Nier Replicant is the predecessor of 2017’s critically acclaimed Nier: Automata, and just like that game, it takes quite a while before you get to zip around the open-world quickly without just running around everywhere. Without a fast travel system in place early on in the game, you’ll need to rely on the wildlife instead. Here’s how to ride boars in Nier Replicant.
Riding Boars in Nier Replicant
While the protagonist’s running speed is actually pretty fast, the quests in Nier Replicant require you to basically run from one end of the open-world to the other repeatedly. This is made even worse if you want to do all of the side quests along the way, which require plenty of back-and-forth backtracking.
Thankfully, one of the very first quests you can do in the game is called Boar Hunt, which allows you to unlock boar-riding to get around at a much faster pace. You can accept this quest from the male NPC sitting at the entrance to the shops in the village, then head out to the Northern Plains to find the boar right outside the entrance to the Aerie.
Do be careful, though, as the giant boar can one-shot you with its charge attack if you’re attempting this at a low level. If you already have Weiss, you can take potshots at the boar with your ranged magic attacks, and if you’re feeling confident, you can get up close and personal with it, and just hit R2 to dodge its swipes and charges.
Once it’s dead, you’ll get the Boar Tusk key item. Bring it back to the NPC at the village, and you’ll be able to start riding boars in Nier Replicant.
From now on, whenever you exit a safe area, a boar can always be found sleeping at the side of the road near you. Press Circle/ B to mount it, hold R2/ RT and push the left stick to speed up, and hit L2/ LT to drift. When you’re done, press Circle/ B again to dismount.
Boars can also deal damage and even instantly kill weaker enemies like animals and smaller Shades.
That’s all you need to know about how to ride boars in Nier Replicant. Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
