There is a secret boss fight in Nier Automata—one you can challenge on two separate occasions. Getting to this fight is a challenge and so is ultimately winning it. Here’s how to unlock the secret boss fight in Nier Automata.
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About The Secret Boss Fight in Nier Automata
The secret boss fight in the game is with none other than Emil! A fan-favorite character who made his first appearance in the first Nier title. He was a powerful combatant in Nier Replicant who eventually accompanies the main protagonist. In Automata, however, he becomes a merchant instead, literally running a shop all around City Ruins.
While the character’s change from Replicant to Automata is drastic, one thing remains clear: he is still a fierce fighter you shouldn’t take lightly.
It’s highly recommended that before you go up against Emil, you level up to at least level 70 or, even better, 80. Emil will be at level 99, which means his attacks are powerful and his HP is high, making it almost impossible to beat him at levels lower than 70.
This “secret boss” also technically counts as two encounters since you’ll be fighting Emil twice on two separate occasions. We’ll tackle how you can unlock both boss fights and how you can prevail against them.
The First Emil Boss Fight
The first thing you need to do to unlock the first boss fight with Emil is to complete the Emil’s Memories side quest. Take note that you must first complete the Forest Kingdom main quest before this side quest can begin.
You must then talk to Emil outside the desert entrance. Once done, head to the commercial facility to find a Lunar Tear on the ground. This will begin the Emil’s Memories side quest. Make sure to complete the quest while playing as 2B during your first playthrough.
During your 2nd playthrough, speak with Emil again at least once after completing the Forest Kingdom main quest. Afterward, head to the City Ruins and look for a busted pipe situated between two dilapidated buildings.
The pipe that leads to Emil’s residence.
Jump into the pipe and you should spot an elevator that you can take to descend further. Press on this area and you should arrive at Emil’s residence. Go inside and loot Emil’s Mask. Once done, head back to the City Ruins and talk to Emil once more.
He will then tell you that his residence has been broken into, by you unbeknownst to him. He will also tell you that he has locked the rest of his belongings in a chest. With that information, return to his residence and open the locked chest to receive Emil’s Head. When you exit the room after this, Emil will be there to meet you and the boss fight will begin.
How to Defeat Emil
Here are some tips on how to defeat Emil during your first encounter with him.
- Don’t bother hacking him. Hacking Emil can be tedious during this fight because of how long it can take. Instead, dedicate your focus to directly attacking him.
- Attack Plug-Ins – Before the boss fight begins, make sure you equip the proper attack plug-ins to maximize damage as much as possible.
- Support Plug-Ins – Equip Overclock so you can slow time during perfect evades, allowing you to dish out more attacks. Also, equip Evasive System so you can dodge projectiles much easier.
- Don’t let up on attacking him using your Pod, preferably with Pod A or Pod B. Keep the fire on him as you swing your melee attacks on him as well.
- Set 2B’s combat preference to aggressive.
- Don’t allow his final attack to charge up. As soon as Emil’s health drops to about 30%, he will begin charging up an attack that will kill you instantly. As soon as you see him charging up, attack him as much as you can, use enhancement items to increase damage.
Just follow the tips above and you should be able to defeat him in no time.
The Second Emil Boss Fight
To unlock the second boss fight with Emil, you must first obtain every weapon in the game and upgrade them to max level.
Once you’re done with that, a red quest marker will appear on the commercial facility. Head there to talk to Emil. He will then tell you that he will leave for the desert. Go to that location and talk to him there to trigger Emil’s second and final boss fight.
For this boss fight, you will go against multiple Emil clone heads, similar to A2’s boss fight with Hegel in the desert.
How to Defeat the Emil Clones
Defeating Emil’s clones shouldn’t be too difficult if your level is high enough, which it should be at this point in the game. That said, take note of the following tips to fight him effectively.
- Equip Overclock and Evasive System – Even the Pod says during the fight that the best way to defeat the boss is to just evade his attacks. Do yourself a favor and make that task easier by equipping these Plug-in chips.
- Increase your ranged attack damage – Equip attack plug-in chips to increase your ranged attack damage since the Emil clones will spend a lot of time in the air.
- Whenever the clones are on the ground, steer clear of his eyes. He will fire laser beams from both of his eyes at you. Damage him from behind or from his side.
Don’t let up on him and you should be able to put this boss down eventually. As mentioned, it will be easier to defeat him if your level is high enough. Don’t give yourself a hard time by forcing the fight if you’re under-leveled.
