Ending A

Lore & Background

This ending reveals the full backstory of the world through Devola and Popola's confession. 1300 years prior, humanity faced extinction due to an incurable disease. In an attempt to survive, they separated their souls from their bodies; the current humans are artificial Replicant bodies who developed their own personalities, while the Shades are human souls — dubbed Gestalts — who are slowly losing their minds through being unable to reunite with their bodies. The Black Scrawl is a side effect of the Gestalts' insanity degrading their Replicant counterparts. The Shadowlord is the prime Gestalt used to stabilize them, and Devola and Popola are androids who oversee the system. The party defeats the twins, with Emil sacrificing himself in the process. The remaining group then defeats the Shadowlord, revealed to be the Gestalt of the prologue's protagonist, with his actions driven by the wish to save his Yonah by reuniting her Gestalt and Replicant. Though successfully rejoined, the Gestalt Yonah dissipates to save her Replicant version's life, and after Grimoire Weiss sacrifices himself to weaken the Shadowlord's power, the protagonist kills him.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled through the ruins of the village, carrying the scent of ash and old sorrow. Nier stood before the crumbling gate, his sword heavy in his hand, the weight of failure pressing down on his shoulders. He had fought so hard, yet here he was, back where it all began, with no cure to show for it. Kainé leaned against a broken wall, her expression weary but resolute. 'We'll try again,' she whispered, though even she sounded unsure if there would ever be an end to this endless loop.

Reader's Guide

To unlock Ending A, players must complete the main storyline by defeating the final boss — the Shadowlord — in the first playthrough. This involves following the standard path of quests and battles, culminating in the confrontation where Devola and Popola reveal their true nature as androids overseeing the Gestalt/Replicant system. After defeating the twins, Emil sacrifices himself, and the party defeats the Shadowlord. The ending plays automatically after the final battle. Upon reaching this conclusion, the game allows the player to begin a new playthrough, where events start just after Kainé is freed, and new story sequences show the Gestalt antagonists' motivations and backstory, revealing them to be sentient and fighting for their own beliefs and goals.

Did You Know?

• The Shadowlord is the Gestalt of the prologue's protagonist, driven by the wish to save his Yonah by reuniting her Gestalt and Replicant.
• Devola and Popola are revealed to be androids who oversee the Gestalt/Replicant system, not human village leaders.
• Emil sacrifices himself during the final confrontation with the twins Devola and Popola.
• Grimoire Weiss sacrifices himself to weaken the Shadowlord's power before the protagonist kills him.
• The Shadowlord's death ensures humanity's extinction, as Replicants and Gestalts can no longer be rejoined.