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NieR: Automata's captivating narrative unfolds across three distinct playthroughs, each offering its own unique twists and revelations. Although there’s significant overlap between the first two playthroughs, the third reveals that the journey isn’t over even after the credits roll the first time. While completing the three main playthroughs is essential, there are numerous endings to explore, some more detailed than others. Certain endings require you to play as specific characters and perform particular actions. Below, we’ll cover all three playable characters and how to switch between them.
All Playable Characters In NieR: Automata
The story of NieR: Automata centers around three unforgettable characters: 2B, 9S, and A2. Partners 2B and 9S dominate the spotlight, particularly during the initial playthroughs. Each character boasts a distinct combat style, with subtle nuances that make playing as them feel fresh—even when equipped with identical plug-in chips throughout all three campaigns. 2B, 9S, and A2 are available as playable characters throughout the game, but switching between them isn’t always straightforward.
How To Switch Characters In NieR: Automata
During your first playthrough, you cannot freely switch characters at will. Instead, your choices are predetermined:
- Playthrough 1 – 2B
- Playthrough 2 – 9S
- Playthrough 3 – Switch between 2B, 9S, and A2, as dictated by the story.
After completing one of the main endings, you’ll unlock Chapter Select mode, allowing you to choose your character freely. Using Chapter Select mode, you can revisit any of the game’s 17 chapters. In many of these chapters, the numbers displayed on the right-hand side of the screen indicate completed or incomplete side quests. If a character has corresponding numbers for a chapter, you can replay that chapter as that character.
Certain later chapters, especially those in Playthrough 3, restrict you to playing as specific characters, and this restriction remains unchanged. Through Chapter Select mode, you can switch characters at any time, but you’ll also need to align your progress with the chapters where those characters were playable during the main story. As long as you save before transitioning to another chapter, everything you accomplish in Chapter Select mode carries over, enabling you to level up the shared experience levels of all three characters as you work toward the maximum.
