Our favorite disembodied head, Emil, isn’t just a travelling item salesman. No, he’s also the toughest boss battle in NieR: Automata. This rampaging Level 99 battle can only be accessed after completing the game at least once, and you’ll need to be pretty high level to even think about fighting this guy. He doesn’t mess around.
If you’re feeling like trying you luck, we’ll explain every step required to unlock his boss battle. Defeating Emil also earns the “Naughty Children” gold trophy — and yes, he’s still his same car-embedded self. Be sure to go into this battle at Level 48+, or you won’t be able to do much (or any) damage to Emil.
More NieR: Automata guides on Gameranx:
- NieR: Automata – How to Unlock Every Ending | All Endings Guide
- NieR: Automata – All Achievements / Trophies Guide | 100% Completion
- NieR: Automata – Original NieR Easter Egg | Lunar Tear Trophy Guide
- NieR: Automata – How to Unlock the Secret Trophy Shop | Vendor Guide
- NieR: Automata – How to Get To XP Fast | Best XP Farming Methods
- NieR: Automata – How Fully Upgrade Weapons | Secret Lvl 4 Blacksmith
- NieR: Automata – How to Unlock More Weapon Slots | Pod Locations Guide
How to Fight Lvl. 99 Emil | Secret Boss Battle Guide
Emil, one of the survived characters from the original NieR, returns in NieR: Automata as a travelling item shop on wheels. He’s located near the Desert Zone entrance from the City Ruins: Center area. Shoot him once with your blaster to stop him to purchase.
There’s more to Emil — he also gives a special “Lunar Tear” quest. You’ll need to complete his optional quest to gain access to his house on a second or third playthrough. We’ll explain the quest in detail below, for now let’s focus on getting inside Emil’s house and initiated his secret boss battle.
- How to Fight Emil | Secret Boss Location
- Go to Emil’s House — Find it around the City Ruins: Center crater. There’s a giant sewer pipe with water flowing out of it, sticking out of the crater wall. Jump inside and ride the elevator to find Emil’s House.
- Emil’s House will only open after you’ve completed the “Lunar Tears” side-quest. Continue scrolling for more details.
- Loot the treasure chest in the final room of the pitch black cave. Once you reach the house with all the Emil faces, take one of the masks on the display.
- Return to Emil and talk to him. Find him driving around the Desert Zone entrance from the City Ruins: Center area. After exiting his shop, Emil will complain that someone is stealing from his house.
- Go back to his house a second time with 9S. There is a treasure chest located there now — hack into it to take what’s inside. [Warning! Going back will initiate the boss battle.]
- As you leave, Emil will ambush you in the dark chamber outside his house. The secret boss battle begins here.
- Go to Emil’s House — Find it around the City Ruins: Center crater. There’s a giant sewer pipe with water flowing out of it, sticking out of the crater wall. Jump inside and ride the elevator to find Emil’s House.
Emil is Level 99, so you’ll have to be high level to even think about damaging him. You also can’t access Emil’s treasure without 9S, so you’ll need to complete the game at least once to earn 9S and his hacking ability.
Lunar Tears Side-Quest Guide
[Note: This quest is required to unlock the door to Emil’s House.]
- How to Start the “Emil’s Memories” Side-Quest
- Complete the main story mission that takes you to the Forest. Defeat the Castle boss, then return to Pascal to finish.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. That key also unlocks the elevator to Emil’s House.
