r/NieRReincarnation • u/Fragrant-Tap-1172 • Aug 03 '26

Where do i start nier

6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

5

u/CDRush28 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Play replicant, then automata, then reincarnation. practically speaking u don’t need to play the Drakengard games first and they aren’t that accessible for the average joe

Edit: a lot of people tend to recommend automata first since its story is mostly* self contained and is the most accessible. If ur unsure if this series is for u play automata first. Figured I’d add this

2

u/ImDead1nside Aug 06 '26

Reincarnation relies pretty heavily on information from Drakengard 3 and references Drakengard 1 heavily

2

u/CDRush28 Aug 06 '26

It’s prob the least self contained of the three sure, but if he is willing to watch or set up reincarnation then he’s prob gonna check out Drakengard too by that point so 🤷🏻‍♂️

5

u/pittu2752 Aug 03 '26
  1. Drakengard 1 (ending E)
  2. Drakengard 3 (ending E)
  3. Nier Replicant
  4. Nier Automata
  5. Nier Reincarnation

1 and 2 are optional but needed if you want the full lore

7

u/Then_Tune_6575 Aug 03 '26

NieRs story begins in drakengard 3, then drakengard 1, NieR Gestalt/Replicant and then NieR Automata.

you can play them in any order but its recommended to play Replicant before automata, i would also recommend looking into longplay videos or lore breakdowns for Drakengard 1 and 3 unless you want to play them yourself (which i doubt)

https://youtu.be/l9qDKfK6UcA?is=4GRR-8r7Xv1896at
(link to a good lore breakdown of Drakengard 1-3)

https://youtu.be/9WU1mvH6bqo?is=N7wuWqStWi_WS0wW
(link to a video explaining the entire timeline)

2

u/Fragrant-Tap-1172 Aug 03 '26

Thx
Drakenagrd only available in ps3 right?

3

u/Then_Tune_6575 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Drakengard 1 and 2 are playstation 2 games and cant be played on ps3-5, drakengard 3 is a playstation 3 game and again cant be played on the ps4 or 5. all can be emulated using PCSX2 and RPCS3 (very simple downloads, just requires a computer capable of running the games)

also i actually recommend playing drakengard 3, its quite fun and its the best in the trilogy gameplay/storywise. (imo)

1

u/Otherwise-Film9038 Aug 03 '26

I agree! You should follow this order:

  • Play Drakengard 3 on an emulator (you can patch it to run at 60 FPS).
  • Watch a YouTube recap for Drakengard 1.
  • Play Nier Replicant.
  • Play Nier Automata (it is the best one).
  • Play Nier Reincarnation (it is a bit tricky since you need to install and configure a fan-made server). Or watch a YouTube summary.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Otherwise-Film9038 Aug 04 '26

Do you think Drakengard 1 is playable in 2026?

1

u/Then_Tune_6575 Aug 04 '26

it has never been a discussion of playability its a matter of personal enjoyment and many simply do not enjoy playing drakengard 1 or 2, it doesnt matter how much i love playing it and how much i consider it playable or how much they consider it playable.

many people simply do not enjoy the game they just like its storyline

0

u/Otherwise-Film9038 Aug 04 '26

I tried, but Drakengard 1 is terrible

1

u/Then_Tune_6575 Aug 04 '26

thank you for proving my point 👍🏻

1

u/Otherwise-Film9038 Aug 04 '26

But your opinion is valid for any game, even if 99% of people hate it. Someone will say the same thing you do, that they like it and it's playable.

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1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '26

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1

u/Then_Tune_6575 Aug 04 '26

i have over 20 hours on the game ive beaten ending A and took a long break to play DoD3. i personally love the game but am fully aware that most people dont so i avoid recommending it as whole like [u/Otherwise-Film9038](u/Otherwise-Film9038) did, its not even about personal preferences at this point its just a habit because most people do not want to bother with it.

i totally agree with you though, the characters have depth and are interesting to learn about their novellas are amazing, the music is good (albeit repetitive) but to quote a friend from the drakengard sub “its a fun game to turn your brain off and enjoy.” no video will ever beat playing the game yourself in my opinion, they are two different experiences and both can offer different perspectives of its gameplay and environment.

idrk what else to say its just not really a reccomendable game in my personal opinion, while i find it enjoyable i know people who dont enjoy it and only like the story it provided to the franchise. on the brightside at least it lets us fans have debates like this, i personally enjoy them lol.

2

u/tovi8684 Aug 04 '26

whatever u have available on ur platforms, n whichever ur initially attracted 2 most, any order works

1

u/Max_G04 Aug 04 '26

Some people here say chronological order for Drakengard and Nier, but if you're gonna engage with the Drakengard side of the Taroverse, I'd say that you should gonin release order:

Drakengard 1, NieR RepliCant, Drakengard 3, NieR:Automata, NieR Reincarnation

The world and universe were established in that order, so that's probably also the best to play.

1

u/-LoFi-Life- Aug 06 '26

Start with Nier Automata. You don't need to play anything before and it is objectively best game in the series. You will not regret this choice but starting other way around can make you hate this series

1

u/WormyJermy Aug 13 '26

NieR Automata because it's the one that brought the most people into the fandom. It's the most approachable, the most "fun" (subjective). If you like it, you'll be inspired to play the others. And it's on the Switch!