The Logic Virus is a condition that affects various characters in NieR:Automata. It is instrumental in perpetuating the war between the androids and machine lifeforms. It is characterized by glowing red eyes and berserk, violent behavior.
Information[]
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During the Pearl Harbor descent, one of Anemone's fellow resistance members, Lily, was infected with a Logic Virus. Because there was no known cure, they tried to kill her in order to give her peace. Before they could however, YoRHa Scanner 21 convinced them not to go through with it and managed to reprogram Lily to cure her of the virus. During the siege of Mt. Kala however, Scanner 21 is infected with a newer version of the Logic Virus that is more resistant and couldn't be cured even with the method 21 used on Lily. Because of this, she decided to stay behind to get the others on the elevator to the machine server room with Anemone staying behind to deal with her as well. After the others made it to the room, Anemone was forced to kill Scanner 21 with her own hands.
The in-game reports reveal that in order to maintain android battle morale, the logic virus was intentionally spread to YoRHa units after a set period of time as a measure to prevent androids from learning the truth about humanity's extinction. To keep up with the evolving machine lifeforms, battle data prior to launching the virus would be saved and transferred over to the next generation of YoRHa units.
When 2B and Pascal go to the Abandoned Factory and discover the leader of the religious machines already dead, many of the machines from the religion were shown having their eyes turn red, implying that they were infected by a Logic Virus. Because of this, 2B and Pascal were forced to fight their way out of the factory while encountering machines that weren't hostile as well with the seemingly infected machines also trying to kill them too. When 2B and Pascal almost escape from the factory, all of the infected machines committed suicide by jumping into the molten lava at the factory.
After Adam and Eve are defeated during the events of the first half of the game, various YoRHa units are infected by the logic virus. This causes them to go berserk and attack their comrades, including 2B and 9S. After 2B and 9S use the backdoor in the Bunker to return and warn Commander White and the others, YoRHa attempted to restrain them due to not believing them before the majority of the Bunker androids were infected by the logic virus because of the backdoor intentionally being designed to let it infect all personnel and continuing the lie. During an attempted escape from the Bunker, Operator 6O's corrupted voice can be heard across the Bunker if all of her personal side quests were completed before, revealing her to be among the infected casualties. Before 2B, 9S, and Commander White can escape completely, White reveals that she had also become infected and stays behind on the Bunker right as it is destroyed while ordering 2B to survive. Before 2B and 9S successfully escape, they are forced to fend off corrupted YoRHa androids attempting to kill them. However, 2B ultimately succumbs to the virus and is eliminated by A2 as per 2B's request. After 9S sees this, he goes insane and swears to kill A2.
After A2 meets Pascal and goes to his village at the request of Anemone, a Logic Virus manages to somehow infect some of the machines and causes them to turn hostile to the unaffected ones. By the time A2 tried to save what is left of Pascal's Village, Pascal only managed to save the children.
Later in the game, Operator 21O is revealed to have also been infected with the Logic Virus and requested to be converted into a combat model android prior to being infected. When 9S meets her again, she reveals that she wanted to start a family with him while 9S is forced to fight and swears to kill her himself. Before he can however, A2 appears and kills 21O herself in front of 9S before with 9S attempting to kill A2 afterwards until he falls from the battlefield. When 9S enters the Machine Tower, he is forced to fight off corrupted YoRHa units once again including corrupted 2B units. During A2 and 9S's final confrontation atop the Machine Tower, 9S's eyes turn red, revealing that he has also become infected. However, he is neutralized by A2 before the virus can overtake him.
Trivia[]
- The Red Eyes from the NieR Drama CD, and by extension the Red Eye Disease from Drakengard, are hinted to be related to the Logic Virus.[1][2]
- Alongside inducing insanity and increased aggression, the logic virus boosts the host’s physical strength, which was how 9S was able to fight A2 on equal footing during their final battle.
- In NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, the logic virus infection in androids seems to progress through several stages, including:
- Psychological distress and glitches in senses.
- Development of glowing red eyes.
- Erratic behavior, including intense mania, repeating glitching phrases, suicidal tendencies and violence against other androids (sometimes seen as obsessive desire towards familiar androids).
- At this stage, infected androids can be considered a part of the Machine Lifeform network, and can be freely possessed/controlled by it's ego.
- Attempts to spread the logic virus infection via biting, kissing, or possibly sharing a network through close proximity.
- Allegiance and/or networking with hostile machine lifeforms and other infected androids, forming a sort of hive-mind via hacking.
- Finally, a feral state where the infected androids shamble around, attempting to cannibalize uninfected android units while the outer chassis decays, overall resembling zombies.
- Ver1.1a shows the spread of logic virus transmission, not just from the presence of glowing red eyes, but through reddish-black, circuitry-like veins spreading from the area of infection.
- Logic virus infection can apparently be treated easily while still in early stages of infection, although treatment requires a non-infected android with a hacking interface.