NieR is a memorable experience not just for its gameplay, but also for its emotional and touching story. No spoilers here, but it’s worth playing!
The PC version of the game promised to be the definitive edition of the game, with 4K support and a lot of other bells and whistles. But fate decreed that this was not the case… so users and Square-Enix would become locked in a battle as fierce as the one between the Androids and the Machines, with no end in sight.
As such, most of the best mods ever released for the game aim to fix the many issues found in the game, showing the amazing commitment of the NieR community.
Granted I wouldn’t say these mods are totally must-haves. But they’re worth playing with if you want a slightly different experience, or want some minor tweaks to an already incredible title.
20. NieR Automata Grid Overlay Removal
Sometimes, some artistic choices don’t make a whole lot of sense. Sometimes, you may want to change them.
And sometimes, you even can!
The NieR Automata Grid Overlay mod removes the grid screen overlay that can be seen in loading screens and in the main menu, resulting in slightly clearer screens.
You can also remove the vignette and grain effects while accessing the menu in the base, giving you full power over them. Or something close by.
19. Partial LOD Fix
The high-speed action of NieR Automata makes the game look great in motion.
But when you stop to watch at the beautifully haunting ruined city, things get spooky.
Partial LOD Fix basically reworks graphics by replacing the low-detail models with high-polygon models from near LOD so that pop-in can be reduced.
It’s a partial fix, but we’ll take it!
18. 2B in Wonderland
2B has become of the most memorable characters of the current generation.
But nothing is truly sacred in the world of video games.
2B in Wonderland is a very simple retexture mod that changes the darker colors of the iconic 2B costume to something a little brighter.
The pastel colors are definitely more suited for a much happier game, but NieR is all about things looking somewhat out of place. So this should blend right in.
17. Scissor Blade
What’s more deadly than a pair of giant scissors?
A battle android wielding them, obviously.
If you’re a fan of Kill la Kill, then we all know about the Scissor Blades.
You probably know more about these babies than I do. But suffice to say that it’s a deadly weapon that will not make you miss the Type-3 Sword it replaces.
Not for an increased power stat, but for an increased coolness factor. Perfect for anime/NieR crossovers.
16. Zero’s Blade
The weapon of the first Intoner, and the only one that can kill another.
This power is now at your disposal.
Despite what people may tell you, you should definitely play Drakengard 3… if only for its story alone, since it’s as gripping as NieR Automata’s.
If you can’t, you’ll have to suit yourself and use Zero’s Blade, which replaces the Beastbane weapon in looks, but not in power.
It’s a blade that has drawn a lot of blood, and it doesn’t seem like it will stop doing so anytime soon.
15. The Red Queen
How does it feel like to be deadweight in a character action game?
Time to find out.
The Red Queen weapon mod replaces the 9S’ Cruel Oath sword with Devil May Cry’s Nero signature weapon.
You really can’t rev it up as you do in Devil May Cry 4 and 5. But you can still prove you’re no deadweight by decimating the machines’ army and saving the world.
14. Bande Desinée
Subtle changes can go a long way to make a game look much better than ever.
The Bande Desinée adds one such change: removing object banding through a subtle shader replacement.
It’s more of a workaround than a real fix. But hey I can’t really complain, considering the game did not receive a single fix since its release!
13. 2B White Dress
The lack of outfit customization in NieR Automata is a crime, considering how much that would have upped the level of this already incredible title.
But it’s something I’d really like to have for reworking beautiful characters like 2B.
While we wait for Square-Enix and Platinum Games to pay for what they haven’t given us, we can install mods like the 2D White Dress.
This reverses the color scheme of her only costume, making her look so pure that she could pass for a goddess.
A goddess armed to the teeth and out for some machine oil, that is.
12. The Master Sword
Wave goodbye to the old, boring Virtuous Contract. And get ready to wield the weapon of a true hero.
This Master Sword mod replaces 2B’s weapon with the even more iconic sword of Link in The Legend of Zelda series.
The model, lifted straight from Breath of the Wild, almost looks like part of the NieR universe.
Our friendly modder had the kindness of removing cel-shading from the model so it really matches. A wise choice, too, as a cartoonish weapon would stand no chance against here!
11. NieR Automata Texture Pack
Let’s not mince words: the NieR Automata PC port is not all that good, and it does very little to take advantage of high-end systems.
This Texture Pack doesn’t bring any massive visual improvement to the game.
But it does manage to fix some of the low-quality textures found in it. Basically making the graphics look way more consistent.
A must-download I think, especially if you’re playing at 4K resolution.
10. 2B Player Model Replacement
Play as any character you want, any time you want, wherever you want!
2B Player Model Replacement allows you to change 2B into pretty much every other character in the game, including the androids Devola and Popola, the machines Adam and Eve, and even Emil.
Things are not perfect for all characters.
But it’s fun to see how janky the game can get when going outside what is permitted. Exactly like 2B does!
9. A2 Player Model Replacement
A2 is great, isn’t she?
Well what if you could play as her all the way through?
This A2 Player Model Replacement works exactly like the other model replacement mods developed for the game. Basically you get to control other characters in place of the lovable android.
Some models have issues that apparently can’t be fixed, so make sure to pick the right replacement if you want to have a decent experience.
8. 9S Player Model Replacement
We changed the 2B model into Popola.
We changed the A2 model into Devola.
Now it’s time to take things even further.
This 9S Player Model Replacement works pretty much like the 2B Replacement, allowing you to change 9S’ model with that of any other character in the game.
The mod works even when controlling 9S in his dedicated story route and beyond, so you can enact some truly epic fights that could have not happened any other way.
7. Androids Remastered
Androids have it so much easier, right?
Just shut them down, apply the right modifications, and they’re good to go for another day. Looking better than ever before. No workouts needed!
Androids Remastered introduces high-quality textures for all playable characters in the game, as well as a brand new model for 2B lifted straight from Soulcalibur VI.
This model must have been made using some kind of dark magic: it looks better than the vanilla one, but it has fewer polygons. So some animations may look janky at times.
No problem: just shut down the android, make the changes, and she will come back more beautiful than ever.
6. Clean ReShade Preset
Time to clean up.
And no, I’m not talking about all the machine parts you’re leaving behind.
The Clean ReShade Preset is an excellent way to make the game look much better, removing some of the weird graphics filters it employs to provide a much clearer image quality that looks vibrant across the whole world.
And with almost no loss of FPS too.
Definitely one of the better presets you could try out!
5. NieR Automata Input Overhaul Mod
Here’s one for you PC fans not playing on a regular controller.
The Input Overhaul mod is an essential mod to download if you’re not playing the game on a gamepad, as it improves mouse input for camera control and aiming.
Plus it allows you to rebind the dash command, and quite a bit more.
Why the developers didn’t put this in the game in the first place is a question I fear will be left unanswered.
4. 2B Hook
2B or not 2B Hook?
The latter, most definitely.
2B Hook is a massive modding menu for NieR that lets the entire game become your playground.
It offers new options ranging from the beloved Godmode, to the ability to change enemy levels, character model manipulation, new items, new Pod spawning, and plenty more.
What was the thing about God and its creation that 2B said at the beginning of the game? Doesn’t matter now, when you become a God yourself!
3. Video Upscaled FullHD
NieR resolution issues don’t just stop at mere outputting a poorer fullscreen resolution. There’s other issues with upscaling that affect some PCs and graphics cards.
But thankfully there is an unofficial fix for these issues as well.
Video Upscaled FullHD uses the mysterious technology known as AI Upscaling to bump the game’s cutscenes resolution to 4K, and then rescale them to 1080p resolution to improve quality considerably.
Modders, huh? Whatever we would do without them!
2. NieR Fantasy ReShade
Remember those washed-out colors and the weird visual filter in the game? All gone now.
NieR Fantasy ReShade is a very sleek ReShade preset that adds a new level of depth to the game’s visuals, while staying true to the developer’s artistic vision for the most part.
The changes aren’t major.
But they are so pleasing that you probably won’t go back to playing the game without this preset once you’ve tried it.
1. FAR Mod
Modders do what Platinum Games and Square-Enix have no intention to do.
Fix their game, in case I haven’t hammered that home by now.
The FAR mod is absolutely the best NieR mod made so far.
It fixes the most annoying issues found in the game such as native fullscreen issues, performance issues due to faulty Global Illumination settings, unlocks framerate so you can run the game at those glorious 90 FPS your new monitor supports…. plus more features that just really make the PC version awesome.
FAR is also required for many of the mods in this list, so get to downloading!
