Part 83: Episode LXXXI: 21O
Episode LXXXI: 21O
Music: Fortress of Lies (Vocal)
Then they were dead this whole time... Its going to take some time to roll back all of those baked in alien slaying one-liners we included with newer model androids.
Welcome to Earf!
If it bleeds, we can kill it.
<grumbles> Right... OK. This has to be kept confidential. Speak of it to no one.
Of course.
What should we do now, Commander?
Oh... umm... Hmm... Why dont you two hmph... Hmmmmm... I dont know... Hm... How about... the individual known as Pascal seems worth investigating. Yes, thats right... Check that out and gain more intel.
You mean that freaky machine we ran into?
This order comes directly from the Council.
Really, it seems like you just thou
You have your orders. Move out!
Understood.
......
We have our orders but were going to go ahead and ignore those for now. Check out that mini-map in the corner. There be a sidequest hanging out on the Bunker. Im pretty sure thats around where Operator 21O has her station. Lets see what she wants while were in the area.
What am I doing? I am analyzing data.
Is this part of your current assignment?
No, it is merely a hobby.
Wait, really?
The world contains a vast amount of data. Coordinates. Network node readings. Photographic images. And so on. Analyzing this data can often lead to discovering new information. I spend my downtime seeking out such information.
That seems kind of boring. I mean, no offense.
It is more interesting than engaging in mindless banter.
Hey!
Still, there might be a way to make this chatter less mindless. There is a data terminal in the abandoned factory that I cannot access with our satellites. If you feel like helping, you can head over there and transfer the data to me.
<Happily agree to help.>
Wonderful. Ill send the coordinates at once. The terminal is kind of hard to find, so keep your eyes peeled.
Ill let you know once I find it.
Please examine the abandoned factory at your earliest convenience.
So begins the Data Analysis Freak sidequest. Operator 6O spent all her down time looking at pictures of flowers and cute puppies. Operator 21O just falls down Wikipedia browsing pits for hours on end instead. Ive been there... I suppose we can help her out next time were back on Earth.
Which will be in just a moment since theres nothing else to be done in the Bunker. But before we go, we did receive a couple of emails we ought to browse while were on the high speed Bunker connection.
One of the emails is just Jackass trying to
Hypothesis: The numbers may indicate coordinates. There are 3 locations: The desert, the flooded city, and the forest.
Sounds interesting. Mark em on the map.
Affirmative.
This begins the Mysterious Letter sidequest. Which... isnt really a sidequest. This is the game going hey you bought the DLC, go to these locations to access it you dingus! Spoilers: The DLC is behind those Apologetic Machine elevator doors we saw back in Route A. Theres a third one we didnt see down in the Forest Zone we passed because it was around a way too high level enemy involved in a sidequest.
We will be covering the DLC eventually. Its mostly gimmicky combat arenas. But there are story elements to it as well. However, this is not the day well be checking that out. Lets head back down groundside and get our bearings.
Music: Rays of Light (Quiet)
As you can, following the events in the Alien Mothership and the unlocking of Fast Travel, the game has decide to just dump ALL of the sidequests of Route B in our lap (as well as assorted ones we never got around to in Route A) in our lap at once. So weve got a ton of options open at this point.
However, 21O did come out ahead of the pack and gave us a sidequest before we even had time to explore other options. Itd frankly be rude to ignore her request in favor of some latecomers. So lets head over to the worlds most densely inhabited Abandoned Factory.
There is something of note on the way. Tucked behind this (frankly looking great for being several millennia old) rusted truck is another electronically locked treasure chest. Hacking this produces a Paper Attached to Vehicle. Lets take a look.
Kenichi Sato is the current CEO and President of PlatinumGames. Yosuke Saito is one of the producers of NieR: Automata. All I could find about Maihama is a train station in Urayasu which is also home to the Tokyo Disney Resort. Not sure what that has to do with anything though...
Music: Wretched Weaponry (Instrumental)
Anyway, off we go to the Abandoned Factory. Weve already seen absolutely everything this area has to offer back in Route A. This quest is just another bout of running a good distance through the same exact area again until we reach our goal.
Enemies this go around are at least competitively leveled versions of the jerks we saw in Route A instead of Level 1-3 jobbers. Still the same exact enemy placement though, so nothing to see here. 9S does have some commentary as we make our way through the factory...
I wonder what it used to be like?
Accessing historical records... Analysis: This location was once used for weapons production and experimentation.
No kidding? What kind of weapons?
Humanoid combat robots. Common examples include the P-22 and P-33 models.
Human-shaped weapons, huh? Wonder if they worked like flight units.
Unknown. No image-based information exists.
Of all the things to get most heavily referenced in a sequel to NieR, it was not the goofy ass looking P-33 robot boss from the Junk Heap I expected to be out in front. Then again, I suppose the twins being androids out of nowhere and robots in general being the main core of a sequel wasnt expected either.
Remember that shortcut we opened in that semi-hidden alcove back in Route A (theres a switch with a drawbridge beyond this)? Thats where we need to head for this sidequest as theres now an accessible panel in the middle of the room. But first weve got to deal with a small mob of shield wielding medium biped machines. But weve done that dozens of times already. Cmon machines. Its like yall arent even trying. I know 9S can mind jack and make you commit suicide at will or make your heads explode with his mind and such. But this is sad.
Now I just have to send it to her.
Alert: Poor reception in this area is preventing data upload. Proposal: Unit 9S should move to an area with better reception.
Got it.
As with most frikkin sidequests that involve slumming in the Abandoned Factory again, we need to wander all the way out to progress the quest further. No enemies along the way. Its just running back the way we came for a couple minutes.
Music: ENDS
Pod, upload that data to Operator 21O.
Affirmative.
This is 9S.
I received the data you sent. Its... fascinating. It appears to be the journal of a human who once worked in the factory.
What, like a diary?
Yes. According to this, the man worked long hours on an almost daily basis. He says, and I quote, They are working me like a machine. Working like a machine to build a machine? Humans truly were strange creatures.
Sounds like it.
Ill send your reward later.
Wait, I can get rewarded for doing this?
I didnt say you would not get a reward.
Noooooo, but...
<disconnects>
H-Hey! Dont disconnect me!
Report: Mail notification received from access point.
Like the similar questline with Operator 6O, we need to go hit up the nearest Access Point and check our email to complete this quest.
It is three Ikea furniture instruction booklets which are classified as ancient human puzzles. Well, thanks 21O. Its the thought that counts.
That concludes the Data Analysis Freak sidequest. However, were not quite done yet. Theres a follow-up sidequest involving 21O. However, to actually trigger it we need to move to another zone. The exterior of the Abandoned Factory is technically counted as the City Ruins still. However, teleporting anywhere with fast travel counts as swapping zones, even if its within the same region. So...
Music: Peaceful Sleep
...Well just pop on over to the Resistance Camp again and mosey on out in tiny bit beyond its borders to trigger a call from 21O.
Im here.
Ive sent you a new data-retrieval request. Please read it. Over. <disconnects>
Hey, wait just a... She didnt even give me a chance to turn her down this time!
And thus were immediately thrust into Data Analysis Freak 2. We need to go hit up the Access Point for further instructions. So lets just double back and do that now.
I guess I was wrong about not going back to the Desert Housing anytime soon. I thought this quest came later. Guess not. I can confidently say that this is the very last time we ever have to set foot in this region for the remainder of the game.
Music: Memories of Dust (Vocal)
This quest is pretty short and simple. We just need to collect three items that have spawned in the area. Theres a few lingering desert machines hanging out in the area but its not necessary to engage with any combat to complete this quest. All of the items are right around the area fire escape where we picked up the Fang of the Twins weapon way back early in Route A. That building ahead to the left of center thats washed out by bloom is where that weapon was obtained.
The first is in some rubble of a collapsed building the left of where we pilfered Fang of the Twins. What have we got here...?
Whats this? Says ledger on it... Oh well, more junk for the Operator!
The second item is by a rusted out road sign a bit further in. Just beyond this is where we had to fight the mob of machines saying androids were scary, ending in the one Desert Goliath Biped. Here we have...
A shoe, hm? Mustve belonged to a child. Id say this counts as a remnant of mankind.
The final item is directly across the street from the Fang of the Twins chest, hidden between two short ruined walls. I definitely didnt run in circles for ten minutes getting annoyed I couldnt find this one the first time I played the game. No sir. Lastly, we have...
Is this... a toy? I guess the Operator would be interested in this.
Im disappointed there isnt a Beepy toy available anywhere. As soon as we obtain the third item, 9S calls up 21O to update her on the quest progress.
Broken toys... Dirty ledgers... Small shoes... Pod, take a photo of this junk and send it to Operator 21O.
Affirmative.
Hellooooooo, Operator! How can I help you?
Ive received your data.
Great. Does it seem useful?
That depends on what I do with it.
Oh. All right.
It IS, however, fascinating. I was aware that humans used to live in groups... But I did not know they coexisted in such a wide variety of ways. Im sure youre aware that most humans subsisted in small familial units?
Er... familial?
A family is a group of people that share a connection by blood or social custom.
......
If androids had a similar system of families...
......
Operator? Are you there?
Ive said too much. I must return to my duties. <disconnects>
...Aaaand she disconnected me.
Rude. But 21O calls back after a few seconds...
Music: Vague Hope
Ive sent mail with a reward. Please read it. ...And 9S? Thank you. <disconnects>
Man, she disconnected me AGAIN! Well, if shes thanking me, I guess it must have gone okay. Er, right?
Purpose of question unknown.
To top off this quest we need to return to an Access Point and check out one last email from 21O. Lets take a look at the message and our reward.
Much like 6Os sidequest, fulfilling 21Os task showers up with a ton of junk including a new Pod Program and weapon. Unfortunately, neither are particularly as good as 6Os bounty. But well take it.
The Type-4O Blade is a Large Sword companion piece to the Type-4O Sword and Type-4O fist. It also the same upgrade augmentations of Stun-Up and the Energy Charge electricity elemental attack at maximum level. Maybe this one will actually have a weapon history story...
Type-4O Blade posted:
Development Journal: 0504 Takada
I've come up with an incredible ideasomething no one has ever
done before. I'm going to start testing it out first thing in the
morning.
Development Journal: 0704 Takada
The boss turned down my idea of infusing metallic alloys with
magical elements. Thrice-damned fool! Doesn't he see how much
money we could make from this?
Development Journal: 1201 Takada
Things aren't going well. My hair is falling out. I think it's the
stress. I've got to find a way to make this project succeed, and
soon!
Development Journal: 1215 Fujita
I looked over the data, but couldn't work out the problem. I'm
not giving up though. With Takada dead, It's up to me--I'm the
only one who can carry on his work...
Guys, cmon. Do NOT try to science magic into swords. Thats multiple levels of experimentation that will fuck you over. Have some common sense! Sheesh!
Before we wrap up, lets take a look at Pod Program A110: Slow. Boy I never found a remote use for this one. As the name implies, this Pod Program slows down time... only within a small targeted area for like... 5 seconds. With a semi-hefty 12-15 second cooldown time.
At Level 3 charge, Slows radius massively increases and... thats it. Its still only five seconds of making all machines within range move like molasses with a 22-25 second cooldown time. Theres plug-in chips that serve the same exact function as this without wasting a Pod Program slot. Maybe theres some hot tech Im unaware of that puts this to use. But I found Slow useless as all hell.
Thanks anyway, 9Ss
Video: Episode 81 Highlight Reel
Operator 21O Render Do those communicator veils give the operators augmented smelling senses too?