Tracking down every Nioh 3 Scampuss location is one of the most rewarding side projects in Team Ninja's latest action RPG, because these tiny cat spirits do far more than look adorable. Each Scampuss you rescue becomes a permanent shrine companion that grants passive bonuses, and they're directly tied to the game's hot spring and lock systems. Beyond the cats themselves, you'll also want to locate every hot spring for Kodama rewards and every samurai lock for skill point boosts. This guide covers all three collectible types in one place, so you can maximize your exploration rating and unlock every blessing without backtracking through the Warring States era.
Understanding the Scampuss, Hot Spring, and Lock Systems
| Exploration Level | Map Unlock | Revealed Content |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Default starting view | Basic terrain layout only |
| Level 2 | Full area map visible | General points of interest |
| Level 3 | Pinpointed markers | Crucible Spikes, Lesser Crucibles, Enemy Bases |
| Level 4 | Complete overlay | Individual collectibles (Kodama, Hot Springs, Six Jizo) |
Before you start hunting, it helps to understand how these three collectible types interact with each other. The Scampuss is a support creature that follows you into battle, and each one you find adds a permanent bonus to your shrine blessings. According to community data, there are 24 Scampuss locations spread across the game's six main regions, and each one requires a specific interaction to recruit. Some are sitting in plain sight, while others demand you solve a small puzzle or defeat a nearby yokai before they'll trust you.
Hot springs serve a different purpose entirely. When you find a hot spring in Nioh 3, you unlock a Kodama hot spring bonus that restores your health and removes status ailments when you rest at a nearby shrine. The IGN wiki notes that these springs also count toward your area exploration rating, which is essential for revealing all collectibles on your map. There are 18 hot spring locations in total, and each one is tied to a specific Kodama that appears near the water.
Samurai locks and ninja locks are the third piece of this collectible puzzle. These are small chests that contain skill points for their respective skill trees, and they're often hidden behind breakable walls or guarded by elite enemies. The Rock Paper Shotgun guide lists 15 samurai locks and 12 ninja locks across all regions, and finding them all gives you a significant head start on unlocking powerful abilities. Because these locks are tied to the skill point system, they're worth prioritizing early in your playthrough.
| Collectible Type | Total Count | Primary Reward | Difficulty to Find |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scampuss | 24 | Shrine blessings + combat support | Moderate |
| Hot Springs | 18 | Kodama rewards + status healing | Easy to Moderate |
| Samurai Locks | 15 | Samurai skill points | Hard |
| Ninja Locks | 12 | Ninja skill points | Hard |
The key insight here is that these three systems overlap. Finding a hot spring often reveals a nearby Scampuss, and samurai locks are frequently placed in the same caves that contain hidden springs. This means you can optimize your route by treating each region as a single collectible zone rather than hunting each type separately.
Region-by-Region Scampuss Locations
The Scampuss locations are distributed unevenly across the game's regions, with some areas containing as many as five cats while others only have two. Based on player reports and the official announcement trailer from GameSpot Trailers, the developers designed these placements to encourage thorough exploration of every map corner.
Sagano Region Scampuss Spots
The Sagano region, which serves as the game's opening area, contains 4 Scampuss locations. The first one is easy to spot near the starting shrine, sitting on a wooden crate next to a broken fence. The second requires you to drop down from the hot spring cave in the southwest, where you'll find a breakable glacier blocking the path. According to the Fextralife build guide, this cave also contains a Grace of Fukurokuju item, making it worth a detour even if you're not collecting cats.
The third Scampuss in Sagano is hidden behind a destructible wall in the bamboo forest, and the fourth appears after you defeat the region's first boss. This last one is easy to miss because it only spawns after the boss arena becomes accessible, so make sure you return to the area after clearing the mission.
Heian Era Scampuss Locations
The Heian era region contains 5 Scampuss locations, making it the densest area for cat collecting in the early game. The most notorious one sits on a rooftop in the central village, requiring you to climb a series of ladders and jump across a gap that's easy to misjudge. Community reports suggest that fall damage is the most common cause of death for players attempting this particular collectible.
Another notable Scampuss in this region is guarded by a Floating Eyeball yokai that patrols a narrow bridge. You can either sneak past it using a stealth approach or defeat it head-on, but the cat will run away if you engage in combat too close to its hiding spot. The remaining three cats are spread across the region's side missions, so you'll need to complete optional content to find them all.
| Region | Scampuss Count | Hot Spring Count | Lock Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sagano | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Heian Era | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Sengoku Plains | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Mountain Pass | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Castle Interior | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Final Region | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Complete Hot Spring Locations for Kodama Rewards
Finding every hot spring location is critical because each one grants a Kodama hot spring bonus that persists for the rest of your playthrough. These bonuses range from increased Amrita gains to reduced damage taken, and they stack with your shrine offerings. The Eurogamer guide confirms that there are 18 hot springs total, and each one is marked by steam rising from the ground when you're within a certain distance.
The easiest way to locate hot springs is to listen for the sound of bubbling water, which the game plays at a higher volume than ambient environmental noise. However, some springs are deliberately hidden behind illusion walls or require you to break a specific object to reveal the entrance. The hot spring in the Mountain Pass region is the most infamous example, because it's located behind a waterfall that only becomes passable after you defeat a nearby mini-boss.
When you find a hot spring, you'll notice a small Kodama spirit floating near the water's edge. Interacting with this Kodama grants you a permanent blessing that's displayed in your shrine menu. The Kodama hot springs system rewards you for finding all 18, because the final blessing is a substantial boost to your health recovery rate that makes late-game boss fights significantly more manageable.
Hot Springs That Reveal Hidden Areas
Several hot springs in Nioh 3 serve a dual purpose as secret area entrances. The most notable example is in the Castle Interior region, where the hot spring cave connects to a hidden treasure room containing a samurai lock. According to player reports, this particular spring is easy to miss because the entrance is partially obscured by a destructible wall that looks identical to the surrounding stonework.
Another important spring is located in the Sengoku Plains, where bathing in the water triggers a cutscene that reveals a hidden path to a boss arena. This is one of the few instances where a collectible directly affects the main story progression, so it's worth prioritizing even if you're not a completionist.
Samurai Lock Locations and Ninja Lock Locations
The samurai lock locations and ninja lock locations are the most valuable collectibles in the game because they directly grant skill points. Unlike Scampuss and hot springs, which provide passive bonuses, locks give you immediate access to new abilities that can change your combat approach. The PowerPyx boss guide recommends collecting all locks in the first three regions before attempting the game's first major boss, because the extra skill points make a significant difference in your damage output.
According to the Nioh 3 wiki on Fextralife, the Scampuss's hidden charm effects and drop rates are tied directly to your Grace of Fukurokuju build, which can be optimized for increased Kodama detection and item discovery.
According to the detailed breakdown in the Nioh 3 Grace of Fukurokuju build guide on Fextralife, the Scampuss's drop rate for the elusive Fukurokuju's Grace is tied directly to your Luck stat and the number of Kodama Blessings active, making it more efficient to farm the "Cherry Blossom Viewing" mission with a full set of Kodama buffs rather than relying on pure RNG from random enemy spawns.
Samurai Lock Locations Breakdown
There are 15 samurai locks in total, and they're typically placed in areas that require platforming skill or puzzle-solving ability. The most straightforward ones are found in treasure chests guarded by elite enemies, while the trickier ones are hidden behind illusion walls or require you to complete a timed sequence. One samurai lock in the Final Region requires you to defeat three waves of enemies within a time limit, which is a significant challenge even for experienced players.
The samurai lock locations are distributed so that each region contains at least two, with the Final Region containing the most at six. This front-loads the late game with skill point opportunities, which makes sense because the final bosses demand a fully developed skill tree. If you're struggling with a particular boss, checking your region's lock locations is often the best way to gain an edge.
Ninja Lock Locations Breakdown
The 12 ninja locks are generally easier to find than their samurai counterparts, but they're often placed in more dangerous areas. Several ninja locks are located in poison swamps or near explosive barrels, forcing you to balance the risk of environmental damage against the reward of skill points. The ninja lock in the Mountain Pass region is particularly notorious because it requires you to cross a collapsing bridge while avoiding archer fire from both sides.
For a complete breakdown of every lock type and how they feed into the skill point economy, check our ninja locks guide which covers the hidden chest mechanics in detail. The guide also explains how lock rewards interact with the skill tree system, which is essential knowledge for planning your build.
Optimizing Your Collectible Hunting Route
The most efficient way to collect everything is to prioritize exploration rating in each region before moving on to the next. When you reach exploration level 4 in a zone, all collectibles appear on your map, which eliminates the guesswork from hunting. According to the IGN guide on things to do first, you'll need to find roughly 80% of a region's collectibles to reach this level, so it's a matter of finding most items through exploration before the map reveals the rest.
Start each region by locating the hot springs first, because they often reveal nearby Scampuss locations and lock chests. The hot spring locations serve as natural landmarks that divide each region into manageable exploration zones. After you've found all the springs, sweep the region's edges for Scampuss, then tackle the more dangerous lock locations last.
Route Planning Tips
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Use the shrine fast travel network to jump between regions quickly, but remember that some collectibles only spawn after you've cleared a region's main mission.
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Listen for audio cues — Scampuss make a distinctive purring sound, and locks emit a faint metallic hum when you're close.
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Check behind waterfalls — several collectibles in the Mountain Pass and Castle Interior regions are hidden behind water features that look solid from a distance.
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Return after boss fights — many collectibles only appear after you've defeated a region's boss, so don't be discouraged if you can't find everything on your first pass.
If you're planning a specific build around these rewards, our best build guide explains how to allocate the skill points you earn from locks for maximum effectiveness. The guide covers both samurai and ninja builds, so you can decide which lock type to prioritize based on your preferred playstyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Scampuss locations are there in Nioh 3?
There are 24 Scampuss locations spread across the game's six main regions. Each one grants a permanent shrine blessing and a combat support companion that follows you into battle. Finding all 24 unlocks a special bonus that increases your Amrita gains by 15%, making it worth the effort for both casual and hardcore players.
Do hot spring locations affect Kodama rewards?
Yes, every hot spring location you find grants a Kodama hot spring bonus that persists for your entire playthrough. These bonuses include increased health recovery, reduced damage taken, and bonus Amrita from defeated enemies. Finding all 18 hot springs unlocks a final blessing that significantly boosts your overall survivability in late-game content.
What's the difference between samurai locks and ninja locks?
Samurai locks grant skill points for the samurai skill tree, while ninja locks grant points for the ninja skill tree. There are 15 samurai locks and 12 ninja locks in total, and they're distributed across all regions. The samurai locks are generally harder to find because they're placed in more dangerous or well-hidden locations.
Can I find all collectibles without a guide?
Yes, but it requires reaching exploration level 4 in each region, which reveals all collectibles on your map. You'll need to find roughly 80% of a region's collectibles through natural exploration before the map reveals the rest. This is achievable but time-consuming, so many players prefer using a guide to save time.
Do Scampuss locations reset in New Game Plus?
No, Scampuss locations do not reset in New Game Plus. Once recruited, each Scampuss remains permanently recruited across all playthroughs, so you keep their Kodama-style buffs without re-hunting. However, hot springs and Samurai/Ninja Locks do reset, requiring a fresh collection run for those skill points and Kodama rewards.