How to access Spirit Veins in Nioh 3

Almost as soon as you set foot into Nioh 3's first open-world zone, during the Warring States period, you'll stumble across a Spirit Vein. In fact, there are two not far from where you enter the Tenryu River. If you walk up to these glowing spots, you won't be able to interact with them whatsoever, with the map explaining that you don't have a compatible Guardian Spirit.

It's rather annoying as these Spirit Veins prevent you from accessing some of the last activities you've got to tick off in this area, and you'll find even more Spirit Veins later. Below, I'll explain how Spirit Veins work and how to get the compatible Guardian Spirits you need.

How to access Spirit Veins in Nioh 3

There are different types of Spirit Veins, and to use them, you need to unlock the corresponding Guardian Spirit by progressing through the main story. For example, after beating Jakotsu-baba and clearing the Crucible at Hamamatsu Castle, you'll unlock Enko, a fire tiger Guardian Spirit. This unlocks Gale Sprint, but what you're not told is that you can now also channel this Guardian to use wall-running Spirit Veins, which are common in later areas like Lake Sanaru.

You don't need to have the correct Guardian Spirit currently equipped to access the Spirit Vein, either, so don't bother cycling through all your options in the hopes that you'll get it working. So long as you have it unlocked, you're good to go no matter which spirit you actually have active. You'll know if you can use any given Spirit Vein if the map icon changes from a padlock to a starry icon.

Once you've got what you need, walk up to the glowing spot on the ground and interact with it to automatically perform whatever feat it requires, like the aforementioned wall run to cross a large gap.

So, if you come across a Spirit Vein that you can't interact with, I'm sorry to say that you just need to progress through the story and come back later. Chances are, a character will let you borrow their friendly creature soon enough. And yes, those blocked Spirit Veins in the starting area of Tenryu River specifically are unlocked much further into the story, so ignore them for now; it's just to tease you.