Early in Onimusha: Way of the Sword you unlock a dense ability tree, three different upgrade currencies, and dozens of nodes — and the game never tells you which ones actually matter. Spend wrong and your first bosses feel like a wall; spend right and Issen counters, crowd clears and soul farming come together fast. This guide breaks down the best skills to buy first, how the skill tree works, and exactly what each currency unlocks — all verified against post-launch guides from Maxroll, PowerPyx and Fextralife.
Quick answer: what to unlock first
Which skills should you buy first in Onimusha: Way of the Sword? Prioritize Reflex Combo (an offensive dodge), Blazing State (parry at the start of a fight to boost damage and souls), Absorb Souls While Attacking, Oni Vision: Destructibles, and Handle Even Bigger Objects. These are all Basic skills paid for with Power Stones, and there are 54 Power Stone locations in the game — enough to eventually max every basic skill in a single playthrough (PowerPyx). Save Oni Stones for Oni (special) skills like Oni Awakening: Duration, and spend Red Souls on your Oni Armament skills and gear.
Key takeaways
- The tree splits into three categories: Basic (Regular) skills, Special (Oni) skills, and Oni Armament skills — 6 armaments with 3 skills each (18 armament skills) (Maxroll).
- Three separate currencies: Power Stones → Basic skills, Oni Stones → Special skills, Red Souls → Armament skills + gear enhancement (Fextralife).
- Early priority is Issen/parry and soul-generation skills, not raw damage — they snowball every fight.
- Everything you buy on the skill tree carries into New Game+ / Carnage; gear upgrades and unspent Red Souls do not (PowerPyx Trophy Guide).
(All facts verified as of October 5, 2026, against post-launch guide coverage; the game released September 4, 2026.)
How does the skill tree work in Onimusha: Way of the Sword?
The ability tree is organized into three skill categories, each tied to its own currency, and it unlocks in tiers from 1 to 8. Tiers 1–2 are available from the start; higher tiers open as you clear story chapters — Tier 3 at "A Strength in Refuge," Tiers 4–5 after "The Roots of All Evil," and Tiers 6 and up after "Okuni's Kabuki Dance" (Maxroll).
The three categories are:
- Basic (Regular) skills — your core kit: Issen, Break Issen Combo, Reflex Dodge, Parry/Deflect, the Oni Bow, Absorb Souls, Charm Capacity and more. Paid for with Power Stones.
- Special (Oni) skills — Oni Vision, Oni Strength, Oni Agility and Oni Awakening. Paid for with Oni Stones.
- Oni Armament skills — six separate weapon sub-trees (The Two Celestials, Wind-Whipper, Earth-Shakers, Firebird Flute, The Flashing Void, Still Water), each with its own three skills. These draw on Red Souls.
One design detail from Fextralife is worth internalizing before you spend anything: unlocking an action and strengthening it are two different purchases. For example, Deflect enables the deflect action, while Deflection Power is a later node that makes it hit harder (Fextralife). That is why the tree looks bigger than the number of distinct moves you actually have.
The whole system is built to reward precise, aggressive counter-play rather than spongey stat-stacking. Director Satoru Nihei described the signature strike in a Summer Game Fest interview: "It uses vector technology so that, wherever Musashi actually strikes his opponent, it's going to accurately cut through them" (Game Rant). In practice, that means the skills that let you land more Issen and Break Issen hits do far more for you than a flat damage bump.
What do Power Stones, Oni Stones and Red Souls unlock?
This is the single biggest point of confusion for new players — including on r/Onimusha, where people routinely ask whether "sword upgrades do anything" and whether they can finish the tree before the final boss. Here is the clean mapping:
| Currency | What it pays for | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Power Stones | Basic (Regular) skills on the ability tree | Found in exploration — 54 total locations across Kyoto |
| Oni Stones | Special (Oni) skills — Oni Vision/Strength/Agility/Awakening | Earned through progression and exploration |
| Red Souls | Oni Armament skills and gear/equipment enhancement | Dropped by enemies (the red soul color) |
Fextralife states it plainly: "Power Stones — Enhancing basic skills; Oni Stones — Enhancing special skills" (Fextralife). PowerPyx confirms there are 54 Power Stone locations and that collecting them all is enough to fully upgrade every basic skill in a single run (PowerPyx).
The crucial takeaway: the skill tree and your gear are two different screens. Enhancing your sword, Oni Gauntlet, outfit and charms happens on the equipment enhancement menu using Red Souls and crafting materials — it is not part of the ability tree. If you felt like "sword upgrades did nothing," you were likely upgrading raw gear stats while neglecting the skill nodes that actually change how combat plays. For the deeper breakdown of each soul color and what Oni Stones feed, see our souls and upgrades guide.
What are the best Basic (Power Stone) skills to unlock first?
Because Power Stones are plentiful, you do not need to agonize over "wasting" them — you will eventually afford everything basic. The question is order: which nodes pay off earliest. Based on Maxroll's skills guide, these are the strongest first-wave picks (Maxroll):
- Reflex Combo — adds an offensive strike to your dodge. Excellent against unarmed bosses and for staying on the pressure instead of just evading.
- Blazing State — parry at the very start of a fight to boost your damage (and generate more souls). A free opening buff in almost every encounter.
- Absorb Souls While Attacking — makes it far easier to vacuum up souls during boss fights without stopping to manually absorb. Direct upgrade to your economy.
- Oni Vision: Destructibles — highlights smashable/shootable parts on bosses and in the environment. Turns "why won't this boss stagger" into an obvious answer.
- Handle Even Bigger Objects — lets you pick up pillars and large objects to smash groups of Genma. Strong crowd control for the price.
Right behind that first wave, Maxroll recommends grabbing these as soon as they unlock:
- Break Issen Combo — chains Break Issen finishers across multiple exhausted enemies, so one well-timed thrust can clear a group. (Available from the start.)
- Charm Capacity 1 & 2 — more equipped charms means more passive power, which compounds with our best charms tier list.
- Oni Bow charge upgrades — faster charge and a stronger ultimate charged shot make the bow a real answer to ranged and gimmick bosses.
- Petrify — lets you instantly kill a petrified foe.
Which Special (Oni Stone) skills matter most?
Oni Stones are rarer than Power Stones, so spend them deliberately. The standout is Oni Awakening, your transformation that massively tilts a hard fight in your favor — in Awakening, "Issen is much easier and you don't take Health or Stamina damage" (Maxroll).
That makes Oni Awakening: Duration the near-mandatory special pick — every extra second of Awakening is extra time spent trading freely and landing counters. Beyond it, Oni Strength: Slice & Chop improves your heavy environmental and grapple damage, and the Oni Vision line pairs with the Destructibles node above to make gimmick bosses readable. If you want the full activation and timing breakdown, read our dedicated Oni Awakening form guide.
What about Oni Armament skills?
Each of the six Oni Armaments has its own three-skill sub-tree, unlocked with Red Souls, and they transform how that weapon plays. Maxroll calls out Firebird Flute: Charged Shot as a big one — charging the Firebird Flute greatly improves it (Maxroll). The spear-type armament The Flashing Void likewise rewards its Break Issen upgrades with extra red souls on exhausted-enemy kills, which loops right back into your upgrade economy.
The practical rule: upgrade the one or two armaments you actually use rather than spreading Red Souls thin across all six, because those same Red Souls are also what you spend on gear enhancement.
Does the Break Issen system depend on skills?
Yes — and it is one of the most satisfying reasons to invest in the tree. Producer Akihito Kadowaki explained the design: "For the Break Issen, we have some really cool animations for each body part. We're not using canned animations that repeat for different bosses" (Game Rant). Skills like Break Issen Combo and Chain Issen (which chains a landed Issen into a nearby enemy) turn those single flashy counters into chain-reaction crowd clears. Chain Issen is also what feeds the game's dismemberment-heavy counters, and it has its own learning curve — we cover the timing in the Chain Issen guide and the core counter in the Issen guide.
Will my skills carry over to New Game Plus and Carnage?
This is the most important long-term reason to spend confidently: your skill-tree investment is permanent. PowerPyx's trophy guide lists what transfers into a new run — "Awakened Oni Abilities, any enhanced basic and special Skills, Hozuki Pouches and Pouch Enhancements" — while "Sword and Gauntlet Enhancements, Red Souls, Spirit Mirror unlock progress" do not carry over (PowerPyx).
The planning implication is sharp. Because basic and special skills carry but gear enhancements reset, dump any leftover Red Souls into charm and pouch enhancements before your final boss / before committing to Carnage — not into sword and gauntlet levels you are about to lose. Carnage, the one-hit-kill New Game+ mode, also locks in once chosen, so finish your skill-tree shopping first. Full details are in our New Game Plus and Carnage guide.
There are even trophies that nudge you toward completing the tree: "The Winding Way of the Sword" (Bronze) for learning and upgrading all basic or special skills, and "Well-Rounded" (Silver) for doing both (PowerPyx).
Suggested skill-spend order (first playthrough)
A simple, low-regret path that front-loads the skills that change fights:
- Blazing State and Reflex Combo — your opening buff and your offensive dodge.
- Absorb Souls While Attacking — fix your economy early so everything else comes faster.
- Oni Vision: Destructibles + Handle Even Bigger Objects — readability and crowd control.
- Break Issen Combo / Chain Issen — turn single counters into group finishers.
- Oni Awakening: Duration (as Oni Stones allow) — your panic button and boss-melter.
- Charm Capacity, Oni Bow charges, Petrify, then round out your main Oni Armament sub-tree with spare Red Souls.
After that, mop up the remaining basic nodes at your leisure — the 54 Power Stones will get you there.
FAQ
How many skills are there in Onimusha: Way of the Sword? There is no official total skill count, but the tree is large and splits into Basic, Special and Oni Armament categories. The confirmed hard numbers are 6 Oni Armaments with 3 skills each (18 armament skills) and 54 Power Stone locations, which is enough to fully upgrade every basic skill in one playthrough (Maxroll; PowerPyx).
Can I unlock all my skills before the final boss? For Basic skills, yes — collecting all 54 Power Stones lets you max them in a single run. Oni Armament skills and gear are gated by how many Red Souls you farm, so you may not have everything enhanced, but your core kit can be complete before the finale.
Do I lose my skills in New Game Plus or Carnage? No. Enhanced basic and special skills, Awakened Oni abilities, and Hozuki Pouches carry over. What resets is sword/gauntlet enhancements, unspent Red Souls and Spirit Mirror progress (PowerPyx). Spend Red Souls on charms and pouches before committing, since those survive.
What's the difference between skills and gear upgrades? Skills are nodes on the ability tree, bought with Power Stones (basic) and Oni Stones (special). Gear upgrades — your sword, Oni Gauntlet, outfit and charms — are a separate equipment enhancement screen that uses Red Souls and crafting materials (Fextralife). If upgrades felt pointless, you were probably leveling gear stats instead of the skill nodes that change your moveset.
Is Onimusha: Way of the Sword a soulslike, given all this parry and skill depth? No — Capcom explicitly says it is not. Director Satoru Nihei calls it a character-action game, and the team has distanced it from "Souls-like" difficulty, though its parry-heavy combat invites the comparison (Game Rant). You can read the full breakdown in our difficulty settings guide.
| *Onimusha: Way of the Sword released September 4, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Skill names, currencies and NG+ carry-over details verified October 5, 2026 against Maxroll, PowerPyx and Fextralife guide coverage.* |
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