NieR: Automata's Permadeath Mechanics: Understanding and Recovering from Death
NieR: Automata, despite its seemingly straightforward gameplay, incorporates unforgiving rogue-like elements. Death can result in significant setbacks, particularly in the late game, due to the potential permanent loss of valuable items and upgrades. However, there's a window of opportunity to mitigate these losses. This guide explains the death penalty and how to recover your lost equipment and experience.
The Death Penalty in NieR: Automata
Upon death, you lose all experience points (XP) earned since your last save. More critically, you lose all currently equipped Plug-In Chips. While Plug-In Chips are replaceable, some are rare and expensive to acquire, making their loss a considerable blow. Respawning leaves your equipped chip slots empty, requiring you to re-equip or select a preset.
The lost Plug-In Chips aren't permanently lost. You have one chance to retrieve them. However, dying again before recovering your body results in the permanent loss of those chips.
Recovering Your Body in NieR: Automata
After respawning, your immediate priority is recovering your body. A blue body icon appears on your map, indicating its location. Interacting with your body restores your Plug-In Chips. You then face a crucial choice:
Repair: This option forgoes the lost XP, but transforms your previous body into an AI companion that will assist you until it is destroyed.
Retrieve: This option restores the lost XP earned since your last save.
Regardless of your choice, you can re-equip your recovered Plug-In Chips, overriding your current setup. Alternatively, you can choose to add them back to your inventory without altering your current equipment.
