Malice, a corrupting miasma that invades Kyoto and spawns Genma enemies via Rifts, is one of the greatest challenges in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which is why it’s so important to clear it. This guide will provide you with tips and tricks on how to seal Rifts and clear Malice in the game for good.
How to Clear Malice & Purify the Area
Before attempting to clear the Malice Plants in Kyoto, you need to unlock Oni Gauntlet early on and Oni Strength by completing the main quest “Careful What You Wish For,” where you need to defeat boss Rasho-gan at the Hachidai Rikison Shrine. This ability will allow you to break Malice Barriers and enemy shields. Later, you’ll be able to upgrade the “Destruction Speed” node in the Oni Strength skill tree to destroy barriers much faster.
Once you detect Malice fog that deals damage while you stand in it, try to avoid it by using rooftops, ladders, and higher ground. Note that Malice comes from Malice Plants, so that’s what you need to destroy:
- Locate these big red plants, emitting red fog onto the streets, which are marked on the map.
- Clear all the surrounding Genma guards in the area.
- Attack the plant’s weak point, which is glowing, until it’s destroyed.
- Once you destroy a plant, it will dissipate all the local Malice fog and open a new path.
Use the Oni Bow to snipe archers and use Oni Strength on any Malice Barriers blocking access to plants, which can also be guarded or even trigger entire battles, so be ready.
How to Seal Rifts & Stop Genma Spawns
Rifts will appear as floating dimensional portals, marked by red streaks in the sky, that continuously spawn Genma enemies. You can also use them before sealing as combat farm encounters throughout Kyoto for gaining maximum Red Souls. Once you’re ready to seal the Rift, here’s what you have to do:
- Approach the Rift and let all enemies pour out.
- Defeat all the spawned Genma enemies until not a single one is left.
- You cannot seal it while enemies remain, so be very diligent.
- Once all enemies are cleared, approach the Rift again and hold the soul absorb button on your Oni Gauntlet.
- Absorbing seals the Rift permanently and awards Malicite, Malicite Mass, and Red Souls.
Note that among the spawned Genma can be mini-bosses, which could be a lot tougher to beat. This would be a great chance to use True Issen and Break Issen counters to farm more Red Souls. There could also be several Malice Plants in the area with more Rifts, so check your map or just equip Oni Vision to detect them all quickly.
