The Let's Play Archive

NieR: Automata

by The Dark Id

Part 87: Episode LXXXV: Father Servo's Final Lessons

Episode LXXXV: Father Servo’s Final Lessons


Music: Rays of Light (Medium)



Trucking right along. We’ve only got three quests left in the City Ruins. Well, two really. One is just a continuation of a questline we resumed in the previous update. You can probably guess what it is from the update title.



Father Servo’s tutelage still beckons on the horizon. And... welp. Probably should have seen him eventually turning into a Goliath Biped coming. Frankly, I’m surprised it wasn’t sooner. Let’s go chat before the next bout...



Uuuuuuuh...
This IS that same weird monk machine as before, right?
Oh ho! Father Servo has used the gifts of his flock to make himself powerful beyond imagining! Dare you taste the forbidden fruits of his labors!?
<Taste the forbidden fruits.> <Go hungry.>
Father Servo is born anew!


Music: Birth of a Wish



I’m admittedly not really familiar with the significance of assorted martial arts belts beyond black belts being experts and white belts being jobbers that get dunked on in training sessions. With some in-between ones that I assume qualify as mid-boss status. I did some research (meaning I just looked at Wikipedia) since it’s relevant. Saved you a click:

"Wikipedia on Red Belts posted:



A Red Belt is one of several colored belts used in some martial arts where each practitioner's level is marked by the color of the belt, these are most commonly those of Kodokan style Judo origin. Like the more commonly known Black Belt, its use varies between arts, with most using it for the style founder, Grandmaster or other high rank, while others use it as the immediately pre-black belt rank or even to denote a beginner who holds no rank. In some schools, a red belt signifies ninth or tenth degree Dan rank, where the tenth degree is the highest rank attainable.

In karate, even though grandmasters and non-black belts (according to whatever system) may both wear a "red belt", the difference is obvious. Not only is there a clear difference in age, but the respective belts are different, as well: Dan rank belts are broader, with kyu (pre-black belt) rank belts normally having a width of 4 centimeters and dan rank belts having a width of 5 centimeters. Also, the grandmaster's red belt is usually darker in color and embroidered with the person's name and style (as customary for dan rank belts).
  • In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the 7th degree belt is red and black, the 8th degree belt is red and white, and the 9th and 10th degree belts are solid red.
  • In the Japanese martial art of Judo, at 6th degree (dan) the belt is replaced by an alternately red and white belt, and at 9th degree it is replaced by a solid red belt.
  • In most Okinawan Karate styles and in some schools of Kobudo (Okinawan weaponry), the alternately red and white belt is used for 7 and 8 dans, whereas the solid red belt is used for 9 and 10 dans, which are purely honorary, i.e. cannot be attained by applying for (and passing) the respective exam. From 7 dan onwards, a practitioner is allowed to use the title shihan, which translates as "expert examples"
  • In modern Karate, as governed by the World Karate Federation and its subsidiary federations, red (aka) and ao (blue) belts are worn by competitors. Only red and blue belts are to be worn for competition, with foot and fist pads of the corresponding color for kumite competition. In tournaments sanctioned by the Japan Karate Association (JKA), red (aka) and white (shiro) belts (colors of the Japanese flag)were previously worn. However, this practice has largely been replaced after the 1980s, with both competitors now wearing black belts and the athlete designated as aka wearing a thin red tassel on his/her belt.
  • Usually in traditional Korean taekwondo, the red belt is just before gaining a first degree black belt, or first Dan. The pattern, or poomsae, which must be learned by the practitioner in order to attain the rank varies between styles and schools.
  • In Tsien Tao Chinese Kempo, the red belt is equivalent to a sixth degree black belt (first degree master). Stripes are added to the red belt to denote second, and third degree master. A fourth degree master is represented by a red and white striped belt.
  • In Seiki Juku Karate, a red belt denotes karate-ka at 10th Kyu.
  • In Muay Thai, red belt or red munkun is highest rank which denotes 9th and 10th Dan.
  • In Vovinam, red belt is highest rank for master rank and have 7 level from zero to six.



So there you have it. I know a lot of that was about Red Belts but... well... this might not be the final Robo Dojo quest. We do have to sort out this Goliath Biped Father Servo to see though, now don’t we? Father Servo born anew, beyond the slick paint job, doesn’t have a single thing special about him. He’s exactly the same as the two dozen other Goliath Bipeds of assorted configurations we’ve trashed up to this point.



The only real thing he has going for him is a mountain of HP and tough armoring thanks to outranking us by six levels. Beating Father Servo with melee is still feasible at this point, especially if we actually used those dozens of melee damage buff items we’ve been collecting and never using. But ehh...


New Music: Birth of a Wish (Chiptune)







9S just needs to stick with what he’s good at. Can you imagine this android kid getting into an actual martial arts match hand-to-hand? We’ve already seen 9S die three times. We don’t need another repeat performance.



Really, the only significant part of this battle was that I don’t think I’ve ever shown off the Goliath Biped’s grab attack. So enjoy 9S getting dunked on something fierce. If we were just a couple levels lower and I didn’t have those HP boosting and damage reducing chips installed on our boy here, that probably would have one-shot him. Not that it’s possible to die against Father Servo. Running out of HP just results in the match being lost and the battle having to be restarted.





Despite 9S’s chaos dunking, we won’t be having further issues dealing with the penultimate Father Servo match. Hacking is basically like punching for nerds.


Music: Rays of Light (Vocal)



Father Servo requires a gold ore, a piece of filler metal, a pristine cable, and a large battery.
I dunno, 2B. What do you think? I feel like all this fighting is a big waste of time. Plus it’s starting to get REALLY expensive!
It’s not a waste. Our own skills improve each time we spar with this machine.
Such wisdom! May the thousand blessings of a random and unspecified god rain down upon you!



As it turns out, RNGesus did smile upon us in the past and provide all of the necessary components to complete this stage of the questline. Gold ore is a random drop in the Flooded City as well as a quest reward we got from that Photographs quest ages ago. Filler Metal is a farmable drop in several spots in the Abandoned Factory and lord knows we’ve been through there enough to pick up some. Pristine Cables we just received from the Game Dev Machine Lv. 2 quest not long ago. Large Batteries are dropped by Medium Quadrupeds and Bipeds in assorted areas.

Here, take all this junk. It’s only high level weapon upgrade material I’m going to have to go get again. Wait... dammit!



Oh ho! Now Father Servo can finally achieve oneness with the universe!
You don’t say.
Just wait, my child! When you return, Father Servo will be more powerful than you can possibly imagine!



And that completes Robo Dojo—Red and White Belt. Ranged Defense is a pretty decent chip as it just reduces damage from projectiles. I usually try to have one of those and its physical attack equivalent equipped. Even if it’s just a base level chip, it’s a decent buff compared to having nothing.



In any case, there is one final bout in the Robo Dojo left. Unlike most sidequests where we need to load a new area to progress it to the next state, Father Servo has become such a pro at body modification that he’ll have transmogrified to his final form by just running a block or two away.

Behold: The Final Father Servo!



......
You’ve, uh, had a lot of work done.
Indeed! And all thanks to you! Well then? Think you can face the full might of Father Servo’s power?
<Face the full might of the Father.> <Walk away from this nonsense.>
Then we fight!




Music: Birth of a Wish New Music: ?????



The winner of this tournament is the strongest team in the world. These fighters are as good as they come. Hardcore fans have eagerly been anticipating this event and now the wait is over. Check your training wheels at the door, ladies and gentlemen! This is going to be one incredible battle that won’t easily be forgotten! The time has come... when the new history is finally going to unfold. You can feel the intensity in the air as the hopes... dreams... and hearts of these warriors are about to be put to the ultimate test of skill. What they are after is... the title of the world’s strongest! Now.. a-a-are you ready to g-get it on?!





Red Belt Father Servo is a Level 60 Medium Biped that punches REAL hard and umm... Err... Well, no... That’s kind of all he does, unfortunately. He also occasionally does a downward stomp like most Medium Bipeds. But it’s mostly heavy punching. He can also tank just about all hits outclassing us by 16 Levels. But, we do have a tried and true method of dealing with that...







Some may say it was that it was luck that helped this team advance. That doesn’t matter to me because the bottom line is that this team won! They’d just better keep in mind that luck works in many mysterious ways...



Okay. We’re done now, right? I mean, this HAS to be the end.
Oh, my child. How wrong you are. For if Father Servo wishes to be truly strong, he must stake his very life upon it!
Oh, for the love of...



RESURRECTION!
Grant Father Servo no quarter! This will be a battle to the death! <eyes flash red>


Music: Birth of a Wish



HEAVEN OR HELL?! LET’S ROCK!







Behold! The final form of Father Servo. He... just regains all his health for a second round and this time if 9S loses all his HP he’ll actually die. Sadly, he doesn’t get any sick unique abilities or even a buff to his attack power. We’ve just got to defeat him and his semi-powerful punches a second time.







A real kicker would have been something like disabling hacking which would make this a real challenge. As it standing, Hacking is still OP as hell with zero way for Father Servo to counter it. Nothing ever figures out that blocking 9S’s ridiculously powerful hacking is a decent tactic other than the first round against Simone.



If we were being honorable, again stacking attack buffs plus abusing Taunting (Double damage dealt and received) goes a long way to taking out the machine monk. This fight at least is not remotely hard to do normally. It’s just incredibly tedious and do you want to waste 10-15 minutes of your time or just hack him twice and move on to more content?

Sorry Father Servo...



For he has found a foe... strong enough to withstand him... Here... Your earthly reward...



Powerup Part S is one of the unique parts needed to get our Pods to Level 2. We got one from mid-way through the Golden Machines quest and another from Anemone’s Past. This completes the set. Memory Alloy is also a pretty rare upgrade material. But anyway...


New Music: Faltering Prayer [Dawn Breeze] (You should listen to this because it only plays like twice ever.)



.....





...Huh.



And I suppose that ends the Robo Dojo questline and the lessons of Father Servo. He finally found the strongest opponent: the only two androids he ever fought who repeatedly beat him. The path to enlightenment was before him the entire time. Or... something like that. Before we depart, 9S and 2B have a final conversation on the subject.



If I ever see that bossy robo-monk again, it’ll be too soon, let me tell you.
I suppose.
......
Stupid machine. All he cared about was getting stronger until we finally scrapped him. But now we don’t have to see him ever again. What a relief!
...Indeed.



Shut the fuck up, 9S! We all know what you really feel, deep down in your mechanical heart...

Farewell, Father Servo.






Video: Episode 85 Highlight Reel





City Ruins Concept Art – 9S, you really gotta stop skipping leg day.