Nioh: Make the Umi-Bozu Boss Easier With These Bonfire Locations

Bosses that summon extra minions are terrible — that’s the bottom line. Umi-Bozu, one of the many difficult battles in Nioh, is that type of boss. Along with being really tough, it also calls forth add-on enemies. That’s annoying, but there’s a way to cut off the flow of extras. All you need is some flint and a desire to light up bonfires found in Umi-Bozu’s area. There are only three bonfires, but they’re not all super-easy to find. We’ve got the locations below, so get scrolling if you’re all about making bosses more manageable.

Nioh, like Dark Souls before it, is filled with crazy-difficult enemies, terrifying bosses, and deadly (also spooky) haunted locations. Winning in Nioh is kind of a gamer badge of honor, but there’s no shame using in-game mechanics to make purposefully aggravating encounters slightly easier. Every once in awhile, Dark Souls tossed in an unbeatable boss that could only be conquered after finishing some ambient quest in the area. It isn’t quite that extreme in Nioh (… this time) but it’s the same principle. You’re going to want to finish the bonfire quest before rushing into Umi-Bozu’s arena.

Evil-Warding Bonfire Locations

Find (and light) all three bonfires in the mission “The Ocean Roars Again” to unlock the “Keeper of the Flame” trophy. This also makes the Umi-Bozu boss much easier; you won’t have to deal with minions!

Bonfire Bonus Effect: Umi-Bozu won’t be able to summon minions.

Praise the Sun! Minions in action-RPG bosses make everything far harder — and way more annoying. Now you won’t have to worry about extras, just a one-vs-one boss battle.

Note: Before getting started, talk to the NPC to the left of the bridge to get the Flint item. You’ll need it to light bonfires.

Bonfire #1: The first bonfire is near the bridge, in the first room. Look right as you reach the end of the bridge-like first passage. The stone bonfire is in the corner. Circle around to reach it.

Bonfire #2: The next one is tricky. Continue deeper and go through the double-doors that lead to a fork — you can go left or right. Go right to find a very precarious path. Often, you’ll have to use a single plank of wood to carefully cross the water. Reach the ladder and find the hole in the roof and drop down (or use the ladder) to discover the second bonfire location.

Bonfire #3: Find the barred door to open a shortcut, and defeat the giant axe-wielding enemy inside. He’s protecting the last bonfire. You can use the rooftops to easily reach the shortcut from Bonfire #2 — get to the roof and run past the wrecked ship, dropping down on the right-side of the second (overturned) ship. Follow the walkway below and look left inside to find the blocked door to the shrine.