Onimusha Way of the Sword Best Charms Ranked
Charms can make a noticeable difference in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, but they’re not all equally useful. Some boost very specific mechanics or situations, while others improve parts of Musashi’s combat kit that you’ll be using constantly.
The bigger decision is which Charms deserve your limited slots and upgrade materials first. You begin with only one Charm slot before eventually expanding to three, so I’d prioritize effects that either strengthen your best combat states or consistently make difficult encounters easier rather than upgrading everything evenly.
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Best Charms Ranked
Best DLC Charms
Which Charms Should You Upgrade First?
How to Upgrade Charms
Best Charms in Onimusha Way of the Sword Ranked
My ranking for the best generally useful Charms is:
1. Blazing Charm
2. Charm of Awakening
3. Charm of Stamina
4. Charm of Dexterity
5. Charm of Protection
The Blazing Charm is my top overall pick because it extends Blazing State, which already gives Musashi significant combat bonuses. At level 3, the Charm adds six seconds to Blazing State’s duration, giving you substantially more time to take advantage of it while working Deflects, parries, and Issen counters into a fight.
That extra duration also makes the Charm useful against bosses rather than limiting it to clearing normal enemies. Instead of simply making one attack type stronger, you’re extending an entire empowered combat state, which is why I’d put it ahead of the more specialized choices.
The Charm of Awakening comes in second once you have access to Oni Awakening. It increases the rate at which your Awakening Gauge fills, letting you reach those powerful windows more frequently. That means more opportunities to chain Issen attacks or use Onimusha Onslaught against groups, making it one of the strongest offensive progression choices once that part of Musashi’s kit is online.
Charm of Stamina takes third because stamina recovery has value in almost every difficult fight. It becomes especially useful while you’re learning bosses, blocking frequently, or recovering after taking hits. It doesn’t have the flashy upside of Blazing or Awakening, but it’s one of the easiest Charms to get consistent value from.
Charm of Dexterity is a little more specialized. It increases the Reflex Gauge rate, making it particularly useful against unarmed bosses where you can capitalize on more Reflex Combo opportunities. I wouldn’t necessarily leave it equipped for everything, but it’s exactly the kind of Charm worth swapping in when an encounter favors its effect.
Charm of Protection rounds out my top five. It reduces the health you lose when hit, so its value naturally increases if you’re having trouble surviving an encounter. If your problem isn’t damage output but simply staying alive long enough to learn a boss, Protection can make more sense than squeezing out another offensive bonus.
Best DLC and Pre-Order Charms
If you have access to the bonus Charms, Lion Dog deserves special attention. It increases the power of attacks performed after a Parry or Reflex dodge, and the bonus can reach 50% when fully upgraded. That gives it some extremely strong burst potential if you’re consistently converting defensive reads into follow-up attacks.
There’s also some early community enthusiasm around Lion Dog specifically, with players already calling it one of the strongest Charm options available. I’d still separate it from the main ranking because it’s tied to bonus content rather than being part of the standard set everyone can obtain.
Lovable Charm: Mentor is another standout DLC option. It boosts the power of Blazing State, which naturally pairs well with a playstyle already built around getting as much value as possible from Blazing. You can even pair it conceptually with the regular Blazing Charm: one extends how long the state lasts, while Mentor improves the state’s power.
Lovable Charm: White Monkey is the defensive alternative. It reduces the stamina lost when enemy attacks hit you, making it another option alongside Charm of Stamina and Charm of Protection if survivability is the issue.
I wouldn’t buy an edition or DLC specifically because of these Charms, though. The regular game already gives you strong options capable of supporting the same broad offensive and defensive roles.
Which Charms Should You Upgrade First?
I would prioritize Blazing Charm first if you’re using Blazing State regularly. Its level 3 effect adding six seconds is concrete enough to noticeably change how much you can accomplish during a single activation, and it remains relevant against tougher enemies.
After that, upgrade Charm of Awakening if Oni Awakening has become an important part of your playstyle. Charm of Stamina would be my safer third investment because faster stamina recovery is useful across a much broader range of encounters.
I wouldn’t rush to fully upgrade niche Charms purely because you have them. Charm of Dexterity, for example, can be excellent in the right fight, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best place to spend your resources before upgrading something you equip constantly.
The same logic applies to Charms such as Charm of Enticement. Its increased Genma encounter rate can actually be useful if you deliberately want more fights, and pairing it with Reaper’s Charm can help you collect additional Red Souls from those encounters. That’s a useful farming setup, but it’s not the loadout I’d prioritize for difficult story fights.
There are also Charms with potentially strong straightforward effects, including Fencer’s Strength Charm for regular attack power, Inner Strength Charm for Issen power, Oni Strength Charm for Oni Armament power, and Charm of Oni Power for faster Oni Power Gauge gain. However, without comparable effect values for every Charm, I wouldn’t pretend there’s enough information to definitively rank those above the more clearly documented standouts.
How to Upgrade Charms in Onimusha Way of the Sword
Charm enhancement becomes available after completing The Stage is Set at Kiyomizu. After that, head to Enma’s Hall and use the shrine to make an offering toward the Charm you want to enhance.
Upgrading a Charm to level 2 costs 3,000 Red Souls and 3,500 Favor. Reaching level 3 requires another 6,000 Red Souls and 6,500 Favor.
Red Souls come from defeating enemies, while Favor is earned by offering suitable items. You can find those items while exploring, inside small treasure chests, by helping citizens being attacked by Genma and speaking with them afterward, or by purchasing items from merchants.
Because every Charm uses the same basic upgrade resources, I wouldn’t spread Red Souls and Favor across the entire collection immediately. Get the Charms you actually use to their stronger versions first, particularly Blazing Charm, Awakening, or whatever defensive option is helping you through the current section.
You can also swap Charms when a particular boss is giving you trouble. That’s ultimately the best way to think about the system: Blazing and Awakening are excellent general offensive choices, Stamina and Protection can stabilize difficult fights, and more specialized Charms such as Dexterity become much stronger when the encounter specifically rewards their mechanic.
