Power Stones are 53 skill upgrade materials needed to upgrade every basic and special skill to max level. Required for the Well-Rounded trophy. Find them in chests, from elite Genma drops, and as rewards from side content.
1. Overview
Power Stones are the basic skill upgrade material in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Every node in the skill tree that upgrades a base technique — basic sword combos, parry windows, dash attacks, blocking, and chain follow-ups — costs Power Stones to level up.
The total pool of 53 Power Stones is roughly enough to fully max every basic skill node once you also factor in the few stones earned by completing the main story. Combined with the 54 Oni Stones, this gives you the full material set required for the Well-Rounded silver trophy.
Power Stones upgrade basic skills. Oni Stones upgrade special skills (Oni Vision, Chain Issen, Blazing State specials, etc.). You must collect all 53 Power Stones + all 54 Oni Stones and then learn + upgrade every skill to max level for Well-Rounded. See the Oni Stones Locations guide for the matching 54-stone list.
2. General Locations by Area
The 53 Power Stones are spread across five broad regions of Kyoto. Each region has a mix of chest pickups, elite Genma drops, and side-content rewards. Below is the verified area-by-area breakdown of where to focus your search.
Kiyomizu-dera & Surrounding Slopes
Early-game region with the highest density of beginner Power Stone pickups. The first dozen stones are typically found here during Chapters 1-3.
- Several chests along the eastern slope paths and temple grounds.
- Two stones rewarded from the "Stage is Set at Kiyomizu" main mission.
- Drop chance from Genma Brute elites in the temple courtyard encounters.
Eastern Kyoto
Mid-game region — houses the merchant district, several Mysteries of Kyoto, and a generous spread of chests behind breakable walls.
- One stone per cleared Mystery of Kyoto in this district.
- Chests in alley rooftops and inside merchant backrooms.
- Drop from Genma Archer elites during street encounters.
Underground (Kiyomizu Caves)
Linear underground path between Kiyomizu and Mount Oe. The caves hide the densest single-run stone cluster of the game.
- Most stones here are chest pickups in side alcoves and at the end of dead-end branches.
- A guaranteed stone drops from the mid-cave elite Genma encounter.
- One stone awarded for fully clearing the cave's small bonus arena.
Mount Oe
Late-game region with the largest concentration of elite Genma — the best farming area if you finish the run slightly short.
- Elite Genma drops in every encounter; each elite has a chance to drop a Power Stone.
- Two stones rewarded by Chance Encounters in this region.
- Chests hidden behind breakable armor walls in the mountaintop temples.
Arashiyama
Final-act region. Stone pickups here are scarcer but more rewarding — most stones come from boss rewards or large chest puzzles.
- One stone awarded per major boss defeat in this region (e.g., Sasaki Ganryu at Arashiyama).
- Large chests hidden behind the bamboo grove puzzles.
- One stone rewarded for rescuing the merchant in the bamboo grove Chance Encounter.
Power Stones do not respawn on reload, but they do carry over into NG+. If you finish your first playthrough missing 2-3 stones, the Carnage NG+ run will almost always close the gap through bonus drops from elite Genma.
3. Farming Strategies
If your first playthrough leaves you short on Power Stones, use these strategies to close the gap in NG+ or in late-game free roam.
Strategy 1 — Re-clear Mount Oe Elites
Mount Oe's elite Genma are the most reliable Power Stone drop in the game. Each elite has a meaningful drop chance, and the area has a fast loop that lets you re-engage without losing progress. Use the Boss Rematch — Stage feature if you have access to it.
Strategy 2 — Chest Sweep
After the main story, every chapter remains partially accessible. Walk every region with a breakable armor weapon equipped (one of the Oni Armaments works) and crack every chest you find. The chests you couldn't open during the story (those requiring a specific Oni ability) will be unlocked once you have the right upgrade.
Strategy 3 — Side-Content Reset
Several Chance Encounters and Mysteries of Kyoto reward a Power Stone on completion. If you missed one during your first run, reload your manual save from before the chapter and replay just that encounter.
Power Stones are never a sellable item — but check that merchants haven't traded you a stone as currency for a side quest. If you offered a stone for a quest reward by accident, reload the save before that point. Stones do not restock once spent.
4. Trophy: Well-Rounded
The Well-Rounded silver trophy unlocks once you have learned and upgraded every basic AND special skill to maximum level. The full material requirement breaks down as:
- All 53 Power Stones — for every basic skill upgrade.
- All 54 Oni Stones — for every special skill upgrade.
- Enough Red Souls + Favor to purchase each upgrade at the skill trainer.
- Enough Oni Awakening unlocked to access every special skill node.
The related trophy The Winding Way of the Sword is a more lenient variant — you must learn and upgrade all basic OR all special skills (your choice), not both.
Before spending Power Stones at the trainer, read the Skill Tree Guide and the Soul Priority Build. A planned path avoids wasting stones on nodes you'll later respec out of.
5. Power Stone Checklist (53 items)
Use this checklist as you collect. Selections persist in localStorage between visits. We recommend tracking the total collected and comparing it to the in-game "Materials" counter to identify any missed stones.