Throughout the story of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, you'll face a good number of bosses that must be defeated in order to progress. In this section of our guide, we'll give you some tips for taking on Greater Nue. This boss appears near the end of What Lurks in the Shadows.
The first thing you need to know about this boss is that it introduces a new type of attack: the Unavoidable Attack, which the game briefly explains when you encounter it. These are essentially attacks marked by a pink glow that must be Deflected to either side. In other words, a regular Guard or Perfect Guard won't be enough: you need to use Deflect while pushing the stick either left or right.
As for its other attacks, it retains the same basic moves as the Nue: two-hit claw combos, charges, bites... nothing you haven't already seen in your previous encounters with these beasts. It also gains a charging attack when you're far away. Be careful, because it's actually a two-part attack: first it charges at you, then if you dodge, it turns around and follows up with a headbutt. It also has a jumping attack that's very easy to dodge and provides a perfect opportunity to hit it with a fully charged Earth-Shakers attack, which is one of the keys to this fight.
What you really need to watch out for is when it rises onto its hind legs. This usually happens after you successfully Deflect an Unavoidable Attack, at which point it extends large blades from its claws. These attacks are fairly erratic and difficult to dodge, so the safest option is simply to back away until it drops back onto all fours.
The key to this fight, as mentioned above, is using the Earth-Shakers. If you use them immediately after Greater Nue leaps and becomes stuck in the ground, you'll have enough time to charge the attack as far as your upgrades allow, dealing massive Stamina damage while also breaking its armor.
With most bosses, we haven't gone into much detail about Break Issen because the choice essentially comes down to targeting a body part for damage or prioritizing souls. In this case, however, you should sever the tail with Break Issen whenever possible. Once the tail falls to the ground, you can pick it up with Oni Strength and throw it back at the boss, immediately dealing a substantial amount of Stamina damage.
Like many other bosses, Greater Nue has a second phase after you completely deplete its health bar for the first time. Lightning will begin striking across the arena, the boss gains an electrified charge attack, and toward the end of the fight it will create lightning explosions when it extends its blades. Keep using the Earth-Shakers, throw its own tail back in its face whenever you get the chance, and although Greater Nue is a dangerous opponent, it will eventually go down.
