Preview: Nioh 2: The Complete Edition Brings All of the Challenge to PC

Nioh 2: The Complete Edition on PC seems like everything you might expect it to be. It carries over the robust action-adventure gameplay from the console version, with all of the DLC expansions bundled together. After spending a bit of time with it, I found Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s period piece looked great and performed admirably as I put it through its initial paces.

Very little has changed between Nioh 2’s release on PlayStation 4 and appearance on the PC through the Complete Edition. All of the content remains intact, with The Tengu’s Disciple, Darkness in the Capital, and The First Samurai expansions bundled into the package. PC players will have immediate access to the DLC weapons when beginning their game. This allows for better streamlining or min-maxing when it comes to potential builds, and you’ll also be able to try the weapons firsthand before jumping into the game itself.

That being said, all cosmetic additions that were added to Nioh 2 over the span of the last few months are also immediately available in the character creator. You won’t need to wait for any updates to access much of anything.

Weapon balance has carried over from the console version, with this also applying to Onmyo magic and Ninjutsu. I mostly stuck to using the katana during my time with the PC build, along with a handful of lightning-aspect Onmyo spells. For the most part, it mimicked the same experience that I had on the PlayStation 4.

In addition, Nioh 2 on PC allows for users to set keybinds, which adds a greater accessibility to the game. There is controller support as well, but the icons default to the DualShock 4 prompts, which can be confusing for those using other controllers. I definitely had to get used to it, and it did result in a few early deaths.

Nioh 2: The Complete Edition ran fine on my gaming laptop for the most part, even on its highest settings. (I’ll have my specs listed below.) However, I did make sure to set my framerate to avoid any possible lag while running through the game on PC. The only real issue was that this early build would look a bit blurry sometimes, with some edges on characters models appearing a bit jagged. But that is more than likely due to my setup than with the game itself.

I never had issues with lag, which was one of my major concerns. This might be especially concerning for potential players since Nioh 2 (and the original title) have a plethora of elemental effects ranging from fire and lighting. I was worried might tax my gaming laptop. I was surprised when this wasn’t the case, but that could have been due to the capped framerate I kept on for the duration of the preview period. However, I wasn’t able to locate a game through the multiplayer function, so I can’t speak for the connectivity between regions or performance when another person is involved.

That being said, Nioh 2: The Complete Edition on PC seems like it will be a functional port that carries over the console experience. Those who weren’t sold on playing Nioh 2 on a console or weren’t able to due to the lack thereof may want to consider giving it a shot. Nioh 2 is still very much a solid action game and will no doubt have a long lifespan on PC with its multiplayer modes and various difficulty levels, especially for those looking to fill the void the Souls titles have left behind.

PC Specs

• Processor: Intel Core i5-9500 cpu @ 2.4 GHZ
• RAM: 8.00
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050

Nioh 2: The Complete Edition will come to PlayStation 5 and PC February 5, 2021.