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WhileKunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddessmay feel like a complete experience by the time you defeat Nanamagari, another cycle awaits. One with subtle changes that don’t start to appear until you’ve almost completed the cycle once again.
This time, it is broken, and defeating Nanamagari doesn’t end the tale. With their defeat, the defilement pours forth into a final, powerful manifestation. This Ominous Presence is what must be cleansed for the world to truly be healed, and it can be an insurmountably difficult challenge.
Recommended Set-Up For Soh And The Villagers
Villager Set-Up
Being the true final encounter of the entire game, you don’t want to skimp on this final loadout. You’ll want your Villager not just in their most powerful Roles, but the ones you feelyou have the greatest understanding of. Otherwise, they’ll be swatted down like flies before they have a chance to do anything of use.
To save you some time, we recommendsetting up your Villagers before entering the shrine, as otherwise, you will have to set up all 12 Villagers every time Yoshiro is defeated.
There is plenty of nuance to the exact layout you may choose to use, but this is our recommendation based onwhat we beat the final boss withwhich gave us some healthy breathing room.
While Soh is standing,Ominous Presence will always focus on themfirst and foremost. As a result, your Villagers should be serving two purposes - either as aprotective shield for Yoshiroin case Soh is put into the Spirit State, ordoubling up the damagethat Soh is dealing.
You’ll want to command your Villagers toattack Ominous Presence at most timesto maximise the damage you’re dealing. If Soh should fall, you shouldissue the Villagers a Defense orderas Ominous Presence will pursue Yoshiro no matter what stands in their way.
You can use fixed position on certain units,like the Sorcerers or a Shamanif you have one so that they aren’t put in harm’s way unnecessarily.
A Ninja or two can be very helpfulas they will follow Ominous Presence no matter where they are, offering some extra damage if you want to leave your other Villagers back to heal
Soh Set-Up
Fighting Soh’s own cursed reflection of the previous cycle,strengthened through defilementis a daunting task. They prove a significant difficulty jump from any other battle in the game. They are the ultimate challenge Kunitsu-Gami has to offer, and you’ll need to bring precision to win.
Considering this is the final boss of New Game Plus, we’re preparing this list under the assumption thatyou will have access to most items and upgrades. If you’re missing an item, you cancheck out our guide.
Tsuba Guard 1
Genbu’s Might
Performs a ground slam that ripples outwards for high damageResist Gauge depletion. Slow recharge rate.
Tsuba Guard 2
Kochin’s Ward
Creates a barrier around Soh thatenemies cannot enter, and damages those that attack it.
This significantlyincreases Soh’s attack power
Grief And Pleasure
Dance Style
Shiden Dance
This replaces Soh’s attacks with stationary ones thatdeal more damage but reduce movement during attacksand attack speed.
Archery Ability
Pinnacle Shot
This has Soh fire a damaging arrow that dealssignificant Resist Gauge damage.
Having all other combat abilities such asCounterattack, Punishing Strike, etc. is expectedat this point as they will prove indispensable during the fight.
The Villagers act more as a distraction during this boss battle so their extra damage isn’t really necessary as much as their actual presence is.Soh will be dealing the majority of the damagehere.
Both Dance Styles are effective against Cursed Soh, thoughShiden Dance has always been useful against single-target enemies, and this battle is no different. Cursed Soh summons no other Seethe to assist them, so it will always be a one-on-one encounter.
Every Mazo Talisman is focused on making Soh as fast and deadly as possible.Cursed Soh has much the same capabilities as regular Sohso you should know what to expect from them. In that same sense, you will want to be faster and hit harder than they can. Anything less will lead to a swift defeat.
Tsuba Guards here are more utility. While there are many other Tsuba Guards that deal high damage and Resist Gauge depletion,Cursed Soh is most of the time simply too fastto be hit by them. Byakko’s Claws and Taion’s Lightning are immensely powerful but liable to miss.Genbu’s Mightis a safer bet for the area of effect.
After this, it comes down to learning Cursed Soh’s own moves as it doesknowing Soh’s own. It will require a lot of skill, but you may persevere.
How To Beat Ominous Presence
It is no exaggeration to say that Ominous Presence is a reflection of Soh. They are quite literally them, defiled from the previous cycle.Cursed Soh is Soh, but empowered by a cycle’s worth of defilement. They are just as strong as Soh, and it’s onlywith the help of the Villagersthat you will emerge victorious.
Cursed Soh’s Moveset
Due to Cursed Soh being a corrupted mirror image of the real Soh,much of their moveset is the same. In fact, it is almost identical in all regards except for some degrees of functionality in Tsuba Guards. Before you even battle Cursed Soh, you will have a good idea of their moveset.
Nevertheless, we’ll give you a brief rundown of some oftheir more stand-out movesand how they’re different from the real Soh’s.
Counter
Oka dance
A series of four attacksthat offer a great degree of mobility.
This is their typical attack string and is identical to Soh’s. Justcircle them, parry, or blockto survive it.
Charged Dance Attacks
The ability tocharge any Dance Attackto make it deal significantly more damage.
Cursed Soh tends tohold their Charge Attacks for a few seconds, giving you time to either run away or deal enough damage to stagger them.
Archery Abilities
Cursed Soh has access toevery Archery ability at once, though can fire them in a fan formation for maximum reach
Cursed Soh’s archery can be deadly, so it’s best tosimply dodge it.It will likely break your guard, and taking it head-on will most likely lead to death.
Tsuba Guards
Cursed Soh hasaccess to every Tsuba Guard, though will primarily useTenku’s Wingsuntil they become low on health, at which pointthey will also use Kochin’s Ward and Kijin’s Specter.
They also have access to other damaging Tsuba Guards likeToda’s Snare, Genbu’s Might and others, so keep an eye out for them.
These Tsuba Guards have the same effect as they do for Soh while also using the same animation. As such, you may plan for each as they happen, andcounter them in the same way they Seethe wouldyou.
Counterattack
Cursed Soh will parry any attack while stationary, dashing to the side and unleashing a strike thathits everyone between their previous and current location.
If you’re fast, you may actuallydodge the counterattack after triggering it, letting you get close to Cursed Soh and land an attack or two.
Punishing Strike
When Soh’s Guard Gauge is depleted,Cursed Soh will unleash a Punishing Strike, fully depleting their health and putting them in the Spirit State.
Sadly,there’s no defence against this. If your Guard Gauge is depleted, Cursed Soh will always perform a Punishing Strike.
In most regards, Cursed Soh is identical to real Soh. If you know Soh’s own abilities, then you’ll already have a headstart on Cursed Soh’s. The largest difference comes in the usage of the Tsuba Guards and archery, whereCursed Soh gets a massive power boost.
When Cursed Soh summons a duplicate with Kijin’s Specter, they will act independently of their summoner. However, defeating them will alsoinstantly deplete Cursed Soh’s Resist Gauge.
Facing Cursed Soh, you finally know what the Seethe had to face. They are an immense challenge and one that you won’t beat easily.Take the time to learn their movesand how they differ from Soh’s and you’ll claw a victory from the defilement eventually.
Tips To Beat Cursed Soh
Cursed Soh is difficult, but they are also predictable. They have the same moves as Soh, and those moves have many of the same effects as well.
Cursed Soh also goes through some smaller phase shifts throughout the battle, each signified by them using Tenku’s Wings to reposition before jumping into the air for a short animation.
Guarding against Cursed Soh’s attacks is a death sentence if you can’t successivelypull off either a Perfect Guard or Counterattack. As soon as your Guard Gauge is emptied, they will unleash a Punishing Strike and start walking towards Yoshiro. If you feel your guard gauge is about to be depleted, it’sbetter to take the hitinstead.
The Sorcerers are your major backup here. Not only will their ability deal significant damage, but it will alsodeplete Cursed Soh’s Resist Gauge by about half. This can be very helpful if their gauge is already low, but can be an essential backup move if Soh is in the Spirit State and Cursed Soh needs to be halted.
Every time Cursed Soh’s resist gauge is depleted, they willperform Tenku’s Wings and change their equipped Tsuba Guard. This occurs regardless of whether you perform a Punishing Strike or not.
A small cheat you can perform is to enter photo mode andzoom in on Cursed Soh’s sword. The Tsuba Guard they have equipped on their sword is the one they will currently have access to. The floating Tsuba Guards behind Cursed Soh will also highlight what they currently have equipped.
Once their HP is below half,Cursed Soh will begin utilising every Tusba Guard, but primarily Kijin’s Specter and Kochin’s Ward. A powerful counter to their Kochin’s ward is your own. If you cast your barrier right in front of theirs, the passive damage willcause Cursed Soh’s to collapse in seconds, while they still take damage against your own.
Since the Villagers serve as effective cannon fodder in this battle, it’s important to keep them topped up.Manually giving them Rations will be more effectiveas a Shaman will not be able to heal them in motion.
Once Cursed Soh starts using their bow, it’s best to lead your Villagers and Soh away from Yoshiro asarrows fired in their direction may slip through to Yoshiroand deal massive damage.
There is alsoa Chozusha Basin in this arena,though it can only be used once. Make sure to only use it when needed as it is very powerful.
With all of those tips in mind, you should have Cursed Soh laid to rest in short order.Good luck!
Rewards For Defeating Ominous Presence
First off, congratulations on finally beating the true final boss of Kunitsu-Gami. After beating Cursed Soh, you will have finally seenthe entirety of the storythat Kunitsu-Gami has to offer. Before the credits roll, you are given access to theCliff Maiden Mazo Talisman, two more Emaki Scrolls, and a brand-new main menu.
You also have the option to begin a third playthrough in New Game Plus, though this time aroundthe Seethe will be even stronger.
