Nioh 3's First DLC, Hell Rising, Sends Takechiyo Through Time on August 19
Team Ninja's soulslike gets its first expansion next week, complete with new weapons, an endgame difficulty tier, and a story that jumps eras.
Aymen Sakouhi//4 min read
© KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. Official media via Steam.
Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have confirmed that Hell Rising, the first DLC for Nioh 3, launches on 19 August 2026 for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. It is available on its own or as part of the game's Season Pass, which also covers a second expansion still to come, so this is the opening chapter of the studio's post-launch plans for its latest soulslike.
For a game built on deep loot, brutal combat, and endless build-crafting, a first expansion is less about the story and more about how much new gear, systems, and challenge it feeds back into the loop. On that front, Hell Rising looks generous.
A story that jumps through time
Hell Rising sends protagonist Takechiyo through time to a futuristic Edo, where a future version of Takechiyo has been killed, bringing an era of peace to an end. To set things right, he joins forces with the one-eyed swordsman Yagyu Jubei and a Spanish envoy named Rodrigo, taking the fight to a wave of new yokai and unraveling fresh mysteries.
The expansion transports players to the Keian era for its new setting, continuing Nioh's long tradition of weaving its dark fantasy through real periods of Japanese history.
New weapons, skills, and an endgame difficulty
The meat for existing players is the new content stacked on top. Hell Rising adds new weapons, including the defensive Hako Shield and the more aggressive Ninja Hook Shield, alongside new Martial Arts, Ninjutsu, Guardian Spirits, and Soul Cores to fold into your builds.
It also brings a new endgame difficulty tier called Enlightened One's Journey, plus customizable challenge battles and additional skills, giving the players who have already ground through the base game fresh reasons and fresh ways to keep pushing their characters.
Why it matters
Nioh 3 was one of the year's strongest action RPGs, a confident evolution of Team Ninja's soulslike formula, and its endgame lives and dies on a steady supply of new builds and challenges. Hell Rising, arriving as the first half of the Season Pass, is the test of how well the studio will support that endgame over time, and the addition of a new difficulty tier and challenge battles is aimed squarely at the players most invested in it.
If you are still deep in the Nioh 3 grind, 19 August is a date to circle. If you are on the fence about the base game, our full take is in our Nioh 3 review.
Sources
Written by Aymen Sakouhi. Every claim links to a real source above; we do not publish rumors as fact.
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