NieR: Automata offers a diverse array of weapons across various categories, allowing players to experiment with different armaments throughout the game's multiple playthroughs. Each weapon can undergo multiple upgrades, enhancing its effectiveness and enabling players to use their preferred weapons throughout the entire game. Upgrades can be performed at any time at the Resistance Camp, though they require specific resources tailored to each weapon.
One essential crafting material that players will need, but won't naturally acquire, is Beast Hides. Here’s how you can efficiently obtain and farm them.
How to Get Beast Hides in NieR: Automata
Beast Hides are potential drops from wildlife such as moose and boar. These animals randomly appear in designated areas of the map and generally avoid both players and nearby robots. On your mini-map, wildlife is easily distinguishable by their white icons, contrasting with the black icons of machines. While there's no straightforward method to farm wildlife due to their less frequent spawns, knowing where to look can significantly help.
Moose and boar specifically spawn in the ruined city and forest regions. The behavior of these animals varies depending on your level relative to theirs; they might flee or become aggressive if you initiate combat. Higher-level animals may even attack if you approach too closely. Wildlife boasts substantial health pools, making early-game encounters with animals at or above your level quite challenging.
To facilitate hunting, you can use Animal Bait to lure wildlife closer, simplifying the process of defeating them.
Unlike machines, wildlife does not respawn continuously throughout the main story. You'll need to hunt them during exploration and seek out new spawns. The respawn mechanics for wildlife and machines are similar:
- Fast traveling respawns all enemies and wildlife.
- Traveling a significant distance away respawns enemies and wildlife in previously visited areas.
- Triggering key story events can also respawn nearby enemies and wildlife.
Farming Beast Hides isn't straightforward, but by systematically eliminating all wildlife encountered in the forest and city ruins, you should gather enough. Beast Hides have a commendable drop rate, ensuring that as long as you're not upgrading more weapons than you can equip at once, you won't need an excessive amount at any given time.
