NieR: Automata's Permadeath Mechanics: Understanding and Recovering from Death
NieR: Automata features unforgiving rogue-like elements. Death isn't just a setback; it can result in permanent loss of valuable items and significant progress. However, there's a window of opportunity to mitigate these losses. This guide explains the death penalty and how to recover your body.
The Death Penalty: What You Lose
Dying in NieR: Automata results in the loss of:
- Experience Points (XP): All XP earned since your last save is lost.
- Equipped Plug-In Chips: All chips currently equipped are lost. While you can find replacements, rarer chips require significant investment and time to acquire. Respawning leaves your equipped chip slots empty.
The lost Plug-In Chips aren't permanently gone. You have one chance to recover them. Failure to retrieve your body before dying again results in the permanent loss of those chips.
Recovering Your Body: A Second Chance
Upon respawning, locate your body using the blue body icon on the map. Interacting with your body returns your lost Plug-In Chips. You then have two options:
1. Repair: This option doesn't restore lost XP, but transforms your previous body into an AI companion that will assist you until it's destroyed.
2. Retrieve: This 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, or simply add them back to your inventory. Choose wisely! The decision impacts your immediate resources and long-term strategy.
