Pods are small aerial robots that follow your character in Nier Automata. They provide combat assistance and access to unique abilities depending on which Pod you have equipped and which abilities you give it.
Pods allow the player access to ranged attacks as well as the ability to glide in-game by hanging onto the Pod.
As you progress through the game, new enemies will begin to appear that are equipped with shields to resist long-range attacks from your Pods. You’ll first need to destroy their shields with melee attacks before being able to inflict any damage via Pod fire.
Pods also grant assistance during the game scanning nearby areas of the environment for hidden items and points of interest.
All Pod Locations
When you first start the game you begin with the default Gatling Gun Pod, Pod A. You can obtain a total of three Pods during the course of the game. Pod B is found by fishing in the Flooded City, this can take a few attempts as fishing has a random element to it. Pod C is found in the Desert, you’ll need to head toward the entrance to the Oil Field area to find it laying in the sand. There will be no indication that you can interact with it, but if you do you will be able to collect it.
| Pod: | Weapon: | Location: |
|---|---|---|
| Pod A | Gatling Gun | Granted at the start of the game. This is the default Pod. |
| Pod B | Laser | Found by fishing in the Flooded City. Make sure to be casting your line out towards the Ocean. |
| Pod C | Homing Missiles | Found in the Desert area. Close to the opening to the Oil Field. |
Pod Upgrade Material Locations
The best areas to farm for Pod Upgrade materials are listed below. Further down the page, you can find a breakdown of each of the Pods upgrade requirements for each level.
| Material Name: | Location Found: |
|---|---|
| Amber | - Dropped by Small Flyer enemy. - Found in Desert Zone and City Ruins. - Sold by Shopkeeper in the Amusement Park after completing Route C. |
| Beast Hide | - Dropped by Boar and Moose. |
| Black Pearl | - Found in Flooded City. - Sold by Shopkeeper in Amusement Park after completing Route C. |
| Broken Battery | - Found in a chest in the underground portion of the Desert Zone, it is near a group of small stubby enemies. - Sold by Emil when close to the Abandoned Factory. |
| Broken Circuit | - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Emil when near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Broken Key | - Dropped by Small Stubby machines. - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Emil when close to the Abandoned Factory. |
| Copper Ore | - Dropped by Small Flyer Machines. - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Amusement Park vendor after Route C is complete. |
| Clean Nut | - Found in a locked chest in the City Ruins. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Resistance Camp. |
| Complex Gadget | - Can be found in the Forest Zone, in the Royal Chamber where the baby king was. - Found in a chest in the City Ruins: Cave. |
| Crushed Nut | - Found in a chest under the Desert Zone, near some small stubby enemies. - Dropped by Link-Sphere Machines. - Sold by Emil when close to the Abandoned Factory. - Easily farmed from the Copied City during Route C. |
| Crystal | - Found in City Ruins near a Truck. - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Dented Plate | - Dropped by Small Stubby Machine and Small Flyer Machine in Desert Center. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Dented Socket | - Dropped by Multi-Leg Medium machines in the Abandoned Factory. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Dye | - Found in Flooded City. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Eagle Eggs | - Found in the Forest Zone. |
| Elaborate Gadget | - Found in the Forest Zone Royal Chamber. - Found in City Ruins, near the Factory. - Found in Desert Zone on the edge of the water in the Oasis. |
| Filler Metal | - Found in lower areas of Abandoned Factory. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Giant Egg | - Found in the Forest Zone. |
| Gold Ore | - Found in Forest Zone. - Found in containers in the Flooded City. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Iron Ore | - Found in Desert Zone. - Dropped by Small Stubbies and Small Flyers. |
| Large Battery | - Dropped by Small Stubbies while riding Medium Quadruped in the Forest Zone. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Resistance Camp. |
| Large Gear | - Dropped by Small Stubbies. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Resistance Camp. |
| Machine Arm | - Sold by Pascal, in the Machine Village, after A2 wipes his memory. - Can be farmed in the area where you fought Adam, in the Desert Zone. - Dropped by the enemies patrolling the Forest Kingdom Castle in Route C. |
| Machine Core | - Dropped by Goliath Tank in the Amusement Park. - Dropped by Gold Tank and Courageous Brother in the Desert. - Dropped by Amusement Park Rabbit. |
| Machine Head | - Dropped by large Bipedal Machine in Desert Housing area. - Sold by Pascal in Machine Village after A2 wipes his memory. |
| Machine Leg | - Dropped by Small Biped Machines. - Sold by Pascal, in the Machine Village, after A2 wipes his memory. |
| Machine Oil | - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Machine Torso | - Dropped by machines in the City Ruins: Deep Cave. - Sold by Pascal in the Machine Village after A2 wipes his memory. |
| Memory Alloy | - Found in a chest in the underground section of Desert Zone. - In a chest on top of the stone arch in the City Ruins. - Dropped by Medium Biped Machines in City Ruins. - Sold by Emil when he is close to the Resistance Camp. |
| Meteorite | - Found in a chest in the Desert Arena. - Found in a chest in the Old Facility. - Sold by Half-wit Inventor after completing his quest and finishing Route C. |
| Meteorite Shard | - Sold by Half-wit Inventor after completing his quest and finishing Route C. |
| Moldavite | - Can be found in the Flooded City. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Mushroom | - Found by the waterfall in the Forest Zone. - Found on the path to Forest Castle, when travelling from Pascal's Village. |
| Natural Rubber | - Found in Desert Zone. - Found in the Factory: Entrance. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| New Bolt | - Sold by Emil when he is near the Resistance Camp. - Dropped by machines in the Amusement Park during Route B. |
| Pearl | - Can be found in the Flooded City. - Sold by the Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Plant Seed | - Found near the overpass bridge in the City Ruins. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Powerup Part L | - Dropped by Amusement Park Rabbit. |
| Powerup Part M | - Found in locked chest in Flooded City. Before the fourth lift in the Recovery Unit. - Found in locked chest in Forest Zone. As 9S travel from the Forest Center access point, down the river, once you reach a large drop, look for a ledge to the righthand side to allow you to continue down to reach the chest. - Found in a locked chest in the Copied City. As 9S from where you fought Adam continue down the path to find the chest. |
| Powerup Part S | - Reward for completing Anemone's Past Side Quest. - Reward for completing Robo Dojo (Red Belt). - Dropped from Courageous Brother, after defeating it in the City Ruins with the two Gold Goliaths. |
| Pristine Cable | - Dropped by Rampaging Small Bipeds. - Found in the locked chest at the bottom of the long ladder in City Ruins. |
| Pristine Screw | - Dropped by Goliath Biped. - Found in a locked chest at the bottom of the long ladder in the City Ruins. - Sold by Emil when close to the Resistance Camp. |
| Pure Water | - Found in the Sewers between City Ruins and the Flooded City. - Also found in the Flooded City. |
| Pyrite | - Dropped by Small Stubby in Desert Zone. - Found in Forest Zone. - Found in Flooded City. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Rusted Clump | - Dropped by Multi-tier Machines in Desert Zone. |
| Rusty Bolt | - Dropped by Small Flyer Machines - Sold by Emil when he is near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Severed Cable | - Dropped by Passive Machines in the Amusement Park. - Found in a chest in the under ground section of the Desert Zone. |
| Silver Ore | - Found in Desert Zone. - Above the first Access Point in the City Ruins. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Simple Gadget | - Found in the Royal Chamber in the Forest Zone Castle. - Ontop of Engel's Saw in the City Ruins. |
| Small Gear | - Dropped by Small Stubby enemies. - Sold by Emil, when near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Stretched Coil | - Dropped by Multi-tier Machines in Desert Zone. - Dropped by Reverse Jointed Goliath enemies. - Sold by Emil, when near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Stripped Screw | - Dropped from Giant Machines in the City Ruins. - Sold by Emil, when he is near the Abandoned Factory. |
| Sturdy Socket | - Dropped by Multi-leg Medium Machines in the Abandoned Factory. - Sold by Emil, when he is near the Resistance Camp. |
| Tanning Agent | - Found in the Flooded City. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Tech Manual | - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after clearing Route C. |
| Thick Dictionary | - Dropped by Small Biped Machines. - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after clearing Route C. |
| Titanium Alloy | - Dropped by Medium Biped Machines. - Dropped by Linked-Sphere Machines. - Found in Forest Kingdom's Castle, in the second building in a chest. |
| Torn Book | - Found in the Desert Zone. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Tree Sap | - Found in City Ruins. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Tree Seed | - Found in many zones, near the base of trees. - Sold by Amusement Park Vendor after completing Route C. |
| Warped Wire | - Dropped by Reverse-Jointed Goliath Machines. - Dropped by Multi-tier Machines in Desert Zone. - Found in Desert Zone. - Sold by Emil when he is near the Abandoned Factory. |
Upgrading Pod’s
Pods can also be upgraded if you collect sufficient quantities of materials and Gold at Maintenance Shops.
Every Pod can be upgraded a maximum of three times. After the first upgrade you gain an increase to the Pods weapon damage, the second upgrade will grant an ability that charges while the Pod fires, and the third and final upgrade will grant another level to the charging ability.
Pod A Upgrades and Materials
| Upgrade Level: | Attack Power: | Materials Required: | Upgraded Effect: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | Base level. | Fires a constant stream of bullets while trigger is held. |
| 2 | 165 | 2,500 G 10x Tree Seeds 10x Mushrooms 10x Pure Water 10x Natural Rubber 1x Powerup Part S | First bullet is much larger. |
| 3 | 172 | 5,000 G 5x Plant Seed 5x Eagle Eggs 5x Tanning Agent 5x Filler Metal 1x Powerup Part M | Adds an explosive projectile as the final shot, when you stop firing. |
| Max | 180 | 10,000 G 3x Tree Sap 3x Giant Egg 3x Dye 3x Machine Oil 1x Powerup Part L | Grants a second charge level to the explosion. Fires a bunch of projectiles that scatter after the explosion. |
Pod B Upgrades and Materials
| Upgrade Level: | Attack Power: | Materials Required: | Upgraded Effect: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | Base level. | Fires a constant beam of energy at an enemy. |
| 2 | 165 | 2,500 G 10x Tree Seed 10x Torn Book 10x Natural Rubber 10x Simple Gadget 1x Powerup Part S | Beam range slight increase, as well as slight damage increase when first fired. |
| 3 | 172 | 5,000 G 5x Plant Seed 5x Tech Manual 5x Filler Metal 5x Elaborate Gadget 1x Powerup Part M | Pod charges while firing, once maxed it can release 15 small projectiles in random directions that can bounce upto 3 times and weakly home in on enemies. |
| Max | 180 | 10,000 G 3x Tree Sap 3x Thick Dictionary 3x Machine Oil 3x Complex Gadget 1x Powerup Part L | Adds second level to charge. Bullets can now bounce upto 6 times, and homing effect is much stronger. |
Pod C Upgrades and Materials
| Upgrade Level: | Attack Power: | Materials Required: | Upgraded Effect: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | Base level. | Locks onto upto 5 enemies and after a small delay fires a barrage of 5 Homing Missiles at them. |
| 2 | 165 | 2,500 G 10x Mushroom 10x Torn Book 10x Pure Water 10x Simple Gadget 1x Powerup Part S | Number of missiles fired increases to 10 |
| 3 | 172 | 5,000 G 5x Eagle Eggs 5x Tech Manual 5x Tanning Agent 5x Elaborate Gadget 1x Powerup Part M | Hold down the fire button for Pod C to charge its secondary shot. Once fully charged, release the fire button to have 12 explosive projectiles fly upward and rain down in the area around the character. |
| Max | 180 | 10,000 G 3x Giant Egg 3x Thick Dictionary 3x Dye 3x Complex Gadget 1x Powerup Part L | Pod gains a second level of charge for secondary ability. Fully charge the ability to increase the number of projectiles that rain down to 21. After exploding the projectiles now turn into mines that enemies can trigger again for a secondary explosion. |
Pod Programs Abilities
Pod Programs are special abilities that can be equipped by your Pod. Most are simply purchased from Shops in various locations, or given as a reward for completing a Side Quest.
R010: Laser
Fires a powerful laser in the direction the Pod is facing or toward the enemy, the Pod is targeting.
Obtained by completing the Tutorial.
R020: Mirage
Analyzes enemies in a given area and marks them for the player character to deliver a series of devastating slash attacks to them.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
R030: Hammer
Summons a massive amount of energy to strike the target.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
R040: Blade
Spins the Pod around the player at high speeds, damaging any enemies that it touches.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
R050: Spear
Produces a mass of energy that sprouts from the ground in the shape of deadly spears.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
A060: P. Shield
Deploys a protective barrier that blocks melee attacks that damage the player.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
R070: M. Shield
Deploys a protective barrier that blocks projectile attacks that damage the player.
Purchased from the Resistance Base Shop.
A080: Wave
Generates a powerful shock on the ground after the Pod slams downward from an elevated height.
Obtained by completing the Wandering Couple Side Quest.
A090: Wire
Fires a wire forward and launches the player towards an enemy that is hit by a melee attack.
Obtained by completing the Amnesia Side Quest.
A100: Decoy
Creates an image of the user, grabbing the attention of enemies and firing on them with a Pod ranged attack.
Obtained in “Route C” on the rooftop of the building where you first begin.
A110: Slow
Creates a field that distorts time, slowing any enemies caught within the area.
Obtained by completing the Data Analysis Freak 2 Side Quest.
A120: Repair
Emits a temporary healing beam that heals the player’s health for a short time within the radius.
Obtained by completing the Sorting Trouble 3 Side Quest.
A130: Bomb
Throws multiple explosives around for a short time.
Obtained by completing the Find a Bomb Side Quest.
A140: Gravity
Unleash a blast that draws in nearby enemies and damages them.
Obtained by selecting to hand over the chips you find during the Retrieve the Confidential Info Side Quest.
A150: Volt
Restrains and shocks one enemy, dealing damage continuously over time.
Obtained during “Route C” found during the Tank Boss Battle in the Amusement Park.
A160: Missile
Allows the player to ride the Pod while rushing forward in one direction.
Obtained during “Route C” near the Abandoned Factory where you fought the Boss Marx during the Tutorial.
A170: Scanner
Emits ultrasonic waves to scan the surroundings in search of hidden items.
Obtained by completing the Redheads Quest.
