You probably think you finished it. You saw the credits roll, watched 2B and 9S have their moment, and figured that was that. Honestly, if you stopped there, you’ve barely played half the game. Most people see "Ending A" and assume the rest is just DLC or "New Game Plus" fluff. It's not. Getting a proper Nier Automata ending guide in your head is less about finishing a story and more about peeling back layers of a very depressing, very beautiful onion. Yoko Taro, the director, basically trolls you into thinking the game is over when it's just getting started.
Square Enix didn't make this a standard linear path. You have to be willing to play through the same events from different perspectives, and eventually, push into a "Route C" that is an entirely new sequel hidden inside the same disc. It's weird. It's frustrating for some. But if you want the "True" ending—Ending E—you’ve got a long road ahead of you.
Getting Past the First Hurdle: Endings A and B
Route A is the standard experience. You play as 2B, you fight some big robots, and you get a relatively "happy" ending. Or as happy as this game gets. Once you see Ending A, the game tells you to save your data. Do it. Load that save back up.
Now you’re in Route B. This is where a lot of players drop off because, for the first few hours, it feels like you're just playing the same game again as 9S. You are. But the context shifts. Because 9S is a scanner model, you see the "Hacking" mini-game instead of heavy combat. More importantly, you start seeing the inner thoughts of the bosses you killed. You realize the machines weren't just mindless husks; they were trying to imitate human society, religion, and family. It’s heartbreaking.
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What You Need to Know About Route B
- Hacking is broken: 9S isn't a fighter, but his hack move does massive percentage-based damage. Use it on everything.
- New Chests: There are locked chests you couldn't open as 2B. 9S can pop these open for high-tier loot and lore documents.
- The Forest Kingdom: Pay attention to the cutscenes here. The perspective shift reveals why the "baby" king was being protected.
Ending B ends exactly where Ending A did, but with a massive cliffhanger that sets up the real game. If you stop after B, you've essentially missed the entire third act of the story.
Route C: This is Where Things Get Heavy
Once you finish Route B and reload your save, the game doesn't restart. It continues. This is the "Final Battle" for Earth. It is brutal. It is fast. And it changes everything you thought you knew about YoRHa and the Council of Humanity.
In Route C, you toggle between 9S and a new character, A2. This isn't a retread of old content. This is 100% new story. You’re dealing with a logic virus, the collapse of the Bunker, and a descent into madness for 9S. It’s a stark contrast to the heroic vibes of the first two routes. To get the specific endings here, you need to make a choice at the very end of the game.
Ending C vs. Ending D
When you reach the final confrontation at the top of the Tower, you'll be given a choice between 9S and A2.
- Ending C: Pick A2. You’ll complete her arc and see her attempt to save 9S at a great personal cost.
- Ending D: Pick 9S. This leads to a much darker, more existential conclusion involving the "Ark" and the truth about the machine network.
Pro-tip: You don't have to replay the whole game to see both. After you finish Route C for the first time, you unlock a Chapter Select menu. Use it to jump right back to the final fight, pick the other character, and get the other ending. You need both C and D to trigger the final event.
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Ending E: The "True" Ending and the Ultimate Choice
This is the one people talk about in hushed tones. This is the moment Nier Automata stops being a game and starts being a philosophical statement. To trigger Ending E, you must have seen both Ending C and Ending D on the same save file.
During the credits of the final run, the Pods (your little floating robot assistants) will start having a conversation. They'll ask if you want to save the data of the characters. Say Yes.
The Shmup Battle of a Lifetime
You will enter a bullet-hell mini-game against the actual credits of the game. You are literally fighting the names of the developers, the marketing team, and the CEO. It is incredibly difficult. It is almost impossible to do alone.
Eventually, the game will ask if you want help. If you're connected to the internet, you’ll start seeing messages of encouragement from other players around the world. Then, other "players" (represented by small cursors) will surround you, forming a shield and boosting your firepower. You aren't playing alone anymore.
The Final Sacrifice
After the beautiful final cutscene of Ending E, the game will ask you a question. It will ask if you want to leave a message for other players. Then, it will ask the big one: Do you want to delete your save data to help someone else?
This isn't a joke. It’s not a fake-out. If you say yes, the game will manually delete your items, your levels, your weapons, and your save files, one by one, right in front of your eyes. In exchange, your "data" becomes one of those helper ships that saves another player during their Ending E credit fight.
It is the most "Yoko Taro" thing ever. You give up everything you worked for to help a stranger you'll never meet. Honestly, it’s the only way to truly "finish" the game.
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The Joke Endings: F through Z
The Nier Automata ending guide wouldn't be complete without mentioning the "joke" endings. These are basically "Game Over" screens that the developers turned into canon endings. There are 26 endings in total—one for every letter of the alphabet.
Most of these happen because you did something stupid or ignored your mission. For example:
- Ending T: Remove your OS Chip in the menu. Since you're an android, you die instantly.
- Ending K: Eat the mackerel given to you by Jackass. Androids aren't meant to eat fish. You explode.
- Ending O: During the beginning of Route C, instead of helping the other androids, just run away.
- Ending Y: This is the only missable "major" ending. It involves the secret boss Emil. If you kill him too fast or don't let him self-destruct at the very end of his quest, you miss it.
Don't stress about these too much on your first run. They are mostly there for completionists. Focus on A through E first.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re currently staring at the "Ending A" credits and wondering what to do next, follow this exact sequence:
- Reload your "Completed" save immediately. Do not start a fresh "New Game" from the main menu. Use the save file that has the "A" mark on it.
- Speedrun the early parts of Route B if you're bored. You can skip most side quests if you already did them in Route A, but keep an eye out for the 9S-exclusive ones involving the "Amnesia" questline.
- Invest in "Auto-Heal" and "Drop Rate" Chips. By the time you hit Route C, the level spike is real. You'll want to be at least level 45-50 before starting the final act.
- Save Emil’s Memories for Route C. The flower quest is much more poignant when you have the full context of the world's history.
- Don't look up spoilers for the "Tower." Just experience it.
The beauty of Nier Automata is that it rewards persistence. It’s a game that asks you to prove you care about the characters by playing through their suffering multiple times. It sounds bleak, but the payoff in Ending E is arguably one of the greatest moments in gaming history. Go delete your save. It's worth it.