NieR: Automata offers a vast arsenal of weapons across various types, allowing for extensive experimentation throughout multiple playthroughs. Each weapon boasts multiple upgrade levels, ensuring your favorites remain viable for extended periods and enabling you to utilize most weapons throughout the entire game if desired.
Weapon upgrades are readily accessible at the Resistance Camp, though they require specific resources depending on the weapon. One crucial material, Beast Hides, isn't readily acquired; here's how to efficiently obtain them.
How to Obtain Beast Hides in NieR: Automata
Beast Hides are potential drops from wildlife such as moose and boar. These creatures randomly spawn in specific map areas, generally avoiding players and nearby robots. Their white icons on the mini-map distinguish them from the black icons of machines. Unfortunately, there's no guaranteed farming method, as their spawn rate is lower than machines, requiring strategic searching.
Moose and boar are exclusive to the ruined city and forest sections. Their behavior depends on your relative level: lower-level animals may flee, while higher-level animals might attack or become aggressive if approached. Wildlife possesses significant health pools, making early-game encounters challenging, especially against similarly leveled or higher-level creatures.
Using Animal Bait can lure wildlife closer, simplifying the hunting process.
Since wildlife doesn't continuously respawn during the main story, you must actively hunt them while exploring. Wildlife and machines share similar respawn mechanics:
- Fast traveling respawns all enemies and wildlife.
- Traveling a sufficient distance respawns enemies and wildlife in previously visited areas.
- Triggering story events can respawn nearby enemies and wildlife.
Regardless of your game progress, efficient Beast Hide farming remains elusive. However, consistently eliminating encountered wildlife in forest and city ruin areas generally yields sufficient hides. Their drop rate is relatively high, ensuring you'll rarely require excessive quantities, especially if you avoid upgrading more weapons than you currently equip.
