NieR: Automata - Original NieR Easter Egg | Lunar Tear Trophy Guide

Walk down memory lane with Emil’s still-surviving severed head in NieR: Automata for an extra cutscene and an optional visit to a pivotal location from the original NieR.

To get to the location, you’ll need to complete a side-quest for Emil, who only appears part of the way through the story, and even then it’s possible to miss him. Even if you’ve never touched the first NieR, this is still a worthy quest to complete — there’s an extra cutscene, and the “Lunar Tear” hidden trophy to unlock.

Below, we’ll cover every step of this NieR: Automata side-quest. How to get it started, how to finish it, and what you’ll see at the end.

More NieR: Automata guides on Gameranx:

Original NieR Easter Egg | Lunar Tear Trophy Guide

To earn the “Lunar Tear” trophy, get a Lunar Tear item for yourself, and take a stroll down memory lane to revisit Kaine’s house from the first NieR, you’ll first need to unlock the “Emil’s Memories” side-quest.

How to Start the “Emil’s Memories” Side-Quest
1. Complete the main story mission that takes you to the Forest. Defeat the Castle boss, then return to Pascal to finish.
2. Next, find Emil’s travelling shop. It’s located northwest from the City Ruins: Center, near the Desert zone entrance path. Shoot his car to stop him! Don’t worry, it won’t hurt him.
3. After talking to Emil, you’ll need to interact with a Lunar Tear.
  - Lunar Tears are found throughout the open world. You can find one easily in the Shopping Mall area, or the Amusement Park.
4. Cross the long bridge by the City Ruins: Near the Tower marker to enter the Shopping Mall.
  - From the entrance doors, pass under the escalators and look in the overgrown trees. It’s on the right side — look for a bright light. That’s a Lunar Tear.
5. Collect the Lunar Tear to begin the “Emil’s Memories” side-quest. Emil will appear right behind you and give you the quest.

There are 5 Lunar Tears available to collect. After finding the first one and starting the quest, the rest will appear on your map as large red areas to explore. Here are all 5 Lunar Tear locations:

Lunar Tear Locations:
- Tear #1: Shopping Mall — From the entrance, look behind the escalators near the trees.
- Tear #2: Forest Zone — In the caves south of the entrance.
- Tear #3: Park Ruins — Down the central path of the ruins, take a right and enter the area with the shop vending machine. In the back-right corner.
- Tear #4: Desert — Look for the large rocky hill in the center of the desert zone. There’s a narrow cave. Drop into the hole, then navigate to the exit that leads back up and out of the underground. Once you’re back up top, long-jump to the platforms ahead, staying up high until you reach an alcove with a tree. Look to the right of the withered tree.
- Tear #5: Flooded Coast — Travel south from the Flooded Coast: Coast marker. Look on the very edge, the lowest point, for this flower on the mud beneath the ruined concrete.

Once you have all five flowers, Emil will give you the Elevator Key item that opens a special elevator in the Shopping Mall area.

Use the Key on the Elevator located to the left of the Shopping Mall entrance. There Elevator is up a small set of steps, covered with the roots of a massive tree. Take the Elevator down to find something special for fans of the first NieR.

You’ll experience a cutscene as Emil explains his past, filling in some of the gaps between these two games. There are Lunar Tears everywhere, so Emil rewards you with one — it’s said they can make any wish come true.

The house itself is Kaine’s — her home from the cliffside village in the original Nier. It looks like Emil protected it through it all, relocating the house (and the tears) so they wouldn’t fall into ruin like everything else.

We’re still looking for even more secrets and Easter eggs in Nier: Automata. Found something amazing? Let us know in the comments!