The second main boss of Nioh 3, Jakotsu-baba, could be the first real hurdle that prevents players from progressing. With fast and long-ranged attacks, mixed with magic that deals AoE damage, Jakotsu-baba is no joke and requires a ton of skill to take down.
Before players can defeat Jakotsu-baba, they need to fully understand its moveset and attack cues and learn how to counter all of them. Making one wrong button input, such as dodging too soon or countering too early, will result in meeting that dreadful game-over screen.
If you’re having trouble defeating Jakotsu-baba in Nioh 3, you have come to the right place. Read further to learn about this boss’s moveset, strategies to follow while in the midst of the fight, and how to finally beat it.
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Finding Jakotsu-baba
Players will encounter Jakotsu-baba at the end of the first major Crucible in Nioh 3. While some Crucibles are optional, this one is mandatory and is impossible to miss, so you don’t have to worry about going out of your way to find it.
After entering the Crucible, your objective is to progress through it and reach the very top, where you’ll find Jakotsu-baba. Crucibles act as typical dungeons, with interconnecting paths, but finding the way forward is fairly simple.
Also, your Guardian ignites candles on the main path, making it clear which way you need to go to reach Jakotsu-baba.
Jakotsu-baba Moveset
Jakotsu-baba is a huge step up compared to the first boss of the game, Yamagata Masakage. While Yamagata didn’t have many moves to learn, Jakotsu-baba is a different story. This boss has a ton of attacks to watch out for.
The table below details Jakotsu-baba’s moveset with a brief description of the attacks, so you have a better understanding of their cues and signals.
| Moveset | Description |
|---|---|
| Red Snake Lunge | The boss will raise its red snake high in the air and lunge it towards the player. |
| Red Snake Burst Attack | The boss will raise its red snake straight into the air and glow red, indicating a Burst Attack. It will then smash the red snake down on the player. |
| Red Snake Swipe | The boss will pull its red dragon to the right of its body and swing it really fast across the arena. |
| Cane Stomp | The boss will grab its cane with both hands, bring it above its head, and smash it on the ground three times. This sometimes (not always) ends in a Burst Attack with the cane, which you can counter by changing Style. |
| Head Swing | The boss will jump backward, extend its head and swing it across the map three times. |
| Head Burst Attack | The boss will extend its head and glow red for a Burst Attack, shooting its head toward the player in a straight line. |
| White Snake Bite | The boss will pull its white snake back and shoot it toward the player. The snake bites and lunges a total of three times here. |
| White Snake Burst Attack | The boss will jump backward, pull back the white snake, glow red, and shoot a wave of ice toward the player. There is a slight delay here to counter the Burst Attack, since you aren’t countering the snake, but countering the ice. Wait for the ice to reach you and then switch Styles to counter. |
| Cane Sweep | If you’re behind the boss for long enough, the boss will grab its cane with both hands and swing in a circle. |
| Jump Slam | The boss will summon both Snakes and jump into the air twice, landing near the player. This deals AoE damage. |
| Floating Skulls | If the player spends too much time far away from the boss, it will shoot floating skulls in the distance. These are easy to avoid, simply by running to the right or left. |
Grab Attack | The boss’s head will glow black and yellow, raise in the air, and drop down to the player. This is a grab attack, so if it lands, the boss will pick you up and deal a very high amount of damage. |
| Fire Breath | Sometimes if the player is far away from the boss for too long, he will place the red snake in front and slowly spray fire across the arena. |
How to Beat Jakotsu-baba
When it comes to beating Jakotsu-baba in Nioh 3, you want to fight aggressively and stay near the boss for most of the battle. There are a few attacks where you should create some distance between the two, but for the most part, you want to get up close and personal.
All of Jakotsu-baba’s attacks can be avoided by dodging through them, except for its projectile Skull and Fire magic attacks. Whenever you see Jakotsu-baba about to cast either of these spells, sprint away while in Ninja form and get out of range.
The main goal here is to use Ninja’s Mist to dodge through all of Jatsu’baba’s attacks, while aiming to get behind the boss and attack its back. The best way to do this is to dodge at an angle, aiming for the left or right side of the boss and looping around to its back.
Thankfully, the arena here is quite big, and gives you ample scope to keep a distance. After a couple of attempts, you will figure out attacks you are comfortable predicting and attacks that you have a problem deflecting or dodging. For the latter attacks, just move away as soon as you see the boss preparing for one of those.
And when at a distance, keep peppering the boss with whatever Ninjutsu you have unlocked.
You deal more damage to enemies when striking their backs, so this is a great way to drain Jakotsu-baba’s health more quickly. You should be aiming to reach Jakotsu-baba’s back the entire battle.
As you’re keeping the pressure up, watch out for Jakotsu-baba’s Burst Attacks. This boss has a total three different Burst Attacks. For example, the boss itself has one, and so do the red and white snakes. I found the Two Cane stomp, followed by the Burst Attack, the most telegraphed and easiest to counter.
When the boss is about to do one of these attacks, it will glow red, so be prepared to change combat Style (Samurai or Ninja) right when it lands to counter and stun the boss. Getting the timing right on countering these Burst Attacks is key to defeating Jakotsu-baba.
Dodging into attacks, dealing damage to the boss’s back, and countering Burst Attacks will have Jakotsu-baba’s stamina reaching zero fairly quickly, allowing you to execute a finishing move and deal serious damage.
If you find yourself not getting the timing down on Jakotsu-baba’s attacks and are struggling to dodge them, make sure to revisit the moveset section again in this guide.
Jakotsu-baba’s Rewards
While the loot for defeating Jakotsu-baba is random for all players, expect to receive some Exotic-tiered equipment. For example, I received an Exotic version of the Iron Switchglaive, Simple Talons, and Tanegashima Matchlock. You can also expect to receive some Rifle Ammunition and Arrows.
A guaranteed reward for all players, however, is Ninja Locks. This Ninja Lock earns you 1 Ninja Point, which you can use to acquire Ninjutsu abilities from the skill tree.
After defeating Jakotsu-baba, the first Crucible of the game will officially be destroyed. This allows you to continue on to the next region of the game and progress the main story.
