How to beat Yamagata Masakage in Nioh 3
Working out how to beat Yamagata Masakage in Nioh 3 isn't as challenging as many of the other bosses you'll encounter when you enter the open-world Warring States map, but it is still somewhat of a trial by fire in terms of learning the game's central combat mechanics. In particular, Burst Break is of huge importance in this fight, so I hope you've been paying attention—jokes, I'll explain how to use Burst Break down below.
I'll also offer some other tips for triumphing against this spear-wielding Takeda clan warrior. After you beat Masakage, you'll complete the prologue section, and be able to enter the rest of the game for real.
How to beat Yamagata Masakage in Nioh 3
Though not all that tricky, Yamagata Masakage definitely requires you to adjust to Nioh 3's combat style, in particular, the Burst Break mechanic. Using Burst Break with R (RT on controller), when Yamagata flashes red, will deal big Ki damage (the blue bar below his health), making it easier to stun him and press Y to perform a Grapple that will take a chunk of his health away. Burst Break will also change you from Ninja to Samurai or vice versa, though you can tweak this.
This attack is easy to recognise since he'll spin, performing a circular slash, then will glow red and slam his weapon down, which is when you need to Burst Break. Here are a couple of other tips.
Don't be afraid to get aggressive
After each of Yamagata's combos, there's usually a period where you can attack and stunlock him a couple of times, which will help you chip him down. Just be wary of overinvesting as he'll become immune to stunlocks once he starts his next combo or attack, or he'll just start blocking you after a while.
Use Ninja Mode
This is definitely the more beginner-friendly of the two modes, since, though Samurai is good for dealing damage, it's less evasive. Ninja Mode will let you more easily dodge Yamagata Masakage's combos if you're struggling, and it generally has faster attacks which will keep him stunlocked for a short period. As you attack, you'll regain your Ninjitsu abilities, such as the shuriken or the explosive feathers.
Hold shift (or right bumper on controller) and then left mouse button and the wheel to use them (X and Y on controller). These can chip away at Yamagata's health, and if you save up a few of the explosive feathers and use them all at once, you can set him on fire, doing DoT.
Watch out for his grab attack
In this attack, Yamagata will try to impale you with a thrust, but it's easy to recognise because his weapon will have a dark, smoky aura with little golden spots. It also has a long windup which makes it easy to dodge.
Also beware of his downward slams
You can avoid most of Yamagata's attacks easily with the Ninja Mode's mobility and dodges, particularly his four-strike combos, but the final attack of this combo is a downward slam that actually requires precise dodge timing if you're close, since it's an AoE attack. Wait for the delay after the third attack where he jumps into the air, and dodge as the spear is slamming down.
When he has one third of his health left, you'll be able to summon Kusanagi to become the Living Artifact—a kind of temporary supercharged state with enhanced combos, where you won't take HP damage, but getting hit will reduce the state's duration. Performing a Burst Break will also end the state prematurely, so you might want to avoid that until after it's expired to make the most of your increased survivability.