Nioh 3 Brave Demon Hunter Set — Every Piece, Bonus, and Drop Location

The Brave Demon Hunter Set is one of the most sought-after Samurai armor sets in Nioh 3, built around aggressive Martial Art combat and Cestus weapon synergy. It carries the "First of the Four Guardians" set bonus and scales primarily off Constitution and Strength, making it a natural fit for brawler-style builds that want to hit hard and recover Ki quickly.

Quick answer: To get the full set — including both weapons and the smithing text — complete "The Box's Guardian" mission in the Hachiro region after clearing the second area's major Crucible. The boss drops the Demon Cutter, Demon Arm Cestuses, and the smithing text for the armor.

Brave Demon Hunter Set Bonuses

The set requires 8 Constitution and 11 Strength to activate. With seven total pieces available — five armor slots and two weapons — you can hit the full seven-piece bonus while still running both the Demon Cutter and Demon Arm Cestuses. The set is classified as medium armor with a total weight of 24.1 and 143 toughness across all armor pieces, so it won't crush your equip load the way heavy sets do.

All Pieces in the Set

Every piece carries the fixed special effect "First of the Four Guardians," which persists regardless of rarity. The five armor pieces and two weapons break down as follows:

The armor offers solid Fire and Lightning Damage Reduction (26.0 total across all five pieces for each element) but provides zero resistance to Water, Wind, Poison, and Paralysis. Keep that in mind when facing Yokai that lean on those status effects.

The Demon Cutter scales off Heart, Strength, and Intellect with 69 Break and 38 Block. The Demon Arm Cestuses scale off Heart, Stamina, and Strength with 52 Break and 33 Block.

Where to Farm Armor Pieces

Armor pieces drop from three bosses. The All-seeing Mage and Onryoki are both confirmed sources, and the Bloodedge Demon can also drop set pieces.

For early farming, the mission Teada's Four Heavenly Kings (around level 51) is one of the most efficient routes. The first two opponents in that gauntlet drop Brave Demon Hunter armor pieces at a reliable rate. You can defeat them, intentionally die on the third opponent, and retry to keep farming without completing the full mission. A complete armor set can come together in just a few runs.

The Cursed Temple mission is another option. Enemies in that area — including corrupted revenants — have been known to drop the Demon Arm Cestuses, though the Demon Cutter is harder to find as a random world drop.

How to Get the Weapons and Smithing Text

The most reliable way to obtain both weapons and the smithing text for the full armor set is through the mission called "The Box's Guardian." This mission becomes available in the Hachiro region after you clear the major Crucible in the second area. Once the barrier comes down, an Onmyo mage appears near the Anneibo Temple Shrine and asks you to retrieve a trunk stolen from him. Completing the mission and defeating the boss rewards you with the Demon Cutter, the Demon Arm Cestuses, and the Smithing Text: Brave Demon Hunter's Armor — all in one go.

With the smithing text in hand, you can forge the entire armor set at the Blacksmith whenever you need upgraded versions or better affixes.

Stat Optimization and Build Tips

The seven-piece bonus grants Attack Bonus (Strength) at A scaling, which makes investing heavily in Strength extremely rewarding. If you're running a weapon that doesn't naturally scale well with Strength, you can remodel your weapon at the Blacksmith to change its primary scaling stat. This lets you run virtually any weapon type while still benefiting from the set's Strength-based damage bonus.

Because the set boosts Martial Art Damage by 13% at three pieces and cuts Martial Arts Ki Consumption by 15% at six pieces, builds that rely on frequent Martial Art usage get the most mileage. The Ki Recovery Speed bonus at five pieces further supports an aggressive playstyle where you're constantly spending and regenerating Ki.

The four-piece bonus specifically enhances Cestus attack and defense, so Cestus mains benefit the most from a full set. However, the Martial Art and Strength bonuses are weapon-agnostic, meaning you can swap in a different primary weapon and still gain substantial value from five or six pieces.

Brave Demon Hunter vs. New Game Plus Graces

Players reaching New Game Plus may wonder whether Divine Grace sets outclass the Brave Demon Hunter Set. In practice, the Brave Demon Hunter bonuses are notably strong compared to many early Graces. The 13% Martial Art Damage, 15% Ki Recovery Speed, and 15% Martial Arts Ki Consumption reduction are high-value percentages that most Grace sets don't match in their current form. Graces offer flexibility since they can roll on any piece of equipment regardless of weight class, but they're also subject to RNG — you can't guarantee the right Grace lands on the right gear slot.

For players who already have the Brave Demon Hunter smithing text, forging a Divine-rarity version of the set (or using a Sudama blessing to upgrade existing pieces in NG+) is a straightforward path to endgame viability without chasing random Grace rolls.

The Brave Demon Hunter Set remains one of the strongest mid-to-late-game armor options in Nioh 3, particularly for Strength-focused and Martial Art-heavy builds. Grab the smithing text from The Box's Guardian, invest in Strength, and you'll have a set that carries well into New Game Plus and beyond.