NINJA GAIDEN Σ

You receive a coin for completing the trial, Bronze to Platinum for Normal to Master Ninja clears. So this achievement is asking for just a clear on Normal for every single trial. There is no set way to beat each one, it is up to you for how you want to approach each challenge. However, if you are struggling, check below for an idea of a strategy that should work. This is not the best way, nor the cleanest or most skilful, just one that will work. They are broken down by section and number, so just find in page for the challenge you need. The hardest missions are Desperation 5 and Unearthed Challenge 4

Ninja Tutorial 1:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai, Samurai Mage
Strategy: Stick with the Dragon Sword. Kill the ninja with your preferred combos, samurai with X, Y, Y then Y and Samurai Mages by either countering their last melee hits or with Flying Swallow. If there is essence out and you have the space, charge and unleash a UT.

Ninja Tutorial 2:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai, Samurai Mage
Strategy: Similar to above, though the weapon of choice here will be Dragon’s Claw and Tiger’s Fang.

Ninja Tutorial 3:
Enemies: RPG Soldier
Strategy: Immediately hit LT and start shooting the radio tower dishes. If you can hit the soldier just once, you will have enough time to hit all the targets. Easy stage.

Ninja Tutorial 4:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai, Samurai Mage, Black Spider Ninja, Red Black Spider Ninja
Strategy: As you have to use the Nunchaku, this is a little trickier. Mainly focus on X strings ended with one press of Y. When there is essence, charge an ET or UT to make things easier. When the enemies switch over to Black Spider Ninja only, you can either stick with the same strategy or take the easy way and spam Inazuma Ninpo.

Ninja Tutorial 5:
Enemies: Murai
Strategy: This is just a fight against Murai, like the end of Chapter 1. Stick with the Dragon Sword, and hit him with X, X, Y after he rolls or does a dash attack.

The Path of the Master Ninja 1:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai, Samurai Mage, Purple Ninja, Red Black Spider Ninja
Strategy: Use whichever weapon you feel most comfortable with, though the Dragon Sword, Kitetsu and Lunar are recommended. Most enemies need no special strategies, just dispatch them as quick as possible. Flying Swallow is good for Mages as always. The last 4 enemies are 2 Purple Ninja and 2 Red Black Spider Ninja. Let them attack, then get close and Ninpo to kill most of them, then finish off the survivor or two left.

The Path of the Master Ninja 2:
Enemies: Ninja (All), Samurai, Samurai Mage
Strategy: There are 100 enemies here and a short supply of healing items. To overcome this, equip the Dark Dragon Blade and spam the wall attack move and UTs. It should kill 2-3 enemies per time. It's cheesy, but it works.

The Path of the Master Ninja 3:
Enemies: Samurai Horsemen, Masakado
Strategy: Using your arsenal of projectiles (prefer the arrows, refill available on corpse in arena), keep killing the horsemen, then focusing on Masakado until he is dismounted. Once he is, use the Dragon Sword and either Izuna Drop, or another powerful combo to quickly end the fight.

The Path of the Master Ninja 4:
Enemies: Murai, Ninja (All), Samurai Mage
Strategy: This is just a Murai fight that’s a little bit more of a pain than normal. Kill the ninja and mages when they spawn, then focus on Murai, hitting him with a short combo after his lunge or a roll. Rinse and repeat. Use the Inferno Ninpo on Murai if you need high damage in an emergency.

The Path of the Master Ninja 5:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Fiend, Inferno Shadow Fiend, Galla
Strategy: Kill the small fiends with a mixture of combos and ET/UTs. When the Galla (Red Dino looking things) spawn, prefer hitting them with an ET or UT, as they have a solid health pool and deal high damage, with a poor chance to be stunned by a hammer combo.

Unrivaled Meeting 1:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, Red Black Spider Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai Mages, Purple Ninja
Strategy: The Lunar is the weapon of choice here. Kill weaker enemies to get essence out, then absorb and unleash UTs, trying to keep a chain of them going. Every 20 enemies, the enemy set will change to keep things fresh. Counter attacks are also very viable if you need essence for a UT. You have minutes for 60 kills, so average needs to be a kill every 5 seconds.

Unrivaled Meeting 2:
Enemies: Floating Lights, Wasp Fiends, Ghost Fish
Strategy: For lights and Ghost Fish, Nunchaku tapping X 4 times then Y, before starting again. For wasps, Dabilahro, kill one or two for essence then spam UTs. The enemy changes every 20 kills, so switch weapons as necessary. 120 kills in 4 minutes is 1 kill per 3 seconds. This sounds hard, but the lights and fish can be killed very quickly, so the time limit shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Unrivaled Meeting 3:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai, Purple Ninja, Samurai Mages
Strategy: Choose whichever weapon you feel most comfortable with, that isn’t the Nunchaku or Flail. Kill an enemy or two, then chain ETs and UTs through the rest. 30 kills in 4 minutes is 1 kill per 8 seconds.

Unrivaled Meeting 4:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Fiends, Inferno Shadow Fiends, Crab Fiends, Fiend MSATs, Bast Fiends, Monk Fiends
Strategy: High and varied number of enemies makes this difficult… if you don’t just equip the Dark Dragon Blade and spam wall attacks and UTs. 76 enemies in 7 minutes is 1 kill per 5.5 seconds.

Unrivaled Meeting 5:
Enemies: Floating Lights, Wasp Fiends, Galla
Strategy: Your primary weapon should be Inferno Ninpo. Run towards the Galla, Ninpo and it should die. If it drops red essence, great, grab it and repeat. If it doesn’t and you run out of Ninpo, plan B is to kill lights and wasps for essence (if red, use Ninpo again), then hit the Galla with UTs from the Dabilahro. Galla are the only kills that count, 5 kills in 3 minutes is 1 kill per 36 seconds.

Nightmarish Phantasms 1:
Enemies: Bone Dragon, Wasp Fiends
Strategy: Stick with the Kitetsu and use Flying Swallow and your Ninpo to eliminate the Wasp Fiends. Then, when only the Bone Dragon remains, strike at the legs with short, powerful combos (X, X, X, Y is a good choice) and focus on not getting hit.

Nightmarish Phantasms 2:
Enemies: Hydracubus, Lesser Shadow Fiends, Inferno Shadow Fiends, Crab Fiends
Strategy: Kill the minions as fast as possible whenever they spawn, as they will get stronger and stronger the less health the Hydracubus gets. When attacking the Hydracubus, focus on Flying Swallow for the tentacles, then when both are off, get off a quick combo, then use a UT for the highest damage before the tentacles regrow.

Nightmarish Phantasms 3:
Enemies: Bast Fiends, Monk Fiends, Lesser Shadow Fiends, Inferno Shadow Fiends, Crab Fiends
Strategy: 100 enemies, 6 at a time in tight quarters. Much like with the Ninja based version of this challenge, equip the Dark Dragon Blade and spam as many wall attacks and UTs as necessary. For when only Monk Fiends remain, swap to a weapon with Flying Swallow or just jump with the Dark Dragon Blade.

Nightmarish Phantasms 4:
Enemies: Beetle Fiends, Wasp Fiends, Ghost Fish
Strategy: Equip the Dabilahro and kill one or two enemies to get essence floating around. Then spam the UT until all the wasps and beetles are dead, moving around and killing odd enemies as necessary. Once the ghost fish spawn, switch to the Vigoorian Flail and use X, X, X, X, Y or use the Fire Wheels Ninpo.

Nightmarish Phantasms 5:
Enemies: Beetle Fiends, Wasp Fiends, Floating Lights
Strategy: Same as with Phase 4. Kill a few enemies to get loose essence, then UT spam for beetles and wasps. Once lights spawn, tap X or jump around and use B to kill the lights. Play defensively, as they can easily stun lock and kill you if you are not careful.

Abysmal Lair 1:
Enemies: Smaugan, Ghul Archers
Strategy: Kill the archers as fast as possible, however you like, though Explosive Arrows, APFSDS Cores and Incendiary Shuriken are fast and easy. Then, either defend against Smaugan’s attacks until he lowers his head in for you to attack it and when he does, hit him with the Dabilahro Flaming Hell Slash (X, X, X, X, X, Y), or head to the top middle platform, left corner and carefully use ETs and UTs with the Dabilahro to deal and evade damage both

Abysmal Lair 2:
Enemies: Yotunfrau, Bast Fiends
Strategy: Kill the Bast Fiends whenever they spawn using a fast weapon like the Lunar or Vigoorian Flail. Then switch to a heavy, hard-hitting weapon for Yotunfrau, like the Dabilahro. Hit him after an ice breath, failed grab attempt, end of strike chain or movement. Repeat as necessary.

Abysmal Lair 3
Enemies: Ogres, Inferno Shadow Fiends, Crab Fiends
Strategy: Focus on the Inferno and Crab Fiends first, as they will go down in a few attacks from most any weapon. If you can, use the essence from killing them on ETs and UTs against the ogres with the War Hammer or Dual Swords. Otherwise, keep your distance and charge them manually. The last 3 enemies will be ogres, but you can use your Ninpo for those ones.

Abysmal Lair 4:
Enemies: 2 Electric, 1 Flame Worm
Strategy: When it loads, immediately pause and equip the Ice Storm Ninpo (yes, it has a use!). Jump into the water towards the middle worm and spam Ninpo until dead, should take about 3 uses, then jump back to platform. Worms only have 4 attacks, a grab, a swing across the platform, their projectiles and electrifying the pool. After dodging any but a projectile attack, target the worm with Flaming Hell Slash, but keep an eye on the others, you may need to cut the combo short to avoid taking damage.

Abysmal Lair 5:
Enemies: Galla, Ogres, Berserkers
Strategy: Galla are the easiest things here. Hammer combos and ETs and UTs should take them out quite easily. Berserkers are the next easiest. While very aggressive, any attack that isn’t a portal, entering berserk state or that breaks Rachel’s guard can be countered. Spam counter attacks against them, both before and while berserk. Once left with only ogres, keep a good distance and spam hammer ETs and UTs. They will go down soon enough.

Secrets of Shooting 1:
Enemies: Smaugan, Ghul Archers
Strategy: As you only have projectiles, killing the lower level and upper right archer is fast and easy, two arrows each should be enough. Then, jump and fire an arrow, then prepare to avoid the oncoming attack from Smaugan. The refill for the APFSDS cores is on the lower level, left hand side.

Secrets of Shooting 2:
Enemies: RPG Soldiers, Ghul Archers
Strategy: One arrow is enough for a soldier, but manually aiming them is preferred, as you should be able to kill the first 6 soldiers without any retaliation if you are fast enough. Once the archers spawn, two arrows each with the jump and fire technique should be enough. Refill on arrows, then take out the next two archers before killing the final 3 RPG soldiers.

Secrets of Shooting 3:
Enemies: Ghul Archers
Strategy: Manual aim is your friend here, as is hiding behind the box with the Explosive Arrows in. Just focus on firing accurate shots, faster than the enemy can.

Secrets of Shooting 4:
Enemies: RPG Soldiers
Strategy: Immediately run to either arrow refill crate, then just let the jump/fire combo kill everyone, while you dodge the rockets. Pretty easy

Secrets of Shooting 5:
Enemies: Ghul Archers, Pas Zuu
Strategy: Immediately kill the archers with your starting arrows, then refill at the box. Jump and fire, then dodge the laser beam. Repeat.

Secrets of Fighting 1:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, Soldier, Improved Soldier, White Ninja, Black Spider Ninja, Ogres
Strategy: For the two brown ninja, any combo should suffice, as you only have the Wooden Sword. Once they die, pick up the Vigoorian Flail and the soldiers will spawn. Block their bullets and close in, then punish them. When they die, the Lunar will appear. Pick it up, but don’t equip it. Use the flail instead to clear out the spawned ninja, who are easier than the soldiers by far. Then, pick up the Dabilahro and spam UTs from far away on the ogres.

Secrets of Fighting 2:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Fiends, Ghuls, Ghost Doku
Strategy: This is actually quite a cool mission. There are six fights against small, weak enemies through the final section of the Zarkhan Labyrinth, each rewarding a Jewel of the Spirit Smith. Once you have them all, use them to get the UF, then head in to fight Ghost Doku. He is vulnerable to damage after he does a lunge, finishes one of his long strings of slashes or has thrown his sword, but remember to defend too, as he will hit you hard.

Secrets of Fighting 3:
Enemies: Doku (Dark Dragon Blade)
Strategy: For this challenge, you have only the Plasma Saber MkII. The best way to damage Doku is with an ET, so wait until he is in recovery from a move, or he’s doing a breath or pound attack, then release. If you got the distance right, you should take a good chunk out of him. You can also damage him with regular combos after he does a dash or finishes a combo string.

Secrets of Fighting 4:
Enemies: Hydracubus
Strategy: The Kitetsu plays much like the Dragon Sword here, so the strategy is exactly the same. Flying Swallow the tentacles off, then use the essence they dropped to unleash a UT or 2 against the vulnerable body. Repeat when tentacles grow back.

Secrets of Fighting 5:
Enemies: Dynamo
Strategy: This is just a Dynamo fight with access to the whole of Ryu’s arsenal. Fight him just like you would in Story Mode with the True Dragon Sword, running and using the X combo, then roll away from the melee attack and grab that follow. If you need to close the distance, drop a smoke bomb to distract him.

Military Destruction 1:
Enemies: Gamov, MSAT Commandos, Mechanical MSATs
Strategy: This is the Gamov fight from Story Mode, but with Ryu. Kill the MSATs, then play defensively until Gamov tries his knife combo. Roll on the third knife strike, then use Izuna Drop on him, which should hurt him quite badly. Repeat as necessary.

Military Destruction 2:
Enemies: Motorcycle MSAT
Strategy: Inferno Ninpo is your friend here. It should kill the enemies in one cast, and they often drop red essence to keep up the pain. If you run out of Ninpo, Guillotine Throw and ET/UTs are the preferred methods.

Military Destruction 3:
Enemies: MSAT Commandos, Mechanical MSATs, Soldiers, Improved Soldiers, RPG Soldiers, Improved RPG Soldiers, Drones
Strategy: This is one of those lots of kills in a small space, small groups a time. Equip the Dark Dragon Blade and spam wall attacks and UTs. If you need to, use the Windmill Shuriken on the drones.

Military Destruction 4:
Enemies: Soldiers, Improved Soldiers, Helicopter
Strategy: This is a gunship fight at the military base, with a handful of soldiers to waste your time. Kill the soldiers whenever they spawn, then bully the gunship with APFSDS Cores, while dodging its missile barrages.

Military Destruction 5:
Enemies: MSAT Commandos, Mechanical MSATs, Soldiers, Improved Soldiers, RPG Soldiers, Improved RPG Soldiers
Strategy: This is the same as stage 3, but with Rachel. Same strategy applies though, just with the War Hammer. Save your Ninpo for the last wave of Improved RPG Soldiers.

Descent of the Fiends 1:
Enemies: Bast Fiends, Ogres
Strategy: Run up and down the room with the Kitetsu. When the bast fiends are far enough away from the ogres, Izuna Drop them. Once they are all dead, change to the Dabilahro and spam UTs against the ogres.

Descent of the Fiends 2:
Enemies: Improved RPG Soldiers, Ghul Archers, Ogres, Flare Shadow Demons, Bast Fiends, Berserkers
Strategy: Immediately clear the platform of ogres with Inferno Ninpo. Then using the Explosive Arrows, kill all the RPG soldiers and any archers that spawn. Take out enough dishes for the next set of minions to spawn, then use the bow to kill them too. Repeat until berserkers spawn. Equip the Lunar and spam counter attacks against the berserkers until dead, then take out final dishes.

Descent of the Fiends 3:
Enemies: Fiend MSATs, Tank
Strategy: Turn around immediately and run for the APFSDS Cores crate. Then take cover in the entrance to Pleasure Street. Kill the fiend MSATs with arrows or Inazuma. If the tank hasn’t moved up, there should be an angle to shoot it while staying perfectly safe. If it does move up, run down the other end of the street and try to hide again.

Descent of the Fiends 4:
Enemies: Pas Zuu, Lesser Shadow Demons, Flare Shadow Demons, Ogres, Bast Fiends
Strategy: Kill the lesser demons quickly, then focus on trying to knock down Pas Zuu by attacking his legs with your weapon of choice (I used Dual Katana). When you knock him down, charge and unleash a UT on his head. More minions will spawn, repeat. Use Inferno for the ogres.

Descent of the Fiends 5
Enemies: Yotunfrau, Flare Shadow Demons, Crab Fiends
Strategy: Kill the smaller fiends with some hammer combos or some ETs/UTs. Then, charge a UT and wait for Yotenfrau to be in range (or start near him). Release for damage, every time more minions spawn, same thing.

Captivating Goddesses 1:
Enemies: Monk Fiends, Ishtaros
Strategy: Equip the True Dragon Sword and Explosive Arrows. Use the arrows to kill the Monk Fiends, then get close to Ishtaros. When she tries her swipe and spin kick, or her leg lifting grab, roll out of the way then counter with X, X, Y, Y or a similar combo. If she does her swinging attack, start charging a UT and when you hear her yell, release it to avoid damage (a well-timed wall attack can also work here).

Captivating Goddesses 2:
Enemies: Alma, Lesser Shadow Demons, Flare Shadow Demons, Crab Fiends, Bast Fiends
Strategy: Equip the Kitetsu. Kill the minions as fast as possible whenever they spawn, method is irrelevant. When Alma is alone, avoid her attacks and keep trying to hit her with Flying Swallow. If you knock her down, close in immediately and hit her with X, Y, X, X, X, X. If your Flying Swallow fails, tap B to cancel the recovery animation and evade. If she is doing a swooping dive, the Flying Swallow will always hit her, but never knock her down.

Captivating Goddesses 3:
Enemies: Ghost Fish, Ghul Archers, Ogres, RPG Soldiers
Strategy: Kill the Ghost Fish and a few of the archers with your flails. When the ogres spawn, Ninpo and kill one (or both if they’re close together). Using your Incendiary Shuriken, APFSDS Cores and a melee weapon of your choice, kill the archers and RPG soldiers as fast as you can, so they don’t shoot at Rachel. Once they are all dead, kill any remaining ogres using the War Hammer, charging a UT while they are far away and releasing when they get close.

Captivating Goddesses 4:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, White Ninja, Samurai Mages, Murai
Strategy: This is just like when Ryu had this fight. Kill the ninja and mages with quick hammer attacks, or use the essence they drop to charge an ET or UT. When Murai is alone, wait for him to be recovering from a dash or a roll, then hit him with forward X. You can also use a wall attack spam, at your own risk.

Captivating Goddesses 5:
Enemies: Ninja (All), Samurai, Samurai Mage
Strategy: Just like when Ryu did this fight, easiest way to clear it is a wall attack and ET/UT spam. When the waves of 5 Black Spider and Red Black Spider Ninja spawn, use Sorcery.

Desperation 1:
Enemies: Brown Ninja, Samurai Mages, Black Spider Ninja, Ogres
Strategy: For ninja, anything works really, just remember on higher difficulties they will use shuriken that need to be blocked, lest you die. For mages, close in as fast as possible, jump over them to stun them and then hit them with an attack. If they teleport in close, block until their last hit, then just tap X. Black Spider Ninja are similar. Stay blocking until they get in close, then whenever they finish a combo, just tap X. Ogres are so slow that just close in and tap X should work, but be prepared to dodge if necessary.

Desperation 2:
Enemies: Soldiers, Improved Soldiers
Strategy: Run at the soldier immediately. Jump over their head to stun them, then while in the air, push LS towards them and hit Y. It’s not a 100% strategy, as sometimes bad spawns or unlucky AI will manage to shoot you, but it does work more often than not.

Desperation 3:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Vigoorian Flail)
Strategy: Block like your life depends on it (it does), use the Grip of Murder and White Tiger Helm to maximize defence and just keep blocking and rolling. Don’t try and hurt the clone, as you will not kill it in the 2 minutes you need live. Sometimes he will use Guillotine Throw, which you cannot block, so just be aware and ready to try again.

Desperation 4:
Enemies: Hydracubus, Bast Fiends
Strategy: Kill the Bast Fiends as fast as possible, use Fire Wheels if you need to. Then against the Hyrdacubus, either wait for the tentacle to be stuck in the ground, jump and attack, or use ETs and UTs to cut them off. Once it is vulnerable, UT it and it should go down in 2 vulnerability phases (with Grip of Murder + Azure Dragon Helm).

Desperation 5:
Enemies: Ishtaros
Strategy: If you feel confident in your ability to survive, Grip of Murder + White Tiger Helm and just block and dodge the 2 minutes away. When she goes swinging, either charge a UT or time a wall attack to have i-frames to avoid the damage. If you want a slightly easier time, Grip of Murder + Azure Dragon Helm. Fight her like you always would, attacking her with either X, Y, Y, Y or X, X, X, Y as you feel appropriate. The first does more damage but is much riskier. The second will take more hits but is safer. Opportunities for damage are after a failed leg grab (her leg is high in the air, and you dodged it), a slash and roundhouse kick (block the slash, dodge the kick) and after a swing attack (either the UT connects, or a combo can be used before she resumes normal behaviour). All other attacks should be blocked and dodged through, being careful to evade after a block as she breaks your guard. One of the toughest missions to beat on Master Ninja, so just keep at it and don’t get overly aggressive.

Fateful Confrontation 1:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Dragon Sword)
Strategy: Play very defensive when facing the clone, as it is fond of the Incendiary Shuriken and powerful stun locking combos. If you can, keep it rolling, then try an X, Y string. If the Y connects and launches the clone, Izuna Drop it. Fiend Sealer doesn’t work on the clones, so try and time it getting up after an Izuna Drop with the animation for the Y press, as this will allow for back-to-back Izuna Drops. If the clone uses Ninpo, time your evade just before the Ninpo fires, so you have I-Frames and don’t take damage, because his Inferno hurts.

Fateful Confrontation 2:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Dabilahro)
Strategy: Same as the first clone, but if you let a single combo land from this clone, it will take approximately 80% of your health. Don’t get hit.

Fateful Confrontation 3:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Vigoorian Flail)
Strategy: Nothing new, same as other clones. Wait for a roll animation end or recovery from attack, then try an Izuna Drop.

Fateful Confrontation 4:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (True Dragon Sword)
Strategy: Same as other clones, wait for a roll animation end or recovery from attack, then try an Izuna Drop.

Fateful Confrontation 5:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (True Dragon Sword)
Strategy: As Rachel, trying to fight a clone on fair terms would be a poor choice. So instead, head for a corner and spam wall attacks against him, as it makes this so, so much easier.

Battlefields of the Abyss 1:
Enemies: Alma, Nicchae
Strategy: This is where it starts getting dumb. Equip the Dark Dragon Blade, spam wall attacks against Nicchae until she dies. The fight Alma just like you would normally with the True Dragon Sword. Ninpo can help to knock them down, but more often than not, they’re going to just dodge it and make it a waste.

Battlefields of the Abyss 2:
Enemies: Ghost Fish, Ghost Doku
Strategy: Change to the Fire Wheels Ninpo and equip the Dabilahro. Pop a Fire Wheels, kill the ghost fish and use their essence on UTs against Ghost Doku. You should damage him enough with 1 or 2 to spawn the next wave of fish. If you run out of Ninpo, use the Nunchaku or Flails to kill the fish instead.

Battlefields of the Abyss 3:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Demons, Flare Shadow Demons, Crab Fiends, Bast Fiends, Berserkers, Marbus
Strategy: Equip Inazuma and kill the first wave of minions immediately. If you get any Red Essence, grab it. Fight Marbus like you would normally using the True Dragon Sword to slash at him when he lands, or with Air Destruction Slash. When the next wave of minions spawn, kill them with another Ninpo/the sword then go back to focus on Marbus. When a berserker spawns, switch to the Lunar and spam counter attacks until it dies, then go back to Marbus again.

Battlefields of the Abyss 4:
Enemies: Alternator, Dynamo
Strategy: Focus on Alternator first. Equip Inferno Ninpo and use it if he makes a ground pound shield. Otherwise, running slashes with the Dragon Sword, then dodge his melee in retaliation. Once Alternator is dead, fight Dynamo in the exact same fashion.

Battlefields of the Abyss 5:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Demons, Flare Shadow Demons, Bast Fiends, Crab Fiends, Fiend MSATs
Strategy: Standard Rachel strategy, kill easy enemies then use the essence to chain ETs and UTs. Wall attack spam if you need to.


Giants of the Underworld 1:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Lunar)
Strategy: Just like any other clone. Keep trying to Izuna Drop him, when he’s ending a dodge roll or a long recovery animation.

Giants of the Underworld 2:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (UF), Purple Ninja
Strategy: Kill ninja as soon as they spawn each time. Try and launch the clone using X, Y, then if the Y connects, X, X, X, X. This combo is incredibly powerful, just watch out for the attacks of the clone, as they hurt a lot. His UF also gets a damage bonus from his low health, so be mindful of this.

Giants of the Underworld 3:
Enemies: Ryu Clone (Lunar), Ryu Clone (Vigoorian Flail)
Strategy: Two clones at once is not at all fair. Head for the end of the room with the flail clone and the switch, equip the Dark Dragon Blade and spam the hell out of the wall attacks.

Giants of the Underworld 4:
Enemies: Lesser Shadow Demon, Flare Shadow Demon, Crab Fiends, Auriochs, Fiend Murai
Strategy: Kill the minions fast as possible whenever they spawn, saving your Inferno for one of the Auriochs. When facing Fiend Murai alone, try and stun him with a Flying Swallow, or time your attacks for the end of his combos, then get in a quick combo of your own. You can also use ETs and UTs to hurt him when he does his lunge attacks.

Giants of the Underworld 5:
Enemies: Doku, Marbus, Alma
Strategy: Dark Dragon Blade wall spam against Doku and Marbus. If Alma is left alone, switch to fighting her with the True Dragon Sword like a normal Alma battle. This is semi down to luck but try this enough times and make good use of your health potions to succeed.


Unearthed Challenge 1:
Enemies: Marbus, Doku
Strategy: This is the same mission as the Giants of the Underworld 5, with no Alma. The same strategy applies though. Wall spam with the Dark Dragon Blade, until Doku is dead. When facing Marbus alone, use the True Dragon Sword and fight him just like in Story Mode. Wait for a dive bomb, stomp, or use Air Destruction Slash against him.
Unearthed Challenge 2:
Enemies: Soldiers, Improved Soldiers, Tanks
Strategy: Equip Armour of Power, to help with the damage you will take and deal more. Spam APFSDS Cores, using the boxes for cover just like in Story Mode. Kill Soldiers whenever they spawn, so you can concentrate on attacking the Tanks.

Unearthed Challenge 3:
Enemies: Dynamo, MSAT Commandos, Mechanical MSATs
Strategy: Kill the commandos whenever you can, avoiding Dynamo’s shots as best you can. Close in and slash at him, then evade his follow ups and repeat. Save your Ninpo for when his health is lower, as he gets a faster rate of fire and more shots the lower his health gets.

Unearthed Challenge 4:
Enemies: Nicchae, Ishtaros
Strategy: This is hands down the hardest part of this game by approximately 10000000000000000%. On anything below Master Ninja, it is much more manageable. On Master Ninja, they both spawn immediately and the projectile spam and combos and teamwork between the two bosses will kill you, hundreds if not thousands of times. Your best weapon is the wall attack, but sometimes you will come out of your i-frames straight into Ishtaros lasers, or a Nicchae swoop or grab and bye-bye 60-70% of your health. Try and stay close enough to Ishtaros that she doesn’t laser you into atoms over and over again, but not close enough that her whip combos can reach you. If you can kill one boss, you can win. Once they are alone, Nicchae is an average-hard tier boss and Ishtaros easy. They are only so dangerous because they are together, and you are Rachel. The “best” way to go about trying to kill one is hope that Nicchae gets into a loop of swooping attacks or grabs, as these are the best times to damage her. If you want to kill Ishtaros first (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS, but sometimes it can happen), stay close and hope she gets into a melee attack loop. If she does, spam those wall attacks. If she doesn’t, you’ll most likely die to some BS juggle between her whip and some Nicchae projectiles. If you can kill Nicchae first, you can win with relative ease, provided you know Ishtaros well and when to attack her and when to defend. They will take a lot of practice, frustration, complaining and luck, but it is possible. This one mission took me 8hrs to beat on Master Ninja, and in that time, I had 4 real shots at beating it.

Unearthed Challenge 5:
Enemies: Doku, Samurai, Samurai Mages, Berserkers
Strategy: Kill the minions, use the essence to ET and UT Doku when he is recovering from a ground pound, breath, or dash. By the time the Berserkers spawn, you should be unleashing your last UT, or he should be dead. If you have to kill them, spam counter attacks, then use their guaranteed Blue Essence to UT Doku.

Eternal Legend:
This is a special mission, with Save Points between phases and a shop. There are 5 phases, as follows

Phase 1:
Enemies: White Ninja, Black Spider Ninja, Purple Ninja, Bats, Samurai Mages, Samurai Horsemen, Masakado
Strategy: 1st fight is White Ninja and Black Spider Ninja. I recommend the Dragon Sword and just play carefully, try to conserve health even if it means taking a bit longer. 2nd fight is Purple Ninja. Treat these guys like more dangerous Black Spider Ninja, counter, and attack where possible, but play mostly defensively. 3rd fight is just bats. After the bats, drop down to where Golden Scarab 50 would be in Story Mode for the only available Talisman of Rebirth. 4th fight is Black Spider Ninja, Purple Ninja and Samurai Mages. Flying Swallow the Mages, play defensively and attack where possible against the others. On the roof, grab the Strongbow and Elixir, then head up to the Gates of Hell. Open the chest and kill all the bats (preferably with a UT, Lunar is best) for extra money. Then head into the portal. Masakado will appear with one horseman. Kill the horseman first, using the Strongbow as your main weapon. Then, dismount Masakado and if you can, stick an Incendiary Shuriken in him, then charge a UT. Before he gets up, hit him with it and repeat if necessary. After he dies, pick up the items and phase 1 is complete.

Save. At the shop, buy at minimum, Smoke Bombs. Spend the rest as you wish. Inazuma, Blacksmithing and Spirit of the Devils or Lives of the Thousand Gods are the best options in my opinion.

Phase 2:
Enemies: MSAT Commandos, Soldiers, RPG Soldiers, Mechanical MSATs, Improved Soldiers, Improved RPG Soldiers, Dynamo
Strategy: 1st battle is white and black MSATs. Use Dabilahro UTs and the Strongbow to take them out, making sure to collect the Yellow Essence unless needed for a UT. 2nd battle is a mix of soldiers, same strategy. 3rd is 4 RPG soldiers, who it is safer to just kill with arrows. 4th and 5th battles are just the 2nd and 3rd, but with the upgraded versions of the enemy. Then you must face Dynamo. Equip the Dragon Sword and Smoke Bombs. Drop Smoke Bombs to distract him, hit him with the running X combo or X, Y, Y then dodge his retaliation and repeat. When he gets to low health, if you want extra money, kill his minions, and use the essence to UT him with the Dabilahro. Pick up the two special arrows.

Save. At the shop, buy at minimum, remaining Spirit of the Devils, Inazuma, Armlet of Celerity, Armlet of Fortune. Spend the rest as you wish. Blacksmithing and Lives of the Thousand Gods are the best options in my opinion.

Phase 3:
Enemies: Galla, Lesser Shadow Demons, Monk Fiends, Beetle Fiends, Hydracubus, Ghuls, Ghul Archers, Wasp Fiends, Flare Shadow Demons, Yotenfrau
Strategy: 1st battle is Galla. Use either Inazuma or a heavy weapon or the Dragon Sword to put them down with ease. 2nd battle is Lesser Shadow Demons, Galla and Monk Fiends. Equip Explosive Arrows and the Dabilahro. Spam Explosive Arrows at Monks, use UTs or more explosions on everything else. 3rd battle is Beetle Fiends. Kill one or two with Explosive Arrows, then chain Dabilahro UTs, collecting all but 2 Yellow Essence after each one. 4th battle is Hydracubus with Lesser Shadows. Spam Explosive Arrows at the Lesser Shadow Demons, cut off tentacles with Dragon Sword Flying Swallows, then unleash UTs or arrow spam when vulnerable. Try and kill Hydracubus with a UT for extra money. 5th battle is Ghuls and Ghul Archers. Spam Explosive Arrows at Archers, use UTs or more explosions on everything else. 6th battle is Ghul Archers, Wasp Fiends and Flare Shadow Demons. Spam Explosive Arrows at Archers, use UTs or more explosions on everything else. 7th is Yotenfrau with Flare Shadow Demons. Spam Explosive Arrows (notice a pattern yet?) at the Flare Shadow Demons, then bully Yotenfrau with the Dragon Sword. Try and kill him with a UT if you can.

Save. At the shop, buy minimum Dabilahro Level 3. Spend the rest as you wish. Lives of the Thousand Gods or health/Ninpo items are the best options in my opinion.

Phase 4:
Enemies: Fiend MSATs, Purple Ghul, Crab Fiends, Bast Fiends, Auriochs, Ogres, Beetle Fiends, Purple Ninja, Doku, Marbus
Strategy: 1st battle is Fiend MSATs and a Purple Ghul. Equip Armlet of Fortune and use either Inazuma or Explosive Arrow spam. 2nd battle is Crab Fiends and Bast Fiends. Same again. 3rd is Crab Fiends and Auriochs. Same again. 4th battle is Ogres and Beetle Fiends. Kill Beetles with Explosive Arrows, then use the Essence for True Dragon Sword or Dabilahro UTs on the Ogres. 5th is Doku with Purple Ninja. Inazuma or Explosive Arrow his Ninja, then use their Essence to Dabilahro UT Doku. Repeat. 6th battle is Marbus with Bast Fiends. Inazuma the first 3 Bast Fiends, then use the True Dragon Sword against Marbus. If he summons more Bast Fiends, Explosive Arrows then back to focusing on Marbus.

Save. At the shop, buy minimum any remaining Lives of the Thousand Gods, then get full health, full health items, full Ninpo, full Ninpo items and Lunar Level 3. Spend the rest as you wish.

Phase 5:
Enemies: Vigoorian Berserker, Crab Fiends, Nicchae, Bats, Ishtaros
Strategy: 1st battle is Vigoorian Berserkers. Spam Lunar counter attacks. 2nd battle is Nicchae with Crab Fiends. Inazuma the Crab Fiends whenever they spawn, use Flying Swallow against Nicchae. If she is knocked down, X, Y, X, X, X, X then X, Y. Otherwise just focus on not letting her hit you. 3rd battle is just bats, to replenish some health. 4th and final battle is Ishtaros. Attack her after dodging her leg grab or roundhouse kick with X, Y, Y, block and roll through anything else. If she goes swinging, charge a UT, wait for her to yell then release it, you should connect, or at least avoid damage. If you beat her, you win.