[ Guide ] Punishing Gray Raven x NieR: Automata – Obtaining and Investing in 2B, 9S and A2

Whether you’re new to Punishing Gray Raven or a veteran, this handy guide will teach you what you need to know about the NieR characters. Specifically, you will learn how to obtain 2B, 9S and A2, as well as how much you should invest in them.

Obtaining the Androids

NieR: Automata’s Androids (now classified as Constructs in the game) are actually very easy to get. While all 3 of them can be obtained via gacha, 9S and A2 are also available purely without spending event tickets, should you prefer that route.

Note that while the event, Untold Naraka, will be ongoing until 6.59 am UTC, 15th August 2022, the banners to pull the characters will be available until 7.59 am UTC, 10th August 2022.

• 9S is a log-in reward on the 7 day / obtainable via gacha
• A2 is unlockable by exchanging for her shards through the event / obtainable via gacha
• 2B is obtainable via gacha only (her banner releases at 8.00 am UTC, 20th July 2022)

As such, even if you literally just started Punishing Gray Raven during the first day of the NieR: Automata event, you should easily be able to get all 3 event characters without spending a single cent. Furthermore, unlocking any of the characters also nets you one copy of their exclusive 6★ weapon.

Note that to be guaranteed an event character through the gacha (aka pity), you need to make a minimum of 60 pulls on the Collab Target Banner, and NOT the Fate Collab Target Banner. The difference between the two banners is that the latter has a floating pity of 80 – 100. We strongly recommend spending your collab tickets on the Collab Target Banner instead, with a hard pity of 60.

Investment 101

Alright, let’s say you’ve already got the event characters. Now what?

Even without investment, 2B, 9S and A2 are S-ranked Constructs which are already viable in just about any content. You can play them and have fun however you like.

When fully invested in, the NieR team is regarded to be the most meta physical team, capable of competing against and even outdoing the established meta of Alpha, Rosetta and B Liv. To fully max out the NieR team, you’ll need to have each of them at SSS+-rank and have their weapons at max level and Resonanced before the event ends. Since there are no event-exclusive Memories for the characters, you can take your time building up Memories for the NieR team even after the event is over.

Obviously, the vast majority of you reading this are not whales who can use the power of the wallet to buy Rainbow Cards ad infinitum, so what’s a reasonable stopping point when it comes to investing in the characters?

According to Rexlent, getting A2 to SSS-rank with base S-rank 2B and 9S in your team gives the most bang for your buck. This is primarily due to the insane damage that she can output at SSS-rank from her defense reduction capabilities.

SSS A2

Since unlocking a character via gacha eliminates the need to spend shards to unlock them for the first time, the shards you saved can instead be used to increase the character’s rank. For those who wish to get A2 to SSS-rank, this is what you should be doing—pull her via gacha banner first, then only use the shards you collected to rank her up.

After unlocking A2 via banner and collecting all her shards obtainable from the event exchange, your A2 should already be at SS-rank. There is still 40 more shards to obtain in order to evolve A2 to SSS-rank. The remaining 40 shards can be bought directly with Rainbow Cards via the A2 Supply Pack (28 RC) and A2 Support Bundle (299 RC), which costs about 55 USD in total.

For players who have been playing for quite some time, it is very possible to not spend money for Rainbow Cards, and instead just keep pulling for dupes of A2 to convert into shards. However, this will take quite a fair amount of Black Cards, especially if you’ve already used them to pull your first A2 as we recommended and 2B. Note that this will take just under 45,000 Black Cards if you’re unlucky (assuming pity for one 2B and three A2), so make sure that you either already have or you’re capable of farming up to this amount of Black Cards before attempting the pure F2P route.

With that, you should be clear on how to get and how much to invest in the NieR: Automata characters in Punishing Gray Raven. Be sure to check out Rexlent’s video for a more in-depth understanding on the event and the characters.

To stay updated with Punishing Gray Raven, follow the game on Twitter.

Download

Punishing Gray Raven

Publisher: Kuro Game

Developer: Kuro Game

Release Date: 2021-07-16

Android, iOS

Punishing: Gray Raven is a fast-paced ultra-stylish Action-RPG. Mankind is almost extinct. Earth has been conquered by a robotic army—the Corrupted—twisted and warped by a biomechanical virus known as The Punishing. The last survivors have fled into orbit, aboard the space station Babylonia. After years of preparation, the Gray Raven special forces unit leads the mission to reclaim their lost homeworld. You are their leader. As commandant of the Gray Raven unit, you are tasked with assembling the greatest cyborg soldiers the world has known and lead them into battle. Unravel the dark truths behind the Punishing virus, push back the Corrupted and reclaim the Earth in this stylish Action-RPG.

Join Us!