Nioh 3 Co-op & Multiplayer Guide
Nioh 3 has three distinct multiplayer modes: Summon Visitor for quick drop-in help, Become a Visitor for joining other players, and Expedition for sustained co-op sessions with friends. Each mode has different unlock requirements, rules around death penalties, and enemy scaling. This guide covers every detail you need to get playing with friends as fast as possible.
When Each Mode Unlocks
Nioh 3 co-op is not available from the start. Each multiplayer mode unlocks at a different point in the early game. All three unlock within the first 2-3 hours if you push through the main path.
Summon Visitor
Unlocks after reaching the second Shrine in "Battle of Hitokoto Slope" — the first real mission area. This is right before the Yamagata Masakage boss fight, so you can summon help for him if needed.
Become a Visitor
Unlocks after defeating Yamagata Masakage, the first boss. Once you beat him, you can join other players' worlds as a co-op companion through any Shrine.
Expedition
Unlocks after defeating Jakotsu-baba in Hamamatsu and receiving the Guiding Mirror item. This is roughly 2-3 hours into the game depending on your pace. The Mirror appears in your inventory automatically.
How to Summon Visitors
Summon Visitor is the fastest way to get co-op help. It pulls in random players (or friends using a Secret Code) to your current mission. The process is straightforward but there are a few things worth knowing before you spend your Ochoko Cups.
Step-by-Step: Summoning a Visitor
- Approach any Shrine and interact with it
- Navigate to Co-Op in the Shrine menu
- Select Summon Visitor
- Choose between Random Matching or Secret Code (for friends)
- Confirm — this costs 1 Ochoko Cup per visitor summoned
- Wait for a player to accept your summon (usually 30-90 seconds in populated regions)
Key Rules
- Up to 2 visitors can join your world for a maximum of 3 total players. Each visitor costs 1 Ochoko Cup. If a visitor declines or fails to connect, the Cup is refunded.
- Enemies do NOT scale with player count in Summon Visitor mode. The boss has the same HP whether you are solo or have 2 helpers. This makes Summon Visitor the game's actual easy mode — three players against an enemy balanced for one.
- Any death ends the session immediately. If the host dies, the session ends. If a visitor dies, they are sent back to their own world. There is no revive mechanic in Summon Visitor — that only exists in Expedition mode.
- Only the host gets mission progress. Visitors receive Amrita, gear drops, and Ochoko Cups as rewards, but the mission completion only counts for the host.
How to Play with Friends
Playing with specific friends requires using the Secret Code system. Without it, Nioh 3 will match you with random players. There are two ways to co-op with friends depending on whether you want quick help or a longer session.
Method 1: Summon Visitor with Secret Code
Host (person who needs help):
- Open Shrine menu
- Go to Co-Op > Summon Visitor
- Select Secret Code
- Enter a 6-digit number (e.g., 482917)
- Tell your friend the code
Friend (person joining):
- Open any Shrine menu
- Go to Co-Op > Become a Visitor
- Select Secret Code
- Enter the same 6-digit number
- Press Search and wait for the match
Method 2: Expedition with Private Room
For longer play sessions, use Expedition mode instead. Go to the Starting Point map, select Expedition, then Create Room. Set the room to Private and share the Secret Code with your friend. Expeditions let you play through entire missions together with a revive system, which makes them far better for sustained co-op than Summon Visitor.
Summon Visitor vs Expedition
The two main Nioh 3 co-op modes serve different purposes. Summon Visitor is a quick one-and-done for boss fights. Expedition is designed for playing through missions together with your friends. Here is how they compare across every major difference.
| Feature | Summon Visitor | Expedition |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy Scaling | No scaling | Scales with player count |
| Death Penalty | Session ends immediately | Downed player can be revived (Assist Gauge) |
| Ochoko Cost | 1 per visitor | Free |
| Mission Progress | Host only | Host only (Story) / Both (Mission) |
| Shrine Use | Host teleports everyone | Host teleports everyone (Story) / Individual only (Mission) |
| Best For | Quick boss help | Extended co-op sessions |
In practice, most players use Summon Visitor when they hit a wall on a specific boss and Expedition when they want to play through content together. If you are farming a boss repeatedly, Expedition Mission Mode is better because it costs no Ochoko Cups and both players get completion credit.
Ochoko Cups — How to Get Them
Ochoko Cups are the currency for summoning visitors. You need 1 per visitor, and most players burn through them faster than they expect. The good news: they are easy to farm once you know where to look. Your maximum stack is 9,999, so hoard freely.
Best Method: Fight Revenants at Bloody Graves
Red sword markers scattered throughout the world are Bloody Graves. Interact with them to fight an AI-controlled Revenant based on the dead player's build. Each Revenant kill drops 1-3 Ochoko Cups, and initiating the fight is completely free. No items consumed, no risk beyond the fight itself.
Best Farming Spot: Forest of Souls Shrine
The Shrine in the Forest of Souls area has 5 Bloody Graves clustered within a short walk. Fight all 5, rest at the Shrine to respawn them, repeat. You can expect 5-15 Ochoko Cups every 5-10 minutes depending on Revenant density. This is the fastest Ochoko Cup farm in the game during the first playthrough.
Other Sources
- Co-op rewards (as Visitor): Helping other players as a Visitor awards 1-3 Ochoko Cups per successful session. This creates a nice loop — you earn Cups by helping others, then spend them when you need help yourself.
- Benevolent Grave rewards: When other players summon your Benevolent Grave (see below), you receive Ochoko Cups passively. Place your grave near popular boss arenas for maximum summons.
- World drops and mission rewards: Random enemies occasionally drop Ochoko Cups, and some mission completion rewards include them. These are unreliable but add up over time.
Benevolent Graves & Acolytes
Not everyone wants to play with other humans. Benevolent Graves offer an offline-friendly alternative: summon an AI-controlled phantom based on a real player's character and equipment. These "Acolytes" fight alongside you through the mission, though they come with their own costs and limitations.
How Benevolent Graves Work
- Blue or purple sword markers appear throughout the world, often near boss fog gates and difficult encounters. These are Benevolent Graves left by other players.
- Cost: 2-5 Ochoko Cups per summon depending on the phantom's level. Higher-level Acolytes cost more but deal significantly more damage.
- AI-controlled phantom that uses the real player's equipped weapon, armor, and Guardian Spirit. The AI plays aggressively and holds enemy aggro well, though it cannot dodge red attacks reliably.
- Battle Spoils Gauge depletes as the Acolyte kills enemies. When the gauge empties, the Acolyte disappears. This prevents you from having an NPC clear the entire mission for you. The gauge depletes faster from boss-level enemies.
Placing Your Own Benevolent Grave
Use a Righteous Jasper from your inventory to place a Benevolent Grave at your current location. When other players summon your phantom, you receive Ochoko Cups and Glory as passive rewards. Righteous Jaspers can be purchased from the Sudama merchant for 700 gold each. Place your grave near boss fog gates for the highest chance of being summoned.
Multiplayer Tips
- 1.Enable Online Mode at Shrines to see more Bloody Graves and Benevolent Graves. Offline Mode hides all player-placed markers and disables matchmaking entirely.
- 2.Use obscure 6-digit Secret Codes. Common patterns like 000000, 111111, and 123456 are constantly being used by random players. Pick something random and share it through voice chat or a message.
- 3.Visitors cannot open chests or doors. Only the host can interact with the world. Visitors can pick up item drops from enemies, but locked doors, chests, and Kodama are host-only. Tell your visitors where to go — they cannot wander ahead and loot.
- 4.Host praying at a Shrine heals and teleports everyone. If a visitor is low on Elixirs, the host can pray at any Shrine to refill the entire party. This also teleports all visitors to the Shrine location. Coordinate before the host prays so visitors are not pulled out of combat.
- 5.Patch v1.03 partially fixed Expedition matchmaking issues. If you experienced failed connections or infinite loading screens in Expedition mode at launch, update to the latest patch. Matchmaking is substantially more stable as of v1.03, though some players still report occasional disconnects in Story Mode Expeditions specifically.
- 6.Level difference does not affect matchmaking. A level 150 player can join a level 10 host through Secret Code. The high-level player keeps their stats and gear, which makes carrying friends through early content trivial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Nioh 3 have crossplay?
No. Nioh 3 does not support cross-platform play. PS5 players can only match with other PS5 players, and PC (Steam) players can only match with other PC players. There is no way to bypass this restriction.
How many players can co-op in Nioh 3?
Up to 3 players total. The host plus 2 visitors or expedition members. This applies to both Summon Visitor and Expedition modes.
Do enemies get harder in co-op?
Only in Expedition mode, where enemy HP and damage scale with the number of players. Summon Visitor keeps the original solo difficulty, making it the easiest way to clear tough content.
Can I play the whole game in co-op?
Expedition Story Mode lets you play through missions together from start to finish, but only the host receives story progression credit. Your friend would need to replay those missions as host to advance their own story. Expedition Mission Mode tracks completion for all players.