Nier Automata is a critically acclaimed game, and for good reason. The title's gameplay, story, and soundtrack make it one of the best games released in 2017. However, the game has one annoying flaw. Side quests in Nier Automata have been the primary focus of critics in the gaming community. The main storyline will remove uncompleted side quests that do not reset once certain missions are complete.
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This can be frustrating for players that want to complete every quest in the game. It is also impossible to know during the first playthrough what side quests need to be completed and in what chronological order. The "Wandering Couple" side quest has presented a lot of issues for gamers. This guide will cover when and how to complete the quest, as well as how to get around recurring bugs.
The Wandering Couple side quest must be completed before the Flooded City quest is initiated. Players will start the quest as soon as they speak with Anemone. Anyone that makes the mistake of starting the Flooded City will unfortunately not be able to complete the quest. Starting the story from the beginning is the only option. Gamers have been requesting a quest reset for years but to no avail.
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Apparently, the quest is removed for some players as soon as the Missile Supply mission is initiated. This is problematic for two reasons. The first is that completing the Wandering Couple will spoil events in the main questline. The second is that most players were under the impression that they could play up until the Flooded City quest, which means there are thousands that have likely lost access to it.
To be safe, people should suffer the spoilers if they want to have the option of playing through the Wandering Couple side quest.
Following the Machine Trade quest, players need to speak with the android NPCs on the ground level of Pascal's Village. There is a ladder that leads down below the elevated levels in the village. The wandering couple state that they abandoned the resistance and they are fearful that they will be arrested if they are unable to flee. One of the androids has a damaged locomotive and needs a few items to fix it. The couple will ask 9S to find an Elaborate Gadget, which is near the abandoned factory.
Gamers can quick travel to the Factory: Entrance, which will save a lot of time. After spawning in, people will want to walk up the stairs to the left. Once on the roof, players need to walk straight ahead. The Elaborate Gadget is in between the metal supports and the boxes next to the fence. Once the item is obtained, 9S will need to return to the village and give the item to the couple.
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The couple will thank 9S for the Gadget, but the quest is not over yet. As soon as gamers leave the village, the quest will update. The Wandering Couple will appear on the map in the Flooded City: Coast. This time around, the couple need 50,000 G to hitch a ride with the Emancipator.
Things do not work out as planned for the couple. Leaving the coast and returning will update the quest, and 9S will find the man sitting next to the bridge. There will be a few enemies around, so it is a good idea to take them out before approaching the man.
The Emancipator was actually just a fraud that robbed them of their money. Apparently, the woman decided to flee in order to save the man from being captured. 9S will get the bio code to hunt her down. The woman can be found at the Amusement Park Ruins next to a tree near the entrance. To repair her after the Emancipator attacked, 9S will need to provide a Memory Alloy. Pascal is kind enough to perform the repairs on the woman.
If 9s agrees to reset the man, the woman will reveal that he has been reformatted six times already. The poor android did not even know he was being manipulated by his own partner. The woman wants to return to the Resistance and turn the man into a combat model so that they will not have to live in fear anymore. Whether her actions are morally objectionable is a matter of opinion, but something seems dishonest about the entire story in retrospect. For their efforts, gamers will receive the following items:
- Moldavite x4
- Black Pearl x4
- Full Recovery x1
- "Overclock +3" Chip
- 10,000 G
- 750 EXP
The woman took 50,000 G, but only gives 9S 10,000G back. While the other items are useful, the android woman seems more and more disingenuous as the story transpires. Thoughts and prayers go out to the re-programmed android man.