Elden Ring's new game plus mode heightens the difficulty, but also allows you to carry over many items, weapons, and armor pieces from your previous playthrough so that you're prepared for the challenge. Before you jump into your second journey through the Lands Between, there are several things to make sure you've accomplished during your first run so that you'll have the best chance of success.
For the most part, new game plus is the same as your first playthrough outside of the difficulty and rune rewards scaling up. Story progression and item drops are identical to your first playthrough, everything has to be obtained again to move through the game. Here's a checklist of things to accomplish and grab before you initiate new game plus so that you can go into it as prepared as possible.
How to unlock Elden Ring's new game plus
How to unlock Elden Ring's new game plus
Elden Ring's new game plus is available to you as soon as you've killed the final boss. Once you've landed your last blow on it, you'll have a chance to choose an ending and then the game will play a cutscene and roll credits. It will ask you if you'd like to immediately start new game plus or if you'd like to be kicked back out into the world with the option to start the mode at the table in Roundtable Hold.
Once you start new game plus, the game plays the intro cutscene and starts you back at the Church of Anticipation as if you were playing it for the first time. The only difference is that many of your items are still with you.
Elden Ring new game plus checklist
Elden Ring new game plus checklist
Most items from your previous playthrough carry into new game plus. Key items that are tied to story progression, like two Great Runes collected from bosses, need to be picked up again, and Sites of Grace will need to be touched again, too. Otherwise, you have a great opportunity to squeeze the game dry before you restart. That way, you can have a ton of options for your build and path on your second run. Here's a checklist of everything you should make sure to do before entering new game plus.
- Find and buy all upgrade materials from vendors
- Upgrade your weapons as much as possible
- Give every Prayerbook and Scroll to vendors
- Buy every incantation and spell from vendors
- Collect every version of Glovewort from catacombs and vendors
- Kill every dragon and obtain their Dragon Heart
- Buy every Dragon Communion incantation
- Buy every item from every vendor
- Find and obtain every Larval Tear
- Collect every Stonesword Key
- Trade for every boss remembrance weapon (one copy of each weapon per playthrough)
- Use all the Walking Mausoleums
- Collect all cookbooks
- Collect all Cracked Pots, Ritual Pots, Perfume Bottles, Memory Stones, and Talisman Pouches
- Fully upgrade your flasks with Golden Seeds
- Find all talismans
- Find all tears for Flask of Wondrous Physick
- Kill NPCs for armor, if you want it
Items that carry over into Elden Ring's new game plus
What carries over into Elden Ring's new game plus?
Elden Ring is a massive game with hundreds of items. New game plus might seem like a risk if you're afraid of losing everything you spent hours gathering in the game. Here's exactly what does and doesn't carry over into new game plus.
What carries over
- Armor
- Weapons
- Talismans
- Spells
- Flask upgrades
- Wondrous Flask of Physick upgrades
- Map fragments
- Cookbooks
- Consumables
- Gestures
What doesn't carry over
- Quest items (e.g. Academy Glintstone Key, Deathroot)
- Sites of Grace
- Key Items (e.g. Dectus Medallion, Great Runes)
- Bell Bearings
- Sorcery Scrolls or Prayerbooks
- Mark of the Frenzied Flame or Dragon Communion cosmetic changes
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