Nijo Castle Walkthrough — Tracking the Nue Beast

Nijo Castle is a chase chapter: something enormous is stalking the grounds, and the whole map is built around tracking it down.

Entering the Grounds

Back at Rokudochinno-ji, talk to Izumo no Okuni — she'll guide you into Nijo Castle herself, and reveals her companion was taken captive. Tensions flare between her and Musashi over the gauntlet's hunger.

Once you have control, unlock the Nijo Castle Entrance save mirror in the courtyard. (Quality-of-life note: every map after Rakuto is strictly linear, so nothing here is missable.) Push through the main gate into the garden and explore:

• Use Detection on the blood stains on the left for a dialogue scene.
• Follow the direction of the claw prints the trail points you at.
• The prints end at a scorched tree; circle around the pond to reach it.

Near the burnt tree another conversation confirms the beast's identity: the Nue Beast. Open the next gate for a cutscene revealing the creature in full.

The Chase

What follows is a running pursuit with fight waves in between — mind the lightning strikes during combat, and grab the collectibles dotted along the route. Past an obstruction, go straight, then use the slope and crates to hop up to the second floor of the building on the left. A chest waits inside.

Drop out of its window into an ambush; clear it, push through the gate for another Nue sighting, and unlock the Nue Pond save mirror.

Boss: Nue Beast

Walk forward and the Nue Beast fight begins.

The beast has a short moveset and low aggression, so the difficulty is modest — but there's a mechanical catch: nearly all of its attacks are limb strikes, which makes deflects low-value here. Build the fight around dodges and Issen counters instead; several of its attacks telegraph long enough to make the Issen timing very comfortable. When you do defend, remember your Arm Awakening Crush to break its poise.

Descending

After the victory cutscene, a black-soul scene reveals the fate of Okuni's companion Hina — taken, and punished inhumanly.

At the far end of the area, open the elevator doors and descend into the underground zone. For all its palace elegance, Nijo Castle hides machinery far ahead of its era — and that's where the story goes next: The Underground Laboratory.