New Game Plus

Description

After the ending of the game a new game will start. This is called New Game Plus (NG+). New Game Plus begins after you have defeated the final boss, Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder. The game begins again, allowing you to keep most of your gear and items, but with increased difficulty. After NG+ is completed, the game will continue onto NG++ with slightly increased difficulty again. This continues all the way to "New Game Plus 6" (NG++++++). After the seventh playthrough is completed, or sixth replay, the game will no longer increase in difficulty after it restarts.

The most significant change is between the first playthrough and NG+. The souls dropped by enemies is usually between 2 to 5 times as great, while enemy is HP is usually between 1.5 to 2 times larger. Once NG++ is reached, the increases become much smaller and less significant with each subsequent playthrough.

What changes?

• Enemies hit harder, can take more damage, and are harder to kill as a result. Even small enemies can put out a lot of damage, but they also give more souls.
• You lose all of your Embers. Craft weapons before starting NG+.
• You lose all of your Keys except for the Master Key.
• You lose all of your Bonfire Items except for the Bottomless Box.
• You lose the Orange Charred Ring and the Covenant of Artorias ring.
• Domhnall of Zena sells you Gwyn's armor, the Great Lord's Set.
• You can offer the Soul of Gwyn, Lord of Cinder at the Altar of Sunlight as a rank +1 member of the Warrior of Sunlight covenant to receive the Sunlight Spear miracle.
• Rite of Kindling is removed; however, kindled bonfires retain their status.
• You cannot level up until you get to Firelink Shrine, so try not to lose the souls received from Gwyn, Lord of Cinder before you get there.
• Hidden paths and walls are restored.
• The door in Darkroot Garden that requires the Crest of Artorias to open is locked.
• Crystal lizard counters increase by +1 each new game, from 0 to 1, 1 to 2 etc. Exterminating them at the end of each game is no longer a necessary chore.

What stays the same?

• You keep your equipment, stats, souls, and items (except for the items mentioned above).
• Your Estus Flask level stays the same.
• You keep your covenant and rank.
• Bonfires keep their status. Bonfires kindled three times in the first playthrough will have the same status in NG+ and provide the same number of flasks.
• Oscar, Knight of Astora gives you the Big Pilgrim's Key regardless of New Game iteration, after you've killed the Asylum Demon.
• Any Crystal Lizards you did not kill during your playthrough will still be there in NG+ (their counter increases by 1, so you can reload and kill them again in the same spot).

Notes

• Since you keep your stats and equipment, it should be pretty easy to kill the Asylum Demon in NG+ and collect the Demon's Great Hammer.
• If you completed the game with decent equipment, the earlier parts of the game are typically considered easier in NG+. Despite the greater difficulty, having upgraded gear generally outweighs the extra damage and HP of enemies. Players typically first experience a much more noticeable challenge when reaching areas like Anor Londo and beyond.

Enemy differences

• Enemies that carry shields have a much higher stamina value, so getting down their guard is harder (e.g., the spear-wielding Undead Soldier take more than just one kick against the shield for them to drop down their guard).
• Enemy behavior remains the same, but with higher stamina and damage output, they may appear to be more aggressive at times.
• See individual boss pages for more information on NG+ strategies.

NG+ Checklist

Things to do or collect in each playthrough. This list includes items or actions you can only do a limited amount of times each playthrough, such as purchase a spell, collect a ring, or trade with Snuggly the Crow before the new game+ / ++ etc.

• Trade for all wanted items with Snuggly the Crow.

• Collect all items that only appear once per playthrough and buy all Merchants' merchandise. Check each page for details.
  • Armors: Domhnall of Zena, especially Ornstein's Set or Smough's Set, as you can't get them both in one playthrough; Crestfallen Merchant; Patches
  • Weapons, Shields, and Magic Catalysts: Shiva of the East, Patches, Crestfallen Merchant, Dusk of Oolacile/Elizabeth
  • Rings: Griggs of Vinheim, Oswald of Carim, Crestfallen Merchant
  • Miracles: Petrus of Thorolund, Rhea of Thorolund, Patches
  • Pyromancies: Laurentius of the Great Swamp, Eingyi, Quelaana of Izalith
  • Sorceries: Rickert of Vinheim, Griggs of Vinheim, Big Hat Logan, Dusk of Oolacile/Elizabeth, Ingward

• Collect all Titanite Slabs. Check each page for Availability details.
  • Titanite Slab: 2 slabs (3 slabs with Additional Content)
  • White Titanite Slab 1 slab (3 slabs with Additional Content)
  • Red Titanite Slab: 2 slabs
  • Blue Titanite Slab: 1 slab (2 slabs with Additional Content)

• Level up your Covenant to +3. Especially if you want to use the covenant's spell/item with maximum efficiency on NG+.
  • Max. efficiency Sunlight Spear - Warrior of Sunlight +3, farm Chaos Bugs for Sunlight Medals.
  • Max. efficiency Darkmoon Blade - Blade of the Darkmoon +3, farm Crow Demons for Souvenirs of Reprisal.
  • Max. efficiency Gravelord Sword Dance and Gravelord Greatsword Dance - Gravelord Servant +3, farm Basilisks for Eyes of Death.
  • Max. efficiency Dragon Head Stone - Path of the Dragon +3, farm Drakes for Dragon Scales.

• Farm Humanities.
  • Use them to kindle as many bonfires as you can as kindled bonfire carry to NG+.
  • Consume in NG+ for extra defense and/or Chaos weaponry.
  • For levelling up Chaos Servant or Darkwraith.

• Upgrade your playstyle's main weapons and armors to face tougher opponents in NG+.
  • Blacksmiths lose their forging abilities in NG+ until you re-collect Embers, so upgrade your main weapons before you face the last boss.

• Upgrade your Estus Flask with all available Fire Keeper Soul.

• Stock up usable items and ammunitions: Blooming Purple Moss Clumps, Transient Curses, Repair Powders, Feather Arrows, Dragonslayer Arrows, etc.

• Kill all optional Bosses for their souls and item drops.

• Kill all Crystal Lizards for their item drops.

• Finish all NPCs' questline for special rewards.
  • Siegmeyer of Catarina/Sieglinde of Catarina
  • Big Hat Logan
  • Dusk of Oolacile/Elizabeth
  • Knight Lautrec of Carim/Anastacia of Astora
  • Petrus of Thorolund/Rhea of Thorolund
  • Quelaana of Izalith
  • Hawkeye Gough

• Kill all NPCs for Humanities and items they drop. Be wary not to accidentally kill NPCs that breaks your Covenant.
  • If you have the Dark Hand, use the Dark Hand's strong attack to suck additional Humanities.
  • The blacksmiths except Rickert each drop their hammers if you kill them.
  • Kill the Fire Keepers for their Fire Keeper Soul: Quelaag's Sister and Lady of the Darkling.
  • Don't forget to kill hollowed merchants after you buy all their merchandise.