NieR: Automata — Beginner's Guide: 2B, Combat, Chips and Endings

NieR: Automata - guide for beginners

NieR: Automata from PlatinumGames and Yoko Taro is an action RPG that starts as a stylish android slasher and ends with one of the most poignant stories in video games. The Earth has been captured by alien machines, humanity has fled to the Moon, and the androids of the YoRHa squad are fighting to reclaim the planet. This guide will help you get comfortable in the first hours and not miss what you play Automata for until ending E.

2B, 9S and A2 - three faces of one story

The calling card of the game is 2B (YoRHa No.2 Type B) : a combat android in a black dress with a signature visor headband and snow-white hair. Akihiko Yoshida's design made her one of the most recognizable characters of a generation - graceful, cold in appearance, yet incredibly human as the story unfolds. Next to her is almost always 9S , a young scanner-model whose curiosity and emotionality move the story forward. The third key figure is A2 : a long-haired prototype model with a tattered “combat” past, who plays completely differently and reveals a different side to the plot.

Short tips before starting

1. Play at least until ending C - only there the game “shows its cards”.
2. Save manually at access points: autosave is capricious.
3. Buy evasion and health chips first.
4. On route B, use the 9S hack as your main damage against crowds.
5. Don't sell upgraded weapons - the stories of the weapons in the compendium are as touching as the plot.

NieR: Automata is a rare case where the game gets better with each new playthrough. Give her three routes and she will respond with an ending that players will remember for years.