Ibaraki Doji is one of the main bosses in Nioh 3 and is defending one of the barriers in Heian. This boss has a lot going on, such as quick attacks and covering the arena in lightning, making it difficult to keep up.
The lightning can also make it hard to see, which makes the fight more difficult than it really is. However, there are strategies to utilize during this fight that can make it significantly easier, as long as you have the patience for it.
This guide goes into detail about the Ibaraki Doji boss fight in Nioh 3, such as her moveset, how to easily beat her, rewards you can expect, and more. After reading this guide, you will be able to beat Ibaraki Doji once and for all.
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Finding Ibaraki Doji
Ibaraki Doji is encountered during the main quest, “Heian Befouled”, and is found in the Hachijo region of the Heian time period. While players can choose to take her on at the start of the mission, it’s recommended to beat Otoroshi first and then travel to her location.
Her location is shown in the image below, next to the Rajomon: Kujo Street Shrine.
The recommended level for Otoroshi is 62, while the recommended level for Ibaraki Doji is 73. It’s best to level up to the recommended level, or else you will make the fight significantly harder for yourself.
Ibaraki Doji Moveset
Ibaraki Doji is one of the first bosses in the game to use lightning in almost every single attack move. While she does use physical attacks as well, lightning is the real threat here.
Before we get into how to beat Ibaraki Doji, let’s discuss her moveset so you know exactly what to look out for when fighting her. The grid below shows all of her attacks.
| Moveset | Description |
|---|---|
| Lightning Toss | Ibaraki will engulf her sword in lightning, lift it over her shoulder, spin around, and launch lightning projectiles toward the player. Easily dodge this by sprinting to the right. |
| Lightning Claw | Ibaraki will raise her hand over her opposite shoulder and jump toward the player, spinning in the air. She will swipe down with her claw. |
| Back Slash | If the player is attacking Ibaraki’s back, she sometimes swipes her sword behind her. You can tell this is coming when she raises her sword. |
| Appearing Lightning Punch | Ibaraki’s hand will glow yellow and she will summon a lightning hand near the player that attempts to punch them. This attack only comes if the player is far away from Ibaraki. |
| Double Swing | If near Ibaraki, she will grab her sword with both hands and swing down twice. |
| Spinning Hands Attack | Ibaraki’s hands will glow with lightning and she will jump toward the player, and summon a series of hands that circle her position. They spin around her a handful of times, but gradually slows down. |
| Lunge Lightning Attack | Ibaraki will lean back, engulf her sword in lightning, and lunge directly toward the player. She will then spin immediately after this, which creates a circle of lightning around her position. |
| Lightning Punch | Ibaraki will summon a lightning hand when the player is near her and punch twice. |
| Three Hand Slam | Ibaraki will do a backflip and go backward, summoning three giant lightning hands to slam down on the player. |
| Giant Fist Explosion | Ibaraki will summon a gigantic hand and slam it down to the ground. After a slight delay, the ground explodes. |
| Exploding Burst Attack | Ibaraki will place her hand in front of her, summoning three yellow orbs around the player. These orbs will explode after a slight delay. This is a Burst Attack and can be countered by switching Styles. |
| Lunge Burst Attack | Similar to the Lightning Lunge Attack mentioned above, Ibaraki will add a final lunge at the end of the attack that is a Burst Attack. This attack begins showing up after draining half her health. |
How to Beat Ibaraki Doji
The key to beating Ibaraki Doji is being patient, keeping a good distance, and attacking after she completes certain attacks.
The attacks I’ll mention in this section are the absolutely best times to deal damage to her, with the largest windows of opportunity. What I mean by that is she takes a moment to recover herself before going into another attack.
First off, players will want to deal damage after Ibaraki Doji does her Lunge Lightning Attack. After she lunges, spins once, and the lightning surrounding her goes away, this is the perfect time to rush in and get a handful of free attacks on her.
Another attack to look out for is her Spinning Hands attack, where she spins lightning hands all around her. After the second spin, the hands will slow down, allowing you to rush into Ibaraki and deal damage to her while she’s still in the attacking animation.
Next, you’ll want to attack Ibaraki Doji after she executes her Lightning Wave attack. She does this when she raises her sword and coats it in lightning and then swings a wave of lightning on the ground.
You can simply dodge through this lightning wave, and then dodge her follow up swing, to get behind her. This is a great time to deal as much damage to her back as possible before she recovers.
Another attack that leaves an opening to deal damage is when she jumps at you and swings her Lightning Claw. This can easily be dodged or ran away from, and once she misses, there is a large opening to deal damage to her back. I found this to be the easiest attack to dodge.
Lastly, we have the Giant Fist Explosion attack. This is, without a doubt, the best time to deal damage as she completely stuns herself after completing the attack. All you need to do is run around the fist’s landing zone and get behind her and begin attacking.
If you’re quick enough, you will be able to deal damage to her as she is in the middle of the attack and take no damage, since the AoE doesn’t reach behind her. You then get additional time to deal damage after the attack finishes, since she stuns herself.
Since you will be dodging and waiting patiently to strike after the attacks mentioned her, you will want to be as quick as possible. In this case, I recommend playing the fight in Ninja Style, and only switching during Burst Attacks.
Ibaraki Doji Rewards
After defeating Ibaraki Doji in Nioh 3, players will be rewarded with Ibaraki Doji’s equipment, such as Ibaraki Doji’s Thorns. Players will also earn Ibaraki Doji Soul Core, and Exotic equipment that is random for each player.
The Ibaraki Doji Soul Core provides Summoning Seal: Ibaraki Doji when placed in the Yang Position and Carnage Talisman while in the Yin Position. I recommend equipping this Soul Core right away as it also offers high defense and attack power.
