There’s really no getting around how much of a pain material grinding is in most RPGs, let alone Nier. A remake to 2010’s Nier Gestalt, Nier Replicant has improved upon its source material in virtually every respect without needlessly modernizing the game. Unfortunately, this also means Nier retains quite a few of its ugliest traits, most notable being the sheer amount of effort needed to grind for certain items.
Quite a lot of Iron Ore is needed for both side quests and weapon upgrading in Nier Replicant, to the point where anyone looking for 100% completion will need to grind. To make matters worse, Iron Ore isn’t even one of Nier’s rarest items.
Updated on June 22, 2021 by Renan Fontes: Nier Replicant does not make grinding easy and will break most players before they're even halfway to upgrading all their weapons. The inventory limit also means that you can't hold onto all the materials you'll need, especially when it comes to Iron Ore. Nier can only hold 99 of each item at a time, but players will have to grind over 300 Iron Ores to fully upgrade every weapon and attain 100% side quest completion. The grind is worth it for some handsome payouts and the strongest weapon in the game, though.
How To Find Iron Ore
Iron Ore is one of the most common materials in Nier Replicant and can be obtained multiple ways. Unfortunately, so much Iron Ore is needed to 100% Nier that this ultimately doesn’t matter. Players will need to get their hands on at least 303 Iron Ore before they can so much as think about selling any for profit. Iron Ore can be obtained by:
- Examining any mineral harvest point (Northern and Southern Plains).
- Killing Shades after the time skip.
- Buying them at the Junk Heap.
Iron Ore is fairly pricey at 1,000 Gold per pop, so it’s not exactly wise to just up and buy all the Ore you need. Money isn’t too hard to come by, but hundreds of Iron Ore purchases do add up and your Gold is better spent on rarer materials.
Iron Ore Side Quests
A total of 30 Iron Ore are needed for side quests in Nier Replicant. The Creaky Wheel is a Part 2 side quest that has Nier traveling to Facade to repair his Village waterwheel. The quest is triggered in Nier's Village and can be completed at any point. Players need 10 Iron Ore and 10 Logs to commission the parts at the Strange-Thing Store. Logs can be purchased for 500 Gold in the Village, but they’re also a common drop at forested harvest points. Once all the materials have been found and Nier has spoken with the owner of the Strange-Thing Store, return to your Village to check up on the wheel and net your 10,000 Gold reward.
A City Reborn is also a Facade side quest and unlocks after completing the Loyal Cerberus Key Fragment. Speak to the Royal Guard posted outside the Facade Castle and he'll request some materials to help in the city's reconstruction. Nier needs to exchange 20 Iron Ore, 20 Clay, and 20 Logs to benefit Facade’s economy. Clay can be found at mineral harvest points just like Iron Ore, but they can also be purchased at the Facade material shop. Once all the materials have been collected, speak with the guard to get your 50,000 Gold reward.
Iron Ore Weapon Upgrades
Anyone who’s looking to upgrade every single weapon in Nier Replicant should make peace with all the grinding they’re going to have to do. To get 100% weapon completion in Nier, you need a total of 273 Iron Ore for nine different weapons including the YoRHa DLC weapons from Nier: Automata. The following weapons need Iron Ore to be upgraded:
- Beastbain | One-Handed Sword (47)
- Cruel Oath/YoRHa DLC | One-Handed Sword (4)
- The Devil Queen | Spear (28)
- Earth Wyrm's Claw | One-Handed Sword (26)
- Ending E Sword | One-Handed Sword (60)
- Kusanagi | Two-Handed Sword (48)
- Rebirth | One-Handed Sword (34)
- Spear of the Usurper | Spear (8)
- Transience | Spear (8)
Beastbain, Cruel Oath, and the Ending E Sword are easily three of the best weapons in the game, so do hold onto any Iron Ore. The Ending E Sword in particular actually has the highest damage output, so it's worth saving materials specifically to fully upgrade it ASAP. That said, you'll only be doing so after fully completing the game. Feel free to start selling off any Iron Ore once you’ve exhausted all necessary 303. Until then, enjoy the grind and know that farming for Iron Ore is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Nier Replicant.