Unlocking the Cosmos: What You REALLY Get in Starfield’s New Game Plus
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Embarking on a New Game Plus (NG+) run in Starfield offers a unique experience, drastically altering how you approach the vast universe. Unlike a simple replay, NG+ in Starfield is a transformative journey that retains core elements of your character while resetting the world, presenting new challenges and possibilities. The most direct answer to the question “What do you get in New Game Plus Starfield?” is this: you retain your character’s very essence – your traits, skills, and powers – and a single ship while losing everything else. Let’s break down exactly what this entails.
Core Carryovers: Your Character’s Legacy
Traits and Skills: A Foundation of Experience
Your character’s pre-selected traits remain unchanged in NG+. These are the personality quirks and inherent attributes you chose at the start of your first game, defining your character’s background. More crucially, all your unlocked skills, along with their leveling progress, carry over. This is significant, as you can continue to invest skill points earned from leveling up and achieve higher skill tiers in your second playthrough and beyond. Starfield features an infinite leveling system, so there is no level cap, giving you endless opportunities to become incredibly powerful.
Starborn Powers: Cosmic Abilities
Perhaps the most unique element of Starfield is the use of Starborn powers, which are otherworldly abilities tied to the game’s overarching narrative. These powers are retained in NG+, allowing you to begin your subsequent journey with access to your previously earned cosmic talents. This, combined with your skills, significantly impacts your gameplay.
The Frontier: Your Starting Vessel
The only piece of material property that carries over is your starting ship, The Frontier. While you will lose all your other ships, having The Frontier on hand when your new game starts is useful while you work towards getting a new fleet.
What is Left Behind: A Clean Slate
Inventory and Possessions
Everything else, outside of the items listed above, is reset. This includes your entire inventory – digipicks, weapons, armor, resources, and other found items. Any credits you have earned along the way, outposts built, and research projects completed also do not make the transition to NG+. You are essentially starting fresh in a new universe, although you have a powerful character that is ready to conquer it.
Relationships and Factions
Your relationships with companions, such as your chosen romances, do not carry over to New Game Plus. However, you can choose to romance them again during this new playthrough. Make sure to not skip the story if you are aiming to re-establish relationships, as it is essential for progressing all four romantic connections. Faction progress is also reset. This provides the opportunity to re-engage with factions in a different manner and change your allegiances.
Ships, Outposts and Research: A Fresh Start
As mentioned, all your painstakingly acquired ships, sprawling outposts, and completed research projects are not retained. This encourages you to re-engage with these aspects of gameplay, as though they are new. You can try new ship builds, different outposts locations, or focus on a different research tree.
The Purpose of New Game Plus: More than a Replay
New Game Plus in Starfield is designed to offer more than just a simple repeat playthrough. By carrying over your essential character elements, the game allows you to approach the story with a greater sense of agency and power. You can explore the game’s side quests with a more powerful character that allows for different approaches to challenges. Focusing on the main story and rushing to New Game Plus might even be the best approach to the game.
Unique Dialogue Options and Encounters
Each NG+ run also includes a key change, giving you access to brand-new dialogue options as a Starborn. In a new universe, your Constellation encounter changes, presenting new opportunities and alternate outcomes.
Skip the Main Quest
One of the key features of NG+ is the option to skip the entirety of the main quest. This doesn’t mean you can’t engage with the main story; rather, you will find new ways to acquire artifacts: Vladimir simply gives you the locations, and your quest log will automatically update with the ‘Among the Stars’ mission.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Starfield New Game Plus
1. Can I change my traits or background in New Game Plus?
No, your traits and background are fixed when starting a fresh new game. They remain the same throughout any number of NG+ playthroughs.
2. What happens to my companions in NG+?
Your relationships with your companions are reset. You’ll need to re-establish bonds if you want to romance them again or advance their personal quests.
3. Do faction allegiances carry over in NG+?
No, your standing with all factions is reset, allowing you to choose a different path and change your allegiances in each NG+ run.
4. Do I get better powers each NG+?
Your existing Starborn powers are retained, and you may be able to acquire upgrades to those powers during your subsequent playthrough. The changes to existing and new powers is one of the key things that will be different for each new universe.
5. Is there a level cap in Starfield?
No, there is no level cap in Starfield. You can level up infinitely, allowing you to acquire new skills and max out existing ones over multiple playthroughs.
6. Can I get married again in NG+?
Yes, you can. While your marriage is reset in NG+, you can re-romance and remarry your chosen companion by completing their respective quests.
7. Do the endings change in New Game Plus?
There are not multiple endings in Starfield, but your decisions throughout each journey do play a key role in the final act of each playthrough. The biggest change each time is your encounters with Constellation, who will have different personalities.
8. Does my research progress reset in NG+?
Yes, all your research is reset. You’ll need to start again from scratch, giving you the chance to explore different research options.
9. Do ships carry over in NG+?
No, only your starting ship, The Frontier, is retained. You’ll have to acquire a new fleet in each new universe.
10. How many planets can I explore in Starfield?
There are over 1,000 planets spread across more than 100 star systems in Starfield. This remains true across all playthroughs.
11. What happens if I skip the main quest in NG+?
If you choose to skip the main quest, Vladimir will give you the artifact locations directly, and your quest log will update automatically with the ‘Among the Stars’ mission.
12. Is there a skill cap in Starfield?
While you can level indefinitely, each of the 82 skills has a maximum level of four. This will require you to hit level 328 to max all skills.
13. Can I be a pirate in Starfield?
Yes, you can join the Crimson Fleet Pirates faction, and you can choose to be loyal to them and switch sides in any playthrough.
14. Can I visit Earth in Starfield?
Yes, you can. The SOL system is not far from Alpha Centauri. This can be done any time after the first artifact is given to Constellation.
15. What happens if Sam dies and I reach the Unity again?
If Sam dies in your first playthrough, a subsequent NG+ run may see you encounter an adult, Starborn Cora, who is hellbent on revenge.
Ultimately, Starfield’s New Game Plus mode provides an intriguing way to replay the game, offering new experiences and challenges. By retaining key character attributes, you are able to become more powerful and explore more of the game’s content. So get ready to traverse the cosmos once again, and see how your next adventure unfolds!