and flies, delivering a powerful blow. I recommend using this combination only in the light phase of the boss fight.

When the boss enters the dark phase, use only dodges and throwing shurikens and kunai. You also need to understand when you can use this attack. Usually, after any series of attacks, the boss pauses briefly. This is your window for attack, but don’t get carried away. After performing a combo, immediately dodge to a long distance.

Dark Phase Baba Nobuharu

During the dark phase, the boss gains two new water element attacks. You must see them and dodge them in time. When Baba Nobuharu drags his weapon across the floor, he will then throw a stream of water at you as if dispersing a wave. During this attack, it is better to always dodge to the right, as this attack covers a larger area on your left side.

The boss will also throw water rings at you from a distance. They are easy to dodge, but I sometimes wait for the rings to reach me so that I can dodge perfectly and replenish my ninjutsu reserves.

Light Phase Baba Nobuharu

Depending on the damage inflicted, you will alternate between light and dark modes during the boss battle. In light mode, you can act more aggressively, attack the boss, and dodge. But in general, the tactics will be the same for the entire battle. You simply shoot the enemy from a distance and dodge to replenish your supplies. In fact, the battle is quite dynamic and can take a long time, but once you get used to all the enemy’s attacks, everything will be quite simple.

The boss’s attacks are not fast, and his red attack is just a very slow danger. You see him start his red attack, jump, swing his weapon, and you see that weapon flying towards you along with the boss. You have plenty of time to prepare and perform a perfect parry in time by switching to samurai mode. This is a very powerful mechanic that not only damages the enemy and reduces their stamina, but also replenishes part of your health.

You need to learn how to perform this perfect parry, as it gives you many bonuses when used. It’s not difficult to do in this battle. However, if you dodge the red attack, there is a high chance of getting hit by this powerful blow, as the area it damages is really large. Dodging this blow is much more difficult than parrying it.

Baba Nobuharu’s most unpleasant attack

Perhaps Baba Nobuharu’s most unpleasant attack is when he grabs your character with his left hand and slams them against the floor several times. You need to study this attack thoroughly so you don’t fall victim to it. Pay attention to how long the boss swings his arm back. Next, he will jump forward and grab you.

When you see him preparing for this, get ready to either dodge in time or, better yet, simply move out of reach of your opponent, if possible, of course. In dark mode, you may notice similar preparations for an attack, but pay attention: if you see a blue flash in his hand, it means he will throw water rings at you. If there is no blue flash, it means he will perform a dangerous jump with a grab.

Personal Experience Baba Nobuharu

It took me several unsuccessful attempts to defeat this opponent. Perhaps with a little practice, it could be done more safely and without taking as much damage as I did, but the key here is understanding his attacks and dodging them in time. Of course, this is just my playing style, which I like. Maybe you’ll want to use something similar in your game.

I’m not talking about samurai mode, where it’s possible to defeat this boss even more easily. In most cases, I use ninja mode and look for opportunities to dodge and counterattack, because I simply prefer this option and enjoy playing in this mode.

Interestingly, when I started this attempt, I didn’t think it would be successful, so I didn’t start with the maximum number of throwing items and restored them during the fight. But the ultimate ability was charged. Of course, if you go to the boss to study his attacks, you don’t need to prepare your ultimate ability, but if your attempts are already quite successful, don’t go to the boss without your ultimate ability.

Who knows how the fight will go, and maybe this ability will help you finish the fight. In my case, that’s exactly what happened. At the end, I had no health left, and it was the perfect time to use my ultimate ability. I could have even used it earlier, because after using it, your throwing items are restored quite powerfully.

Ultimate Ability and Fight Finish with Baba Nobuharu

At the end of the battle, feeling that I could defeat this opponent right now, I started playing more cautiously. If I had done so from the very beginning, I might not even have needed my ultimate ability. I deliberately did not cut out the middle of the battle, but showed the entire fight in this video so that you can see how easy it is to defeat Baba Nobuharu using the tactics of dodging and throwing projectiles at your opponent.

It takes a few tries to understand the boss’s attacks, and then it’s just a matter of technique, completing the task, and enjoying the victory.