Nioh: Dragon of the North Item Drop Ranges and Unlocking Regions

Nioh is stirring up a storm in its latest DLC, “Dragon of the North.” The new difficulty that has been introduced with the DLC, Way of the Demon, is upping the challenge even more than Nioh‘s original NG+, Way of the Strong. With it, though, comes a few unanswered questions — two of which include the process of unlocking regions and the range of item drops. 

What has Nioh‘s NG++ got in store for us? Let’s find out. 

Unlocking Regions In Way of the Demon

In Way of the Strong, you will have the first three regions unlocked and can access any of the missions in whatever order you wish. Main missions and side missions will help fill a progression bar in the bottom right of the screen, and as each segment is filled, a new region will become available.

Way of the Demon works in exactly the same way. Complete missions, fill the progress bar, unlock more regions, and repeat. It’s that simple.

In summary:

• Play the story and side missions from available regions in whatever order you wish
• Continue the step above to fill the mission progress bar in the corner of the overview screen
• Once you’ve completed most of (if not all) the missions, the next region will unlock and the process can be repeated

Item Drop Ranges In Way of the Demon

As Way of the Demon is NG++, the item drops you’re able to acquire are of much, much higher quality than previous playthroughs. A piece of armor or weaponry that is in the +4 or +5 range could be considered respectable loot in Way of the Strong, but the first region in Way of the Demon may possibly reward you with something in the +8 or +12 range. It’s a huge step.

To put things into more perspective, a weapon in the 165-70+5-10 range is a good find in Way of the Strong, although there are reports of players discovering even better equipment. Way of the Demon, on the other hand, can net you an item as crazy as 200+15-20. Very rare drops can also take you past 200 if you’re lucky.

To clarify:

• Way of the Strong regularly gives you items in the 165-70 range at +5-10 with a few lucky exceptions
• Way of the Demon can grant you the above level items right off the bat, and then continue to give you anything in excess of 200+15-20

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We hope this guide has given you a little more insight into how item drops work and how to unlock the rest of the regions on Way of the Demon. Be sure to check out our other Nioh guides on other aspects of the game:

• Nioh: “Dragon of the North” — How to Unlock Way of the Demon
• Nioh Guide: Complete Isle of Demons Kodama Locations
• Nioh: Beginner’s Tips and Tricks Survival Guide
• Nioh Third Boss Battle Guide: Hino-Enma
• Nioh: Sloth Talisman Cheat for Beating any Boss