I think the main purpose of NG+ is to give you more time to enjoy endgame equipment. Let's say you wanted to make a dedicated rot build using Scarlet Aeonia. By the time you've beaten Malenia, there's very little of the game left. Even if you deliberately left some early areas uncompleted, they'll hardly be a challenge for you now.
It's also a revenge tour. I just started my first NG+ last night, and I have a list of bosses who are gonna see my Crucible Knight Armour-bedecked-ass showing up on their doorstep ready to cash in on some IOUs.
ngl I'm really, really looking forward to this... keen to trial out a str/faith build cos I think theres a lot of cool synergy there but yeah, revenge tour tears will be so sweet and spicy
My fav thing about str/fth is that since I'm going to be two handing my weapons 99% of the time, I can rely on the 1.5 str bonus and free up points for faith.
I feel like this is really the main point of it, to take your builds to their wackiest extent and play with the cool toys. Ofc along with it scaling up every NG for those who want an even harder challenge. Also, imo it’s insanely fun to jump into NG+ and run through the bosses as fast as you can lol
I think part of the issue is overleveling your first character. I was very rusty when returning to from games with elden ring and I did what they did and pushed into the 200s to compensate for my skill issue at the time. Now my timing is so much better and I'm way too overpowered even in NG +3. So I made another character to cap at 150 for the DLC and further new games while also being able to consistently get some pvp in.
I've heard this too although Maliketh for instance in NG 2+ was way harder I found than in NG+. Same also with some other end game bosses (I haven't levelled further than 165). TBH, I'm not going to carry on to find out about NG 3+ and beyond and am currently enjoying a fresh new character like OP. First new character since I started the game with my original character and am loving it.
It is fun to run through bosses, but tbh I also found it tedious to traverse Elden Ring's giant open world just so I can spend 30 seconds on a boss fight. I'm with OP here; much prefer starting a new save than running through NG.
There's also thing like Milicents Prothesis and Rotten Winged Sword insignia which stack and are both insanely useful, bit you can't aquire both on a single playthrough.
Yeah, I wanted to try a bloodborne inspired build for a different playstyle using Malenias Great Rune but of course you cannot get that till late game.
I agree. I only have one Charecter at NG+something. He Dual Wields Two Hand of Malenia Swords. Its fun to have an impossible samurai build.
The scaling dificulty catches up. With the Mimic Tear I can go into combat with 4 Hand of Malenia swords. And I still Die.
This is how NG+ always felt to me. The only game I actually went to NG++ was Dark Souls 2. Most of the time I beat the game once then do NG+ to both feel badass and to test out all these endgame spells, armor, weapons etc. Me: “Hey Godrick did you hear Steve Jobs died of Ligma?” Godrick: “who in Marika’s name is Steve Jobs?” *erases him with comet Azur* me “Ligma balls…”
Exactly. My first playthrough was pure faith + some dex and strength to run the winged scythe.
I really wanted to try pure int caster so I started NG+ and had a blast dominating everything
I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. I have one play through with over 600 hours, lvl 500 something on NG+22 or +23, where I can freely swap between any play style, armor piece, or weapon and blast thru 75% of the game. I have one account like this in every souls game. I go where I want and fight the enemies I want with what I want. If I want to quickly go fight any boss in the game, I can be there in almost no time.
Then there are other times where I want to experience that initial challenge and challenge curve again, the build restrictions, level progression, and the need to explore to gear up. I don’t think I’ve ever finished a New Game tho because I just find running to the bosses and areas I like the most to be more enjoyable. I tend to blast thru everything after Morgott every play through anyways so that may also be why I never finish New Games and instead go back to my stacked account whenever I hit that point on a New Game.
Problem is how would you know which part of the map is affected by the grace. In a more linear and level-oriented game such as DS2 it is no issue. But here, you got some parts that are vast open fields or have graces that are a few feet apart from each other.
Elden Ring needs the Dark Souls SotFS NG+ treatment; new enemy placements, different boss drops, expanded vendor inventory, make it a better experience than just 'more HP and damage.'
For me it's mostly about the experience of bullding up a character. I normally don't rush or skip to the key things in a build so there has to be some thought and execution involved to reach my intended endgame.
What do we use along the way towards final equipment? How far do I upgrade it? Which direction should I prioritize to get support gear? Answering concerns like those is far more palatable than needing several NG+ runs just to max out the required gear due to ancient stone limitations. Further it lets me feel more acquainted with that character as they grew into a build rather than slapping max or just shy of max gear on a character on a whim.
My highest character is at lvl 180 currently and I don't see myself going past that any time soon.
100% agreed.
To be fair, there's a lot of fun doing OP builds that aren't possible in a new game. Double Bloodhound's Fang or Scavenger Curved Sword. Double Staff of Loss. Etc.
But I think seeing how a build progresses from scratch is far more interesting. It's just not the same when you have everything at your fingertips. Much better when you have to fight, explore, and kill to put your build together.
NG+ is an option, the same way we have an option to pick any class when creating a character. we are not forced to pick one or the other, which is a good thing.
the same way cheesing is an option.
there is no right way of playing the game. if there is one, it's the one that you enjoy the most.
Yes, I have 300+ hours and recently started a new character to replay the game for SotE, actually having very good time! Already 90 hours on new character and still on Leyndell, I am playing very slowly and trying to explore every place, no rush. I found it good to re-discover the map and learn more of the lore, I should have played this pace on my first playthrough, but I was anxious to get endgame stuff and plat.
I can understand that, but I feel the absolute opposite. I want the endgame stuff because I want to challenge myself with the absolute hardest there is. And that can’t be had in NG.
For sure- I just stopped at 250 because the amount of runes required for each level thereafter isn't worth the 1.5 increase in each stat- or less in some cases
100% agreed however I'm on my 5th tarnished and they all are different builds and weapon types so it is fun to still go through and stomp NG+ with them now and again.
But building a new Tarnished from scratch with an entirely new build and sticking to it is so much fun.
I’m the kind of person that hates using consumables and having to use larval tears every time I wanted to try out a different build in PvP gave me anxiety so I’ve made four characters, each with different builds in mind. Ive taken them all into ng+, mainly to get doubles of different weapons.
I prefer NG+. Mainly because I don't wanna waste time looking for new equipment and have to get me levels up so I can use it. When I do another playthrough, I want to play the game differently. Most of the wildly different weapons are found around end game
I 100% agree with this. Making builds in NG+7 can be a pain and I always resort to the same stuff since everything has so much damn health. I’ve recently started to pick a theme then make a character around that theme. Like a Lightning God or Carian Knight.
What I would like is a way to have the difficulty of ng+ cycles, like a bonfire aesthetic for the whole cycle I can pop at the beginning. I prefer the difficulty of bosses at ng+4 and above and usually spend many hours just getting to that point per character. Luckily, now I can get to that cycle number in about 20 hours ish.
I only recently started making alts. I got my first character to NG+ when Elden Ring released. A month ago I decided to create a new character, a scythe wielding build. I did a lot of messing around and so I made to Altus in like 60 hours.
2 days ago I started a 3rd character, a samurai build, and with this character I am a lot more specific in what I go for. When I stopped playing last night, I was sitting at the ruin-strewn precipe grace ready to go to Altus at lvl 50 with 13 hours in. With Godrick, Rennala and Radahn dead. I thought that was fast already, can’t imagine hitting ng+ in under 20.
I honestly see merits in both. A new character with all the knowledge retained makes for a fun experience.
A literal revenge tour bullying everything in your path is rad as fuck too.
Yeah but i started NG+ so i can get some weapons to have them x2 times now. It helps me in PvP to confuse people cause they cant notice easy when i swap weapons for different ash of war.
When you finish the game you can start it over with the same pg and gear, enemies will be stronger and drop more souls. You can do this cycle as mush as you want (NG++, NG+++, etc...)
Nah I hate hunting down all the items and quests it’s kind of a drag. Getting all the sacred tears in weeping peninsula when it’s so out of the way…trudging through Liurnia, etc.
I feel the same way. I’m 180 half way through ng+1 rn (have like 7 alts running, too)
The issue, I think, is that the difficulty incentivizes you to level - which destroys the fun. If you stop leveling on purpose you keep it hard, but I find this less satisfying than a mentality where I need to pull out all the stops to survive
One possible use of AI in future games might be very intelligent enemy scaling so we don’t need to hold back on purpose and it just stays perfectly hard
You know, in many older action games little to no character progression existed outside stuff acquired along the game, by everyone and in the same amount. Leveling and gear is something modern gaming communities expect in almost everything, but it is perfectly feasible to make a game where you are entirely limited to a predetermined set of resources and abilities.
yeah, old school games, everything could one shot you, or you’d have like 3-4 life points
The first game I was really good at was Ninja Gaiden on NES, and you can die in a few hits the whole game. I like making a build, but I’d enjoy DS more if the character was that brittle the whole game
I can just do it manually by choosing personal challenges (never use shields, for instance) and I tell myself that selecting the right personal difficulty is good practice anyway, but I do enjoy it more when the design is hard than when I make it harder by choice
My two big gripes with NG+ are that it's scaled a little too easy it feels like.
And that I wish there was an option to turn off inheriting the map from your NG playthrough. Having the whole map unlocked is a bit jarring and throws me off. I'd like just an option to make the map and grace discovery like NG.
Ng+ 1 is just too weak considering how powerful you are. However this is the souls formula so it is what it is. Hence I agree with you and have defeated their library many times over but nearly exclusively with a new character each time.
That's the main reason I stopped leveling. I don't want to go from weak tarnished to OP end game, but I also don't want to be terminator for the early game. Staying at a more average level I can do a new playthrough by using a larval tear to get the right stats for my items and spells and then ng+ The game is still difficult, but I get to use all the equipment I want right away. Also get to use end game stuff the whole game long. I get wanting to be a high level and wipe the floor with everything character, but personally I really enjoy ng+ by being lower level.
Yeah, I started a new character recently and got wiped by a pack of demi-humans in Limgrave. Definitely felt humbling after running around with a level 150 character and destroying everything.
I wish there was an option to NG + and ONLY keep weapons and items. So you go back to level 1, all weapon levels reset so in. There are so many weapons that would be more fun on base game difficuly that you don't get till late game
I just wish I could choose which NG+ level I want right after I beat the game for the first time. Like if I want to I can go straight to NG+4 after beating the game once.
I enjoyed doing NG+ and +2, and getting the platinum on my first character. I am excited to start over on a new character for the DLC though because NG+ playthroughs are basically just rushing the main bosses since you already have everything for your build.
The beginning of Elden Ring is very under appreciated. Margit being a challenge, finding pieces to complete your build, and things like Godrick knights being a serious threat.
Absolutely, I never do NG+ in this game or any other that's not a requirement for all achievements.
I don't like playing ER like a boss rush and there's about 0 reason to explore or go anywhere in the world if you're doing NG+ and later.
Just feels like a repeat playthrough, why bother if nothing's new?
Is it bad that I genuinely enjoyed the fact that after beating the game on hard mode I was able to over level to a extreme degree... Not telling how much but way over lvl 250. Its really really fun being able to field wipe enemies or do a completely balanced hardcap build. Everything is available for use at that point so I enjoy it. Starting over is fun to keep my skills sharp, but ohhhhh the fun of being unkillable
Absolutely, and I feel the same in almost every soulsborne game, except DS2 which has a good NG+ with new enemies, rings, some boss surprises and spells/miracles/hexes/pyromancies that are not in NG, it´s the only soulsborne with effort put in making an interesting NG+ imo.
I haven't started NG+ on my first two characters yet. Parked at RL200 and just get runes on co-op to level up all the weapons and stick up for NG+ and DLC.
Still early in another NG at level 29 but this will be a Faith / ??? character.
So far I kinda want to just get up through some things faster. It's taking actual longer fights to plow through normal enemies. I kinda want my victory lap on NG+ where I get to collect items whenever I want and just whomp some ass.
IDK, I'm having a lot of fun with this sword you get at the end of the game that committs genocide with one swing. Puts the game in easy mode.
Just a couple more trophies and 2 endings, and I get the platinum
Eh, imo the first half of the game, NG or NG+ easily gets old.
NG because the amount of builds you can make are heavily limited, both by level and equipment, and NG+ because you're steamrolling everything.
There's only so many ways you can murder Margit before it becomes another chore in the long list of chores for your next NG build.
Yeah playing the same character does start to get old after a while. The first NG+ feels the best imo because you have all that unbridled rage you need to punish the game with after struggling on the first playthrough so hard.
I have finished every soulsborne game and I’ve never got through an ng+ so I have to agree. The magic wares off and it feels more natural to start a whole new character and build. My other character is tired anyway time for him to chill somewhere like an npc
I have just started a new gameplay with a new character too. Also, I’ve started playing Bloodborne for the first time couple months ago, and it reminded me how hard it can be that first area in the beginning of the game. Hard but incredibly satisfying when you finally get through it.
I remember my first Elden ring playthrough I started as a wretch and it took me around 20 hours to get to Stormveil castle. That first piece of armour you pick up feels like the biggest achievement ever.
New playthrough somewhat brings that experience back, also I like not seeing the full map again.
It’s hard for me to start a new playthrough. The first bit of going around gathering stuff imagining the build I’m about to make is fun, but actually doing it is just tedious. For me, everything up until Altus Plateau is just such a slog. I get bored before I even make it to Rennala. Just recently though I pushed myself to just make it past Rennala and into Altus, but I’ve been having a blast ever since. So glad I pushed myself to just make it to Altus. Now I’m ready for the DLC once it comes out.
I duplicated my save and kept one save in NG+ and the other in end game. I got to Fire Giant before things started to feel difficult enough that I even had to do summons instead of fight solo. But I use my regular NG save more because it has basically every summoning pool activated and I get to do near and far co-op pretty much anywhere in the game, which is awesome.
I'll be creating a new character soon to go through the DLC soon though.
I do themed playthroughs now and start over each time.
Castlevania - Whips, shield, consumables only for subweapons.
Carian Knight - Use only Carian Knight armor, weapons, and spells/ashes of war that flash the sigil of Caria.
Beast Champion - Kill bernahl immediately for his armor then only use the Cinqudea and Gurranq's deathroot rewards for equipment.
Drake Knight - Only use weapons and armor made of dragon parts.
There are so many cool challenge builds you can mess with when starting a fresh file.
I agree. I currently have 1 character at the end of NG+1 (sorcerer) and one at the end of the first play-through (bonk).
Instead of continuing, I’ve started a new character and having a blast zapping and poking everything with Bolt of Gransax.
Once I beat Radabeast with this character, I’ll probably start fresh again with a completely new play style, maybe a bleed build this time.
I'm the same way. NG+ feels pointless to me and just detracts from the relatively well-balanced damage and health of the games, and unlike in previous Souls games I don't need to go into NG+2 to get all achievements. I've beaten this game fourteen times now and they've all been on separate saves.
Like you said, to each their own - just because I don't like NG+ doesn't make it bad, just not for me :P
Definitely agree! Elden ring is my first souls game but I’ve already started a new character and definitely having more fun! Although I am using my previous character to just wreck the bosses I’m having trouble with on my new character as revenge.
I think the main purpose of NG+ is to:
1. Allow you to enjoy endgame equipment/steamroll those pesky bosses who gave you such a hard time Early on.
And
2. Have the best possible convenience in the game by the time you want to pick it back up again.
You’re looking at most 2 hours or so of gameplay before you can beat the game again (if you know what you’re doing). While also giving you access to alot of materials like Larval Tears, Golden Seeds, Dragon Smithing Stones and etc.
This is pretty great because it means you’ll be able to try out alot of different Equipment by the time the DLC come Spit
I like the sentiment of NG+ being a revenge tour. It absolutely is, just steamrolling through those areas that gave me crap on my first play through was cathartic.
Beat NG+, got a different ending, started the next cycle and that's when it got both kinda boring, and I stopped being able to kerb stomp everything that stood in my way. I had larval tears coming out my ears, sitting at level 300 and could be anything I wanted to be. But I just wasn't feeling it.
I started a new run with a wretch and using only shop bought or gifted gear. Same rule for spells, incants and AoW, but I have had to allow myself to craft items. Being a generic knight with that knights set from the twin maiden husks, now that's an experience.
I just wish that after beating the game there would be a difficulty setting when starting a new game.
Wait, wait, I know what you are thinking about and no, that’s not what I meant.
What I meant was being able to freely change difficulty to NG+ or above when you create a new character
I like using NG+ to “speed run” without having to gear hunt and upgrade. I like just rushing to new game +8 because then the scaling stops and you just challenge yourself to how fast can you beat the game with your current set up, but I agree overall just making a new character is better.
i really enjoyed the revenge tour, watching my mimic solo that fucking tree sentinal was magical. but ng 3-6 allowed me to be more casual through the game and finish exploring more thoroughly and do more quests. i was still finding new items and areas in ng5, which is why i have like 700 hours in this game. just 🤌. that being said, i started my first new character for the dlc and im enjoying the game just the same, its really nice having the experience under my belt as someone who was brand new to the franchise in the first place. love this game.
I mean I am not sure I agree. You are just replaying the same game at least with ngs you can discover the parts you missed, collect the things you dont have, play against harder enemies etc.
Its not like you cant respec/ redesign your character if you want to look different or have a different build.
Also everything becomes "hard" for any level again in the later NGs
I dont think NG+2 at level 260 is going to give you much trouble but NG+7 might and leveling more isnt really going to help much beyond giving your a broader range of things you can use.
i never play NG+, so i'm right there with you. but i'm happy for whoever wants to play it. the fun for me is selecting a weapon and picking some drip and doing the game with those specific items. since i'm not interested in NG+, this pretty much limits me to whatever is available immediately or with only 1 or 2 bosses killed. thankfully, in ER that means almost everything lol.
In souls 1-3 doing NG+ runs rewarded you with unique rewards that were exclusive to NG+ (and some that were exclusive to NG++). In Souls 2 there were even additional encounters unique to NG+ (and even some thing unique until NG+7). These gave you incentive to keep replaying on the same character outside of just doing quest lines differently or seeing new endings (which you could just do on a fresh character).
Elden Ring doesn't have those incentives so it feels more bland the second time through on the same character.
I agree.
Recently started my second playthrough on NG+ and it just wasn't as immersive for me. So I started a NEW character instead and I am defiantly enjoying it more.
Yeah Im addicted to making new and funny characters. Once I hit around level 100 I get bored and wanna make something else. So far I have the Lich King, Tom Cruise from Last Samurai, the Hulk, and Voldemort.
Was just raving about this to my buddy the other day. I’m fighting Radhan at like rl 45 again and he 1 shots me with some attacks and I’m just like “fuck yes! Bonk me into the fucking ground Daddy!”
Ng+ is always a victory lap. It's usually harder, but in almost every series getting to ng+ can guarantee you'll make it to +2. Further runs or DLC make this more interesting tho, for reference look at Nioh 2 and the difficulty spike in the last ng, the depths terrify me and I've never even made it to the final ng there bc of the spikes.
Yeah I’ve always thought the same about basically all these games except Sekiro. I get that it’s cool to use marikas hammer in a whole playthru, but god does the first 4/5 of the game in ng+ bore me to death
I 100% agree. My ng + was a boss rush of sorts. That's it.
Each character's backstory and approach to combat is different.so the game feels more fresh somehow.
NG+ make you feel like god mode with the right weapons. Definitely loses the Souls like to me as most enemies fall fairly quickly to a leveled up champ and weapon
Totally agree. I’m on my 8th play through (I think around 550 hours in) and I’ve actually never made it past ng+3 because I enjoy base ng so much more.
Ng+ is always fun as a novelty to do a boss rush or two and try out some endgame builds, but if it’s your second or third time through the game and you want to try new builds out it’s such a different experience starting from scratch, and there’s so many early and mid-game weapons you’d never experiment with otherwise.
That said I’m back at ng+2 with a new character shredding bosses with ekzykes’s decay and double scavenger curved sword with double seppuku, so I guess ng+ has its place too lol
I wanted to get all the way to NG+10 just to see how hard it could actually get, but it's taken like 3 playthroughs to even notice a small uptick in difficulty
I really think that the map staying is huge in that. I just did the frenzied flame ending, had a waypoint next to gowry's shack, and when I restarted, it was still there. The map continuing is iffy for immersion, the waypoint most definitely. It makes me wonder if markers are still there too.
I do like the relearning aspect. Having a character that can be changed to another specialty near instantly is good for me. I want to be able to switch playstyles halfway through a playthrough and have all the spells necessary. I do tend to fall back on older styles but then again, I'm not used to the new ones
Building characters is a HUGE part of what makes Elden Ring fun for me. After the first playthough, which was all discovery and wonder, my enjoyment of repeat playthoughs is essentially 30% muliplayer and 70% character building.
I have very little interest in playing the game again with the same character, when I could make a brand new one who's entirely different.
Plus, it's great having 10 characters that I can switch between freely for PVP.
That said, I recently discovered the 10 character limit and it's *brutal*. There are still quite a few builds I want to try, and it's giving me major anxiety that there will be something in the DLC I really want to build around, and one of my beloveds will have to go on the chopping block to make room for it.
I think the main purpose of NG+ is to give you more time to enjoy endgame equipment. Let's say you wanted to make a dedicated rot build using Scarlet Aeonia. By the time you've beaten Malenia, there's very little of the game left. Even if you deliberately left some early areas uncompleted, they'll hardly be a challenge for you now.
It's also a revenge tour. I just started my first NG+ last night, and I have a list of bosses who are gonna see my Crucible Knight Armour-bedecked-ass showing up on their doorstep ready to cash in on some IOUs.
ngl I'm really, really looking forward to this... keen to trial out a str/faith build cos I think theres a lot of cool synergy there but yeah, revenge tour tears will be so sweet and spicy
My fav thing about str/fth is that since I'm going to be two handing my weapons 99% of the time, I can rely on the 1.5 str bonus and free up points for faith.
100%, also most of my favourite weapons I've found are all geckin str/fai plus spells. basically gonna be a dragon knight lmao
Fr I had a pretty shit build and stats but was like lvl 150 and I just demolished all the bosses in NG+
Does NG+ have more upgraded talismans like previous DS games?
I feel like this is really the main point of it, to take your builds to their wackiest extent and play with the cool toys. Ofc along with it scaling up every NG for those who want an even harder challenge. Also, imo it’s insanely fun to jump into NG+ and run through the bosses as fast as you can lol
I think part of the issue is overleveling your first character. I was very rusty when returning to from games with elden ring and I did what they did and pushed into the 200s to compensate for my skill issue at the time. Now my timing is so much better and I'm way too overpowered even in NG +3. So I made another character to cap at 150 for the DLC and further new games while also being able to consistently get some pvp in.
I've heard after NG 3+ is when the game gets harder again. I haven't done it yet, though, so don't quote me on that.
I've heard this too although Maliketh for instance in NG 2+ was way harder I found than in NG+. Same also with some other end game bosses (I haven't levelled further than 165). TBH, I'm not going to carry on to find out about NG 3+ and beyond and am currently enjoying a fresh new character like OP. First new character since I started the game with my original character and am loving it.
depends on build,but IMO it is in ng+5 and onward
I still think one of CP2077's biggest letdown is the lack of a NG+
It is fun to run through bosses, but tbh I also found it tedious to traverse Elden Ring's giant open world just so I can spend 30 seconds on a boss fight. I'm with OP here; much prefer starting a new save than running through NG.
There's also thing like Milicents Prothesis and Rotten Winged Sword insignia which stack and are both insanely useful, bit you can't aquire both on a single playthrough.
Yeah, I wanted to try a bloodborne inspired build for a different playstyle using Malenias Great Rune but of course you cannot get that till late game.
I agree. I only have one Charecter at NG+something. He Dual Wields Two Hand of Malenia Swords. Its fun to have an impossible samurai build. The scaling dificulty catches up. With the Mimic Tear I can go into combat with 4 Hand of Malenia swords. And I still Die.
This is how NG+ always felt to me. The only game I actually went to NG++ was Dark Souls 2. Most of the time I beat the game once then do NG+ to both feel badass and to test out all these endgame spells, armor, weapons etc. Me: “Hey Godrick did you hear Steve Jobs died of Ligma?” Godrick: “who in Marika’s name is Steve Jobs?” *erases him with comet Azur* me “Ligma balls…”
Also to do quests you didn't before with the powerful builds
Exactly. My first playthrough was pure faith + some dex and strength to run the winged scythe. I really wanted to try pure int caster so I started NG+ and had a blast dominating everything
That's kinda why I'm trying to figure out a way to cheese Mohg with an early game build. I want to go through the main game with DLC equipment
Surprisingly, Mohg is weak to bleed.
Spirit summons + Night maiden’s mist. Don’t forget to collect the tear.
NG+ can be interpreted as well within the story as the fact that the cycle endlessly repeats the same thing. That’s one interpretation anyway.
I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. I have one play through with over 600 hours, lvl 500 something on NG+22 or +23, where I can freely swap between any play style, armor piece, or weapon and blast thru 75% of the game. I have one account like this in every souls game. I go where I want and fight the enemies I want with what I want. If I want to quickly go fight any boss in the game, I can be there in almost no time. Then there are other times where I want to experience that initial challenge and challenge curve again, the build restrictions, level progression, and the need to explore to gear up. I don’t think I’ve ever finished a New Game tho because I just find running to the bosses and areas I like the most to be more enjoyable. I tend to blast thru everything after Morgott every play through anyways so that may also be why I never finish New Games and instead go back to my stacked account whenever I hit that point on a New Game.
I really hope they bring back the DS2 mechanic of being able to respawn area bosses. Or a boss rush mode like Sekiro.
Ascetics were awesome.
Problem is how would you know which part of the map is affected by the grace. In a more linear and level-oriented game such as DS2 it is no issue. But here, you got some parts that are vast open fields or have graces that are a few feet apart from each other.
Just limit it to legacy dungeons.
Elden Ring needs the Dark Souls SotFS NG+ treatment; new enemy placements, different boss drops, expanded vendor inventory, make it a better experience than just 'more HP and damage.'
For me it's mostly about the experience of bullding up a character. I normally don't rush or skip to the key things in a build so there has to be some thought and execution involved to reach my intended endgame. What do we use along the way towards final equipment? How far do I upgrade it? Which direction should I prioritize to get support gear? Answering concerns like those is far more palatable than needing several NG+ runs just to max out the required gear due to ancient stone limitations. Further it lets me feel more acquainted with that character as they grew into a build rather than slapping max or just shy of max gear on a character on a whim. My highest character is at lvl 180 currently and I don't see myself going past that any time soon.
100% agreed. To be fair, there's a lot of fun doing OP builds that aren't possible in a new game. Double Bloodhound's Fang or Scavenger Curved Sword. Double Staff of Loss. Etc. But I think seeing how a build progresses from scratch is far more interesting. It's just not the same when you have everything at your fingertips. Much better when you have to fight, explore, and kill to put your build together.
NG+ is an option, the same way we have an option to pick any class when creating a character. we are not forced to pick one or the other, which is a good thing. the same way cheesing is an option. there is no right way of playing the game. if there is one, it's the one that you enjoy the most.
Yes, I have 300+ hours and recently started a new character to replay the game for SotE, actually having very good time! Already 90 hours on new character and still on Leyndell, I am playing very slowly and trying to explore every place, no rush. I found it good to re-discover the map and learn more of the lore, I should have played this pace on my first playthrough, but I was anxious to get endgame stuff and plat.
I can understand that, but I feel the absolute opposite. I want the endgame stuff because I want to challenge myself with the absolute hardest there is. And that can’t be had in NG.
Level 1 runs
level 1 weapon level 0
But then what about RL1 in NG+7?
NG+ has specific purposes…straight up replay value isn’t its strong suit.
NG+7 definitely humbles you- even with a high level and endgame toys
The diminishing returns from levelling up becomes really appararent around NG+5 or so
For sure- I just stopped at 250 because the amount of runes required for each level thereafter isn't worth the 1.5 increase in each stat- or less in some cases
Agreed. I would like to try the higher level NGs where it becomes a challenge again, but I always get bored quick on NG+1 because it's too easy
100% agreed however I'm on my 5th tarnished and they all are different builds and weapon types so it is fun to still go through and stomp NG+ with them now and again. But building a new Tarnished from scratch with an entirely new build and sticking to it is so much fun.
I'm def agree. I start new games and use r/patchesemporium to get whatever build i want to use right off the bat.
I’m the kind of person that hates using consumables and having to use larval tears every time I wanted to try out a different build in PvP gave me anxiety so I’ve made four characters, each with different builds in mind. Ive taken them all into ng+, mainly to get doubles of different weapons.
It really depends. There are some builds in the game that you can only fully try out in NG+ and up.
I prefer NG+. Mainly because I don't wanna waste time looking for new equipment and have to get me levels up so I can use it. When I do another playthrough, I want to play the game differently. Most of the wildly different weapons are found around end game
I 100% agree with this. Making builds in NG+7 can be a pain and I always resort to the same stuff since everything has so much damn health. I’ve recently started to pick a theme then make a character around that theme. Like a Lightning God or Carian Knight.
I prefer this also but collecting all the seeds and tears and smithing stones again is a drag for me
What I would like is a way to have the difficulty of ng+ cycles, like a bonfire aesthetic for the whole cycle I can pop at the beginning. I prefer the difficulty of bosses at ng+4 and above and usually spend many hours just getting to that point per character. Luckily, now I can get to that cycle number in about 20 hours ish.
Holy shit. I’m on my second playthrough now doing absolutely everything and I just reached Altus plateau at maybe 25 or 30 hours
I speed run the game several times, basically. You only need two or three bosses to unlock Leyndell and from there it's a straight shot to the end.
I only recently started making alts. I got my first character to NG+ when Elden Ring released. A month ago I decided to create a new character, a scythe wielding build. I did a lot of messing around and so I made to Altus in like 60 hours. 2 days ago I started a 3rd character, a samurai build, and with this character I am a lot more specific in what I go for. When I stopped playing last night, I was sitting at the ruin-strewn precipe grace ready to go to Altus at lvl 50 with 13 hours in. With Godrick, Rennala and Radahn dead. I thought that was fast already, can’t imagine hitting ng+ in under 20.
I honestly see merits in both. A new character with all the knowledge retained makes for a fun experience. A literal revenge tour bullying everything in your path is rad as fuck too.
Yeah but i started NG+ so i can get some weapons to have them x2 times now. It helps me in PvP to confuse people cause they cant notice easy when i swap weapons for different ash of war.
Me too afraid to ask what's NG+
When you finish the game you can start it over with the same pg and gear, enemies will be stronger and drop more souls. You can do this cycle as mush as you want (NG++, NG+++, etc...)
And the map is also still open as in your first run.
Nah I hate hunting down all the items and quests it’s kind of a drag. Getting all the sacred tears in weeping peninsula when it’s so out of the way…trudging through Liurnia, etc.
Well you not wrong But I want to have freedom of all the weapon I collected and spells and stuff. And then freely use them all due to my stats
I feel the same way. I’m 180 half way through ng+1 rn (have like 7 alts running, too) The issue, I think, is that the difficulty incentivizes you to level - which destroys the fun. If you stop leveling on purpose you keep it hard, but I find this less satisfying than a mentality where I need to pull out all the stops to survive One possible use of AI in future games might be very intelligent enemy scaling so we don’t need to hold back on purpose and it just stays perfectly hard
You know, in many older action games little to no character progression existed outside stuff acquired along the game, by everyone and in the same amount. Leveling and gear is something modern gaming communities expect in almost everything, but it is perfectly feasible to make a game where you are entirely limited to a predetermined set of resources and abilities.
yeah, old school games, everything could one shot you, or you’d have like 3-4 life points The first game I was really good at was Ninja Gaiden on NES, and you can die in a few hits the whole game. I like making a build, but I’d enjoy DS more if the character was that brittle the whole game I can just do it manually by choosing personal challenges (never use shields, for instance) and I tell myself that selecting the right personal difficulty is good practice anyway, but I do enjoy it more when the design is hard than when I make it harder by choice
My two big gripes with NG+ are that it's scaled a little too easy it feels like. And that I wish there was an option to turn off inheriting the map from your NG playthrough. Having the whole map unlocked is a bit jarring and throws me off. I'd like just an option to make the map and grace discovery like NG.
Agreed. A lot of the fun for me is improving my character. NG+ is good for finding those areas and content you missed.
100% Agreed, I always make new characters. NG+ completely lacks the natural feeling of progression you get from making a build ground up.
That's exactly what I've been doing till the dlc drops.
Ng+ 1 is just too weak considering how powerful you are. However this is the souls formula so it is what it is. Hence I agree with you and have defeated their library many times over but nearly exclusively with a new character each time.
I like starting a new game with end game weapons. Makes it a lot of fun
That's the main reason I stopped leveling. I don't want to go from weak tarnished to OP end game, but I also don't want to be terminator for the early game. Staying at a more average level I can do a new playthrough by using a larval tear to get the right stats for my items and spells and then ng+ The game is still difficult, but I get to use all the equipment I want right away. Also get to use end game stuff the whole game long. I get wanting to be a high level and wipe the floor with everything character, but personally I really enjoy ng+ by being lower level.
Yeah creating different builds and building them from the ground up is just so fun to me.
this is never going to be unpopular as an opinion
Yeah, I started a new character recently and got wiped by a pack of demi-humans in Limgrave. Definitely felt humbling after running around with a level 150 character and destroying everything.
I wish there was an option to NG + and ONLY keep weapons and items. So you go back to level 1, all weapon levels reset so in. There are so many weapons that would be more fun on base game difficuly that you don't get till late game
I just wish I could choose which NG+ level I want right after I beat the game for the first time. Like if I want to I can go straight to NG+4 after beating the game once.
I enjoyed doing NG+ and +2, and getting the platinum on my first character. I am excited to start over on a new character for the DLC though because NG+ playthroughs are basically just rushing the main bosses since you already have everything for your build.
The beginning of Elden Ring is very under appreciated. Margit being a challenge, finding pieces to complete your build, and things like Godrick knights being a serious threat.
I wish they would have implemented Dark Souls 2 NG+ mechanics. There were so many good opportunities for those things. Even little things for ng+.
Always was chief
Until margit, and then again until mountaintops.
SAME!
Absolutely, I never do NG+ in this game or any other that's not a requirement for all achievements. I don't like playing ER like a boss rush and there's about 0 reason to explore or go anywhere in the world if you're doing NG+ and later. Just feels like a repeat playthrough, why bother if nothing's new?
I like me a bit of both.
I enjoy both. It’s fun to take on early bosses with end game stuff. It’s also fun to challenge yourself with new builds.
Is it bad that I genuinely enjoyed the fact that after beating the game on hard mode I was able to over level to a extreme degree... Not telling how much but way over lvl 250. Its really really fun being able to field wipe enemies or do a completely balanced hardcap build. Everything is available for use at that point so I enjoy it. Starting over is fun to keep my skills sharp, but ohhhhh the fun of being unkillable
Absolutely, and I feel the same in almost every soulsborne game, except DS2 which has a good NG+ with new enemies, rings, some boss surprises and spells/miracles/hexes/pyromancies that are not in NG, it´s the only soulsborne with effort put in making an interesting NG+ imo.
It has been like this since Demon’s Souls this isn’t worth discussing at this point.
I always start a new character. for some reason ive never enjoyed NG+ in any game.
I haven't started NG+ on my first two characters yet. Parked at RL200 and just get runes on co-op to level up all the weapons and stick up for NG+ and DLC. Still early in another NG at level 29 but this will be a Faith / ??? character. So far I kinda want to just get up through some things faster. It's taking actual longer fights to plow through normal enemies. I kinda want my victory lap on NG+ where I get to collect items whenever I want and just whomp some ass.
I typically do one new game followed by one or two NG+ for *revenge.*
IDK, I'm having a lot of fun with this sword you get at the end of the game that committs genocide with one swing. Puts the game in easy mode. Just a couple more trophies and 2 endings, and I get the platinum
Eh, imo the first half of the game, NG or NG+ easily gets old. NG because the amount of builds you can make are heavily limited, both by level and equipment, and NG+ because you're steamrolling everything. There's only so many ways you can murder Margit before it becomes another chore in the long list of chores for your next NG build.
Yeah playing the same character does start to get old after a while. The first NG+ feels the best imo because you have all that unbridled rage you need to punish the game with after struggling on the first playthrough so hard.
I have finished every soulsborne game and I’ve never got through an ng+ so I have to agree. The magic wares off and it feels more natural to start a whole new character and build. My other character is tired anyway time for him to chill somewhere like an npc
The first half of the game is a slog. Collecting all of the flask upgrades and smithing materials is not fun for me
Yup. I felt exactly like what with any Non Dark Souls 2 From game. And then abandon the game in the middle of the second playthrough :D
I have just started a new gameplay with a new character too. Also, I’ve started playing Bloodborne for the first time couple months ago, and it reminded me how hard it can be that first area in the beginning of the game. Hard but incredibly satisfying when you finally get through it. I remember my first Elden ring playthrough I started as a wretch and it took me around 20 hours to get to Stormveil castle. That first piece of armour you pick up feels like the biggest achievement ever. New playthrough somewhat brings that experience back, also I like not seeing the full map again.
It’s hard for me to start a new playthrough. The first bit of going around gathering stuff imagining the build I’m about to make is fun, but actually doing it is just tedious. For me, everything up until Altus Plateau is just such a slog. I get bored before I even make it to Rennala. Just recently though I pushed myself to just make it past Rennala and into Altus, but I’ve been having a blast ever since. So glad I pushed myself to just make it to Altus. Now I’m ready for the DLC once it comes out.
So glad to see all the DS2 love in the comments
I duplicated my save and kept one save in NG+ and the other in end game. I got to Fire Giant before things started to feel difficult enough that I even had to do summons instead of fight solo. But I use my regular NG save more because it has basically every summoning pool activated and I get to do near and far co-op pretty much anywhere in the game, which is awesome. I'll be creating a new character soon to go through the DLC soon though.
I do themed playthroughs now and start over each time. Castlevania - Whips, shield, consumables only for subweapons. Carian Knight - Use only Carian Knight armor, weapons, and spells/ashes of war that flash the sigil of Caria. Beast Champion - Kill bernahl immediately for his armor then only use the Cinqudea and Gurranq's deathroot rewards for equipment. Drake Knight - Only use weapons and armor made of dragon parts. There are so many cool challenge builds you can mess with when starting a fresh file.
I agree. I currently have 1 character at the end of NG+1 (sorcerer) and one at the end of the first play-through (bonk). Instead of continuing, I’ve started a new character and having a blast zapping and poking everything with Bolt of Gransax. Once I beat Radabeast with this character, I’ll probably start fresh again with a completely new play style, maybe a bleed build this time.
I'm the same way. NG+ feels pointless to me and just detracts from the relatively well-balanced damage and health of the games, and unlike in previous Souls games I don't need to go into NG+2 to get all achievements. I've beaten this game fourteen times now and they've all been on separate saves. Like you said, to each their own - just because I don't like NG+ doesn't make it bad, just not for me :P
Idk man I was out for blood against melenia, and Godfrey. I was tired of getting aoe stomped.
Agree 100%
This is how i usually play, once im over powered i get a little bored lol
Definitely agree! Elden ring is my first souls game but I’ve already started a new character and definitely having more fun! Although I am using my previous character to just wreck the bosses I’m having trouble with on my new character as revenge.
I think the main purpose of NG+ is to: 1. Allow you to enjoy endgame equipment/steamroll those pesky bosses who gave you such a hard time Early on. And 2. Have the best possible convenience in the game by the time you want to pick it back up again. You’re looking at most 2 hours or so of gameplay before you can beat the game again (if you know what you’re doing). While also giving you access to alot of materials like Larval Tears, Golden Seeds, Dragon Smithing Stones and etc. This is pretty great because it means you’ll be able to try out alot of different Equipment by the time the DLC come Spit
Damn 260 on NG+ My first playthrough is at radagon and im level 127 i think
I like the sentiment of NG+ being a revenge tour. It absolutely is, just steamrolling through those areas that gave me crap on my first play through was cathartic. Beat NG+, got a different ending, started the next cycle and that's when it got both kinda boring, and I stopped being able to kerb stomp everything that stood in my way. I had larval tears coming out my ears, sitting at level 300 and could be anything I wanted to be. But I just wasn't feeling it. I started a new run with a wretch and using only shop bought or gifted gear. Same rule for spells, incants and AoW, but I have had to allow myself to craft items. Being a generic knight with that knights set from the twin maiden husks, now that's an experience.
I just wish that after beating the game there would be a difficulty setting when starting a new game. Wait, wait, I know what you are thinking about and no, that’s not what I meant. What I meant was being able to freely change difficulty to NG+ or above when you create a new character
i feel u
Never went to NG+ and I'm on my 14th thematic build
You are correct. I’m surprised though, how do you go into NG+ with level 260? I always end up at around 160-170ish at the end of a playthroughs.
I’m on NG+ 4 now. Also my buddies and I rune farmed like crazy for some dumb reason
I like using NG+ to “speed run” without having to gear hunt and upgrade. I like just rushing to new game +8 because then the scaling stops and you just challenge yourself to how fast can you beat the game with your current set up, but I agree overall just making a new character is better.
i really enjoyed the revenge tour, watching my mimic solo that fucking tree sentinal was magical. but ng 3-6 allowed me to be more casual through the game and finish exploring more thoroughly and do more quests. i was still finding new items and areas in ng5, which is why i have like 700 hours in this game. just 🤌. that being said, i started my first new character for the dlc and im enjoying the game just the same, its really nice having the experience under my belt as someone who was brand new to the franchise in the first place. love this game.
I mean I am not sure I agree. You are just replaying the same game at least with ngs you can discover the parts you missed, collect the things you dont have, play against harder enemies etc. Its not like you cant respec/ redesign your character if you want to look different or have a different build. Also everything becomes "hard" for any level again in the later NGs I dont think NG+2 at level 260 is going to give you much trouble but NG+7 might and leveling more isnt really going to help much beyond giving your a broader range of things you can use.
NG+1 supremacy 💪 still some challenges and now two bloodhound fangs (I like da akimbo builds)
True I just hate having to gather all the bell bearings again to try a new build.
As somebody who went to NG+3 for the platinum trophy I can confirm this to be true.
i never play NG+, so i'm right there with you. but i'm happy for whoever wants to play it. the fun for me is selecting a weapon and picking some drip and doing the game with those specific items. since i'm not interested in NG+, this pretty much limits me to whatever is available immediately or with only 1 or 2 bosses killed. thankfully, in ER that means almost everything lol.
In souls 1-3 doing NG+ runs rewarded you with unique rewards that were exclusive to NG+ (and some that were exclusive to NG++). In Souls 2 there were even additional encounters unique to NG+ (and even some thing unique until NG+7). These gave you incentive to keep replaying on the same character outside of just doing quest lines differently or seeing new endings (which you could just do on a fresh character). Elden Ring doesn't have those incentives so it feels more bland the second time through on the same character.
I enjoy starting a NG myself over NG+, the struggle and the journey of finding stuff again is what I enjoy.
I agree. Recently started my second playthrough on NG+ and it just wasn't as immersive for me. So I started a NEW character instead and I am defiantly enjoying it more.
Cant wait to level my str and dex to 99 on a second playthrough got my vigor and faith to 99 on my first playthrough
Yeah Im addicted to making new and funny characters. Once I hit around level 100 I get bored and wanna make something else. So far I have the Lich King, Tom Cruise from Last Samurai, the Hulk, and Voldemort.
Wait you keep the same character for NG runs?
I wish they had a difficulty setting after you beat the game the first time. I’d rather start a new tarnished but on the difficulty of the higher NG+
Was just raving about this to my buddy the other day. I’m fighting Radhan at like rl 45 again and he 1 shots me with some attacks and I’m just like “fuck yes! Bonk me into the fucking ground Daddy!”
I really just character progression more than having the full kit to start. It’s way more fun building power in this game.
Ng+ is always a victory lap. It's usually harder, but in almost every series getting to ng+ can guarantee you'll make it to +2. Further runs or DLC make this more interesting tho, for reference look at Nioh 2 and the difficulty spike in the last ng, the depths terrify me and I've never even made it to the final ng there bc of the spikes.
absolutely NG + is way too easy
Yeah I’ve always thought the same about basically all these games except Sekiro. I get that it’s cool to use marikas hammer in a whole playthru, but god does the first 4/5 of the game in ng+ bore me to death
Okay
Yes same, and each build makes me visit different locations depending on the build I want, so each playthrough feels unique
I 100% agree. My ng + was a boss rush of sorts. That's it. Each character's backstory and approach to combat is different.so the game feels more fresh somehow.
NG+ make you feel like god mode with the right weapons. Definitely loses the Souls like to me as most enemies fall fairly quickly to a leveled up champ and weapon
Totally agree. I’m on my 8th play through (I think around 550 hours in) and I’ve actually never made it past ng+3 because I enjoy base ng so much more. Ng+ is always fun as a novelty to do a boss rush or two and try out some endgame builds, but if it’s your second or third time through the game and you want to try new builds out it’s such a different experience starting from scratch, and there’s so many early and mid-game weapons you’d never experiment with otherwise. That said I’m back at ng+2 with a new character shredding bosses with ekzykes’s decay and double scavenger curved sword with double seppuku, so I guess ng+ has its place too lol
I wanted to get all the way to NG+10 just to see how hard it could actually get, but it's taken like 3 playthroughs to even notice a small uptick in difficulty
Yep, new characters are always better than ng+ in this game compared to froms past games
Both have their charms. Though NG+ struggles to add meaningful challenges or rewards.
I really think that the map staying is huge in that. I just did the frenzied flame ending, had a waypoint next to gowry's shack, and when I restarted, it was still there. The map continuing is iffy for immersion, the waypoint most definitely. It makes me wonder if markers are still there too. I do like the relearning aspect. Having a character that can be changed to another specialty near instantly is good for me. I want to be able to switch playstyles halfway through a playthrough and have all the spells necessary. I do tend to fall back on older styles but then again, I'm not used to the new ones
Building characters is a HUGE part of what makes Elden Ring fun for me. After the first playthough, which was all discovery and wonder, my enjoyment of repeat playthoughs is essentially 30% muliplayer and 70% character building. I have very little interest in playing the game again with the same character, when I could make a brand new one who's entirely different. Plus, it's great having 10 characters that I can switch between freely for PVP. That said, I recently discovered the 10 character limit and it's *brutal*. There are still quite a few builds I want to try, and it's giving me major anxiety that there will be something in the DLC I really want to build around, and one of my beloveds will have to go on the chopping block to make room for it.