Desecrated Hot Spring is one of the first myths you can tackle in Nioh 3's Warring States era. It sits in the southern portion of the Tokaido region — a low-level area with a recommended character level of 8 — and completing it gives you permanent access to a Hot Spring that restores your health without forcing a shrine rest that respawns every enemy in the area.
Quick answer: Travel to the Cape Cavern shrine in southern Tokaido, speak with the ghost near the shrine to accept the quest, enter the torch-marked cave, defeat all six yokai inside, then talk to the ghost again at the hot spring to finish the mission.
How to unlock Desecrated Hot Spring
Head south through the Tokaido region on the world map until you reach the Cape Cavern shrine, which doubles as a save point and fast-travel location. A few paces to the left of the shrine, you'll spot the ghost of a man leaning against a tree near a torch. Interact with him and he'll explain that a nearby hot spring vital to the Tokugawa war effort has been overrun by yokai. Accepting his request starts the myth and places a quest marker on your map.
Desecrated Hot Spring walkthrough
Step 1: After accepting the quest, look for the cave entrance just past the Cape Cavern shrine. It's marked by a lit torch. Head inside — the cavern passage leads directly to the hot spring area on an idyllic cliffside.
Step 2: The hot spring zone is classified as an Enemy Base, meaning you need to wipe out every yokai present before the area is cleared. There are six enemies total. One stands right by the cave entrance. A second is inside a nearby house. Three more patrol along the paved road that winds through the area. The final yokai — a large monkey oni — lurks at the edge of the hot spring itself and hits significantly harder than the others. Take your time with this one; it can punish greedy combos.
Step 3: Once all six yokai are dead, the ghost reappears at the hot spring. Speak with him to complete the mission. The Enemy Base is now cleared, and the hot spring becomes permanently available for you to use whenever you return.
Desecrated Hot Spring rewards
| Reward | Details |
|---|---|
| Samurai's Locks | Cosmetic hair item |
| Fan (Samurai) | Accessory item |
| Yokai Teardrops ×2 | Trade currency for Sudama shopkeepers |
| Spa Healer trophy | Unlocks automatically on completion |
The Yokai Teardrops are worth holding onto. Sudama are small spirit merchants scattered throughout the open world, and Teardrops are one of the currencies they accept in exchange for useful consumables and gear.
How Hot Springs work in Nioh 3
Hot Springs are scattered across the open world and function as free healing stations. Walking into one regenerates your health to full over a short period and grants a temporary healing-over-time buff that persists for a while after you leave the water. Crucially, using a Hot Spring does not reset enemies the way praying at a shrine does, making them a much safer option for topping off your health mid-exploration.
Most Hot Springs require you to clear nearby yokai before you can bathe, and the Desecrated Hot Spring is the earliest one most players will encounter. Additional springs appear in later regions, but the mechanic remains the same throughout the game.
Where Desecrated Hot Spring fits among Nioh 3's myths
Nioh 3 contains 39 myths in total — open-world side quests marked by a golden person icon on the map. Desecrated Hot Spring is the fourth myth in the Warring States era and one of the simplest to complete. Finishing every myth in the game unlocks the Answering to the People trophy, so clearing this one early puts you on the right track. None of the myths are missable; all regions remain explorable after the story ends, and every mission can be replayed through the Battle Scroll at shrines.
If you're working through the Tokaido area, the nearby Insatiable Hunger myth is another straightforward quest you can knock out in the same session before pushing north toward the Tenryu River region.