How to Use Items – Nioh
If you look at the bottom left corner of your screen, you’ll see that you have four separate item slots for William. Holding down the R2 button will give you access to another four item slots, which means that you essentially have a total of eight item shortcuts available to you in Nioh. Each of these item slots is tied to a button on your d-pad. To use the top item in your primary shortcut slot (this is usually for your Elixirs), simply tap up on the d-pad to use it. Similarly, using an item from your secondary slots will require you to hold the R2 button, and then tapping the corresponding directional button to use it.
Before you can actually use your items, you’ll have to assign them to your item slots. This can be easily done by accessing your item menu, choosing the items that you want to assign to your item shortcuts, and then allocating them to whichever slots you’re most comfortable with. Of course, these can be switched out for other items that you find at any point during the game as well. You can also use items directly from your menu, but this method should be reserved for items that you won’t really need quick access to during a fight.
Be sure to check out Twinfinite’s Nioh wiki guide for more tips, tricks, and information on Nioh.