Nier: Automata is full of original enemies that are fun to fight. Considering that the game is made in the slasher genre, it was doubtful to expect hidden levels and bosses from it.
However, Nier was not developed by a simple team - creative people worked on the game and filled it with a huge amount of non-obvious content. So, after completing it for the first time, you will definitely not be able to achieve 100% progress. Rest assured.
In our series of Nier: Automata guides, we decided to help you and made several useful articles that will reveal some of the secrets of this unique game. In this article we will talk about the level 99 boss Emil - a character from the first part, who has now become a real boss.
All those who played the original Nier should be familiar with the character Emil, who then traded valuable items. Imagine, in the sequel he returned, but not in the form of an ordinary merchant, but in the role of a real boss!
To get to it, you will need to complete the main storyline and complete a dozen additional tasks to reach a high level.
Before going to Emil, make sure you have completed the "Emil's Memories" quest. The fact is that this quest will become unavailable after killing this boss, which will deprive you of precious experience and a grain of history.
Moreover, for completing this mission you will receive the key to Emil's hideout, which you can use during repeated playthroughs.
How to find Emil (procedure)
1. Level 99 boss Emil is in his own shelter, which is located in the center of the crater, not far from the city ruins. There you will find an active sewer pipe that you will have to use. Inside, you will come across an elevator, which will lead you to the shelter.
2. The boss battle will not start when you enter his house. Use the chest containing Emil's item.
3. Having obtained the item, you will open a battle with the boss, which is located in a completely different place. Leave the shelter and go to the shore, which is located in an empty location outside the city.
4. There you will find a shop where Emil is sitting. In front of you, he will begin to lament that someone stole his thing, but this will not give you the opportunity to fight him.
Finally, return to Emil's hideout and steal another item from there. After this, Emil will go berserk and become your enemy. He himself, in the form of a boss, will appear near the exit from the sewer pipe. Remember that you will need at least level 49 to fight him, otherwise he will kill you instantly.
After each completion of the story, you will be able to see your weapons gradually upgrade to level 3. But in one of the forests there is a blacksmith who will help you improve your weapon to level 4, the highest in the game! This upgrade of weapons is needed to obtain the Tools of the Trade and Inorganic Blade trophies, as well as for ending Y. And this guide will help you with this.
Upgrading weapons to level 4, the maximum level. Trophies Tools of The Trade, Inorganic Blade and ending Y
First, about the location of the level 4 blacksmith:1. He is at the palace in the forest, from the royal room we go to the right to find a broken bridge;
2. We fall into the hole in the bridge onto the sidewalk.
3. Go left and interact with the wall to reveal a secret block. We pull it towards ourselves and open the secret road to the merchant.
Forest blacksmith Masamune can raise the level of weapons from 3 to 4. And it will cost 10,000 in-game currency. Also in his store you can buy a Mechanical Sword, Ax and Spear! Quite a good weapon.
In the prologue, you will be trained in the mechanics of the game NieR: Automata. From the very beginning you will find yourself in the heat of battle. After the introductory cutscene, you will take control of your flying machine and fight off the robots. Using the R1 button you will fire cannons, and R2 will help you dodge the balls flying at you. Also using the triangle, you will attack with a cutting blow - this is very helpful if the enemies are too close to you or lined up in a row.
Having dealt with the first group of enemies, you transform into a plane. Carefully fly through all the obstacles, fighting off robots along the way. Having dealt with the robots and flying a few more dangerous places, the plane will crash against the wall. And then control will pass directly to 2B already in the location Abandoned Factory(Abandoned factory).
Abandoned Factory
In this location, your training will continue (for those who played the demo version of the game, completing the location will not be difficult). And your first opponents will be small robots. Remember: this is a tutorial, the further you progress in the game, the stronger your enemies will be. They are very slow, but if they approach, they will quickly wave their arms, some models can shoot energy balls - in general, these opponents can be very irritable, especially if you are not careful. After the small robots, larger robots will attack you - they already deal decent damage and move faster than their smaller brothers. After destroying the enemies, you will have your first boss battle - Buzzsaw.
Boss:Buzzsaw
It is a giant crane with rotating buckets at the end. Even if at first glance it seems that it looks intimidating, but in fact it is quite simple to destroy it. Dodge and run away from the attacks (while shooting at the boss), after the buckets stop, attack with your sword, destroying the buckets.
Follow this simple tactic and defeat the car. After this, a cut-scene will start where you will meet your future partner 9S.
After talking with your ally, run to the area that opens up to you. To get over the cliff, shoot the yellow crane on top to make yourself a bridge. As soon as the platform falls, you will be attacked by flying robots - they can be difficult to reach with your sword, but for such cases you have a Pod. Having figured it out, run further, just don’t miss the right turn. After turning the corner, destroy the small robots, and then climb the stairs up to the mechanical door. After going through the door, you will need to destroy the robots. This time there will be many more of them. After killing them, move on to the next similar arena. Robots with shields will be waiting for you there, which means your bullets will be ineffective, but a few hits with a sword are enough and the shield will be destroyed. Having cleared this area, exit through the opened door. After leaving the building, go up the stairs. Once on the platform with the chest, search it and go down. At the bottom, continue running further along the long bridge, this will trigger a cutscene and a boss fight.
Boss: Goliath
At first, the battle with him will take place in the same way as with the first boss, but in a slightly more complicated version. There are now two such cranes, making it more difficult to escape from them. But the path to victory is still simple - during his attack, run away and shoot, when the blades do not move, attack with your sword. After destroying them, you will proceed to the battle with Goliath (Goliath).
His first attack will be the launch of numerous energy balls (be careful - dark balls cannot be destroyed). Afterwards he will hit you with his mechanical arm (sometimes with two at once), after this attack hit him with your sword. After taking away a large amount of the boss's health, 9S will join you. The boss himself will become stronger, but in addition to increased damage, he will dive under water, at this moment run towards the camera. When Goliath reaches a quarter of his health, he will wound your partner and switch off. After watching the cutscene, climb onto the giant robot. After defeating several small robots, a cut-scene will begin, and after it the final stage of the battle will begin. This time you will control a flying machine. Now it will be even easier to fight a giant robot. In the end, all you have to do is finish off Goliath with his own hand.
The Bunker / Bunker
After completing the prologue, you will find yourself aboard the Bunker - this is YoRHa's space station and also their main base. There are all the necessary personal rooms for androids, a command post for communication with Earth and terminals with various goods.
After defeating Goliath, a cut-scene will begin, and after it you will find yourself directly on board the spaceship. Run to the right and talk to your partner 9S, and then watch the explanatory video and adjust the game settings (language, brightness, etc.). Once you've finished setting up, exit the room and run to the right. After a few meters, you will find hotspots where you can save your game, read a message, and quickly move to another hotspot (will open later). Having saved, go through the next door, it leads to the command headquarters, go down on the elevator and talk to the commander. From her you will receive a new task - to go to a resistance camp on Earth. Before you go there, search the rooms - you can find useful things in them, and also buy first aid kits in the terminal if necessary. After finishing your preparations, take the elevator (marked with a red dot on the map) to the hangar and board your plane. Before landing on Earth, you will need to defeat several squads of combat vehicles.
The City Ruins / City ruins
When you land on the roof of a building, a short video will show you the immediate surroundings, and then show you advice about the mini-map. And the first thing you need to do is go down. You can simply jump off, but be sure to hold down the jump button to have the Pod slowly lower you down. But it’s better to move to the next building and go down there, jumping into the holes in the floor, all because in this building you can find useful items by searching the floors. Once down, you can freely explore the open area, destroy weak enemies to gain experience, and also fish if you find a body of water.
Having thoroughly explored the surroundings, go to the resistance camp (it will be marked on the map), on the way to it, do not forget to activate the access points (marked on the map with a red dot) to get information about the area and save. Once you reach the camp, talk to their leader Anemone. From her you will receive an order - to help two merchants in the camp. Talk to the marked merchants and agree to help them. After that, go to the marked places and destroy the robots there to get the necessary resources. After collecting them, return to the camp and give the resources to the merchants. Now they will be able to trade with you. After completing Anemone's instructions, talk to her and agree to go into the desert (the entrance there will be marked after you leave the camp). Before you go there, don't forget to save and stock up on first aid kits.
Desert Zone / Desert
The path to the desert is not close, first you need to cross the city ruins; on the way you may come across weak enemies. Run to the northern part of the map to a small camp with a merchant and an access point. Go past the camp, then through the cave. Go further through the sand-filled buildings to the android named Jackass (the pipeline will lead you to her). After talking with her, go through the passage made by the explosion. Behind the gorge the real desert begins.
The same robots live here, but with their own characteristics. Now they wear masks, cloaks and swords, in addition to this they deal more damage, and can also make ambushes by jumping out of the ground. Your task is to clear the marked areas from enemies. At the last point there will be a level 13 robot, but before you destroy it, it will start running away. Follow him through the cave into Desert housing - here the desert has not yet completely swallowed up the destroyed houses.
Jump down and run into the ruins of houses to the indicated point. There you will find a robot running away. Chase him, destroying enemy vehicles along the way. Eventually it will lead you to the crater. Going down, the robots attack you. There will be more and more of them, don’t let yourself be pinned into a corner, run and shoot at them. You will be saved from a huge crowd of robots by a cut-scene that will begin after there are too many robots.
Boss: Adam
After the cutscene, you will begin a boss battle, which is a new type of android. Although it is not huge in size, it still poses a great threat. His strength lies in the fact that he adapts to each attack, as the battle progresses he will increase his level and learn to reflect your shots. When fighting him, try to stay close to him and attack after successfully dodging, this way you will easily defeat him.
Having won, a cutscene will start, when it ends, quickly run into the cave above to avoid a collapse. After passing through the cave, climb up the rock and move the metal box to go to the already familiar area. From here, return to the resistance camp.
Amusement Park
After getting out of the desert and resupplying at the resistance camp, head to the new mission area (will be marked on the map after you leave the camp). You won't have to run far, stay on the right side of the map and don't miss the right turn, there will be a descent into the sewer. Go down the stairs.
It’s difficult to get lost in the sewer because there is only one path, the rest of the passages are blocked. After getting out of there, go to the park gates. Walking through the entire amusement park is quite easy. You can just run past all the robots, they won't attack you, but if you start attacking one, all the others will become aggressive (with the exception of a few). After going through the main gate and up the steps, you will come out to a locked gate. Go back a little and go through the open gate on the side of the main road.
Narrow streets will lead you to a non-working attraction; use it to cross the fence to another street.
After crossing the rubble, you will have to fight a tank. It won’t be difficult to defeat him, all you need is to jump onto the roof of the tank as soon as possible and destroy the robots sitting in it, so he will stop shooting energy balls, and it won’t be difficult to finish him off completely. At close range, beware of hits from the tracks and shots from the main gun on the turret (it’s difficult to dodge). After destroying the tank, go up the steps and ride one of the carriages. Don't relax while driving - while you're driving, you'll be attacked by flying robots.
Boss: Opera Robot Singer
A giant robot resembling an opera singer attacks you immediately after a short cutscene. In the first stage of the fight, you need to dodge bullets and attack her (attacking the head or torso will cause more damage than the armored dress).
After taking a lot of damage, she will jump back onto the stage and the bodies of other androids will appear. For some time you will have to destroy these androids, which will try to hack you by firing beams over a large radius. If you do get caught, you still have a chance to escape, when the mini-game starts, shoot the black ball, destroying it will free you. If you lose the mini-game, you will receive a lot of damage. When the boss returns, the second stage of the fight will begin. Now, in addition to regular attacks, she will try to hack you, so try to dodge such rays, or better yet, run back. Waiting for the right moments to attack, inflict maximum damage by combining light and heavy weapons. Having won, pick up the objects on the floor and go outside. You will find yourself near those same locked gates, but now you can go through them. Immediately behind them, talk to the robot who is waving a white flag, and go with him to his village (agree for him to guide you).
Machine Village
The robot will take you to the Machine Village, which is inhabited by friendly robots. Here you will be met by Pascal, she is the head of the local community of robots who advocate ending the long-term war. Talk to her and take the fuel filter. If you need it, there is a hotspot and a weapons and supply dealer.
After replenishing your supplies, you can also take on additional tasks, of which there are many here, and they are quite easy to complete. Once you've finished exploring the village, return to the resistance camp. To do this, cross the bridge back (where you talked to Pascal) and keep to the left path.
After passing the path, you will find yourself at a destroyed house. Having reached the iron barriers, look for a passage there that blocked the box. Slide it to open a shortcut between the Machine Village and the City Ruins. After talking with the resistance leader, return to Pascal through the open cut. After talking with her, the attack of cars on the city ruins will begin, move to the indicated point.
In total, Nier: Automata has several dozen types of weapons, which are divided into four categories: small swords, big swords, spears And fighting brass knuckles. Each weapon in the game is unique and has special abilities, for example, increased attack speed, increased damage when the character is at full health, and other bonuses. Almost all weapons in Nier: Automata are unlocked through levels and are given as rewards for fulfilling certain conditions. And only a small part is sold in stores from traders. The damage dealt and tactics for completing the game depend on the choice of weapon. It is impossible to collect a complete collection of weapons in one playthrough of the game; even a thorough exploration of the game world does not guarantee success. The task is further complicated by the fact that to obtain some types of weapons it is necessary to use different characters, who, thanks to their abilities, will be able to receive a reward.
Video guide with the location of all weapons in NieR: Automata
Locations of Small Swords in Nier: Automata
| Name | Damage | Chapter | Character | Location | Map | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient Overlord | 150 - 185 | 2-1 | any | - | - | |
| Beastbane | 190 - 210 | 2-1 | any | Sold by the arms dealer in the Resistance Camp location. | - | - |
| Cruel Oath | 150 - 180 | - | - | Character 9S's standard weapon. | - | - |
| Cypress Stick | 60 - 80 | 6-3 | any | It lies in a chest on a stone arch near a cliff, opposite the castle, in the Forest Area location. To get to the chest, you need to make double jumps, use a robot assistant and columns. | - | - |
| Engine Blade | 160 - 200 | 2-2 | any | Stored in a chest in a room inside the factory in the Factory Area. To get to the chest, you need to jump over six platforms. | - | - |
| Faith | 160 - 190 | 15-2 | 9S | Stored in a chest in the tower in the Flooded City location. | - | - |
| Iron Pipe | 30 - 220 | 4-1 | any | Caught with a fishing rod in the sewers in the Amusement Park Area. | - | - |
| Machine Sword | 140 - 210 | 5-1 | any | - | - | |
| Phoenix Dagger | 130 - 190 | 2-1 | any | Lies in a chest at the bottom of the gorge in the City Ruins location. Landmarks: a suspension bridge leading to the forest area and a waterfall. You can go down into the gorge by elevator if you turn right from the bridge and walk along the path. | - | - |
| Type-3 Sword | 130 - 220 | 9-1 | 2B | - | - | |
| Type-40 Sword | 140 - 190 | 7-1 | 2B | Complete the “Find a Present” task, which is issued by operator 60 after completing the “Desert Rose” task. The reward comes to the email along with the email “Operator 60: Thanks!” | - | - |
| Virtuous Contract | 150 - 180 | - | - | Character 2B's standard weapon. | - | - |
| YoRHa Issue Blade | 150 - 180 | 7-1 | 2B | Complete the task "11B"s Momentos", which is issued by 16D in the Hangar in the Bunker Area location. | - | - |
Locations of Large Swords in Nier: Automata
| Name | Damage | Chapter | Character | Location | Map | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beastlord | 320 - 350 | 2-1 | any | Sold by the arms dealer in the Resistance Camp location. | - | - |
| Cruel Blood Oath | 300 - 330 | 3-1 | 9S | Found behind a locked door at the end of an underground cave in the Desert Area. | - | - |
| Fang of the Twins | 310 - 320 | 3-1 | any | Appears after breaking into a chest in the Housing Complex in the Desert Area. The chest lies on the fire escape near the roof of the house near the access point. | - | - |
| Iron Will | 250 - 360 | 7-2 | any | Appears after scanning a destroyed bridge with a scanning device (Scanner Pod) in the Flooded City location. | - | - |
| Machine Ax | 280 - 350 | 5-1 | any | Sold in the store of the arms dealer in Pascal's Village. | - | - |
| Phoenix Sword | 270 - 340 | 2-1 | 9S | Appears after breaking into a chest around the corner of a stone outbuilding in the landing zone in the City Ruins location. | - | - |
| Type-3 Blade | 280 - 360 | 9-1 | 2B | Sold by the twins in the Resistance Camp location. | - | - |
| Type-40 Blade | 320 - 330 | 6-1 | 9S | Complete the “Data Analysis Freak 2” task, which is given by operator 210 in the control room in the Bunker location after completing the “Data Analysis Freak 1” task. | - | - |
| Virtuous Treaty | 300 - 330 | 2-2 | any | It lies near the access point opposite the entrance to the factory in the Factory Area, where the boss battle took place. | - | - |
Spears locations in Nier: Automata
| Name | Damage | Chapter | Character | Location | Map | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beastcourse | 240 - 265 | 6-3 | any | Hidden in a chest on the balcony on the top floor of the castle in the Forest Area. | - | - |
| Cruel Arrogance | 300 - 330 | 13-1 | 9S | Stored in a locked room in the temple near the hangar on the lower level of the Factory Area. | - | - |
| Dragoon Lance | 250 - 260 | 6-3 | any | Stored in a chest in the cave to the right of the waterfall behind Lunar Tear in the Forest Area. | - | - |
| Machine Spear | 210 - 260 | 5-1 | any | Sold in the store of the arms dealer in Pascal's Village. | - | - |
| Phoenix Lance | 210 - 250 | 3-1 | any | Appears after scanning the area with a scanning device (Scanner Pod) in the Desert Area. The location of the weapon may vary. | - | - |
| Spear of the Usurper | 220 - 270 | 3-1 | 9S | Complete the task “Heritage of the Past”, which is issued in the Desert Area. | - | - |
| Type-3 Lance | 200 - 280 | 7-2 | any | Hidden in a chest on the roof of a flooded building, opposite the destroyed bridge, in the Flooded City location. To fly across the water, you need to use a jump and a robot assistant. It is important to stay in the air as long as possible. | - | - |
| Type-40 Lance | 240 - 250 | 8-1 | 9S | Appears after completing the mission "YoRHa Betrayers" in the City Ruins location, which begins with reading the "Trends Among the Machines" email. You can read incoming messages through the access point. | - | - |
| Virtuous Dignity | 220 - 240 | 4-1 | any | It lies in the courtyard at the exit of the sewer in the Amusement Park Area. To take the weapon, you need to go down the long stairs into the sewer, run through the tunnel and get out on the other side to the surface along the same stairs. | - | - |
Combat Bracers locations in Nier: Automata
| Name | Damage | Chapter | Character | Location | Map | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel's Folly | 570 - 627 | 4-17 | any | Sold by Emil in the City Ruins location. If the robot refuses to sell the weapon or it does not appear in the list, you should restart the game and try again. | - | - |
| Bare Fists | 100 - 100 | - | - | Standard weapon for characters 2B and 9S. | - | - |
| Cruel Lament | 120 - 150 | 6-3 | any | Gives to Masamune in the secret room of the castle in the Forest Area. | - | - |
| Demon's Cry | 100 - 180 | 4-4 | 9S | Appears after breaking into a chest on the lower level of the Amusement Park Area. The chest is located behind a pile of computers to the left of the exit from the boss room where the battle with Beauvoir took place. | - | - |
| Machine Heads | 110 - 160 | 15-1 | 9S | Purchased from Pascal in Pascal's Village after fulfilling his request to hack the robot, scan the access point, extract and deliver information. | - | - |
| Type-3 Fists | 110 - 170 | 4-17 | any | Sold by Emil in the City Ruins location. If the robot refuses to sell the weapon or it does not appear in the list, you should restart the game and try again. | - | - |
| Type-40 Fists | 140 - 150 | 2-1 | 9S | Appears after breaking open the chest next to the container behind the access point in the Resistance Camp location. | - | - |
| Virtuous Grief | 120 - 150 | 6-3 | any | Lies on an altar in a hollow tree next to the waterfalls near the central access point in the Forest Area. | - | - |
Each weapons can be upgraded four times. But the sellers Resistance Camp and Pascal’s Village can only update it up to level 3. After upgrading any weapon to level 3, the sellers will give you a hint about the sword master and tell you that he is the only one who can reveal to you the true potential of your weapon. The last time he was seen was somewhere in the forest area.
Below we will tell you in detail where to find a master blacksmith and how to improve weapons to the highest level. Along the way, you can get two achievements/trophies “Tools of the Trade” and “Inorganic Blade”.
Important: visiting a blacksmith and upgrading weapons (in total) is an important and mandatory condition for obtaining ending Y: head[Y] battle . .
NieR Automata How to upgrade weapons to maximum level
The blacksmith's name is Masamune and he is located in the forest. It's easy to miss and not find if you don't know the way to it. As you progress through the game in normal mode, you will be able to open the location Forest Castle, to which you can then return.
Where to find a blacksmith in NieR Automata
From location Forest Castle: Royal Chamber go right towards the broken bridge. You can also get there from the other side of the bridge :)
Jump down to the second level and go left.
An obstacle in the form of a block awaits you, and you will also hear characteristic sounds of a forge ringing metal. Move the block and the path to the blacksmith will open behind it.
Blacksmith Forest Blacksmith will be able to upgrade weapons from level 3 to level 4, and it costs 10,000 gold. But you will also need other resources, so try to save them.