How to Unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3: The Hamamatsu Incident, Eternal Rift Location, and Crafting Basics

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After hours of battling yokai in Nioh 3, many players wonder when they can finally access the Blacksmith to forge and upgrade gear. In Nioh 3, the Blacksmith is a fox-masked NPC who becomes available as part of the story – but only after a specific early mission. This guide will walk you through how to unlock the Blacksmith, including the Hamamatsu Incident quest requirements, finding the Eternal Rift hub location, and using all of the Blacksmith’s features.

We’ll also cover common mistakes that prevent unlocking the Blacksmith, tips for forging and upgrading weapons, how to farm crafting materials, unlocking advanced features like Soul Match and Reforge, opening the Blacksmith’s locked chests, and the best ways to handle extra loot. By the end, you’ll know exactly when and how to unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3 and make the most of her services for crafting and upgrading your gear.

yelzkizi How to Unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3: The Hamamatsu Incident, Eternal Rift Location, and Crafting Basics

When do you unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3

The Blacksmith is unlocked during the main story after completing the “Hamamatsu Incident,” the game’s first major Crucible dungeon. After defeating the boss, Jakotsu-baba, and cleansing the Crucible, you gain access to the Guiding Mirror, which leads to the Eternal Rift hub area. There, you meet the Fox-masked Blacksmith. This occurs immediately after finishing the mission, which is located in the early-mid portion of the first region, enabling blacksmithing features for the rest of the game.

The Hamamatsu Incident mission requirements in Nioh 3

To unlock “The Hamamatsu Incident,” you must first complete the main quest “Escape From Hitokoto Slope.” Finishing that mission automatically makes “The Hamamatsu Incident” available on your map, typically as the third main mission in the Warring States era progression. While there are no special item requirements, it is recommended to meet the suggested level and stock up on healing items for the boss fight against Jakotsu-baba. Completing this mission is the essential step for both story progression and unlocking the Blacksmith.

Where to find the Fox-masked Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift

Once the story leads you into the Eternal Rift hub after defeating Jakotsu-baba, you can find the Blacksmith in the southwest corner of the area. She is located in the first building on the right (southern side) of the hub, standing by a furnace. The NPC is a woman wearing a white fox mask and white armor. Speaking with her for the first time officially enables forging, dismantling, and other services, which can thereafter be accessed through the hub or the game menu.

How to return to the Eternal Rift after The Hamamatsu Incident

After leaving the Eternal Rift by speaking with Kusanagi, you can return to the hub at any time using two primary methods:

From the World Map: While not in a mission, you can fast-travel to the hub by selecting the option on the map screen (L3 on a controller). This allows you to manage gear and visit the Blacksmith between missions.
From a Shrine (Battle Scroll menu): During a mission, you can use a Guiding Shrine and select “Return to Eternal Rift.” This allows you to visit the hub without quitting your current game session. You can then select “Return to Current Location” to resume your mission exactly where you left off.

Travel is generally restricted during active combat or cutscenes. The Blacksmith remains in the same southwest building upon your return.

Blacksmith not showing up in Nioh 3 – fixes and common unlock mistakes

If the Blacksmith is missing after you believe you have unlocked her, check the following:

Complete The Hamamatsu Incident fully: You must defeat Jakotsu-baba, cleanse the Crucible, watch the castle cutscene, and receive the Guiding Mirror from Ii Naotora.
Talk to the NPC: Unlocking the hub is not enough; you must physically enter the southwest building in the Eternal Rift and speak to the fox-masked woman to activate the menu.
Verify the location: Ensure you are in the Eternal Rift hub and not a temporary safe house or tutorial area.
Check prerequisites: Ensure “Escape From Hitokoto Slope” and all prior mandatory missions are finished.
Progress the story: The Blacksmith is inaccessible before the Hamamatsu storyline; players in the earliest missions have not missed her yet.

If these steps fail, try reloading the game or checking for patches, though most issues are resolved by completing the specific story requirements.

Everything the Nioh 3 Blacksmith lets you do: forging, upgrades, and materials

The Blacksmith provides several essential services for equipment management:

Forge New Weapons, Armor, and Tools: Create gear from scratch using smithing texts, materials (iron, wood, leather), and gold. Forged items match your current progress level.
Dismantle (Disassemble) Unwanted Gear: Break down excess loot into crafting materials. This is generally more valuable than selling, as it provides the resources needed for forging and upgrades.
Upgrade Gear via Soul Match: Increase an item’s level by fusing it with a sacrificial higher-level item. This requires gold and Soul Ores. This feature is initially locked and requires a specific side quest to activate.
Reforge Equipment Effects (Tampering): Reroll random special effects on gear to optimize your build using materials like umbracite. This is gated behind the Blacksmith’s second side mission.
Soul Extraction: A specialized disassembly that yields Soul Ores (Yellow, Azure, or Viridian) instead of standard materials. These ores are necessary for Soul Matching. This unlocks alongside Soul Matching via the “A Fierce Flame” quest.
Remodeling Weapons: Adjust a weapon’s stat scaling to better match your character’s highest attributes. This costs materials and is typically available for melee weapons.
Buying and Selling Items: While the Blacksmith handles crafting, the Sudama NPC (a purple Kodama) in the southern part of the Eternal Rift acts as the merchant for buying supplies and selling items for gold.

Best early forging priorities after you unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3

Once the Blacksmith is unlocked following the Hamamatsu Incident, you should focus on several key forging priorities to maintain your power level:

Forge or Upgrade Your Main Weapon: If your preferred weapon is under-leveled compared to current enemies, forge a new one to match the mission level for a damage boost. Prioritize weapons with desirable fixed perks like life drain or elemental damage, and use any Smithing Texts obtained from bosses.
Craft a Good Ranged Weapon: Update your bow or matchlock to ensure you can one-shot human enemies or damage yokai from a distance. The Tanegashima Matchlock recipe from the Hamamatsu mission is a good early choice.
Fill Gaps in Your Armor Set: Use forging to complete sets or replace low-level pieces to increase defense and toughness. Focus on pieces that are severely under-leveled or have broken durability.
Forge Consumables if Needed: While generally available as loot, you can craft arrows, shurikens, or bombs if you are running low and heavily rely on ninjutsu or ranged attacks.
Manage Rare Materials Strategically: Common materials like iron and leather are easily replaced via dismantling, but save rare components for significant gear upgrades rather than minor improvements.
Leverage Crucible Weapons and Drops: Since Crucible missions drop strong weapons with unique traits, check if you have a superior farmed drop before spending resources on forging a new base weapon.

How to farm crafting materials fast for Blacksmithing in Nioh 3

To keep up with the costs of forging and upgrading, utilize these farming methods:

Dismantle Excess Loot After Every Mission: Disassemble all unneeded gear at the Blacksmith instead of selling it. Using the bulk “select all” filter makes this the most efficient way to gather iron, steel, leather, and monster parts.
Replay Missions (Battle Scrolls) with High Loot Yield: Use Battle Scrolls at shrines to replay missions like “Crucible Manifested.” Farming specific enemies, such as the Ippon-Datara near the second shrine, provides a high volume of weapons and armor for dismantling.
Utilize Kodama Blessings or Clans: Join clans or select Kodama Blessings that increase item drop rates to indirectly boost your material acquisition during normal play.
Farm Revenants or Sudama: Defeating revenants can yield gear and rare materials. Additionally, dropping items for a Sudama (purple Kodama) allows you to trade spare gear for a chance at crafting resources.
Play Twilight Missions or Side Missions: These often feature higher drop rates for rare materials like umbracite or lacquer and provide Smithing Texts as rewards.
Use Soul Extraction on High-Rarity Gear: Once unlocked, use Soul Extraction on blue or purple items to specifically farm Soul Ores needed for Soul Matching.
Co-op Multiplayer Farming: Playing with others can speed up mission clears and increase the quantity of enemies and drops, leading to more materials for dismantling.

How to unlock Soul Match at the Blacksmith in Nioh 3 (A Fierce Flame Myth)

The Soul Match and Soul Extraction options are initially locked. To enable them, you must complete the “A Fierce Flame” side quest:

Talk to the Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift: After the Hamamatsu Incident, speak to the Blacksmith to trigger the “A Fierce Flame” Myth side mission.
Travel to Lake Sanaru (Warring States period): Locate the side mission in the Lake Sanaru region where you are tasked with finding Kagutsuchi’s Magatama.
Follow the Scampuss to the Magatama: In the mission, follow a friendly Scampuss as it guides you up a mountain path on the southwestern side of the lake.
Find Kagutsuchi’s Magatama in the Shrine: The Scampuss will lead you to a mountaintop shrine. Retrieve the Magatama from the altar, being prepared for a potential fight with a guarding yokai.
Return to the Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift: Deliver the Magatama to the Fox-masked Blacksmith to complete the quest.

Completing this mission unlocks Soul Match for leveling gear and Soul Extraction for obtaining the required Soul Ores.

How to unlock Reforge at the Blacksmith in Nioh 3 (Memories in the Blade mission)

Reforging or tempering gear allows you to change special effects on your equipment. This feature is unlocked by completing the Blacksmith’s second Myth mission, “Memories in the Blade.”

Reach the Heian era and complete “Sacred Mountain Defiled”: You must progress to the Heian period (Region 2) and complete the main mission “Sacred Mountain Defiled” (defeating the boss Great Tengu) or “The Age of Clans Begins.” Once the transition to the Heian timeline is complete, the quest becomes available.
Speak to the Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift: Return to the hub and talk to the Fox-masked Blacksmith to initiate the mission, which requires retrieving three legendary swords.
Find the Three Hidden Blades in Heian-Kyo: You must locate three famed blades. It is recommended to return each blade to the Blacksmith immediately after finding it to avoid quest marker bugs.
- Find Hidden Blade #1 (Dojikiri Yasutsuna) in the Hachijo region behind a temple cliff grave and return it.
- Find Hidden Blade #2 (Mikazuki Munechika) in the Sagano region inside a hidden chest in a bamboo thicket and return it.
- Find Hidden Blade #3 (Odenta Mitsuyo) in the “Frozen City, Blazing Tree” mission inside a Palace Grounds crucible chest and return it.
Complete the quest and unlock Reforge: After returning all three blades, the mission concludes. Reforge will now appear in the Blacksmith menu, allowing you to customize gear effects using materials like umbracite and gold.

How to unlock the Blacksmith’s chests in Eternal Rift (Blackened Key guide)

A locked door above the Blacksmith’s workshop contains two chests with high-level loot. Accessing them requires the Blackened Key, obtained through an interaction with an NPC named Tatsumaro the Dung Lover.

Find Tatsumaro the Dung Lover: Locate a hidden cavern beneath the Blacksmith’s house by following a path leading under the structure.
Collect Dung and Noble Dung: Throughout various missions, collect “Dung” (common) and “Noble Dung” (rare). These items are found in dark realms, dropped by yokai, or given as mission rewards.
Trade Dung to Tatsumaro: Give Tatsumaro your collected dung. You need to provide roughly 5 Noble Dung Balls (and potentially regular dung) to satisfy him. This can be done over multiple visits.
Receive the Blackened Key: Once satisfied, Tatsumaro will reward you with the Blackened Key.
Open the Locked Door Above the Blacksmith: Use the key on the door directly above the workshop. Inside are two chests containing high-level purple or divine gear, typically ranging from level 110–120, providing a significant mid-game boost.

Best ways to handle unwanted gear: sell, scrap, or shrine offering in Nioh 3

With the high volume of loot in Nioh 3, you must decide between three primary management methods:

Dismantle (Scrap) for Materials: Done at the Blacksmith to gain crafting and soul matching resources.
- Recommendation: This should be your default for high-rarity (blue/purple) items to ensure a steady supply of upgrade components.
Sell for Gold: Performed via Sudama merchants to fund expensive services like Soul Matching or to buy consumables.
- Recommendation: Sell lower-rarity (white/green) gear if you are short on cash, as it yields little gold but adds up in large quantities.
Offer at Shrine (Make Offering for Amrita): Destroys gear in exchange for experience points and occasional items like Elixirs.
- Recommendation: Use this early in the game when levels are cheap and impactful.
- Familiarity Bonus: Offering gear with maxed familiarity yields bonus Amrita and items like Whetstones.

The choice depends on your progression stage:

Early Game: Prioritize Offering for Amrita to boost character levels quickly.
Mid Game: Prioritize Dismantling for materials to support the newly unlocked forging and soul matching features.
As Needed: Sell gear if gold runs low for specific projects, or dismantle everything if your levels and gold are already sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: When do I unlock the Blacksmith in Nioh 3?
A: You unlock the Blacksmith after completing the main mission “The Hamamatsu Incident,” in which you defeat the boss Jakotsu-baba. Once that mission is finished, you’ll enter the Eternal Rift hub and can speak to the Fox-masked Blacksmith there. Essentially, it’s unlocked early in the story (around the third main mission). Before that point, blacksmithing isn’t available.

Q2: Where is the Blacksmith located in the game?
A: The Blacksmith NPC is found in the Eternal Rift, which is Nioh 3’s central hub area. In the Eternal Rift, go to the southwest corner (lower-left on the map) where you’ll see a small building. Inside that building is a woman in a white fox mask – that’s the Blacksmith. You need to talk to her there to use her services. After the first visit, you can return to the Eternal Rift from the world map or a shrine to access her anytime.

Q3: What services can the Blacksmith provide?
A: The Blacksmith lets you forge new weapons, armor, and tools from materials, dismantle (disassemble) gear for crafting components, upgrade gear through Soul Match (raising item levels), perform Soul Extraction (dismantling gear into special Soul Ores for upgrades), Reforge gear attributes (rerolling the bonus effects on equipment), and Remodel weapons (adjusting stat scaling). She essentially handles all equipment customization except buying/selling. (Purchasing items is done via Sudama vendors, not the Blacksmith, in Nioh 3.)

Q4: How do I unlock advanced Blacksmith features like Soul Match and Soul Extraction?
A: You must complete the Blacksmith’s side quest “A Fierce Flame.” This quest is given by talking to the Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift after she’s unlocked. It sends you to find Kagutsuchi’s Magatama in the Lake Sanaru area. Once you retrieve that item and bring it back to her, it will unlock Soul Match (weapon/armor level upgrades) and Soul Extraction in the Blacksmith menu. Until you do this quest, those options stay greyed out. So be sure to finish A Fierce Flame myth as soon as it becomes available.

Q5: How do I unlock the Reforge (temper) option at the Blacksmith?
A: Reforge (also called Temper) is unlocked by completing the side mission “Memories in the Blade.” This quest becomes available later in the game (after you complete the first main mission in the Heian era, e.g. Sacred Mountain Defiled). In Memories in the Blade, the Blacksmith asks you to find three hidden swords in Heian-Kyo. After you locate and return all three blades to her, the Reforge feature is unlocked in the Blacksmith’s menu. In short, Reforge is gated behind the second Blacksmith quest, which occurs mid-story. Complete that quest and you can then reroll your gear’s special effects.

Q6: What are the two locked chests above the Blacksmith and how do I open them?
A: Those chests are accessible once you obtain the Blackened Key. To get it, you need to interact with Tatsumaro the Dung Lover, an NPC in a cave under the Blacksmith’s house in the Eternal Rift. He will ask for Dung. You must give him a bunch of Dung (especially 5 Noble Dung Balls) that you find during missions. After giving enough, he rewards you with the Blackened Key. Use this key to unlock the door above the Blacksmith, and you can loot the two chests inside. They typically contain high-level gear as a reward.

Q7: Is there a limit to forging or upgrading gear (forging limits)?
A: In a single playthrough (New Game), you can forge gear up to a certain rarity/level cap – you can craft any gear for which you have a smithing text, but the level of crafted gear scales with the missions availableThe real “limit” comes with higher rarities (Divine or Ethereal gear) which typically unlock in New Game Plus. You cannot forge Divine (green rarity) gear until you reach the part of the game where Divine items drop.

However, you can upgrade gear beyond its base level using Soul Match, effectively surpassing normal forging limits by consuming higher-level items.

For example, forging might only get you a sword at level 100, but with Soul Matching you could raise that sword’s level further by fusing in level 120 items. So, while forging itself has level limits tied to progression, Soul Matching with high-rarity fodder lets you push a weapon’s level and + value beyond what forging alone could do. There is no hard cap mentioned on Soul Match; it’s limited by the materials (Soul Ores) you can acquire.

Q8: What are smithing texts and how do I get more recipes?
A: Smithing Texts are key items that unlock new crafting recipes at the Blacksmith. They are often dropped by bosses, minibosses, or obtained via side quests and achievements.

For instance, beating certain bosses might give a text for their weapon or armor set. Some texts (like for special armor sets or weapons) might be hidden in missions or dropped by Revenants of developers, etc. Once you have a smithing text, the Blacksmith’s Forge list expands to include that item. To farm texts, make sure to do Twilight Missions, side missions, and kill Mujina or other special yokai that sometimes drop texts. Check the Nioh 3 wiki or community for known text locations – Map Master or Game8 guides list all smithing text locations. In summay: defeat specific enemies and complete content to gather smithing texts and broaden what you can craft.

Q9: Should I dismantle gear, sell it, or offer it at the shrine?
A: This depends on what you need:

Dismantle for crafting materials – best if you need resources to forge or upgrade. It’s generally the most recommended, especially for high-rarity gear, as materials are very valuable.
Sell for gold – useful if you are low on money for Blacksmith services. Sell lower-rarity items for quick gold (since dismantling those yields common mats you might have plenty of). Note you sell to Sudama merchants in Nioh 3’s hub.
Offer at shrine for Amrita (XP) – great if you want to level up faster. Offering gear grants Amrita; more if the gear has high familiarity. Early game, offering a lot of equipment can help you gain extra levels quickly.
A popular guideline: “if you need exp, offer; if you need money, sell; if you need mats, dismantle.” You’ll end up using a mix of all three methods throughout the game.

Q10: Do Blacksmith upgrades carry over to New Game Plus (NG+)?

A: Yes. When you start New Game Plus (Dream of the Strong / Shogun’s Journey), your Blacksmith progress carries over. All smithing texts you found, the Blacksmith features you unlocked (Soul Match, Reforge, etc.), and patronage levels (if any system like Nioh 2’s patronage exists) will still be available. What changes in NG+ is the introduction of higher tier gear (e.g., Divine green gear becomes available) and possibly new smithing texts for those tiers. You’ll need to collect texts for divine gear separately.

But rest assured, you won’t have to re-unlock the Blacksmith or her features – those remain unlocked once you’ve done it. This means you can immediately start Soul Matching your favorite gear to higher levels in NG+, forging new high-rarity equipment, and so on, as long as you have the mats. Essentially, all the Blacksmith progress is part of your character’s progression which continues into NG+.

Conclusion

Unlocking and utilizing the Blacksmith in Nioh 3 is a game-changer for your journey. By completing The Hamamatsu Incident early on, you gain access to the Eternal Rift and meet the Fox-masked Blacksmith who enables forging and equipment upgrades.

From there, remember to follow up with her side quests – A Fierce Flame to unlock Soul Match (gear leveling) and Memories in the Blade for Reforge (perk rerolls) – so you can tap into the Blacksmith’s full capabilities. Make use of her services: craft new weapons when your current arsenal falls behind, Soul Match to keep favorite gear viable, and dismantle loot for materials to fuel your upgrades. Don’t forget to trade dung with Tatsumaro to snag the Blackened Key and loot those bonus chests above her shop for a nice gear boost.

Equally important is managing the piles of loot you’ll acquire – decide wisely between selling for gold, offering for Amrita, or scrapping for materials based on your needs at the time. In the end, a balanced approach will ensure you have the levels, money, and crafting ingredients to tackle any challenge. With the Blacksmith in your corner, even Nioh 3’s toughest enemies can be overcome by sharpening your blade, reforging that perfect set of armor, and pushing your equipment to its limits. Now that you know how to unlock the Blacksmith and maximize her offerings, you’re well-equipped to continue your adventure as an even stronger warrior. Good luck forging your legend in Nioh 3!