The side quests in Nier Replicant aren’t exactly the game’s strong suits, but they do a genuinely good job at giving audiences a fresh perspective into what life is like in the late 3400s. The majority of Nier Replicant’s side content is made up of a variety of fetch quests where you’ll spend too much time grinding or walking back and forth from the same few areas. What keeps Nier Replicant’s side quests from becoming totally tedious, however, is rooted in the script.
From story to dialogue, Nier Replicant’s side quests make up for their mundane gameplay with genuinely charming writing more often than not. Not every side quest is created equal, of course, but most are worth doing if only for the unique party banter attached (if not for the often incredibly useful rewards).
Bon Appetit is the first of two food related side quests in Seafront, tasking players to dive into Nier Replicant’s fishing mechanics for ingredients. While light on drama and tension, Bon Appetit shows that there’s still some semblance of normalcy in Nier Replicant while quietly commenting on an in-universe food shortage that becomes even worse after the time skip.
To The Library
After accepting Bon Appetit at the tavern in Seafront, Nier will be tasked with finding new recipes for the owner. First thing’s first, leave Seafront towards the Southern Plains and return to the Village. Make your way towards the library and enter inside. A recipe book will be on the shelves to Nier’s immediate left. Grab it off the wall and leave the library.
Exit the Village towards the Southern Gate and return to Seafront. Hand over the recipe book at the tavern and the owner will find some quick inspiration. In typical Nier Replicant fashion, you’ll be immediately tasked with fetching some ingredients. In this case, get ready to look for 5 Rice, 5 Mushrooms, and 5 Sharks.
Getting Rice & Mushrooms
Rice can either be purchased at the Seafront grocer or grown at Nier’s farm with Rice Seedlings. One bag of Rice costs 600 Gold which ultimately totals out to 3000 Gold. Depending on how many side quests you’ve done, this might be unreasonable, so make sure to purchase some Rice Seedlings instead and drop down some Bounty Fertilizer. One row of land should net more than enough Rice.
Mushrooms can also be bought at the Seafront grocer, but they’re also more expensive than Rice at 800 Gold a piece, totalling 5000 Gold. Unfortunately, Mushrooms can’t be grown like Rice can and are otherwise only found at Eastern Road harvesting points. Make sure to spend any money you have on the five Mushrooms to save some harvesting time.
Fishing For Shark
Nier can’t actually catch Shark until he completes The Fisherman’s Gambit 4 in order to level up his fishing skills accordingly. After that point, you’ll be able to hook Sharks without them breaking the fishing line. For extra help, make sure to complete The Fisherman’s Gambit 5 as well.
Sharks can be caught by fishing with Sardines (which can be easily hooked on the beach in Seafront). Alternatively, Sardines can be bought at the local tackle shop for 250 Gold. Make sure to fish next to The Fisherman’s Gambit quest give and you’ll catch five Sharks in no time at all.