NieR: Automata, a critically acclaimed action role-playing game, features a remarkable total of 26 different endings. These endings are denoted by letters A through Z, offering players a rich and varied narrative experience.
Exploring NieR: Automata's Endings
The multitude of endings in NieR: Automata is a signature element of its design, encouraging players to delve deep into the game's world and mechanics. Unlike traditional games where a single playthrough concludes the story, NieR: Automata's narrative unfolds across multiple playthroughs and through various player actions.
Types of Endings
The 26 endings can generally be categorized into two main types:
- Main Story Endings (A-E): These are the primary, canon endings that advance the overarching narrative. To fully understand the game's complex story and themes, players must achieve these specific endings, which often require multiple playthroughs, starting with new game plus cycles, and making crucial decisions at pivotal moments. For instance, beating the game for the first time is not the conclusion of the story; subsequent playthroughs with different perspectives and character routes are essential to uncover the true ending.
- Joke/Non-Canon Endings (F-Z): These endings are often humorous, absurd, or provide an immediate "game over" scenario. They are typically much easier to achieve and serve as consequences for specific, sometimes unconventional, player actions or failures. Examples include:
- Failing certain missions: Intentionally letting key objectives fail or ignoring crucial tasks can lead to an abrupt ending.
- Making specific choices: Opting for unexpected dialogue choices or actions that lead to immediate demise.
- Leaving designated areas: Sometimes, simply wandering off the intended path can trigger a unique, often comical, ending.
Achieving All Endings
Acquiring all 26 endings requires a diverse approach to gameplay:
| Ending Type | Description | How to Achieve |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Endings | These five endings (A, B, C, D, E) constitute the core narrative of NieR: Automata, providing different perspectives and concluding the game's main story arcs. | Require completing the game multiple times, each time unlocking new segments of the story and playing as different characters to see the full narrative unfold. Specific choices at the game's climax are crucial for certain endings. |
| Auxiliary Endings | The remaining 21 endings (F through Z) are often referred to as "joke" or "branch" endings. They are non-canon and typically result from unusual player actions or failures, offering lighthearted or unexpected conclusions. | Can be triggered by a wide range of actions, from deliberately failing specific missions, ignoring critical objectives, dying in certain ways, making humorous or nonsensical choices, or wandering into restricted areas. |
Gamers should keep in mind that the journey to unlock every ending is part of the game's unique appeal. While some endings demand significant effort, requiring players to reach the game's conclusion and make specific, impactful choices, others are remarkably easy to obtain, often stemming from deliberate failures or peculiar interactions within the game world.
