Key Takeaway
In Elden Ring, NG+ is a feature accessible when you beat the game which lets you play the game again from the beginning, but with your gear, certain items, and level intact.
The NG+ feature is a staple in RPGs and a recurring mechanic of FromSoftware’s games, including Elden Ring. If you’re a newcomer to the series, you’ll want to know everything there is to know about it.
Table Of Contents
What Does NG+ Mean?
NG+, or New Game Plus, is a feature that lets you replay the game after beating it. On your next playthrough, your level, weapons, armor sets, talismans, and more are carried over.
This means you get to play the game again while keeping your build. If you found early game bosses like the Grafted Scion, Tree Sentinel, and Margit, the Fell Omen difficult on your first playthrough, going on NG+ will allow you to fight them again. Only this time, you’re much more powerful and knowledgeable of the game’s mechanics.
In Elden Ring, every new game is called a “Journey.” Your first playthrough is your “NG” or “Journey 1.” NG+ is Journey 2, NG+2 is Journey 3, and so on and so forth.
When you beat the game and the credits finish rolling, a prompt will appear on the screen asking you if you want to begin a new journey. You can decline this during that moment. You’ll have the chance to begin a new journey any time you want after beating a game by heading to the grace site at the Roundtable Hold.
Going to an NG+ is a great opportunity to go back and pick up some of the items you may have missed. Completionists and trophy hunters will especially appreciate this since a few of the items needed for 100% completion or to earn its Platinum Trophy are missable.
What Carries Over When You Start a NG+?
As mentioned earlier, when you start an NG+, you play the game again with your current level and equipment. However, this doesn’t include items that are relevant to main and side quests.
As a reference, these are the types of items that are carried over when you start an NG+:
- Armaments
- Armor Sets
- Talismans
- Spells
- Cookbooks
- Upgrade Materials
- Bell Bearings
- Boss Remembrances
- Whetblades
- Crystal Tears
- Spirit Ashes
You can also summon Torrent the moment you step into the game’s open world during your next journey.
Other Key Items that aren’t relevant to any quest will also carry over. This includes Larval Tears, Stonesword Keys, Memory Stones, Cracked Pots, Perfume Bottles, Talisman Pouches, Ritual Pots, and Whetstone Knife.
These are examples of items that don’t carry over to NG+:
- Great Runes
- Mending Runes
- Paintings
- Keys
- Medallions
- Letters
Items like Dectus Medallions, Haligtree Secret Medallions, Academy Glintstone Key, and Sewer-Gaol Key do not carry over to NG+. That’s because these items are relevant to progression and quests. You’ll need to explore the world again and pick these Key Items up to progress forward.
Other Key Items that are relevant to quests that don’t carry over are Seedbed Curses and Shabriri Grapes.
Changes to Expect When Starting an NG+
You may be stronger when you begin an NG+, but so are the enemies you face. The enemies, regular and bosses alike, will deal more damage and have more health compared to the previous playthrough.
On the other hand, you also gain more Runes for defeating enemies compared to the previous playthrough.
The more new Journeys you begin, the tougher and stronger the enemies get, and the more Runes you obtain.
The enemies’ damage and health, and the Runes you receive, stop increasing after you reach the 8th Journey.
