11 February 2026

How to Unlock the Second Melee Weapon Slot in Nioh 3

By newsgame

Published Feb 10, 2026, 6:56 PM EST

Ayyoun is a staff writer who loves all things gaming and tech. His journey into the realm of gaming began with a PlayStation 1 but he chose PC as his platform of choice. With over 6 years of experience in the game journalism industry, he’s been loving every second of writing about games as much as he’s loved playing them. Catch him either browsing Reddit, try-harding at a game, or cooking in his spare time.

Nioh 3 allows players to unlock two melee weapon slots and switch between them during combat. However, the secondary melee weapon slot isn’t available from the get-go, and players will need to complete a specific quest to get this feature. Here’s a quick guide that will help you unlock the second melee weapon slot in Nioh 3 and explain how you can switch between weapons on-the-go.

Nioh 3: What is Glory & How to Use It (Clan Battles, Explained)

Glory is a secondary currency in Nioh 3 that can help you win Clan Battles, and can be traded for valuable items at the Hidden Teahouse.

How to Unlock the Second Melee Weapon Slot in Nioh 3

Players can unlock the second melee weapon slot for the Samurai style by completing the Way of the Warrior: Adept quest in Nioh 3. This is part of the training questline that players can undertake in the Eternal Rift by talking to Takechiyo’s former teacher, Yagyu Munenori.

To start the Way of the Warrior quests, players will need to interact with a Shrine and go into the Battle Scroll menu.

Nioh 3 Way of the Warrior Adept Yagyu Munenori

Way of the Warrior: Adept is the second quest that unlocks after players reach the Heian era by defeating the Warring States boss, Takeda Shingen. This quest will pit Takechiyo against Yagyu Munenori himself in a sparring match.

You’ll need to carefully dodge his sword swipes and focus on consistently attacking him to destroy his stance. Once the stance is broken, you’ll be able to deliver a critical strike that will chop off a significant amount of health. Keep repeating this process until you’ve finally defeated the mini-boss and completed the Way of the Warrior: Adept quest in Nioh 3.

Once you’ve defeated Yagyu Munenori, the Way of the Warrior: Adept quest will be completed, and you’ll earn Samurai’s Locks, Great Tengu Blade, and Swordmaster’s Robe as rewards. Once you enter the equipment menu after completing the mission, you’ll receive a prompt about unlocking the secondary melee weapon slot in Nioh 3.

After equipping a second melee weapon, players can switch between weapons by pressing RB/R1 + D-Pad Down on controllers, or the Tab key on the keyboard. This is really great for players who want to deal with enemies that have different affinities as weaknesses, but don’t want to head into the equipment menu again and again.