The city of Facade is one of the few settlements in Nier Replicant actually seen thriving to some degree at the end of the world. Seafront is undergoing a food crisis, Nier’s Village has its own problems to deal with, and The Aerie is in such a perplexing state that it barely feels hospitable. Facade, on the other hand, is a rich city bursting with life, commerce, and culture. In many respects, Facade is a rare glimpse at the beauty of humanity – something Nier Replicant tends to ignore.
In a game filled top to bottom with a hostile tone, Facade offers a chance to breathe. Even Seafront (which was mostly peaceful in Nier Gestalt) is now home to a new dungeon in the form of the Wrecked Ship. Facade has its struggles, but not until the very end of the story. Until then, there’s an almost jovial atmosphere to the city that freshens up the hot desert around it. Facade’s side quests also do a great job at fleshing out Nier Replicant’s world.
The Littlest Hero is a Part 1 side quest unlocked after completing Nier Replicant's Barren Temple. Players are sent back into the desert sandstorm to track down a missing boy while taking on a swarm of wolves along the way. The Littlest Hero is one of Nier Replicant’s better quests, forgoing the basic fetch quest shenanigans for some meaningful worldbuilding.
Edited on July 31, 2021 by Renan Fontes: The Barren Temple is one of the most complicated dungeons in Nier Replicant, actively taking cues from The Legend of Zelda's puzzle design. Each room is a gauntlet that challenges your mechanical and observational skills. For anyone playing Nier mainly for the story, the Barren Temple can grind the game's pace to a halt with relatively challenging gameplay out of nowhere. Before you can so much as start The Littlest Hero, you need to conquer the Barren Temple.
The Barren Temple
Unlike other dungeons in Nier Replicant, the Barren Temple is only revisited as part of side quests. Part 1 is the only mandatory time you're forced to enter the Temple. Nier and company first enter the Temple in an attempt to rescue the King of Facade. Each room in the dungeon tests you with a different mechanical challenge – from forcing you to walk, to restricting which attacks you can use.
Getting through the Barren Temple isn't too difficult once you understand what you're talking, but each room's gimmick is conveyed through a riddle of sorts. This can make the dungeon especially difficult for anyone playing through Nier in a language that's not their native tongue. Our Barren Temple guide covers all seven trials in-depth, along with the dungeon boss. Once the Barren Temple is complete, you can start making steps towards The Littelest Hero.
The Royal Compass
The Littlest Hero can be obtained from the Facade blacksmith any time after completing the Barren Temple in Part 1, but you’ll need to find the Royal Compass before you can navigate through the Desert sandstorm.
After completing the Barren Temple, return home to Yonah and trigger the final stretch of Part 1. The next time you return to Facade, one of the guards by the King’s Palace will have a side quest marker above his head. Speak to him and you’ll get the Royal Compass. If you haven’t already, go accept the side quest at the Facade blacksmith.
After The Littlest Hero
Now that you have the Royal Compass, you’ll be able to travel through the sandstorm and follow after the Littlest Hero. Exit Facade, keep right, and head towards the path that leads to the Barren Temple.
You’ll find the Littlest Hero along the way and need to chase after him into the sandstorm. Defeat any wolves along the way, but instead of heading north towards the temple, turn west and start making your way to the Wolf’s Den. Enter the den, but be ready to fight even more wolves.
Den Of Wolves
The Littlest Hero entered the Wolf’s Den to try and prove himself, but he unfortunately isn’t a match for an entire pack. A swarm of wolves will rush after you, but they shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat at this point in the game. After killing all the wolves, you’ll warp back to Facade with the son to wrap up the quest line. You’ll be rewarded 10,000 Gold for your trouble – a fair bit of cash heading into Part 2.