The easiest way to get some quick help in Nioh 3 is summoning copies of other players into your world. Here's how that whole thing works.
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The most efficient and fastest way to get a bit of a leg up in Nioh 3 if you’re struggling with a certain challenge, is to summon help. There are different ways of doing so, and they’re each governed by certain rules.
In this guide, we’ll specifically focus on summoning AI companions, the resources needed for that, and how to get them. If you’re interested in learning how to play with human players (including friends) instead, check out our Nioh 3 co-op guide.
Benevolent Graves and AI companions
Summoning an AI companion (Acolyte) to help you out in tough boss fights, or even if you want some company as you clean up the open world, is going to be the most popular way of co-op in Nioh 3. Bringing those AI images of players into your game is simply the easiest form of co-op.
As you explore the game’s world, you’re going to come across blue graves, which the game calls Benevolent Graves. Unlike the red ones — which spawn a copy of another player’s character for you to fight — the blue ones instead enlist the help of a copy of another player’s character.
There’s very little you can do to control their behaviour, so don’t expect miracles. But, they’re good at following you around and dealing damage to enemies that attack you. You can only have one of those summoned at a time, and there’s a limit that comes with each summon.
On your HUD, you’ll see a purple bar above your summon’s name called the Battle Spoils Gauge. The more enemies they kill, the more that bar degrades, and the less time they have left in your game as a result.
If you specifically summoned an Acolyte to help with a boss fight, they’re going to disappear as soon as the fight is over. If they die, you’ll obviously need to summon another one in their place, so don’t let them die before you enter the boss room.
How to summon AI companions
Summoning these helpful fellas is pretty straightforward. You simply approach the grave, and hold the interact button (Request Assistance), mapped to R1/RB by default. You obviously need to be online to see the graves, but since this is asynchronous multiplayer, you don’t need PlayStation Plus for it.
The only currency required to summon them is Ochoko Cups, and the cost is listed right alongside their name as you approach the grave. They typically range from two to five, depending on how deep you are into the game. The UI will also display how many you have in your position.
How to leave your own AI summon for other players
The world only works if everyone does their part, of course, so why not put down your sign and create your own Benevolent Grave? You should consider doing this just before a boss gate, around minibosses, or in challenging areas in the open world. If you see plenty of Bloody (red) Graves, something is probably killing those players — assuming that’s not them simply falling to their deaths.
If altruism isn’t your speed, you should still put down your own Benevolent Grave because of what it earns you on the back end. You can have up to three active at any one time.
To put down a summon sign, simply use Righteous Jasper where you stand. This item can be found under Usable Items in your inventory, and you should already have several.
How to get Ochoko Cups
Of course, the operative question here is where to find Ochoko Cups. If you’ve been playing the game for a few hours, you likely already have a few in your position, assuming you didn’t immediately summon the first grave you came across.
There are several key ways to obtain Ochoko Cups:
Farm Bloody Graves
The best way of farming Ochoko Cups is to summon the souls of dead warriors (Revenants) and fight them. Bloody (red) Graves are everywhere, and they don’t cost anything to trigger. Now, of course, you need to be ready for a fight, but most ghosts you summon won’t exactly have their builds min-maxed. That, and their AI is typically tame enough that you can trap them, stun-lock them and so on.
In fact, something we like to do is farm a dozen or so Bloody Graves the moment we summon an AI companion from a Benevolent Grave. You’re not guaranteed Ochoko Cups after each enemy you kill; some will only drop their gear, but this is still the best way to get them.
You should also consider going back to an earlier area and summoning Bloody Graves there, as they’re more likely to be far below you in level. This makes it easy to one or two-shot everything and earn a few Cups in a short window.
Leave your own sign for others to use
Dropping your Benevolent Graves for others to use is another guaranteed way of earning Ochoko Cups. The more of them other players summon, the more riches will be sent your way.
Rewards vary, but the one relevant for us here is Ochoko Cups. Every few hours, you should check the Preparations section at any Shrine. Under the Boons category, you’ll get a notification of the number of times your ghost has been summoned, and the rewards you received as a result.
As explained above, leaving your summon sign simply requires using Righteous Jasper where you stand. Find it under Usable Items in your inventory and use it.
How to get Righteous Jasper
Righteous Jasper, the only item you need if you want to put down your own summon sign (Benevolent Grave), can mainly be farmed by helping other players. The more of the graves you leave behind get summoned by other players, the more Righteous Jasper (and Ochoko Cups) you’re going to earn.
Regularly check the Preparations menu at any Shrine. The Boons sub-section will tell you how much you’ve earned. Righteous Jasper can sometimes be found as loot in the world, or as a reward from defeating bosses, or when finishing certain missions.
Another way to get Righteous Jasper is to offer your help to other players as a Visitor in co-op, which is a different process that we cover in our Nioh 3 co-op guide.
