Yakuza Kiwami 2 is bursting at the seams with things to do, as is typical for the series. The remake of the original Yakuza 2 adds many different modes of battle and challenges like Bouncer Quests and the Coliseum. Players will have to be flexible and mind their gear to make fights as smooth as possible. Luckily, there's a bunch of powerful equipment at their disposal.
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Getting the best gear isn't as easy as buying it from a shop or finding a treasure chest. The developers have hidden many of the best items sprinkled throughout various sidequests and game modes. Here's how to track the best ones down.
10 Spy Gloves
Spy Gloves don't give any large boosts to stats, just +4 to Defense. The bonus effect is what makes them really great. Equipping these Gloves decreases the rate of enemy encounters, which is pretty convenient. One downside - it's only possible to get the Spy Gloves very late in the game. At this point, avoiding enemies might not be a priority.
The Spy Gloves are a reward for finishing Substory #4, "Rooftop Revenge". This substory is available in Chapter 13, near Kanrai in Kamurocho. It has to be nighttime and Haruka has to be with Kiryu for the quest to trigger.
9 Champion's Ring
An excellent all-around Gear item. The Ring gives +14 to all four main stats as well as Stamina. There's a side effect to the Champion's Ring, though. Equipping it also increases the strength of enemies. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on if the player is looking for tougher fights.
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The Champion's Ring is the reward for coming in first in the Tournament of Legends. This Tournament unlocks after finishing the Majima Construction story in Clan Creator. Tournaments don't allow healing items or weapons, so be prepared for a challenge.
8 Heavenly Beasts Bracelet
Essentially the combination of the four other Bracelets available through Bouncer Missions. The Heavenly Beasts Bracelet grants immunity to all status effects. It also has some great stat boosts, +12 to Attack, Heat, and Defense. It's not too difficult to acquire, either.
This is another Chapter 13 substory that requires Haruka. Go to the Shine on Pink Street to start "The Cabaret Killer". After a bit of a wild goose chase to several other clubs, the reward is the Heavenly Beasts Bracelet. The substory also unlocks a new hostess for your cabaret club, Yuka.
7 Sacrifice Stone
One of the most unique Gear items in the game. Sacrifice Stones function as an extra life of sorts, reviving Kiryu once upon his death. They can be very useful when fighting some of the hard extra bosses like Jo Amon, but they're not without drawbacks. The Sacrifice Stone has no stat boosts, so you'll have to sacrifice a slot's worth of buffs. Most importantly, they shatter upon reviving the player and don't regenerate when the battle ends.
One Sacrifice Stone is in Locker D2. The key is on the Sotenbori boardwalk, near the part of the river that widens. Unfortunately, getting more Sacrifice Stones isn't possible until the postgame. At that point, they're available for 3,000,000 yen a pop at Ebisu Pawn.
6 Parry Talisman
This item is a mainstay throughout the Yakuza series and has appeared in many other games. It's quite a unique item that expands Kiryu's defensive options considerably. Equipping the Parry Talisman lets him parry many, many more attacks - almost every attack in the game. Note that the item doesn't make parrying automatic and that you still have to time it correctly.
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The Parry Talisman is a reward from one of the Bouncer Missions. Complete "A Shady Investigation, Part 2" on Normal difficulty to acquire it. Watch out for the goons with flashbangs as well as the ninja at the end.
5 Transcendent Body Armor
All-around, this is the best defensive Gear in the game. It provides +30 to both Blade and Gun resistance as well as +24 to base Defense. The Transcendent Body Armor is great for all combat situations. Unlike many other pieces of Gear, getting it is pretty easy if you know where to look.
Getting the Transcendent Body Armor is a little obtuse. Complete Substory #24 "A Pervy Peddler" to unlock Kamiyama's shop. At first, he doesn't sell much, but the game doesn't tell the player that selling him things expands his available wares. Sell at least 500,000 yen worth to him and he'll carry the Armor. It costs 800,000 yen.
4 Sacred Wood Armor
The Sacred Wood Armor gives the single best Defense boost in the game, a whopping +32. But it's not the stats that make it borderline overpowered. Wearing the Sacred Wood Armor allows Kiryu to block against bullets. Longtime Yakuza fans know how annoying enemies with guns can be, and this item completely shuts them down.
Completing the Bouncer Quest "The Sex-Starved Samurai" rewards Sacred Wood Armor. This is more of a late-game quest, but there's a way to get the bulletproof effect earlier on. An easier Bouncer Quest "An Explosive Plot" gives the Replica Sacred Wood Armor, which has less Defense but still stops bullets.
3 Eye Of The Dragon
The Eye Of The Dragon is very similar to the Champion's Ring in terms of stats. Instead of giving +14, it gives +12 to the same stats as the Ring. However, it doesn't have the drawback of tougher enemies, so it's just a great all-around booster. The best thing about it is that it's pretty easy to get.
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Complete Substory #22 "To The Dragon Palace" and gain access to the gambling hall in Kamurocho. The main attraction here are the minigames, but there's also an arms dealer. Their stock expands as the story progresses, so keep checking back and you'll eventually find the Eye Of The Dragon for sale for 200,000 yen.
2 Dragon God Amulet
The best item in the game when it comes to total stat boosts. The Dragon God Amulet has +30 to Attack, Heat, and Defense, for a monstrous total of +90. It has a secondary effect as well. When Kiryu is near death, his Heat gain is increased by 10%. That's not a huge buff, and it only activates at low health, but this item is worth equipping for stats alone.
The Dragon God Amulet is a reward from the Bouncer Quest "Eternal Twilight". This is the second-to-last Bouncer Quest, and it's pretty tough. Bring lots of weapons to fight off Jiro Amon.
1 War God Talisman
The War God Talisman has appeared in the last few Yakuza games pretty consistently. Its stat boosts seem underwhelming with just +5 to Heat. The special effect is what makes it great. Equipping the War God Talisman enables a passive Heat regeneration, meaning the meter will slowly build even when no damage is being dealt.
Kiryu has to complete the final and hardest Bouncer Quest to get the War God Talisman. "Pandemonium" pits the player up against three of the Amons - Kazuya, Jiro, and Sango - in one grueling mission. You'll want to equip as much of the other equipment on this list as possible. Getting this item is one of the most difficult feats in the game.