The side quests in Nier Replicant aren’t so much demanding as they are grindy. The core combat is strong enough (especially in the remake) where grinding never gets too tedious, but the fact of the matter is that 100%ing Nier Replicant requires quite a bit of monotonous gameplay in an action RPG that’s otherwise firmly engaging from start to finish. While most items needed for side quests in Nier can be found in search points or shops, a few force players to head out into the wild and hunt.
Although most enemies in Nier are Shades, animals appear in an abundance during Part 1. The earliest side quests have Nier hunting Sheep in the Northern Plains and stripping them for Mutton, showing players how item drops work for fauna. Most animals have a common drop and alternative rarer drop that’s much harder to get. In the case of Goats, expect quite a bit of Goat meat before you get your hands on Goat Hide.
Goat Hide is necessary for two side quests in Nier Replicant, requiring a fair bit of patience considering the item’s low drop rate. There are multiple locations to hunt Goats in Nier Replicant, but since Part 2 significantly downplays how many animals are actually present, it’s better to do all your hunting before the time skip.
Northern Plains Goats
The Northern Plains Goats are inconvenient, out of the way, and not worth grinding specifically for Goat Hide, but it’s worth knowing where exactly they are considering how many times you’ll pass through the Northern Plains over the course of the story. Two Goats can be found right outside the Village gate. Simply keep to the mountain on the right and you’ll see them grazing with some Sheep. Both Goats can be comfortably killed with Magic from afar, but make sure not to leave their corpses unstripped for long or they’ll vanish.
The next set of Goats can be found by the broken bridge near the entrance to the Forest of Myth (northeast point on the map). Be warned that there might be Shades in the area and there’s a Boar to watch out for, so this isn’t exactly the best spot to reliably farm Goats. That said, it’s also worth cutting them down when leaving The Aerie or Forest of Myth.
Eastern Road Goats
The Eastern Road is the best spot to farm Goat Hides for a number of reasons. The most notable being that it almost exclusively features Goats in a tight space that’s easy to reload, but the Goats also disappear from the Northern Plains in Part 2. This leaves the Eastern Road the single place where you can find Goats after the time skip.
There are roughly three Goats on the Eastern Road and they should all die rather quickly. The fastest way to kill and strip all three Goats is to go up and down the path towards the Lost Shrine. This way you’ll also be able to nab any nearby Materials for weapon upgrades or even selling while getting a steady source of Goat Meat and Goat Hide.
The New Merchant In Town
The New Merchant in Town is a Part 1 side quest in Seafront that requires players to help a would be merchant stock his upcoming shop. The Merchant asks for 10 Wool, 5 Natural Rubber, and 10 Goat Hides. Wool can be skinned off Sheep in the Northern Plains, so make sure to kill any Goats there while you’re racking up 10 Wool. Natural Rubber can be purchased at a Seafront store.
For the Goat Hides themselves, it’s likely you won’t be able to get 10 while looking for 10 Wool. Wool seems to drop at a faster rate than Hides and the abundance of Sheep in the Northern Plains means you’re likely to already have the Wool by the time the quest is accepted. Make sure to use the Eastern Road to grind for Goat Hide and then hook back to Seafront.
The Damaged Map
The Damaged Map is a Part 2 side quest in the Village that takes players all over the world and ultimately back to the Lost Shrine. The quest itself is fairly linear once the map is put back together, but actually restoring the map is a challenge. You’ll need 3 Machine Oil, 3 Eggplants, and 3 Goat Hides.
Eggplants can be purchased in the Village while only the Eastern Road has Goats in Part 2, so you’ll be forced to grind there. Machine Oil is a rare drop from enemies in the Junk Heap which might realistically take some time to grind. The reward for completing the side quest is a near weapon – Labyrinth’s Spear.
Next: Nier Replicant: Where To Find Eagle Eggs
- Guides
- Nier Replicant
Source: Read Full Article