FromSoftware’s titles have a lot of things in common. Continuing with the the extreme difficulty of its predecessors, Elden Ring reinvents Soulslike trial and error aspects with an open-world setting and freedom of exploration, which is often known to sidetrack players and extend their overall playtime. Despite the game’s challenging nature and expansive overworld that can easily take over a hundred hours to explore, the effects of Elden Ring‘s New Game+ are, thankfully, stackable.
Players who have dipped their toes in the Dark Souls franchise may be acquainted with the inner workings of multiple New Game+ modes in FormSoftware’s previous entries. Upon completion of the second playthrough in a New Game+, an enhanced version is made available. Subsequent runs nurture the game’s difficulty curve by increasing the prowess of overworld opponents, and Elden Ring does not stray from this pattern. There are, however, several differences in Elden Ring‘s New Game+ that make it stand out from the rest.
Generally speaking, players can expect to deal with tougher enemies and bosses in New Game+. Depending on their respective location, some boast a higher increase of health and damage points than others, with the spike being particularly noticeable in lower-level areas. While this mode does not introduce new overworld enemies or unique items, it alters the amount of Runes received in a similar fashion. Bosses around the starting area yield up to five times the initial amount of Runes in New Game+, whereas those of higher difficulty offer twice as much per defeat. Alongside the Rune multiplier, any subsequent playthroughs take the increase in opponents’ health and damage points a step further.
The first New Game+ mode becomes available as soon as the players view one of the six Elden Ring endings. The game asks them whether they want to begin “Journey 2” afterward. If not, they can always access the option at Roundtable Hold’s Table of Lost Grace at a later point. Given the number of items that carry over, putting New Game+ on hold might prove beneficial under certain circumstances.
Most of the items in the players’ possession will be present in their inventory after starting New Game +. This includes all reusable items not related to quests, Talismans, Ashes, Sorceries, Incantations, Cookbooks, weapons, armor, gestures, tailoring tools, and most consumables. Staying behind to collect more Remembrances, Dragon Hearts, Golden Seeds, Gloveworts, Smithing Stones, Larval, and Sacred Tears can help tremendously, as these items also carry over. That said, players would do well to trade Remembrances for armaments they wish to dual-wield in the future, as because only one copy is available per playthrough.
Elden Ring may preserve the player’s level, access to Torrent, Flask upgrades and map progression in New Game+, but they will have to rediscover all Sites of Grace. Furthermore, players must reacquire Bell Bearings and Great Runes once again, since their previous in-game accomplishments will be reset. Embarking on a new journey in The Lands Between will also result in loss of access to any and all key items needed for story progression, including those for side-quests and other NPC-related missions.
While Elden Ring‘s New Game+ seems to offer less in terms of gameplay changes as opposed to other FromSoftware titles, players are given ample room to tailor and personalize their experience as they see fit. Subsequent playthroughs allow them to pursue different endings and dig deeper into the game’s lore without sacrificing many hard-earned items. This will ultimately help them reach new milestones and tackle ever-growing challenges with more ease further down the line.
About The Author
