How to play Nioh 1, 2, and 3 in chronological history order with a focus on the Warring States period

The Nioh games are popular for their difficult combat and gameplay. However, they were created by Koei Tecmo Games, a company more widely recognized in Eastern markets for its historically-based titles.

Koei Tecmo is famous for creating games based on Japanese history, especially those set during the 16th-century Warring States period. Popular examples include the Nobunaga’s Ambition, Samurai Warriors, and Kessen series.

Nioh, like other games, draws inspiration from a specific period in history. The games in the series explore an increasing range of historical events, and we’ve created a detailed timeline focusing especially on the well-known Warring States period.

Please be aware that this article is based on real historical events, which are also central to the plot of the Nioh games. Therefore, it contains spoilers for the game’s storyline.

Start with Nioh 2

To fully understand the story of the Nioh series, it’s best to start with Nioh 2. You’ll play as Hide, who eventually teams up with Tokichiro and begins serving Oda Nobunaga. As you gain renown as Hideyoshi through battles like Okehazama and Inabayama, you’ll face conflict when Nobunaga’s brother-in-law, Azai Nagamasa, becomes an enemy.

Keep playing Nioh 2 until you reach the Battle of Anegawa. This battle has been given a unique icy setting in the game, even though it actually happened in the summer of 1570. You’ll fight Magara Naotaka, a general from the Asakura clan, who has been transformed into a large, blue monster.

With the release of Nioh 3 and its continuation of the story, let’s quickly shift our focus to the new game.

Go to Nioh 3’s Warring States era

Playing Nioh 3 will jump you back and forth in time. The game begins in 1622 with Tokugawa Takechiyo’s inauguration, but you’ll quickly be transported to 1572 after the opening section.

In the game, the Takeda clan initiated a campaign against the Tokugawa, leading to conflicts at Hitokoto Slope, Futamata Castle, and Mikatagahara. Despite losing all these battles, the Tokugawa managed to strike back. They tricked Shingen with a clever ruse involving an abandoned castle at Hamamatsu and then launched a surprise attack on a Takeda stronghold at Saigagake.

Although the game’s story concluded with the Saigagake raid, the real historical campaign went on, culminating in the Battle of Noda Castle in 1573. The campaign ended when Takeda Shingen, unfortunately, died from his illness that year.

Continue your Nioh 2 playthrough

The story now returns to Hide’s perspective as his lord, Oda Nobunaga, moves to finally defeat Azai Nagamasa at Odani Castle in 1573. After a long conflict with Honganji and numerous other military campaigns led by Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide would betray and overthrow Nobunaga at Honnoji in 1582.

Hideyoshi quickly moved to avenge Nobunaga’s death at the Battle of Yamazaki. Though history says Mitsuhide died on Mount Tenno, the game series Nioh uses a common fictional idea: that Mitsuhide actually survived and went into hiding, becoming the priest Nankobo Tenkai.

Following the significant Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, the story will introduce new background details and jump forward in time until Toyotomi Hideyoshi (also known as Tokichiro) fully unifies Japan in the 1590s. Continue with the Dream arc until a foreigner arrives in Japan after a shipwreck. At that point, you should pause Nioh 2 and start playing the original Nioh game.

Play the entirety of Nioh 1 and its DLCs

The next installment in the Nioh series will tell the story of the Westerner featured in the original Nioh, playing entirely from his perspective. Based on the life of the English sailor William Adams, this Irish character will journey to central Japan and eventually meet Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu will then recruit him to fight in the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, against the forces loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and led by Ishida Mitsunari.

The downloadable content for the first Nioh game tells the story of the Winter 1614 and Summer 1615 Sieges of Osaka – the last major conflicts between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans.

Finish Nioh 2 and its DLCs

With the biggest conflicts of the Warring States period now over, you’re ready for the epic conclusion! Nioh 2’s final chapter wraps up the stories from both Nioh games.

Nioh 2’s downloadable content moves the story back to an earlier time in the Heian period, but each expansion has a different recommended level. I strongly suggest playing the first DLC, ‘The Tengu’s Disciple,’ or even consider it essential before starting Nioh 3. That’s because the next part of Nioh 3’s story directly follows the events of this DLC, which are set in the late Heian era (1185-1189) and feature Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a famous historical figure in Japan.

While not essential, playing ‘Darkness in the Capital’ is recommended because it introduces characters you’ll encounter in the ‘Heian’ area of Nioh 3, either through item descriptions or as enemies. ‘The First Samurai’, however, is entirely optional for understanding the main story.

Play through the rest of Nioh 3

So, if you took my advice before, you’ve probably finished the first DLC for Nioh 2 by now. Awesome! That means you’re ready to jump into Nioh 3 and experience the next part of the story, which picks up right after where Nioh 2 left off, still set in the Heian era.

This episode draws inspiration from a real event: Minamoto no Yoritomo’s trip to Kyoto in 1190. At the time, he was gaining control and would later found the Kamakura shogunate in 1192. However, the story includes fictional elements, like the survival of the beloved hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune. In reality, Yoshitsune and his loyal companion Benkei were historically believed to have died together during the Battle of Koromo River, an event that concludes the storyline of Nioh 2’s first DLC.

The rest of Nioh 3’s story will be largely new and original. While the game’s setting in ancient Japan offers limited historical detail, it’s interesting to note that 247 AD was around the time of Queen Himiko’s death. The futuristic version of the Bakumatsu period in the game will be dramatically changed by the events set in motion at the beginning of Nioh 3, thanks to Tokugawa Kunimatsu.

Summary of Events

Heian Era

797 – Sakanoue no Tamuramaro’s slaying of Otakemaru (Nioh 2 DLC3 – Legendary)
976 – Rivalry between Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Doman (Nioh 2 DLC2 – Legendary)
1185 – Battle of Dan-no-Ura (Nioh 2 DLC1 – Minamoto vs Taira)
1189 – Battle of Koromo River (Nioh 2 DLC1 – Minamoto no Yoshitsune vs Fujiwara no Yasuhira)
1190 – Minamoto no Yoritomo’s visitation to Kyoto (Nioh 3)

Warring States Era

1556 – Death of Saito Dosan (Nioh 2)
1560 – Battle of Okehazama (Nioh 2 – Oda vs Imagawa)
1567 – Battle of Inabayama Castle (Nioh 2 – Oda vs Saito)
1570 – Battle of Kanegasaki (Nioh 2 – Oda-Tokugawa vs Azai-Asakura)
1570 – Battle of Anegawa (Nioh 2 – Oda-Tokugawa vs Azai-Asakura)
1572 – Battle of Hitokoto Slope (Nioh 3 – Tokugawa vs Takeda)
1572 – Battle of Futamata Castle (Nioh 3 – Tokugawa vs Takeda)
1573 – Battle of Mikatagahara (Nioh 3 – Tokugawa vs Takeda)
1573 – Battle of Odani Castle (Nioh 2 – Oda vs Azai)
1578 – Ishiyama Honganji War (Nioh 2 – Oda vs Honganji – The actual war ran from 1570 to 1580)
1582 – Incident at Honnoji (Nioh 2 – Akechi vs Oda)
1582 – Battle of Yamazaki/Tennozan (Nioh 2 – Hashiba vs Akechi)
1583 – Battle of Shizugatake (Nioh 2 – Hashiba vs Shibata)
1584 – Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (Nioh 2 – Tokugawa vs Hashiba)
1598 – Death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nioh 2)
1600 – William Adams’ arrival in Japan (Nioh 1)
1600 – Battle of Fushimi Castle (Nioh 1 – Tokugawa vs Ishida)
1600 – Battle of Sekigahara (Nioh 1 – Tokugawa vs Ishida)
1600 – Battle of Sawayama (Nioh 1 – Tokugawa vs Ishida)

Edo Era

1614 – Winter Siege of Osaka (Nioh 1 DLC2 – Tokugawa vs Toyotomi)
1615 – Summer Siege of Osaka (Nioh 1 DLC3 – Tokugawa vs Toyotomi)
1622 – Tokugawa Iemitsu’s Shogun Inauguration (Nioh 3 – The actual inauguration historically happened in 1623)

2026-02-08 01:29