A new guide for Onimusha: Way of the Sword sets out every equipment upgrade available in the game and the crafting materials needed to unlock them. Progression matters because fully upgrading all equipment is required to earn the "Dressed to Kill" trophy, and each level gained also grants the player character additional bonus stat boosts, making the enhancement system central to building an effective character.

The guide breaks upgrades into three equipment types: clothing, sword and gauntlet, each split across multiple "proficiency" tracks with ten levels apiece. Materials required include common items such as Hempen Cloth, Cotton Cloth, Leather and Iron for early levels, escalating to rarer resources like Fine Silk Cloth, Tamahagane and Tempered Iron for higher-tier and milestone upgrades. Clothing has four proficiency tracks, while the sword and gauntlet each have their own separate sets, with requirements generally increasing in cost and rarity as players approach the maximum level ten.