Nier: Automata gives you full control over your experience with multiple difficulty settings. You can switch between them at almost any time from the menu, which is handy because the game never locks you into a single challenge level. A question that keeps coming up in the community is whether choosing a higher difficulty will reward you with better loot, more crafting materials, or increased drop rates. Some players assume that tougher enemies should drop rarer items, but that is not how the game works. This guide explains exactly what difficulty changes and what stays the same so you can decide how to play without worrying about missing out on loot.
Difficulty Options in Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata features four difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard. Each one adjusts the numbers behind combat but leaves everything else untouched.
Easy is built for players who want to focus on the story. Enemies have reduced health and deal less damage. This mode also gives you access to auto-chips that can automate actions like dodging, attacking, and even using items. You can equip as many or as few of these chips as you like, so it is a flexible way to lower the mechanical demands of combat.
Normal is the baseline experience. Enemy stats are balanced around a fair challenge, and no auto-chips are provided by default. This is where most players start.
Hard ramps up enemy health and damage significantly. Attacks that were manageable on Normal can easily kill you if you are not careful. The enemy AI does not change, but the increased damage forces you to play more precisely.
Very Hard is an extreme mode. Enemies gain even more health and damage, and the game explicitly warns that if you die without recovering your body, your save data will be deleted. This is the only difficulty where permadeath exists. Aside from that brutal penalty, Very Hard follows the same rules as the other settings when it comes to loot and progression.
Does Difficulty Affect Drop Rate and Loot?
The short answer is no. Difficulty in Nier: Automata has no effect whatsoever on loot quality, item rarity, material drops, or drop rates. Every enemy in the game has a fixed loot table and a fixed chance to drop each item. These values are identical whether you play on Easy, Normal, Hard, or Very Hard.
You will get the same Machine Cores, weapon upgrade materials, and rare items like Meteorite Shards or Pristine Screws regardless of difficulty. The game does not secretly boost your luck when you face tougher foes, nor does it penalise you for taking the easier route. This design choice means you can freely adjust the challenge to suit your mood without feeling like you are missing out on valuable rewards.
If you find a rare drop early on a higher difficulty, it is because of the inherent drop chance, not because the game is being more generous. The randomness can sometimes fool you into thinking harder battles equal better loot, but data miners and extensive community testing have confirmed that all difficulty levels share the same drop parameters.
Other Gameplay Elements Unaffected by Difficulty
Loot is not the only thing that stays constant. Here is a list of other gameplay systems that are completely independent of your chosen difficulty:
- Experience gain (EXP): Enemies give the same amount of experience on every difficulty. Levelling up is not faster on Hard or Very Hard.
- Money (G) drops: The amount of G dropped by enemies and found in boxes does not change.
- Fishing: The fish you can catch and the items you can reel in are not influenced by difficulty settings.
- Quest rewards: Side quests always give the same rewards no matter what difficulty you are playing on.
- Endings and achievements/trophies: All 26 endings are available on any difficulty. There are no achievements tied to completing the game on a specific setting, so you can unlock everything on Easy if you want.
- Shop prices and sell values: Vendors charge the same prices and buy your items for the same amount across all modes.
The only meaningful difference is how combat feels. Higher difficulties demand better dodging, smarter chip setups, and more patience. But they never give you extra material rewards for your effort.
How Difficulty Indirectly Affects Farming Efficiency
Even though drop rates are identical, your choice of difficulty can still influence how long it takes to farm for specific items. On Hard or Very Hard, enemies have more health, so each fight takes longer. If your goal is to collect a rare drop, you are simply spending more real-world time killing the same enemies. On Easy or Normal, you can clear groups of machines much faster, which lets you trigger more drop opportunities per minute. That makes lower difficulties more efficient for farming.
There is one exception: the Very Hard permadeath penalty. If you are farming a dangerous area and risk losing all your save data, that can slow you down because you have to play extremely cautiously. In almost all cases, Normal or Easy is the smartest choice for grinding materials.
If you want to maximise drop rates themselves, use plug-in chips instead. Chips like Drop Rate Up and Item Scan do not care about difficulty. Drop Rate Up increases the chance an enemy will drop something, while Item Scan lets you see all items on the minimap so you never miss a rare pickup. Combining these with a lower difficulty setting is the fastest way to gather everything you need.
There is also no shame in temporarily lowering the difficulty just to farm. The game lets you switch back whenever you want, so you can preserve your preferred challenge level for story content and swap to Easy when grinding for that one elusive upgrade material.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does higher difficulty increase drop rate in Nier: Automata?
No. Drop rates and loot quality are exactly the same on all four difficulty settings. Enemy health and damage are the only things that change.
What actually changes when you increase the difficulty?
Enemy health and damage increase. On Very Hard, dying without recovering your body deletes your save data. All other systems, including drops, experience, and money, remain unchanged.
Can I change difficulty mid-game?
Yes. You can open the System menu at any time and switch between Easy, Normal, Hard, or Very Hard. The only exception is during certain tutorial sequences or boss fights where the option is briefly locked, but outside of those moments it is always available.
Does difficulty affect the endings I can get?
No. Every ending from A to Z can be obtained on any difficulty. You do not need to play on Hard or Very Hard to see the true ending or unlock any post-game content.
Is there any benefit to playing on Hard or Very Hard?
Only personal satisfaction. There are no exclusive items, hidden bosses, or bonus scenes tied to higher difficulties. If you enjoy the extra challenge, you can play on Hard or Very Hard knowing you are not missing out on any in-game rewards.
