Weapons are used by Nier to fight and defend himself in NieR. Only one-handed swords are available for the first half of the game. Then, in the second half of the game, two-handed swords and spears can be collected and used. Each weapon type has special properties and a unique attack set, including different special attacks and dodge maneuvers. All weapons can be charged, at the start, middle, or end of a combo to initiate a strong charge attack that deals more damage or hits a wide area. The swing speed of a weapon is influenced by its weapon type and its weight.
List of Weapons[]
One-Handed Swords[]
This is the fastest type of weapon, with a 5-hit base combo, which hits in a wide area in front of him. However, they also deal the least damage and, due to the low weight, have the least force behind them. The ground special attack is a quick thrust that deals no damage, but makes guarding opponents stumble backward leaving them open for attacks. When used while airborne, the special attack lets Nier crush his sword with force into the ground beneath him, damaging everything close to the impact. This attack is also known as "Skull Crusher". If Nier attacks out of a dodge, he will perform a horizontal slash.
| Name | AP (L1) | AP (L2) | AP (L3) | AP (L4) | MP (L1) | MP (L2) | MP (L3) | MP (L4) | Wt (L1) | Wt (L2) | Wt (L3) | Wt (L4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nameless Blade | 100 | 112 | 152 | 204 | 0% | 10% | 20% | 30% | Light | Light | Light | Light |
| Lily-Leaf Sword | 123 | 146 | 187 | 250 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 60% | Light | Moderate | Moderate | Heavy |
| Nirvana Dagger | 106 | 125 | 160 | 213 | 0% | 10% | 20% | 40% | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Moonrise | 109 | 128 | 165 | 217 | 10% | 10% | 20% | 40% | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Rebirth | 115 | 132 | 169 | 221 | 10% | 10% | 30% | 40% | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
| Earth Wyrm's Claw | 142 | 163 | 209 | 271 | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Heavy | Moderate |
| Blade of Treachery | 139 | 179 | 231 | 255 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
| Beastbain | 172 | 221 | 282 | 313 | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
| Faith | 147 | 189 | 240 | 266 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Very Light | Light | Light | Moderate |
| Ancient Overlord | 194 | 245 | 271 | 283 | 30% | 50% | 50% | 50% | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
| Phoenix Dagger | 240 | 300 | 332 | 346 | 50% | 70% | 70% | 80% | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Labyrinth's Whisper | 112 | 128 | 147 | 313 | 10% | 10% | 20% | 60% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Fool's Embrace (15 Nightmares) |
200 | 277 | 289 | 400 | 30% | 50% | 60% | 80% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Iron Pipe | 179 | 179 | 217 | 266 | 30% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Light | Light | Light | Light |
| Kainé's Sword | 999 | 999 | 999 | 999 | 0% | 30% | 60% | 100% | Extra Heavy | Extra Heavy | Extra Heavy | Extra Heavy |
| Virtuous Contract (4 YoRHa) |
150 | 270 | 420 | 475 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | Moderate | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
| Cruel Oath (4 YoRHa) |
150 | 270 | 420 | 475 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 40% | Moderate | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
Two-Handed Swords[]
Two-Handed Swords deal the most damage of all weapon types. They hit everything around Nier in a wide area, but are also the slowest due to their immense weight. Nier can barely swing these giant weapons around, struggling to keep them in motion, resulting in a slow, heavy-hitting, 3-hit combo that is highly effective against groups of enemies. Due to the sheer power behind each of these attacks, they break the guard of blocking enemies easily. This class' special attack is a spin attack that inflicts a 2-hit attack on nearby enemies. The air special attack also performs the "Skull Crusher", but with a lot more force. When used after a dodge, Nier does a slow, upward slash.
| Name | AP (L1) | AP (L2) | AP (L3) | AP (L4) | MP (L1) | MP (L2) | MP (L3) | MP (L4) | Wt (L1) | Wt (L2) | Wt (L3) | Wt (L4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kusanagi | 295 | 339 | 571 | 659 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 40% | Light | Light | Light | Light |
| Axe of Beheading | 364 | 418 | 700 | 807 | 40% | 30% | 40% | 40% | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
| Fang of the Twins | 312 | 358 | 595 | 686 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Light | Moderate | Heavy | Heavy |
| Vile Axe | 384 | 442 | 729 | 841 | 40% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Moderate | Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Beastlord | 329 | 378 | 620 | 715 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
| Iron Will | 200 | 389 | 633 | 730 | 0% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Very Light | Extra Heavy | Extra Heavy | Extra Heavy |
| Phoenix Sword | 400 | 646 | 715 | 760 | 30% | 40% | 50% | 50% | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Labyrinth's Song | 223 | 257 | 295 | 860 | 10% | 10% | 20% | 60% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Fool's Lament (15 Nightmares) |
400 | 730 | 760 | 999 | 30% | 50% | 50% | 80% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Virtuous Treaty (4 YoRHa) |
300 | 540 | 840 | 999 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | Moderate | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
Spears[]
Spears are in-between the other two weapon types in terms of speed and damage. They deal more damage than one-handed swords at the cost of speed, but deal less damage than two-handed weapons. Their base combo consists of 3-thrust attacks that have a long reach, but very little width to the left or right. It's also impossible to change the attack direction mid-combo, making it difficult to deal with groups of enemies. Both specials result in a very useful rapid charge attack, that has a huge reach and goes through enemies. After a dodge, spears perform a horizontal swing, their only means of hitting an area outside of their special attack. Since the charge attack covers a lot of ground, Nier can use it in combination with forward dodges to travel around far quicker than by running (Special Attack -> Dodge -> Dodge -> Special Attack...).
| Name | AP (L1) | AP (L2) | AP (L3) | AP (L4) | MP (L1) | MP (L2) | MP (L3) | MP (L4) | Wt (L1) | Wt (L2) | Wt (L3) | Wt (L4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transience | 221 | 254 | 312 | 368 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Light | Light | Light | Light |
| Spear of the Usurper | 364 | 418 | 510 | 600 | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | Very Light | Light | Moderate | Moderate |
| The Devil Queen | 234 | 268 | 325 | 383 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Moderate | Heavy | Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Sunrise | 384 | 442 | 531 | 625 | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | Moderate | Heavy | Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Beastcurse | 247 | 284 | 339 | 399 | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
| Captain's Holy Spear | 467 | 553 | 652 | 693 | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | Heavy | Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Dragoon Lance | 300 | 353 | 416 | 442 | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | Moderate | Heavy | Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Phoenix Spear | 490 | 576 | 679 | 721 | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Labyrinth's Shout | 168 | 192 | 221 | 460 | 10% | 10% | 20% | 60% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Fool's Accord (15 Nightmares) |
300 | 416 | 433 | 600 | 30% | 50% | 60% | 80% | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy | Very Heavy |
| Virtuous Dignity (4 YoRHa) |
220 | 396 | 616 | 836 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | Moderate | Very Light | Very Light | Very Light |
Trivia[]
- All spears have a lightning aura.
- Phoenix Spear has the highest initial attack power on level 1 out of any weapon, with 490 damage.
- At max level, the strongest weapons for each type are Kainé's Sword, Fool's Lament/Virtuous Treaty and Virtuous Dignity (Phoenix Spear without DLC). With 999 attack power, the first and second are also the most powerful in the entire game.
- Many of the weapons were originally owned by Caim from Drakengard, under a different name. When the final battle in Drakengard's Ending E ensued, his weapons were scattered across the land, to be found centuries later by Nier.
- In the original game, Weapon Stories were originally going to be in it before they were cut and were instead listed in Grimoire Nier. They were later added back in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139....