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NieR: Automata |OT| "I wouldn't expect too much from this game if I were you."

LotusHD

Banned
Are the rewards good? I hear the story payoffs are great.

Guess I'll take a leap of faith.

Yes, actually. Give good exp, cash, materials to upgrade your weapons, yourself, etc.

I'd advise you to only really get into tackling the sidequests after unlocking fast travel. You'll know when that has happened.

Story payoffs are also great for a good number of them. And outside of that, some feature dark humor and twists and all that jazz. I dunno, it'll be clear to you once you see the writing for yourself I guess. Overall I put a good amount of Nier's sidequests up there with stuff like Witcher 3, because while the quest design could be better (Some are fetch quests and what not), it really fits nicely into the themes of the story, offer foreshadowing, etc. etc.

As for your leap of faith, definitely go for it. And just in case, don't worry about waiting for some moment where it becomes clear why people really love the game. Just play and enjoy, and of course, don't spoil yourself either.
 
If you find the side quests tedious just go back to the main story.

Yes, actually. Give good exp, cash, materials to upgrade your weapons, yourself, etc.

I'd advise you to only really get into tackling the sidequests after unlocking fast travel. You'll know when that has happened.

Story payoffs are also great for a good number of them. And outside of that, some feature dark humor and twists and all that jazz. I dunno, it'll be clear to you once you see the writing for yourself I guess. Overall I put a good amount of Nier's sidequests up there with stuff like Witcher 3, because while the quest design could be better (Some are fetch quests and what not), it really fits nicely into the themes of the story, offer foreshadowing, etc. etc.

As for your leap of faith, definitely go for it. And just in case, don't worry about waiting for some moment where it becomes clear why people really love the game. Just play and enjoy, and of course, don't spoil yourself either.
Will do bros
 

Gator86

Member
I think it varies from person to person. I was at about seven hours when I started enjoying it. The real fun comes later when you start playing through routes B and C.

Yeah, it definitely turned around. Game ended out of nowhere though. I guess I'm about to start playthrough 2.
 

sanstesy

Member
The game starts really rough. The forced top down combat sections are terrible and the repetitive back to back arena encounters don't help as the encounter design isn't good enough for that to be enjoyable after the first time.
 

Mezoly

Member
Finished all main endings. I like it a lot and would highly recommend. I liked the payoffs for sidequests but didn't like doing them, I felt the gameplay for those quests could've been handled better with less traveling to the other side of the map even with
Fast traveling it was still tedious with a bunch of loading screens.
I didn't feel the story was very impactfull due to the way it was delivered sometimes. The combat was awesome with a lot of variety that you need to use your own imagination to make the most fun out of it. Enemy variety was a pleasant surprise as I was concerned after the demo. They were so creative on how they used the assets they had. Also Goty soundtrack, I still listen to it at work everyday.
 
Finally got all the main endings.
Fantastic game. If I had to choose I'd still go with the first Nier as the overall better package though. Story and characters were more memorable and the world was populated with lots of interesting NPCs making it a lot more interesting to explore.
Music is in a league of its own in both games and the VA is fantastic across the board. Weight of the World is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Both games are standouts in their respective generations for me.
Will take a look at the spoiler thread now and try to find the time to replay original Nier, it's been quite a long time.

Will have to wait for a price drop on the dlc unfortunately, can't afford it right now having just bought Trails in the Sky 3rd.
 

LotusHD

Banned
That would be great to see.

- Stamp Collecting* (Route A)
- Jackass' Request* (Route A)
- Robot Dojo questline* (Route A/B)
- 11B's Memento (Route A, quest is found in the Bunker)
- YoRHa Betrayers (Route A)
- Retrieve the Confidential Info* (Route A)
- Jean-Paul's Melancholy* (Route A)
- The Wandering Couple (Route A/B)
- Half-wit Inventor (Route A/B/C, you need lots of money)
- (Operator 6O) Terminal Repairs -> Find A Present (Route A)
- (Operator 21O) Data Analysis Freak -> Data Analysis Freak 2 (Route B)
- Lord of the Valley* (Route A)
- Machine Examination 1/2* (Route A)
- Treasure Hunt at the Castle (Route A/B/C)
- (Minor spoiler, but just in case)
Emil
's Memories (Route A/B) -->
Emil
's Determination
- Camp Development > Anemone's Past* (Route A)
- Heritage of the Past (Route B, gives you 9S' best weapon once upgraded to Lv4)
- Amnesia (Route B)
- Idiot Savant (Route B)
- The Recluse questline (Route B)
- (Minor spoiler, but again, just in case)
Devola
's Request (Route C)
- (Minor spoiler)
Popola
's Errand (Route C)
- The Twins' Request (Route C)
- Play With Us! (Route C)
- Gathering Keepsakes (Route C)

If you happen to come across these sidequests and recognize it being a part of this list, just know that I recommend doing them. Maybe they're funny, sad, creepy, nostalgic for Nier 1 players, foreshadow something, further flesh out a character/theme/world, has a dark twist, gives you a pod program, or maybe you don't have to move a muscle in order to complete it. Don't stress about finding all of them (unless that's the type of person you are I guess), but yea, enjoy. There are some in this list that I don't just recommend, but consider to be "essential", but honestly I don't want to point them out, lest I inadvertently spoil or ruin anything for you, by having you wonder why said quest is "essential" to begin with.

If I put a "*" next to a quest, it's because I'm not entirely sure whether or not said quest can be done in another route. If I used "->", it's because the previous quest is needed in order to access the subsequent one.

Some sidequests disappear once the main story directs you to the (minor spoilers)
Flooded
City, so be aware of that. As you can see above however, if you fail to complete certain sidequests, they may be available in the next route. If you started a sidequest in say, Route A, and finish Route A without completing it, you will have to restart that specific quest all over again, assuming it is actually in Route B and onwards.

Regardless, no sidequests are permanently missable. And again, I'd advise you to stick to tackling sidequests after you've obtained the ability to fast travel.
 
- Stamp Collecting* (Route A)
- Jackass' Request* (Route A)
- Robot Dojo questline* (Route A/B)
- 11B's Memento (Route A, quest is found in the Bunker)
- YoRHa Betrayers (Route A)
- Retrieve the Confidential Info* (Route A)
- Jean-Paul's Melancholy* (Route A)
- The Wandering Couple (Route A/B)
- Half-wit Inventor (Route A/B/C, you need lots of money)
- (Operator 6O) Terminal Repairs -> Find A Present (Route A)
- (Operator 21O) Data Analysis Freak -> Data Analysis Freak 2 (Route B)
- Lord of the Valley* (Route A)
- Machine Examination 1/2* (Route A)
- Treasure Hunt at the Castle (Route A/B/C)
- (Minor spoiler, but just in case)
Emil
's Memories (Route A/B) -->
Emil
's Determination
- Camp Development > Anemone's Past* (Route A)
- Heritage of the Past (Route B, gives you 9S' best weapon once upgraded to Lv4)
- Amnesia (Route B)
- Idiot Savant (Route B)
- The Recluse questline (Route B)
- (Minor spoiler, but again, just in case)
Devola
's Request (Route C)
- (Minor spoiler)
Popola
's Errand (Route C)
- The Twins' Request (Route C)
- Play With Us! (Route C)
- Gathering Keepsakes (Route C)

If you happen to come across these sidequests and recognize it being a part of this list, just know that I recommend doing them. Maybe they're funny, sad, creepy, nostalgic for Nier 1 players, foreshadow something, further flesh out a character/theme/world, has a dark twist, gives you a pod program, or maybe you don't have to move a muscle in order to complete it. Don't stress about finding all of them (unless that's the type of person you are I guess), but yea, enjoy. There are some in this list that I don't just recommend, but consider to be "essential", but honestly I don't want to point them out, lest I inadvertently spoil or ruin anything for you, by having you wonder why said quest is "essential" to begin with.

If I put a "*" next to a quest, it's because I'm not entirely sure whether or not said quest can be done in another route. If I used "->", it's because the previous quest is needed in order to access the subsequent one.

Some sidequests disappear once the main story directs you to the (minor spoilers)
Flooded
City, so be aware of that. As you can see above however, if you fail to complete certain sidequests, they may be available in the next route. If you started a sidequest in say, Route A, and finish Route A without completing it, you will have to restart that specific quest all over again, assuming it is actually in Route B and onwards.

Regardless, no sidequests are permanently missable. And again, I'd advise you to stick to tackling sidequests after you've obtained the ability to fast travel.

I'll follow this, thanks for taking the time to write it down
 
Question about running quests post game

How is progress saved? Do I simply chapter select and look for quests that weren't fulfilled, do them and then jump back to main menu to chapter select another? Do I save after each quest?
 

Bulzeeb

Member
man, I just started route C and
meet and decided to go with A2
but fuckkkk, 9S
had it rought, so far he is the true martir of this game
 

LotusHD

Banned
Question about running quests post game

How is progress saved? Do I simply chapter select and look for quests that weren't fulfilled, do them and then jump back to main menu to chapter select another? Do I save after each quest?

After you beat Route C, you unlock Chapter Select. Then you just go back wherever you want, and do the quests you didn't get a chance to finish. They list out how many you have left to complete as well, if I'm not mistaken.

man, I just started route C and
meet and decided to go with A2
but fuckkkk, 9S
had it rought, so far he is the true martir of this game

I recommend sticking with her until they force you to play as 9S.
 

MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
Random thought of the day: They need to make one of these characters a secret boss in Kingdom Hearts III somehow.
 

Ventara

Member
Just started this game up. I died once at the beginning and had to restart all over. Didn't realize you can spam the hell out of evade. Anyways, I'm on my first mission now and I'm starting to get the hang of thins. Combat is nice, and music is fantastic. Once again, they knocked it out of the park with music. Healing items seem to be more important in this game, which is a nice change of pace from just hoarding them in all other JRPGs.
 

Siaynoqq

Member
Holy crap this game... it's all just so beautiful. Never thought I would see the day when Nier would be combined with Platinum Games' style of action gameplay. Cannot stop playing it.
 
Hey guys, I just finished Route C and find myself needing a bit of direction now. I started the next run and
everything seems to be back at the very beginning, with some subtle differences, like the name of the first boss being written in Angel language and the fight cutting off before the original culmination with the black box detonation. Is Route C the end or is there more to see? Is there anything specific I need to do on this run?
 

Mezoly

Member
Hey guys, I just finished Route C and find myself needing a bit of direction now. I started the next run and
everything seems to be back at the very beginning, with some subtle differences, like the name of the first boss being written in Angel language and the fight cutting off before the original culmination with the black box detonation. Is Route C the end or is there more to see? Is there anything specific I need to do on this run?

Chapter Select. Choose the end of Route C were you make a decision. Pick the other character.
 

MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
Hey guys, I just finished Route C and find myself needing a bit of direction now. I started the next run and
everything seems to be back at the very beginning, with some subtle differences, like the name of the first boss being written in Angel language and the fight cutting off before the original culmination with the black box detonation. Is Route C the end or is there more to see? Is there anything specific I need to do on this run?

Use chapter select in the menu after you load the game from the title screen.
Continue from the exact moment where you have to pick between A2/9S (in this case,
pick the opposite now).

Also, an important vague hint for later:
Don't give up.
 
Been playing this over the past couple days as my first NIER game and I'm on and off with it. There are plenty of endearing characters and the world is pretty fascinating, but the combat doesn't feel nearly as strong as Plat's other titles and the side content in the world is hit or miss, making the exploration feel a little like a chore.

Overall its solid and very unique though. It's world keeps me going.
 
Chapter Select. Choose the end of Route C were you make a decision. Pick the other character.

Use chapter select in the menu after you load the game from the title screen.
Continue from the exact moment where you have to pick between A2/9S (in this case,
pick the opposite now).

Also, an important vague hint for later:
Don't give up.

Thanks, guys.

Really ended up having a blast with this game. I found it a bit boring for most of the first playthrough, but it got so much better on the second and third playthroughs.
 
Just finished route B////started route C earlier today and I have a new appreciation for this game....just blown away by the presentation of story/characters. Definitely in contention for GOTY
 

Radec

Member
Ok, this is my first Nier game. I died fighting the 2 huge crane saw. Then when I load the game, it returns to the beginning of the game.

Dying here is literally game over?
 

LotusHD

Banned
Just finished route B////started route C earlier today and I have a new appreciation for this game....just blown away by the presentation of story/characters. Definitely in contention for GOTY

Keep going!

Ok, this is my first Nier game. I died fighting the 2 huge crane saw. Then when I load the game, it returns to the beginning of the game.

Dying here is literally game over?

Just for that beginning section, which is the factory. Get past that and then you can save normally. If you aren't already, play on Easy/Normal to get through it quickly. Don't be stubborn, because as you just experienced, dying there sucks.
 

1upsuper

Member
Keep going!



Just for that beginning section, which is the factory. Get past that and then you can save normally. If you aren't already, play on Easy/Normal to get through it quickly. Don't be stubborn, because as you just experienced, dying there sucks.
Yeah, I usually default to hard mode in games but getting OHKO'd by that boss made me switch to normal to get through that part.
 

LotusHD

Banned
Yeah, I usually default to hard mode in games but getting OHKO'd by that boss made me switch to normal to get through that part.

If you're gonna switch back to Hard afterwards, I'd advise equipping as much defensive/healing chips as possible, because Hard mode in this game don't play lol
 
Keep going!



Just for that beginning section, which is the factory. Get past that and then you can save normally. If you aren't already, play on Easy/Normal to get through it quickly. Don't be stubborn, because as you just experienced, dying there sucks.

This should practically be added to the OP at this point.
 
Oh my god, they make you work to get the Engine Blade. There's no actual reason to go back to that area at this point in the game except to open the locked chests and doors you saw earlier, right?

And then of course I get instant-killed near the end and realize that I forgot to save in this entire area. Cue redoing the whole hour of running around
in the dark
.

Also, what are all the rewards you can get in the
Soul Box
? It looks like I have qualified for six out of eight, but if I can't come back here then I want to qualify for the last two before I actually finish this area.
 

1upsuper

Member
If you're gonna switch back to Hard afterwards, I'd advise equipping as much defensive/healing chips as possible, because Hard mode in this game don't play lol

I considered it but I've stuck with normal. With a lot of games, they actually feel balanced and designed around their harder difficulties and then normal mode just simplifies things at the game's expense, but this game actually feels built around normal mode. Normal just has a better flow here IMO.
 

LotusHD

Banned
This should practically be added to the OP at this point.

I've said it so many times...

I'm pretty sure I told BRS to put it there though lol

Oh my god, they make you work to get the Engine Blade. There's no actual reason to go back to that area at this point in the game except to open the locked chests and doors you saw earlier, right?

And then of course I get instant-killed near the end and realize that I forgot to save in this entire area. Cue redoing the whole hour of running around
in the dark
.

Also, what are all the rewards you can get in the
Soul Box
? It looks like I have qualified for six out of eight, but if I can't come back here then I want to qualify for the last two before I actually finish this area.

You can get the Engine Blade the first time you go there with 2B and Pascal.
 
Oookay, what's up with the CD release? Did I miss a chance to get the Hacking CD? I see it on eBay from a stupid amount. I needs my 8-bits.
 

Hektor

Member
Oookay, what's up with the CD release? Did I miss a chance to get the Hacking CD? I see it on eBay from a stupid amount. I needs my 8-bits.

Only the first print came with the hacking tracks. If that one already sold out, you're out of luck unfortunately
 

Proc

Member
I finally got around to the demo this weekend.

Guys this game is really, really good. I had to go out and buy a physical copy immediately despite it being on sale on psn. One of those types of titles I want on my shelf.

The soundtrack is so good. We are spoiled with good games this year. I haven't even tried Yakuza 0 yet.
 
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