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NieR Automata Guide

Over the moon NieR Automata walkthrough guide contains complete walkthrough, Beginner's Guide, best tips for character, exploration and combat. We describe all endings, cheats, bosses; all trophies and system requirements.

Last update: 29 July 2021

Our guide to NieR Automata describes this rather unusual and extensive production of the PlatinumGames studio. Information and hints found in the guide will help you understand the basics of the game, complete all tasks, and discover all the available content.

The Basics guide will help you learn the gameplay mechanics of NieR Automata. It describes such elements as combat, world exploration, availability and development of playable characters, online elements, or death and its consequences. In addition to the information on the main pages of the guide, we also have the FAQ chapter which explains, e.g. how to save the game, how to use fast travel, how to heal, how to install chips, or how to fish. We recommend reading all the FAQ and guide pages, as not all the mechanics of the game are presented in an accessible way and it is easy to miss something or not use the full potential of the characters.

Our guide to NieR Automata also has a walkthrough of all main and side missions. The descriptions of individual quests have information on, e.g. how to defeat bosses, how to reach the objectives of the mission, and what rewards are provided for completing them. The walkthrough has been further divided into subsections focusing on different Routes for various playable characters. We also have lists of major and minor endings along with information on the requirements for unlocking them.

In addition to the large chapters, the guide also includes several smaller ones. We have prepared, e.g. a trophy guide with detailed instructions on how to unlock the platinum trophy as well as information on controls, system requirements, Game of the YoRHa Edition, or how long does it take to beat NieR Automata.

NieR Automata: Beginner's tips
NieR Automata: Walkthrough
NieR Automata: Basics
NieR Automata: FAQ
NieR Automata: Trophies and platinum
NieR Automata: System requirements
NieR Automata: Game's length
NieR Automata: Game versions
NieR Automata: Language versions

NieR Automata: Beginner's tips

We recommend choosing the normal difficulty level for your first playthrough. This is the most balanced choice - you do not have to worry about losing the battles frequently, but the game will not play itself. You will have to demonstrate skills.
Manual saving is mandatory. Unfortunately, NieR Automata does not create any autosaves - if you die, you can easily lose progress and have to repeat a portion of the game.
Pod's ranged attacks are safer than melee combos. Ranged attacks won't completely replace melee weapons, but it is worth using them if you are fighting with an opponent who is not immune to shots and who does not aggressively charge at you.
Collect all the loot you find which is obtained in huge quantities. These can be items that you will use during battles, as well as things that can be sold or sacrificed to improved equipment via crafting.
Check out all the question markers and icons on the map. They can lead you, for example, to new Access Points or quest givers. The map itself is best viewed from a bird's eye view, as it becomes the most readable.
Master evades. You will not only avoid taking more serious damage but will also allow you to counterattack.

More tips and important information about the gameplay mechanics on the Beginner's guide.

NieR Automata: Walkthrough

Our walkthrough to NieR Automata also lists different routes in which you play as different characters. Each route has a specific set of chapters (e.g. 1-10 for Route A). On separate pages of the walkthrough, we also discussed side quests and all available endings.

Walkthrough – Route A

Walkthrough – Route B

Walkthrough – Routes C and D

Side quests

Bunker
City Ruins - the Resistance Camp is part of them
Desert Zone
Amusement Park
Machine Village
Forest Zone and Forest Castle
Flooded City

Endings

List of all endings

NieR Automata: Basics

NieR Automata is filled with all sorts of complicated and obscure mechanics. The most important elements of the game are described in detail on the following pages.

Difficulty levels - Find out what are the available difficulty levels and what are the main differences between them.
Combat - Various tips and hints on how to win fights with regular opponents and bosses.
Exploration - The page contains various information and tips related to the exploration of the game world, various optional activities, and collecting loot.
Character development and pods - On the page you will find information on how to promote and develop the main character and the accompanying pods.
Social elements - The page explains how to activate the online mode and what unique features it offers.
Death and its consequences - Here, you will learn what will happen after you die and what you can do after that.
Cheats - The page tells you how to use the facilitators and cheats available on the lowest difficulty level.
Hacking - This page has information on how to unlock hacking, when it comes in handy and how to complete hacking mini-games.
Playable characters - The page lists all playable characters, what unique skills they have, and how to switch between them.

NieR Automata: FAQ

In the FAQ, we have included answers to some very important questions related to the gameplay and unique game mechanics of NieR Automata.

Saving the game - how? - We explain when you can save the game and how to do it so you won't lose any progress.
Fast travel - how to unlock and use? - This page explains when fast travel becomes available and what it offers.
Healing - how? - On this page, we suggest how to restore lost health points, how to unlock auto-healing, and how to increase the hero's health bar.
Fishing - how? -This page explains where you can fish, what the fishing mini-game looks like, and what you can get from it.
Taming animals - how? - On this page, you will find an explanation of what are the requirements for taming wild animals. You will also learn how and why to ride them.
Gold - how to collect? - We suggest how to collect gold and what you should buy with them first.
Chips - how to install? - The page explains step by step how to install chips, what do they provide and what limitations are associated with this mechanic.
Prologue factory - how to return? - Learn how to return to the factory from the prologue and retrieve the equipment you left there earlier.
Weapons' level four upgrade - how to achieve? - Learn how to develop weapons to the maximum level 4.
All Pods - how to unlock? - This page has a list of pods and places to unlock them so you can use different programs at the same time.
Route B - what can be transfered? - This page explains what items and progress you can move from Route A to Route B.
Scanner - how to use it? - You will find out when the scanner is unlocked, how to use it, and what are its the most important functions.
Locked chests - how to open? - We suggest what you have to do to open locked containers.
Gold enemies - how to kill? - We explain how to deal with the strongest elite machines from the later part of the campaign.
XP - how to collect? - Here you will find practical tips on how to earn large amounts of XP and how to quickly level up.
Character appearance - how to change? - The page explains how you can edit the appearance of the characters and whether this affects their statistics.

NieR Automata: Trophies and platinum

NieR Automata has 48 trophies, among which, of course, is the platinum trophy (available on PS4 and via backward compatibility on PS5). Unlocking them all requires you to beat the game several times (its selected elements change during subsequent passages) - this will take you at least 60 hours. Fortunately, you don't have to play at the highest difficulty level.

Detailed descriptions of all available achievements can be found in our NieR Automata trophy guide. We also prepared a separate page about the Trophies shop and how to unlock it.

NieR Automata: System requirements

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 31 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Graphics card: 2 GB of memory Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 / AMD Radeon R9 270X
Operating system: Windows 7/8/10 64-bits
Disk space: about 50 GB

More information, e.g. about the recommended PC requirements of NieR Automata and its performance on PS4, PS4 Pro and PS5 can be found on the System requirements page.

We also suggest how to improve the game's performance and stability on PC.

NieR Automata: Game's length

A single playthrough of NieR Automata should take you about 20-25 hours but this is definitely not the end of the fun. It is highly recommended to complete the other Routes, which differ from the traditional NG+ mode - you will be able to play as other characters and discover further details about the plot.

Check out the Game's length page to learn how much time you will need to 100% NieR Automata.

NieR Automata: Game versions

NieR Automata is available in the standard version and the game of the year edition - called Game of the YoRHa Edition. We described the latter on a separate page in the appendix. If you are going to play the game for the first time, you should definitely get the Game of the YoRHa Edition since it comes with a lot of additional content.

NieR Automata: Language versions

NieR Automata can be played in several languages. For complete information on the available languages can be found on the Language versions page.