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Elden Ring: Do You Lose Bell Bearings in New Game Plus? The Definitive Guide

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The Lands Between are vast and unforgiving, and embarking on a New Game Plus (NG+) run in Elden Ring is a significant undertaking. One of the most common questions among Tarnished contemplating their next journey is: Do I lose my Bell Bearings in NG+? The short answer, thankfully, is not entirely. However, the specifics are crucial, as not all Bell Bearings are created equal in their permanence.

In Elden Ring, Bell Bearings are key items that, when offered to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold, expand their inventory. This allows you to purchase a variety of essential items, from upgrade materials to consumable goods. Losing access to these expanded inventories would be a major setback, especially considering the increased difficulty of NG+.

The crucial detail is that only certain Bell Bearings carry over to NG+. Specifically, those that directly add items to the Twin Maiden Husks’ main shop list are retained. These are the Bone Peddler’s Bell Bearing, the Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing, and the Medicine Peddler’s Bell Bearing. As of Patch 1.05, these are permanently unlocked once given to the Twin Maiden Husks.

However, Bell Bearings obtained from defeated NPC merchants do NOT carry over. This means that if you defeated, for example, the nomadic merchant and obtained his Bell Bearing, the items it unlocks in the Twin Maiden Husks’ shop will be gone when you start NG+. You’ll need to find these merchants again and defeat them again to regain access to their wares.

Therefore, the key takeaway is to ensure you hand in all your Bell Bearings before starting your next journey. If you forget to give a Bell Bearing to the Twin Maiden Husks before starting NG+, the Bell Bearing itself will be lost, and you’ll have to reacquire it in your new playthrough.

Understanding Bell Bearings and Their Types

Bell Bearings are essentially keys to expanded commerce in Elden Ring. They represent the collected stock of various merchants, and offering them to the Twin Maiden Husks consolidates those goods in one convenient location. This is especially useful for acquiring upgrade materials like Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones.

There are several categories of Bell Bearings:

Peddler Bell Bearings: These are the ones that carry over to NG+. They represent general goods merchants and unlock basic crafting materials and consumables. They include:
- Bone Peddler’s Bell Bearing
- Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing
- Medicine Peddler’s Bell Bearing
Merchant Bell Bearings: These Bell Bearings are dropped by defeated nomadic merchants. They unlock the unique items sold by those specific merchants. These do NOT carry over to NG+. You must find and defeat these merchants again in each new playthrough.
Miner’s Bell Bearings: These unlock the ability to purchase Smithing Stones and Somber Smithing Stones from the Twin Maiden Husks. There are four Smithing Miner’s Bell Bearings and five Somberstone Miner’s Bell Bearings. Acquiring all of these will allow you to fully upgrade any weapon. While it’s not explicitly stated if they carry over, since they add to the main shop list similar to the Peddler Bell Bearings, it’s generally accepted and observed that these do indeed carry over to NG+.
Character-Specific Bell Bearings: Some Bell Bearings are obtained from specific characters, such as Seluvis’s Bell Bearing. These unlock items related to those characters and their quests. These typically do NOT carry over and are tied to quest progression, which resets in NG+.

Planning Your NG+ Run: Bell Bearing Priorities

Before embarking on NG+, it’s wise to make a checklist of essential Bell Bearings to acquire:

Locate and Defeat All Nomadic Merchants: Ensure you’ve found and defeated all the nomadic merchants whose inventories you want access to in NG+. Hand in their Bell Bearings to the Twin Maiden Husks. This step is critical since these are the ones you need to repeat in each playthrough.
Acquire All Miner’s Bell Bearings: While these likely persist, double-checking and ensuring you’ve handed them in is a good practice for peace of mind. Maxing out your weapon upgrades early in NG+ makes a significant difference.
Purchase Essential Items: Once you’ve handed in your Bell Bearings, stock up on essential upgrade materials, consumables, and crafting ingredients. This will give you a head start in your NG+ run.
Complete Character Quests (If Necessary): If a specific character’s items unlocked by a Bell Bearing are crucial to your build, consider completing their questline before starting NG+. Note, you will have to redo them in NG+ if you need those items.

Addressing Common Misconceptions

There are several misconceptions surrounding Bell Bearings and NG+ in Elden Ring. It is important to clear these up for a smooth transition:

All Bell Bearings Carry Over: As mentioned, this is false. Only the Peddler Bell Bearings (Bone, Meat, Medicine) and Miner’s Bell Bearings reliably carry over.
You Can Retrieve Lost Bell Bearings in NG+: You can retrieve lost merchant Bell Bearings by defeating those merchants again in NG+. However, Bell Bearings for quests might be gone for good depending on the quest state.
Handing In Bell Bearings Is Optional: While you can technically hoard Bell Bearings, it’s highly recommended to hand them in. This ensures that you’ll have access to a wide range of items.

Why the System Exists: Balancing Progression

The partial carry-over of Bell Bearings in Elden Ring is likely a deliberate design choice by FromSoftware. It allows players to retain access to basic resources, making the early game of NG+ less tedious, while still requiring them to re-explore the world and re-engage with the merchant system. This keeps exploration and combat relevant, even in subsequent playthroughs.

Understanding Patch 1.05’s Impact

Patch 1.05 was a key update that specifically addressed how Bell Bearings functioned in New Game Plus. Before this patch, the functionality was inconsistent, leading to confusion and frustration among players. The patch standardized which Bell Bearings would carry over, making it clear that only the Bone, Meat, and Medicine Peddler’s Bell Bearings were retained in NG+. This change was aimed at improving the overall player experience and providing a more predictable and manageable system for resource acquisition across multiple playthroughs.

Elden Ring and the Games Learning Society

The intricate mechanics of Elden Ring, including the Bell Bearing system, highlight the game’s complexity and its capacity to teach players valuable problem-solving skills. Games like Elden Ring, can provide an engaging platform for learning and developing strategic thinking. The Games Learning Society explores the educational potential of video games and promotes their use in various learning environments. To learn more about the Games Learning Society, visit their website at GamesLearningSociety.org.

Elden Ring: Do I Lose Bell Bearings in NG+? – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the Bell Bearing system in Elden Ring and its relation to New Game Plus:

Which Bell Bearings definitely carry over to NG+? The Bone Peddler’s, Meat Peddler’s, Medicine Peddler’s, and Miner’s Bell Bearings.
Which Bell Bearings definitely do not carry over to NG+? Bell Bearings obtained from defeating nomadic merchants or specific characters, like Seluvis.
What happens if I forget to hand in a Bell Bearing before starting NG+? The Bell Bearing itself will be lost, and you’ll need to reacquire it in your new playthrough.
Can I still get Smithing Stones in NG+ if I don’t have the Miner’s Bell Bearings? Yes, but you’ll have to find them in the world or defeat enemies that drop them, making it significantly harder.
Do the items purchased with Runes carry over to NG+? Yes, any items you have in your inventory, purchased or otherwise, will carry over.
Are there any Bell Bearings that are missable? While all the nomadic merchants do respawn in NG+, it is possible to lock yourself out of certain NPC Bell Bearings, depending on choices you make in a playthrough, so make sure you get everything you want before advancing the quests.
Do Bell Bearing Hunters respawn in NG+? Yes, the Bell Bearing Hunters respawn in each NG+ cycle.
Does the difficulty of Bell Bearing Hunters increase in NG+? Yes, like all enemies, Bell Bearing Hunters will have increased health and damage in NG+.
Is it worth collecting all the Bell Bearings in each NG+ cycle? It is highly recommended to collect the merchant and Miner’s Bell Bearings, as they make acquiring essential resources much easier.
What is the best strategy for handling Bell Bearings in NG+? Prioritize reacquiring the merchant and Miner’s Bell Bearings early in your NG+ run.
Do Golden Runes carry over into NG+? Yes, Golden Runes are items and they carry over into NG+.
Can I use a Bell Bearing from a previous playthrough to unlock new items in a new character’s game? No, Bell Bearings are specific to each character and cannot be transferred between saves.
Does the Twin Maiden Husks’ inventory reset in NG+? The basic inventory resets. The items unlocked by Peddler and Miner’s Bell Bearings remain available. Items unlocked by Merchant Bell Bearings from defeated merchants disappear.
If I kill a merchant early, will I miss out on their items forever in that playthrough? No, defeating the merchant gives you the Bell Bearing to unlock the items in Twin Maiden Husks’ shop. If you want to make them easier to find you can always come back at a higher level!
How does NG+ affect the spawn rates of enemies near Bell Bearing Hunter locations? NG+ increases the health and damage of all enemies, but it does not affect their spawn rates.

By understanding the nuances of the Bell Bearing system, you can optimize your NG+ runs and ensure you have access to the resources you need to conquer the challenges that await. Good luck, Tarnished!