Nioh 2 guide: What the heck are those cats?

Nioh 2 is full of human brigands and also gigantic monstrous demons. But not everything is out to kill you.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about those cats — called Scampuss in the game — that you can find and pet in most levels.

What is a Scampuss (cat)?

While you’re wandering the world of Nioh 2, you may hear a cat meowing or spot their telltale sparkle on the ground. They’re usually near a big Yokai fight, or you’ll sometimes find them hidden behind smashable crates.

These are Scampuss. According to the in-game lore, a Scampuss is a type of Yokai. We won’t get into their bleak origins or the reason for their thousand-yard stare. If you want to read it, choose Starting Point from the world map, and navigate to Hut > View Illustrations > Yokai Illustrations and scroll through until you find Scampuss. It won’t be there at first, so you’ll have to encounter a few in the wild before the information gets filled in.

While exploring a level, approach these cats and they’ll pop up ready to be petted. Hit the prompt to pet them, and the cat will follow you for a little while.

Scampuss in combat

Mostly, a Scampuss will just adorably follow you around. When they see an enemy, though, they’ll dash off and attack (or at least distract) them. When a Scampuss encounters the Dark Realm — either in the area around a Yokai or in the huge tainted areas around a boss fight — they puff up like a balloon and become spiky. They still don’t deal a ton of damage, but it’s awfully fun to watch.

A Scampuss gives you an Anima buff when they’re following you.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo, Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

More importantly, though, having a Scampuss following you give you a boost to how fast your Anima (re)fills. Your Anima powers Yokai Abilities (from your Soul Cores) and lets you perform Burst Counters. You can see when this buff is active — and how long the Scampuss will hang around — with the Scampuss badge under your Anima bar. When the badge drains, the Scampuss disappears.