How I Beat the Hardest Challenge in NieR:Automata (Special Rank)

[@Alex-go8nw]

So after beating this grueling gauntlet, trying and failing for hours, getting oneshot by stuff out of my control and finally getting a victory, the game just goes: "lmao here is some garbage". I swear you can hear Yoko Taro laughing in a corner at us quietly.

[@KertorYT]

Yoko Taro did a [miniscule] amount of trolling.

[@returnedtomonkey8886]

So I dodged a dissapointment by not bothering with this arena.

[@EntheogenShaman]

@@returnedtomonkey8886 it's worth it, you just don't get it. You have to have at least a 146988 IQ

[@PatrickRatman]

@@returnedtomonkey8886 i mean, by the point that you've grinded for the ability to beat this arena i don't really think theres much more the game can give you. the only real reason you'd be doing this arena is so you can say that you beat it lol.

[@odynzeyez6259]

You get phenomenal rewards in this game. Not sure what you mean by garbage but the experience alone is priceless. To me, your mentality is ruining the gaming industry no offense intended.

[@Iyashu5040]

The way you turned Yoko Taro's idea of giving a bad reward for an insane challenge into a way to help people reminds me of ending E a lot. Thanks for making this.

[@richardtran7714]

Your editing and message perfectly captures what NieR: Automata means. Thank you. That was beautiful.

[@KertorYT]

Glad you like it!

[@Moa_Smug]

"What Nier: Automata means" Yeah suffering, a lot of it to the point we just want to give up just like the android characters in the thousand years of war against the machines.

[@Lillymu961]

Imagine beating this gauntlet and then giving up all your save data... This is definitely one of those challenges most people probably straight up said no to, including me. But props to every person who took up the challenge and beat this. You guys are inspirational. Maybe one day I'll try this monstrosity. Great video! God bless you!

[@_.9S._]

And after you beat it and get the rewards, Yoko Taro laughs saying "Congrats on beating this challenge, here's some garbage." XD

[@homecomin]

The worst part right now is that I would love to compare the build I used to his but that's literally impossible since the save is gone :(

[@_.9S._]

@@homecomin My condolences to you.

[@nobodycares3333]

I mean if you can beat this level U can ultimately beat whole game blindfolded 💀

[@_.9S._]

@@nobodycares3333 Ohhh I'm determined to beat it, I must for the glory!

[@Crow_Rising]

The most annoying thing about this is that the reward (or well, part of it) is a bunch of items to lower your level, which you can use to reset all the way back to the beginning if you wish while still keeping everything else. The truest form of NG+ in the game, and it's locked behind this gauntlet that feels borderline impossible to beat. Most people say the reward is bad, but as a genuine NG+ enjoyer this is mildly infuriating to me.

[@herb2627]

That’s the point 💀

[@Moa_Smug]

To see us suffer, like the rest of the characters is why this endgame content was created 💀

[@Scrazelope]

This video is so well made dude. I'm surprised it doesn't have more views.

[@VLUURIE]

I can say as nier veteran, learning all waves and then doing everything correct is after the chips the most important part, that's why i did it even with 9S. Great Video to show how we suffered and when i say nier is hard, then i mean this special arena 😆.

[@proxymurphy7357]

Damn, I’m surprised this doesn’t have more views, it’s really well done! Also, thanks for the encouragement! I’ve been working on this for the past 4 hours or so, and no luck. I haven’t been using overclock chips though, so that might help if I did that

[@unovarydrake]

Amazing video, I really liked the callbacks to ending E at the end, "It's just a silly game" "It's meaningless in the end" Really nice touches

[@Moa_Smug]

The reward for beating this grueling challenge is garbage so this challenge is yeah meaningless to beat. 😂

[@soltaire01]

Oh god this mission. This was like the ultimate despair finding out there was more after the tank.

[@kayne7.62]

On god dude i found out and instantly said yeah i’m never beating this

[@Shaythefey]

I love how I looked at the title and said "wait, I never finished special rank now that I think about it!" then I watched the video and said :.... yup that's why I never finished it" good job to you for doing it though

[@Reldonator]

And here I was stuck on S rank, thinking I was almost done, and I see this...Special Rank. I'm gonna go grind and thanks for the tips

[@tayfulong1999]

0:32 or you can keep murdering a certain gold bunny in the amusement park to level up fast

[@SamuelLing]

Use 9s for this, two hits and it’s dead

[@nosrah9660]

Yup, this is the strat

[@baughbsandersguy]

Once you get to level 60 you can get to 99 in like 90 minutes

[@Drewdignity]

Bro this challenge really drained the sanity out of me. You know I'm no longer in the right mind when I decided to give A2 more clothes (Nier's outfit) instead of taking away what's left from her

[@KertorYT]

Sometimes you gotta decide what really matters. Winning or "winning"

[@allisongonzalez9196]

I've been trying to beat the special rank on and off for a few years now, I'm at the point were I can reliably beat the beach ball and reach Adam and Eve but those 2 feel borderline impossible to read I swear. Props for beating it!, Also yeah the spiders that come with the 1st boss are by far the main run enders for me, those things are hell.

[@dane4652]

Much respect for your determination over the years. The issue, however, is that games and persistence for them can definitely take from the life one leads. Hope all is balance for you.

[@QyTheQTpi]

I like this video a lot. I did this also around the time you did for the first time ever with a setup I grinded out in around 60hrs total playtime (with story finished ofc). Spreading out the grind sessions really made this a lot more comfortable of an experience 128/128 space used HUD is basically all you'd ever need: OS chip HP Gauge Skill Gauge Enemy Data Minimap Objectives additionally: Weapon Attack Up +8 Critical Up +8 Shock Wave +8 Offensive Heal +5 (more than enough heals) Auto Heal +2 (this doesn't work for arena but is nice QoL for casual gameplay, I dislike the heal potions even if you can spam them really fast) Overclock +3 Overclock +4 (they stack, so more efficient than a +8) Taunt Up +8 they all have to be diamond ofc but eh, could be worse. Managed to do the gauntlet in around 3hr with this setup and some practice, abusing the enemy spawns etc to move on quickly and as safe as possible

[@Ww_Epsilon_wW]

"You have the option of giving up. There is almost no merit in suffering for the sake of something you will likely not be acknowledged for. More skilled players than you have tried and failed, reaching despair time and time again. It is... illogical to go further. ...Knowing this, do you still wish to continue?" [ Yes ] [ No ] "..." "And are you really sure about this decision? " "..." [ Yes ] [ No ] "Very well. Then, player ********, your will has been recorded. May you take pride in the fact that you did not lose hope. You have taken the weight of the world upon your shoulders and remained steadfast to your convictions. This world, and everyone in it, thanks you."

[@AlaraCameron]

I'm not crying, you're crying 😭

[@Ww_Epsilon_wW]

@@AlaraCameron Y-You’re such a baby! U-Unlike me! Waaa! 😭😭😭

[@gotem123]

Beautiful

[@Ww_Epsilon_wW]

@@gotem123 Thank you. I really liked the ending scene from the game. It was so surreal and immersive.

[@gotem123]

@Ww_Epsilon_wW I know man, it's so beautiful. Never have I ever cried so hard and as much to anything as I have to NieR:Automata. I love how the whole game it is enforcing the idea of nihilism, and how everything, in the end, is pointless... that there is no meaning. But then, at the end, the very very end, as the game is barraging you with messages asking if it's all pointless, asking if you admit there is no meaning, you get the offer... A distant person, someone you've never met, offering to help you at the hardest time. One by one, they surround you, the chorus of their voices echoing out, as they guide you to the one true ending. The future is what you make it. In a single move, the game flips the ideas it has been pushing on its head, and my goodness, it is one of the most beautiful moments of all time. Thank you, Yoko Taro, thank you.

[@imJJKUN]

Your writing made me laugh a lot! Awesome work. I just finished Automata 100% and wanted to see how others did. This video made my day!

[@toseeupload8855]

Little Jimmy did the grindset thing and now has reached level 130. He's still little, but now he has no fear to those androids bastards

[@andersonborges5377]

The problem for me is not even the difficulty, but the grinding necessary for diamond chips, i don't know why they made it so rare to get

[@rubysmith765]

Leaving a like and subscribe because that Vergil’s theme moment was gold.

[@uAzil14]

Thank You Sir for beat the hard mode for us.. i Just get platinum after for more than 6 years giving up the game becoz of work.. This video put a smile in my face.. as we know Yoko Taro love this kind of "extra"

[@magicfibre]

I've beaten the game 3 times and gotten all the steam achievements and I never even knew these special levels exist in the game

[@carloconsignado4065]

Very nice video! Had to watch it to see how people trained to beat this special arena. Myself, I say no to beating this after trying for 8 hours. I lost all patience. But kudos to you who beat it! Incredible!

[@y_corruptor_y]

A work of art 👍👍👍 awesome video and i think you are one of the best players in NieR 👑

[@jayc4432]

All my homies hate the spider bots

[@jayc4432]

I swear this video is the only thing keeping me sane

[@jayc4432]

I got to the second boss for the first time today!! A sparkle of hope has been lit!

[@saaaaaaaaalt838]

I remember grinding the hell out of this way back when and eventually got it. Wasn't done with the game, I used the rewards to do a minimum level playthrough of the whole game (I tried to stay at level 1 the entire game but that was hard.) I finished route C at level 25 ish. Also, not a fan of your taunt take. A2's taught has plenty of benefits. It activates in a sphere around her so enemies behind or high above you will all get taunted. You can reliably taunt enemies before they land on the stage. Depending on the weapon, it's faster too. Bracers are fastest but short swords aren't far behind. It doesn't require constant mashing of a button and it's stylish as fuck. Farming routes for Nier are aren't too well known so I figured most of my own out. There's guys outside the forest castle that drop offensive heal. There's the easy af overclock farm which I did early in my VH playthrough in the underground factory. Then I used the desert special rank to farm everything else up. It didn't take too long to max diamond my chips. (and I might have gotten a WR too while doing that. 210 kills was my max) Only fond memories of that time. The special rank arena is super fun.

[@KertorYT]

Yeah the spamming way to taunt isn't ideal, just what I prefer. Glad you found your own stylish way to play on this hellish arena. Fond memories indeed.

[@TofuSG98]

Also surely the flashlight taunt is because 2B and 9S don't have taunt poses? Might be wrong though.

[@williamlafond1319]

The hardest challenge is the ending credits without help imo..

[@KevinMarzelino]

😂

[@RobertoTalasera]

I am amazed at the level of patience of some people. Great job!

[@NavoyBlu]

17 minutes ago, I didn't realize this existed. Man I miss 17 minutes ago.

[@MrShazaamable]

11:41 ive got damn goosebumps again. Any other game hasnt come close to making me feel this way.

[@masternaze1025]

Minimum wage front desk worker had me rolling

[@rustygear447]

Evasive System chip would be quite useful. It slows time whenever you're near projectiles.

[@lichprincessdeshyr6805]

You did a good job editing this video and I felt your drive. Your voice is fine. You've given me a challenge I didn't know existed that I am excited for.

[@KertorYT]

Appreciate it! Thank you!

[@ackiii6174]

Meanwhile in dmc 5 finishing the bloody palace will just reward you a taunt :)

[@insane-vm7bo]

Loved how at 4:00 “baby shark and blippi” pop up lol

[@iagobroxado]

I was wondering if it would be worth it... thanks for the video!

[@sasaylory]

I'm still level fifty but I got interested because I was thinking of using these tips for the lower levels...and I'd also like to know what the rewards are.

[@XxExtremeSamX]

Not much, apparently. Someone posted about it on Reddit 5 years ago.

[@QyTheQTpi]

the reward are 10 consumables that allow you to level down from 99 all the way to 1. So it can be a way to enjoy a "NG+" run with all the stuff you already have by just skipping back to the first chapter

[@rustygear447]

I recommend using EXP boost chips as many as you can for lower level. The stats from leveling up is better than any boost chips you can get.

[@kotenara10]

The reward is not the item that you get in the game, but the feeling you've already beat it

[@wentyl2378]

Tip from me on the final fight. Instead of relying on berserk mode i recommend switching up to Last Stand plug in (+ attack when you're below 25% HP). What I did was leave a single dino machine before the fight, and stale it without healing from offensive heal until berserk mode suck me dry. Using Last stand will give you same results as berserk mode ( I think ?) but you don't need to be pressured into healing yourself. And additional "chance" that berserk mode gives in my testing becomes useless when fighting adam & eve. Usually they pinned me down before I could do anything. Also using Last stand can give you more space to squeeze something in, case you also don't need to use hp bar. I highly recommend the plugin that slows time when you're near projectiles. Makes it way easier to overclock range attack from Eve (Adam is kind of easy)

[@homecomin]

Oh hey, yeah. This took hours but honestly not the grinding part. Tbh, I don't think I did much grinding at all but maybe I didn't need to as I did literally everything the game had to offer beforehand. I wish I could go back to check but THERE IS NO SAVE FILE ANYMORE

[@justnothing8692]

I did it with the most broken glass cannon build i have ever seen and of course exploiting efficient stacking had so much space left that hardest thing was thinking what else would be useful rather than overly painful grinding

[@asthenyukimori9853]

I only remember the ceo descend as a god on this part. Didn't play the other missions.

[@omeganeo4979]

damn I really didnt know nier automata would be so in depth even after all the ending I wish didn't sell my ps4. I could have kept this 1 game only and the console it self damn Ty for this vid. I have to save up for a decent pc to play this game tho.

[@PenguinsAreColdish]

nothing makes me wanna watch a video more than it opening with city ruins ost

[@TokenCast]

13:52 What did you mean by use debug mode to win? I haven't figured out how to do anything with debug mode except turn invisible and also I don't know how to turn invisible inside of the game only in that debug mode.

[@ShyDxath]

these guy is a beast myfuckinggod HOW JUST HOW MAN ITS SO HARD I CANNOT EVEN PASS THE 4TH WAVE OR THE 1ST BOSS MAN WHAT IS THIS MANNNNNN

[@nodermark8922]

When I first tried this challenge, I thought that the tank battle was the end 8f the challenge. It took me 4 days of trying to beat it and when I finally did, turns out there was a lot more still. I just stopped playing and considered this to be my win for the challenge.

[@edboi2154]

I firmly believed this was impossible. It was cool seeing Shades from replicant again though when I first did this back then.

[@dreadfullradu4726]

Thank you for creating this video. I especially like the way you narrate it and call the bots stupid and spiders and all kinds of other things. Great video.... i subscribed and liked it. FYI i am huge nier automata fan.... just started playing the actual game though.

[@TofuSG98]

I love Emil (The Homie)

[@DominikFXO]

I used 9S all the way thru rank A wayy underleveled (lvl50), took me a while to get there since you have to hack all the time and you can only dmg them when they're stunned or on fire cause of the hacking chips but its doable if you feel like you dont wanna lvl edit: After a while I got to lvl 99 and tried the same method (hacking and stunning with 9s) but its much more difficult, the bosses have their own special hacking game which are hard to beat... so if you're reading this I'd suggest you try the method shown in the vid unless you're a pro hacker.

[@lankiestfella9797]

You shouldnt hack bosses, 9s can handle them without hacking, hell ive seen 9s runs with no hacking or shockwave and they are all pretty decent

[@DominikFXO]

@@lankiestfella9797 yeah but then its much more harder considering 9S doesnt have berserk mode thus making battles more drawn out and at some point your gonna let down your guard

[@lankiestfella9797]

@@DominikFXO you should only hack to crowd control with a stun chip, thats the best crowd control in the game, against bosses, you do too little damage for hacking to be worth it, so just combo the shit out of the boss or use the jump+half evade+ attack trick to delete a health bar, he has his own ways around those bosses without hacking

[@lankiestfella9797]

@@DominikFXO and yes, it is harder to do with 9s, but he has his tools

[@baughbsandersguy]

I love his story telling omg😂

[@LordVodka313]

Respect for the burna boy auto suggestion

[@brunospeaking1364]

Cara…😳 Eu só chego até o Tank.😧 E pensei q o Tank era a o último Inimigo do Desafio.😲 Depois de ver sua Gameplay pós passar do Tank…existe mais inúmeros desafios.😮 Com isso desisto desse desafio Colossalmente Impossível par mim..😅😅😅 Te dou um parabéns de verdade por esse Feito Magnificamente Impressionante.😃😃😃 Não é pra qualquer….tem meu Respeito e orgulho.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽😌

[@perryjackson2715]

Great video and a great run

[@Brix_H]

I look at the special rank enemy… they’re Shades from Replicant

[@ChishiyaAkira]

DAMN BRO, YOURE REALLY BECOME THE GOD

[@novustalks7525]

I'm barely competent at the game so the fact there's this one set of near impossible challenges bugs me

[@athena4175]

amazing vid!

[@dam9743]

at this point, all I am able to say is, well played!

[@Youtoober-ru4lf]

This is hilarious 😂 "Unless you're asain"

[@oath-keeper6443]

I laughed so hard at the little timmy and close the sound, so true😂

[@maltron66]

I hate to be that guy, but you got the names of the shield programs mixed up. "M Shield" is actually the shield meant to block projectiles, not melee attacks. The devs must've switched the names on purpose. xD Also, I know that nobody asked, but a couple of suggestions that might be useful to some players: you can use Decoy to buy yourself some time in particularly challenging waves like the one with the shitload of spider bots. You can also use it during the wave with the suicidal machines and watch them blow themselves up from a safe distance instead of praying that the shield holds while they blow up on your face. Another thing I discovered is that P Shield (the shield meant to block melee attacks) can be very helpful against Enhanced Legpower Goliaths. For example, in wave 19, instead of targeting a normal Goliath, you can use P Shield, run close to the spot where Legpower Goliaths land, taunt them and kill them quickly before things get messy. Granted, it's not a very safe strategy, since the shield can wear off quickly, but I'd argue that fighting 2 Legpower Goliaths at the same time is much worse if they start jumping around, producing shockwave attacks and firing lasers from across the stage. Last but not least, the Koshi/Roshi (AKA the giant beach ball) fight is much, much easier if you use slow on him. If you're fast enough, you can kill him before he can even begin attacking you, so you don't have to worry about him. ...not that any of that will make a difference, since Adam and Eve will fuck your shit up in the final wave. :P

[@KertorYT]

Yoko Taro is such a god at trolling that he even trolled the names xD. But it is true that there a lot of better strategies, I'm glad you pointed them out :D

[@Phyllion-]

It's not exactly trolling, just not explicitly explained. It's Magic Shield and Physical Shield as the projectiles are magic (though I don't recall if it's explained why the alien robots can use magic, though they do have the Legion's red eyes so there's that)

[@Amjed_G2]

Great video ❤️👍🏻

[@justbronson7570]

"hearing the robots yell is a god awful way to spend your afternoon" naw fam, I wanna hear the moment they shut down for good, their "death" as if they understand it

[@dab1ackdud3]

I salute you, soldier.

[@Brax2090]

4:00 had me feeling motivated

[@deadlp2545]

The bosses looking like gestalts from NieR Replicant

[@evaneself]

In the end I was a healer... because without the other healers I couldn't have made it to the end.

[@HekateMGO]

I never managed to beat Special Rank despite being lv.99 and trying for way too long, I made peace with it lmao

[@jay_21_jay]

My playtime is 100+ hours and did everything,every weapon upgraded etc as far as I remember and I do not have the dlc,lol,I guess I just wasted all those hours wandering around away from missions and story and playing with the camera angles to sneak a peak,you know what I mean.

[@dighad3824]

This crab is hell even on easy. I have no intention to bump up the difficulty and start it all over again

[@The_Dim_Vanced]

Mad respect my dude

[@tst_09]

Been practicing for weeks… getting dunked on pretty hard by Dark Adam and Eve at the last round. Really don’t know what to do in that fight

[@carlvinjoshrafanan690]

LEZZGOOOOO VERGIL OST

[@danielparra3274]

when you show your save file, what is that weird letter next to the Z 😮

[@maltron66]

It's the DLC ending (the memories of Plato 1728).

[@MrBahamut]

There goes my social life

[@Alexander_rekaX]

Now the grindset is done

[@puco1258]

0:44 Yoo I have the exact same save files. The first play-through I was trying to 100% the game but I ended up with all the endings except for “Y” cause I was too into the game and couldn’t help myself but to help Emil. So, I had to start another save file to get all endings.

[@juniper2746]

I gave up. I kept trying to jump into the hole with the pipe in the middle to follow the quest and it would just error out and shut the game down. I tried way too many times, different ways each time after researching online for a fix.

[@idlehour]

You have a good voice man

[@salazarsaul532]

Great job I’ve tried but gave up when I seen how long it would take to grind out the levels plus I couldn’t get a final weapon or something and got mad and quit lol

[@EliteLenny223-Main]

Grinding to Level 99 is the definition of becoming antisocial for YEARS. :D :D

[@bungbananaman]

Ngl it's not that hard once you reach 60-70. You just have to fight the Golden Bunny over and over.

[@GlacierRain]

good job thank you for a video well made

[@MrBlitzpunk]

What is that ricocheting black bullet thingy at 2:45 ?

[@maltron66]

It's the laser pod's charged attack.

[@repeekyraidcero]

0:34 Sigma huh ? Interesting!

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

Fortunately,the parry mechanic is quite easy to master

[@thatguy8711]

I didn't know special rank had an end. I though it was just endless waves of bullshit just to see how much you can endure. Apparently you can endure all of it.

[@terry8794]

13:37 ...Are those Adam and Eve as Gestalts?

[@KertorYT]

Most likely

[@joaodiniz3481]

04:00 a fellow motivated i see . . .

[@radimpospisil3580]

You did it on SWITCH ?

[@lullaby-]

theres a programm u can use to get diamond chips for all types aswell as level ur weapons if u just want to go special rank

[@helloiamsunandiamafraid]

My play time has maxed out at 99:59:59 from all the practice for this rank, but I still have somewhat of a social life. Boo ya. Still can’t beat it tho

[@idk-mo1xm]

What is the background soundtrack used? I am not familiar with Nier series so if it's from that, I wouldn't know.

[@maltron66]

First song is "City Ruins (Rays Of Light)", second one is "Song Of The Ancients (Atonement)" and the third is an 8-bit version of "Weight Of The World". Oh, and there's also a little bit of "Bury The Light" thrown in there too. :P

[@micketm3]

😢... so much... beauty... ☺

[@TEAMCREAM_96]

Oh fuck i never got past the tank i thought that was the last one

[@Sir_Psych]

That moment when I 50 hours in and thinking I've almost 100% the game only to realize I'm half way 💀

[@Tory-JJ]

what do you get?