NieR: Automata is a strange game to try to describe. A lot of people go into it expecting a Devil May Cry type of game but with robots and gratuitous shots of 2B, but what they got was an existential crisis about identity, sense of self, and one’s purpose for existing…and gratuitous shots of 2B.
Even in the midst of robots and depression, NieR: Automata is still an action RPG, and what action RPGs need are boss fights. NieR: Automata is no exception, and you’ll fight against a fair number of bosses during your playthrough, so here are the strongest among them.
10 Marx
Marx, ironically named after philosopher Karl Marx, is the first boss you face when playing NieR: Automata. It’s a Goliath-class machine that resembles heavy industrial machinery that attacks with its saw-like excavator.
Since Marx is the first boss, its purpose is mostly to teach you the mechanics and controls of the game so it’s not terribly strong, however, if you let your guard down you’ll find your health drained quite quickly.
9 Engels
Like Marx, this next boss is also named after a philosopher. Named after Marx’s colleague Friedrich Engels, Engels is another Goliath-class machine but one that takes the form of a giant industrial factory.
Unfortunately for it, Engels’ bark is bigger than its bite. That doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Engels can still hit pretty hard if you’re not careful, but he isn’t the strongest boss by any means.
8 Adam
While Adam is certainly an interesting and well-written character, he doesn’t make for a difficult boss fight. Despite his human appearance, Adam is, in fact, a very advanced machine that achieved an unusual level of evolution.
Players fight Adam twice during their playthrough. The first is when he’s “born” and the second is toward the end of the game, and both boss fights have left us feeling disappointed. Such an advanced machine like him should have been much more difficult to defeat.
7 Grun
To call this machine Goliath-class would be an understatement, as this boss reaches over 1,000 meters tall when standing. Grun is also another example of how much NieR: Automata enjoys naming characters after philosophers with Grun being named after Karl Grün, another colleague of Marx.
Grun is as intimidating as it is challenging. The boss fight against this machine has multiple phases, targeting different points of its body before you finally take this Goliath down.
6 Ko-Shi & Ro-Shi
Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi are actually two bosses in one. Near the finale of the game, players switch between controlling two characters each facing off against one half of this boss duo before the machines combine and become twice as deadly.
When combined, Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi can roll out powerful attacks together at both long and short range. This boss would probably be harder to beat if you had to face it alone, but you still switch between two characters during the fight.
5 Eve
The counterpart to Adam, Eve is Adam’s twin in every respect but philosophy. Where Adam became interested in humanity and imitating human behavior, Eve remained child-like, always wanting to play a game with his brother. That is, until the latter part of the game.
Eve ends up going mad with rage and becomes powerful enough to control all of the machines connected to the network. While Eve’s boss fight isn’t all that challenging, his strength is reflected in the repercussions of his boss fight, which lead directly to one of the endings.
4 Simone
NieR: Automata is full of tragic characters such as Simone. A Goliath-class machine modeled after an opera singer, Simone is just as likely to beat you into the ground as she is to make you cry from her backstory.
Simone fights using the repurposed bodies of androids that she’s taken under control. It’s a horrific way to fight but it’s not the only trick up her sleeve. She can also send out waves of damaging energy that can be surprisingly hard to avoid in the chaos of the boss fight.
3 So-Shi
Where Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi were strong after combining into one larger, more dangerous machine, So-Shi is strong for its weaponry. So-Shi is equipped with two massive blades and a slew of other weapons.
It’s also equipped with multiple shields that protect it from damage and the only way to get past those shields is to turn off the electricity, meaning you’ll have to fight So-Shi in the dark, on a platform suspended over lava.
2 Amusement Park Rabbit
NieR: Automata has a few secret bosses that are recommended you don’t even attempt until you’re at max level, or near to it. The Amusement Park Rabbit is one such boss, hiding in plain sight for the whole game. The Amusement Park Rabbit is located at the entrance to the amusement park, in the main plaza disguised as the bronze statue in the center.
While it’s not technically a boss, it might as well be. The Rabbit has a massive health pool that will take forever to drain if you try taking it on at a lower level, and it hits hard enough to take you down quickly.
1 Emil
To fight Emil, the smiling robot vendor who appeared in the original NieR, you have to complete several prerequisite steps, and you can actually fight Emil twice. The first time you fight him isn’t all that difficult if you’ve beaten the Amusement Park Bunny, but the second time is more difficult
After upgrading every weapon to max level, you’ll get a quest marker leading to the encounter, where you’ll face Emil in the desert. The key to this fight is to get it done as quickly as possible, before the countless Emil heads kill you.
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