Part 126: Episode CXXI: Intel and Inventory

Episode CXXI: Intel and Inventory



After that series of unfortunate events, we’re dumped back on the character select screen. We’re now done with A2’s segment of the game (not that we’re done playing as her yet) so we now need to wrap up 9S’s path.



If you were wondering why Pod-153 said she didn’t know anything about A2’s whereabouts why clearly in contact with Pod-042, it’s because it was outright lying and the Pods a trying to avoid the two parties from interacting as long as possible. Nobody ever said Pods weren’t allowed to lie.



Proposal: Commence data overhaul immediately.
Pod, search for the other structural units. I need to find those authorization keys and destroy the Tower.
Alert: Combat inadvisable during abnormal vital conditions.
It’s fine. Run the search.
Scanning. Actively operating enemy large structural unit detected in accessible location. Marking location on map.


Music: Rays of Light



Our new objective is the Resource Unit we briefly saw back in the Flooded City. Going there will lead to the conclusion of this chapter, which is a cut-off point for the last batch of sidequests.



Since we’re already in the Forest Zone, we’re going to go check out a sidequest that has been hanging in 9S’s exclusivity window since we first got the option to pick characters in Route C.



This involves a trek over to the top floor of the Forest Kingdom Castle. As we approach the area, we happen to receive an email correspondence. This better not be Emil giving fishing tips again...



It’s that android on the moon keeping up the lie that there’s definitely still humans up here, ignore anything you hear about some Project Gestalt business or something called Replicants. Fake news, all of it. Glory to mankind.





They’ve actually bothered to post guards at the castle gates this go around. A bit too little, too late guys. The Forest King has already been assassinated. Twice, if you believe that was another copy of it as the Meat Box Resource Unit core.


Music: Forest Kingdom (Dynamic)





Everyone in the castle itself has leveled up to appropriate Level 50+ range for Route C and a few guards have been swapped out with Enhanced Legday units. Everyone is quite mad at androids at the moment, but they’ve got nothing to say that we hadn’t heard our first tear through the area to get to the Resource Unit on side questing with A2.





This sidequest giver is located at the very top floor of the far eastern ruined Library chamber of the castle, just above the entrance to the old forest king’s grave. What do you know? It’s another Scanner unit from YoRHa. That makes a whole four confirmed NPC survivors. I still don’t think we’ll be able to start a baseball team anytime soon...

Let’s see what’s up.



Yeah. I’m 9S, by the way.
Oh yeah, I’ve heard of you... You’re the model people used to call “Nines”, right?
Yeah.
I’m 4S. It’s impressive that you’re still alive, 9S.
You’re a Type-4 model, eh? You guys were deployed pretty early on if I remember correctly.
I sure wasn’t expecting to run into another Scanner model. Not after what happened to the Bunker...
So what are you doing here?
Gathering intel on the enemy. YoRHa might be a thing of the past, but the Resistance is still around. So as long as my body works, I figure I should make myself useful. If you have any information about local enemies, can you share it with me? There’s only so much I can do on my own.
Sure. I’ll give you everything I have at the moment.



So begins easily the biggest pain in the ass quest in the game. And that is counting a sidequest that requires every single weapon to be obtained and upgraded to maximum level.



So 4S actually wants Unit Data entries in our Intel log. Specifically, to complete the quest fully we need to get a 95% completion rate of enemies. We’re at 80% right now having completed 92% of sidequests and killed every machine and corrupted android along the way. We’ll maybe get another 5-7% completion by going through the remainder of the game and hitting Ending C. There’s maybe another 2% hitting post-game boss fights against Level 99 enemies.



So what’s the missing percentages? RNG, baby! Enemy that will only spawn at random points at specific times in the story with the RNG gods determining if rare spawns will occur such as say a EMP capable version of X enemy that looks literally identical to all the others or a 10% chance an Enhanced Model (red dude) version of an enemy will spawn at a specific place at a specific story event. This quest is straight up impossible to complete before hitting Ending C which might unlock some ways to make toying with the RNG slightly more manageable.

This is the part of the LP I have been dreading doing most because it’ll be just 3-4 hours of me dicking around listening to a podcast getting annoyed one specific version of one fucker doesn’t wanna show up so I can get an extra percentage or two.



Thanks again, Nines. You’re really helping out here. Here’s something for your trouble. Let me know if you find any more data, all right?





This jerk is at least nice enough to give out some rewards at certain thresholds. Specifically, 75% and upward to 95% total.



We will not be visiting this jerk Scanner unit again until the postgame wrap-up. This quest will just linger in our log until likely just before the LP is finished. So that’s fun. It sitting there reminding me I have to go do this trash quest... Again...



Speaking of suffering... That’s it for the Forest Kingdom and sidequests. There’s another thing we can do while we’re in the region, though. Now that we’ve concluded the grim fate of Pascal’s Village, what do you say we pop over there as 9S, eh?


Music: Wretched Weaponry (Quiet)



We could have visited here any time as 9S past the title drop of Route C and he would be greeted with the machine corpse filled ruins of the Machine Village. All 9S does is let out a troubled gasp at seeing all the friendly machines dead. BUT... since we’ve finished up deciding Pascal’s fate and erased his memories...



...Our pal Pascal is actually hanging out here now. Hey, buddy... How’s it err... how’s it going...?


Music: Wretched Weaponry (Quiet Vocal)



Pity about all the junk, however. I keep trying to clear it away, but it seems to be never-ending.
Pascal, that’s...
Pascal? Hmm. That sounds oddly familiar. Ah, well. Would you like to take a look at my wares?



So Pascal has now become a special merchant. For what, you ask...?



...Aww, Christ! Yep, Pascal is now selling the dismembered body parts of his former townsfolk.



He also salvaged the Machine Cores from the machine children that went through the suicide pact. I mean, it was just a bunch of junk going to waste as far as he knew. You know, because of the memory wipe and all. The Children’s Cores can be sold at any other merchant for 50,000 G. BEST VALUE! The Machine Arms, Legs, Torso and Head are all high end weapon upgrade material, usually for maximum level upgrades with Masamune.



The Machine Heads, however, is a new weapon if 9S wants to box with the severed head of one of the machines he did a sidequest for back in happier times. These morbid Combat Bracers provide a Machine Discount at robot merchants still alive, including Pascal. At maximum upgrade it gains Machine Brand which permanent buffs the weapon damage for every foe killed, topping out at 500 kills.


Yep... that’s about what I expected. Of COURSE they’re machine child heads. Those are the easiest to pop off. Everyone knows that!



......



And that concludes the relevance of the Machine Village in NieR: Automata. Tune in next time when we hang out with some old friends and hear about their depressing lives as adventures in sad robots having awful times continues!






Video: Episode 121 Highlight Reel





Forest Castle Concept Art – Should have just razed this castle to the ground the first time we were here...