Retrieve NieR: Automata's Virtuous Treaty greatsword early on the factory bridge; its devastating power and exact location detailed.
NieR: Automata opens with 2B deploying into the heart of a relentless machine warzone, immediately arming players with a one‑handed blade and the imposing two‑handed Virtuous Treaty. The prologue makes this greatsword feel like a natural part of the arsenal—until a scripted event strips it away after the factory sequence. For many, that moment echoes loud: the sudden absence of such a heavy hitter right as the open world unfolds. Getting it back is not a side quest marked on the map, nor a reward hidden behind hours of grind. Instead, it sits quietly in the open, waiting for players who know exactly where to return.
Free roaming opens up early in Route A, right after 2B descends from the Bunker and lands in the City Ruins. This is the moment to act. From the initial spawn point, drop down to the lower plaza where the first access point glows. Facing away from the ruined shopping complex, look left. A collapsed highway segment cuts across the skyline, remarkably close. Sprint toward its broken supports, using a careful jump onto crumbled concrete to mantle onto the road’s surface. Once up, follow the asphalt spine—it bends predictably toward the factory that once echoed with the Goliath-class Engel’s screams. At the highway’s end, a short drop puts players right back at the factory entrance.
Instead of entering the main gate, skirt along the left perimeter. A grassy trail snakes around the building, concealing a secondary access point and a flight of weathered stairs. Climb them. The upper terrace reveals the shattered bridge where 2B’s flight unit crashed and where that first climactic battle took place. Walk to the broken edge. There, thrust into the metal and stone at an angle, the Virtuous Treaty waits—nothing more than a prompt to pick it up. No enemy ambush, no locked chest. Just a quiet monument to the prologue’s chaos, ready to be reclaimed.
Statistically, this sword starts with an attack range of 300 to 330, a solid foundation for the early chapters. Its combo chart displays a simple Light 2 → Heavy 2 sequence, typical for two‑handed weapons, but the real strength hides in its upgrade potential. Fully enhanced, the Virtuous Treaty can rival endgame damage numbers, making it one of the hardest‑hitting weapons in the entire game for those willing to commit materials. The trade‑off is clear: each swing carries the weight of a battering ram, so mobility and timing become crucial.
In combat, the greatsword excels at crowd control. Its wide horizontal arcs cleave through groups with devastating force, often sending smaller machines flying. The slow speed, however, leaves 2B vulnerable between blows. A popular tactic among experienced players involves off‑hand weapon syncing. By equipping a faster blade in the primary slot and keeping the Virtuous Treaty in the secondary, they can tap the heavy attack button mid‑combo. This unleashes a quick, high‑damage swipe from the greatsword without committing to its full sluggish sequence. It slices, it retreats, and it punishes anything still standing.
Another layer unlocks with chip builds. Adding attack speed up chips mitigates the sluggishness somewhat, but more creative setups weave in counter damage or last stand bonuses. For those who master the rhythm, the Virtuous Treaty becomes a brutal anchor: one slam can break a shield, stagger a boss, or finish off a mob in a single, satisfying crunch. Because its retrieval comes so early, the weapon can accompany players through nearly the entire journey, growing with them rather than being swapped out the moment a shinier drop appears.
There is also a poetic weight to reclaiming it. The same blade that carved through the tutorial now rests in the hands of an android who has already seen the factory’s secrets, making every swing feel like a call back to the opening moments. It’s a small reward for exploration that reinforces NieR: Automata’s design philosophy: the world remembers, and often gifts back what was taken—if only you take the time to look.
In the current year, 2026, the game’s community still discovers these quiet details. New players on updated platforms and veterans returning for a nostalgia run alike find that the Virtuous Treaty remains one of the most satisfying early retrieves. So after leaving the Bunker for the surface, don’t rush into the next main mission. Turn left, climb the highway, and walk back into the story’s first battlefield. The greatsword hasn’t moved, and it’s ready to finish what 2B started.
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