Onimusha: Way of the Sword Soul Farming Guide — How to Grind Souls Fast

• There are three soul types — Red (upgrade currency), Yellow (health restore), Blue (Oni Armament power). Purple souls appear later and charge your Oni Awakening gauge.
• Red Souls are the main grind. You need 135,000 Red Souls and 150,000 Favor to fully upgrade all 15 Charms alone.
• The Reaper’s Charm (from the “An Ugly Business” Chance Encounter) gives a +15% Red Soul boost and stacks with other methods.
• Using True Issen counters increases your soul yield per kill. Chain Issen attacks multiply yields further.
• The Bamboo Forest path near a Spirit Mirror is the best early-game farming loop. Byakue and Dohatsu-ten enemies are top mid-game targets.
• Red Souls do not carry over into New Game+. Spend them before the final mission.
• Favor is farmed by collecting shining items and completing Chance Encounters, then trading at Emma’s Hall.

Onimusha Way of the Sword soul farming becomes important the moment you see the upgrade screen and realise how many Red Souls everything costs. Skills, charms, equipment — all of it runs on souls you earn from killing Genma. If you go through the game without thinking about efficiency, you will hit the late game under-upgraded and feel it on every boss. This guide covers every soul type, how each one works, and the fastest ways to farm all of them. For a wider look at how the whole combat system connects, see our combat and controls guide — understanding the soul loop makes every other system easier to manage.

If you are also thinking about the Platinum trophy, soul farming has a direct impact on your upgrade path, and upgrade completion is one of the trophy requirements. Our trophy and achievements platinum roadmap covers exactly how much you need and when to spend it.

Onimusha Way of the Sword Soul Farming

All Soul Types in Onimusha: Way of the Sword — What Each One Does

Before farming anything, you need to know what you are farming for. Every Genma you kill drops soul orbs in different colours. Each colour does something different, and treating them all the same wastes the most valuable ones.

Soul Type	Colour	What It Does	Priority
Yellow Souls	Yellow	Restores Musashi’s health immediately when absorbed	Absorb first when health is low
Red Souls	Red	Upgrade currency — spent at Spirit Mirrors on skills, equipment, and abilities	Absorb after combat is cleared
Blue Souls	Blue	Fills the Oni Power Gauge — needed to activate Oni Armaments	Absorb to enable Armament attacks
Purple Souls	Purple	Charges the Oni Awakening gauge — needed to transform into Oni form	Absorb to build transformation meter

The soul system feeds itself. Landing clean defence — parries, deflects, Reflex Dodges — opens enemies up for Issen counters. Issen counters generate better soul drops. Better drops mean more healing (yellow), more Armament charges (blue), and more upgrade currency (red). The cleaner you fight, the more souls you collect per minute. This is not just a bonus — it is the intended economic loop of the entire game.

Yellow Souls — Combat Health

Yellow souls restore your health immediately on absorption. They are your in-combat healing, and they drop from most enemies when killed. One important thing to know: using Oni Armaments on enemies produces yellow soul drops — hitting with Armaments is an active way to generate healing mid-fight, not just a damage tool. When health is low, prioritise absorbing any yellow orbs on the ground before banking your red souls. They disappear if you wait too long, and enemies can absorb unclaimed souls if you get knocked down.

Red Souls — The Main Currency

Red Souls are the resource this guide focuses on most heavily because they are the main grind. Everything in the upgrade system costs Red Souls — skills at the Spirit Mirror, equipment enhancement, and charm upgrades at Emma’s Hall. They are banked between encounters and spent outside combat, so there is no direct combat use for them. The smart play is to clear a fight completely, then absorb. Do not absorb mid-fight for Red Souls if enemies are still active — the risk of getting hit outweighs the gain.

One critical thing to know: Red Souls do not carry over into New Game+. If you are heading into Carnage difficulty via NG+, any unspent Red Souls are lost at that point. Spend everything on upgrades before the final mission.

Blue Souls — Rarest and Most Valuable in Combat

Blue souls fill your Oni Power Gauge and are the scarcest drop in the game. Without blue souls, you cannot activate Oni Armaments — the powerful special weapons that also generate yellow healing drops when they hit. Blue drops are less common than red or yellow, so any moment you see blue orbs floating, absorb them quickly. Oni Armaments are too useful to leave uncharged, especially in boss fights where the Blazing State and Oni Awakening matter most. For a full breakdown of how Armaments work in combat, our Oni Armaments and Oni Power abilities guide covers all seven in detail.

Purple Souls — Oni Awakening Fuel

Purple souls appear in the later stages of the game and fill the Oni Awakening gauge — the meter that lets you transform into full Oni form. When given the choice after a Break Issen, selecting the purple soul option generates yellow, blue, and purple drops that build your Awakening gauge faster than almost anything else. In boss fights, choosing purple over red is often the right call because getting into Oni Awakening state is a bigger advantage than banking a few extra upgrade points.

How Soul Absorption Works

When you kill an enemy, soul orbs appear near the body and float briefly before fading. You absorb them by using the Oni Gauntlet’s absorption ability. The game automatically applies each colour to its matching resource — you do not pick and choose which type to collect, you collect everything in range at once.

A few important mechanics to know:

• Orbs fade over time. Do not leave them on the ground if you can help it. Absorb after clearing a fight rather than mid-combat for red souls specifically.
• Enemies can steal your unclaimed souls. If you take a heavy hit and get knocked down, nearby enemies absorb the orbs floating on the ground — and even pull souls from you directly. This makes them temporarily stronger. Stay upright and absorb promptly.
• Absorbing leaves you briefly vulnerable. The absorption animation takes a short moment during which you cannot block or dodge. In the middle of a fight, this exposure can get you hit. There is a skill that removes this limitation.
• Unlock “Absorb Souls While Attacking” early. This skill lets you absorb souls simultaneously with your sword attacks, removing the vulnerability window entirely. It is one of the best quality-of-life upgrades in the game and worth buying as soon as it becomes available. The follow-up upgrades, Soul Absorption: Yield 1 and Soul Absorption Bonus Boost, further increase how much you get per absorption.

How to Farm Red Souls Fast — Best Methods Stacked

Farming Red Souls efficiently is about stacking multiple yield bonuses on top of each other and using the right kill methods. Here is every method that increases your Red Soul output, from most impactful to supporting:

1. Equip the Reaper’s Charm

The Reaper’s Charm is the single best soul farming item in the game. It grants a +15% boost to Red Soul drops from every enemy. You get it as a reward for completing the “An Ugly Business” Chance Encounter, which becomes available after the main quest “To Live is to Suffer.” Complete this as soon as it opens and equip the charm immediately. Upgrade it over time to increase the bonus further. This charm should be in your loadout for any dedicated farming session.

2. Use True Issen Counters

Killing enemies with True Issen counters — the frame-perfect counter strike that executes the moment before an enemy attack connects — increases the soul yield from that kill. Enemies killed with Issen drop more Red Souls than enemies killed with regular attacks. The improvement is consistent enough that practising Issen on farming runs actually pays off in double ways: you get better at the mechanic and earn more souls per loop. Our guide on mastering Issen, parry and deflect covers everything you need to time it reliably.

3. Use Chain Issen on Groups

Chain Issen — the follow-up attack you can chain after a successful Issen — hits multiple enemies in sequence and multiplies your soul yield with each chained kill. When a farming area has a group of enemies close together, opening with a Issen counter and then chaining through the group generates significantly more Red Souls than fighting each enemy separately. The more enemies in a chain, the better the per-kill yield. This also builds toward the Flow State trophy. See our Flow State trophy guide for the exact Chain Issen mechanics.

4. Finish Enemies with the Flashing Void Oni Armament

The Flashing Void Oni Armament gives bonus Red Soul drops when it is used to deliver the killing blow on enemies. Use it to finish off groups you have already weakened rather than burning it as an opener. The soul bonus on kill finishes makes it the best Armament specifically for farming runs. Upgrade its skills to increase both its power and the duration of the bonus it applies.

5. Use Soul Sucker Before Large Groups

Soul Sucker is a consumable item that can be placed in a Hozuki Pouch slot. Activating it before engaging a large group of enemies increases soul drops from that encounter. Use it before hitting dense enemy packs in farming areas rather than saving it for bosses. The effect is short-lived, so timing it just before combat starts gets the most out of it.

6. Choose Purple on Break Issen (Bosses)

When you land a Break Issen on a boss and get the soul choice, selecting the purple option generates yellow, blue, and purple drops rather than dealing direct damage. In many situations this is better than red burst damage because the yellow heals you, the blue charges your Armament gauge for another burst later, and the purple builds your Oni Awakening. In a farming context, this means you are sustaining yourself through a boss fight more efficiently — which means more fights per session without needing to consume healing items.

7. Stack Soul Absorption Upgrades

The Soul Absorption skill tree at the Spirit Mirror has three upgrades worth buying early. First, Absorb Souls While Attacking removes the vulnerability window on absorption. Second, Soul Absorption: Yield 1 increases how much you collect per absorption. Third, Soul Absorption Bonus Boost increases additional soul yield from bonus-generating sources like Issen kills. All three stack, and together they make every farming loop noticeably more efficient.

Best Farming Locations by Game Stage

Early Game — Bamboo Forest Path

The Bamboo Forest path near a Spirit Mirror shrine is the top early-game Red Soul farming spot. The area has large groups of Genma that respawn quickly after you rest at the shrine. The loop is simple: clear the group using Issen counters, absorb all souls, return to the Spirit Mirror to reset the encounter, repeat. Each loop yields a few hundred Red Souls, and with the Reaper’s Charm and Issen bonuses stacked, the rate improves significantly. This loop is fast enough to get meaningful upgrade currency before the difficulty ramps at mid-game bosses.

Mid Game — Kyoto Rifts and Byakue / Dohatsu-ten Respawns

As you move deeper into Kyoto, the best farming targets become the Genma rifts — the red streaks visible in the sky across the open areas. Clearing these spawns stronger enemy packs that drop more Red Souls per kill. Among individual enemy types, Byakue and Dohatsu-ten are the best mid-game sources. Both drop high soul yields and are manageable with deflect and Issen timing at this stage. After unlocking Shanaoh Castle later in the story, specific spots in Kyoto East also see Byakue and Dohatsu-ten respawn reliably — one in the far south area accessible by crouching, and one on the west island near the Kabuki stage.

The mid-game is also the right time to grind the Oni Vision: Treasures skill if you have not already. Holding the Oni Vision button and scanning with it while moving through Kyoto reveals shining items, small chests, and Favor sources constantly. Doing this as a habit during every exploration loop means you passively accumulate Favor items alongside your Red Soul farming without slowing down.

Late Game — Full Stack Farming

By the late game, you should have the Reaper’s Charm upgraded, the Flashing Void Armament, the full Soul Absorption skill tree, and good Issen timing. At this point, all these bonuses stack and your Red Soul yield per loop is at its peak. Clear dense enemy areas in the late-game sections of Kyoto, finish groups with Flashing Void, chain Issen through packs, and absorb everything. This is when the farming curve flattens and you can fill significant upgrade gaps before the final mission.

If you still need specific upgrade materials rather than just Red Souls — Tamahagane for sword upgrades, Fine Silk Cloth for clothing — check out Yorimasa’s Monument at the shrine. After completing the quest to purify Yasui Konpiragu shrine, Yorimasa sells materials for Red Souls. Do not overlook this shop. It is easy to miss for several hours and it removes the need to hunt specific drops for some of the harder-to-find materials.

How to Farm Favor Fast

Favor is the second resource required for charm upgrades. You need a total of 150,000 Favor to fully upgrade all 15 Charms. Unlike Red Souls, Favor is not earned from combat kills directly. It comes from trading specific items at Emma’s Hall — you go to the shrine in the southeast corner of Emma’s Hall and select “Make Offering” to exchange items for Favor.

Here is where to find offering items:

• Shining objects on the ground — scattered across every area in Kyoto. Use Oni Vision actively while exploring to spot them through walls.
• Small shining treasure chests — found tucked into corners and off the main path throughout Kyoto.
• Chance Encounters — completing all 18 Chance Encounters gives reward items that can be traded for Favor. Do these on your first playthrough since they reset in New Game+.
• Citizen rescues — finding and saving citizens attacked by Genma across Kyoto, then speaking to the saved citizen, rewards items that trade for Favor. You must speak to them after saving — just clearing the Genma without talking does not count.
• Purchased from the merchant — the shopkeeper in Kyoto sells some offering items for Red Souls.
• Yorimasa’s Monument — the Spirit Mirror shop also stocks items that trade for Favor.

Fastest Favor Farming Loop

1. Unlock Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2, and Oni Vision: Search Range at the Spirit Mirror. These three skills should be your first purchases if you are planning to collect everything. They highlight nearby items through walls when you hold the Oni Vision button and press the scan input.
2. Move through Kyoto with Oni Vision held. Scan constantly. Pick up every shining item and open every small chest you find.
3. Complete Chance Encounters as they become available. Do not save them for later.
4. Help every citizen encounter you come across and talk to them after.
5. Stockpile reward and offering items rather than spending or selling them immediately. Take them all to Emma’s Hall for a bulk offering when you have accumulated enough.

Charm upgrades only unlock after completing the main quest “The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu,” so you have time to build up a stockpile before you need to spend. The upgrade costs per charm level are as follows:

Charm Level	Red Souls Cost	Favor Cost
Level 2	3,000	3,500
Level 3	6,000	6,500

Fully upgrading all 15 Charms costs a combined 135,000 Red Souls and 150,000 Favor. This is a significant total. Start building toward it from the early game, not the final hours before the point of no return.

Save Scumming for Charm and Upgrade Efficiency

Before entering the final mission “The Clash At Rendaino,” manually save your game when you have accumulated around 150,000 Favor and 135,000 Red Souls. Then upgrade everything you need. If you find you do not have enough materials, reload that manual save — your Favor and Red Souls restore to the saved state — and farm the remaining gap before spending again.

This method is especially useful for charm upgrades because the Favor cost is high and charms are needed for both the Charmed Life Silver trophy and for your Carnage difficulty loadout. The same save slot can be reloaded as many times as needed. You can store up to 20 manual saves, so create a dedicated farming checkpoint save at this stage of the game.

Remember: charms and charm enhancements do carry over into New Game+, but Red Souls do not. So spending everything before NG+ is the right call — you keep the upgrades but lose the unspent currency regardless.

Soul Farming and Difficulty — Does It Matter?

Story mode gives you higher damage output on enemies and reduced incoming damage. This means fights end faster and you take fewer healing hits — both of which support faster farming loops. If your goal is pure Red Soul accumulation speed rather than combat practice, Story mode is marginally more efficient for farming runs because each loop completes quicker.

That said, Action mode rewards better Issen timing with higher per-kill soul yields. A player landing consistent Issen counters on Action mode will often match or exceed the Red Soul rate of a Story mode player using normal attacks. For the full breakdown of what changes between the two modes, see our Story mode vs. Action mode difficulty guide.

What to Prioritise Spending Red Souls On

Having souls is one thing. Spending them in the right order matters too. Here is the recommended priority for Red Soul spending:

• Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2, Oni Vision: Search Range — buy these first. They passively increase how many collectibles and Favor items you find, which multiplies everything else.
• Absorb Souls While Attacking — removes the absorption vulnerability window. The quality-of-life improvement is immediate and significant.
• Soul Absorption: Yield 1 and Soul Absorption Bonus Boost — increases how much you collect per absorption. Better yields compound across the entire playthrough.
• Charm upgrades — once available after “The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu”, upgrade the three charms in your active loadout first. The Charm of Awakening, Charm of Oni Power, and Fencer’s Strength Charm are the strongest general-purpose set for both farming efficiency and boss survival.
• Reaper’s Charm upgrades — after getting it from “An Ugly Business,” upgrade it as soon as you can. The +15% Red Soul bonus compounds across every farming loop from that point forward.
• Combat skills and equipment — invest in your preferred skill tree and equipment enhancements steadily. Do not neglect the Issen Power upgrades — they increase yield directly and make boss fights faster, which means more Red Souls per boss attempt.

For specific tips on how to use these upgrades during the toughest fights in the game, our Shuten Doji boss guide and Sasaki Ganryu boss guide both cover upgrade and charm loadout recommendations for those encounters specifically.

Key Reminders Before the Final Mission

• Red Souls do not carry over to New Game+. Spend everything before starting “The Clash At Rendaino.”
• Charms and charm upgrades do carry over. Fully upgraded charms are permanent progression.
• Hozuki Pouches and their enhancements carry over. Upgrade these during your first run and they stay upgraded in NG+.
• Mysteries of Kyoto and Chance Encounters reset in NG+. Complete all of them on the first run to avoid repeating the Favor grind.
• Free-roam ends at the final mission prompt. There is a point-of-no-return warning before “The Clash At Rendaino.” Stop here, farm your remaining gap, then proceed.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is available on Steam (PC), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. More information is on the official Capcom Onimusha site. If you are on PC and want to check system specs before buying, our PC requirements guide has everything you need.

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