NieR: Automata offers a wide array of weapons, allowing players to experiment with various weapon types across multiple playthroughs. Each weapon is upgradeable multiple times, extending their usefulness and enabling players to utilize their favorites throughout the game.
Weapon upgrades are performed at the Resistance Camp, requiring specific resources. One crucial material, Beast Hides, isn't readily available; this guide explains how to obtain and farm them efficiently.
Acquiring Beast Hides in NieR: Automata
Beast Hides are obtained by defeating wildlife like moose and boar. These creatures randomly appear in designated map areas, generally avoiding players and nearby robots. Their white icons on the mini-map distinguish them from machines (black icons). Farming wildlife is less straightforward than farming machines due to their lower spawn rate, requiring strategic searching.
Moose and boar are found exclusively in the game's ruined city and forest zones. Their behavior (fleeing or attacking) depends on the level difference between you and the animal. Higher-level animals may become aggressive even without direct provocation. Wildlife possesses substantial health, making early-game encounters challenging, especially against animals near or above your level.
Using Animal Bait can lure wildlife closer, simplifying their defeat.
Since wildlife doesn't respawn continuously during the main storyline, players must hunt them during exploration and then seek out new ones. Wildlife and machine respawn mechanics are similar:
- Fast traveling resets all enemies and wildlife.
- Traveling a sufficient distance triggers respawning in previously visited areas.
- Story progression can also cause nearby enemies and wildlife to respawn.
There's no foolproof method for efficiently farming Beast Hides. Simply eliminate all wildlife encountered while traversing forests and city ruins generally provides sufficient hides. Their drop rate is relatively high, meaning you'll rarely need excessive quantities at any given time, unless upgrading more weapons than you can equip simultaneously.
