Delving Deep: What’s the Highest New Game Plus in Dark Souls?
The short answer is: you can technically play through the Dark Souls games an unlimited number of times in New Game Plus (NG+). However, the difficulty increase caps out at NG+7. After that point, while you can continue starting new playthroughs, the enemies won’t get any stronger, and the game remains at the NG+7 difficulty level. Consider NG+7 the final difficulty plateau.
Understanding New Game Plus in Dark Souls
New Game Plus is a staple feature in the Dark Souls series, and other Souls-like games, allowing players to replay the game with their existing character and equipment after completing the main storyline. This offers a fresh challenge with tougher enemies and the opportunity to acquire items or complete quests they might have missed in their initial run. It’s a fantastic way to extend the game’s lifespan and experience it from a different perspective with your powerful, fully-equipped character.
The progression through NG+ cycles increases the game’s difficulty, primarily by boosting enemy health, damage output, and the number of souls they drop. This scaling provides a continuous sense of progression and challenge for experienced players. It creates a compelling experience and allows you to constantly be challenged by enemies that you were once able to easily defeat. But this scaling stops at NG+7.
The NG+7 Cap: What It Really Means
While you can continue to start new playthroughs beyond NG+7 (NG+8, NG+9, and so on, theoretically infinitely), the game’s difficulty will remain the same as NG+7. This means that enemies will have the same health, damage, and soul drops as they do in NG+7, so the difficulty is basically exactly the same. It’s important to understand that the numbers don’t matter after this point; the core challenge won’t change.
This cap is a design choice by FromSoftware to provide a challenging but ultimately finite difficulty curve. It allows players to experience the game at its most difficult without making it arbitrarily harder with each subsequent playthrough. It provides a sense of finality in the difficulty scaling while still allowing players to enjoy the game with their leveled characters and equipment. It provides a nice balance between challenge and enjoyment.
Why Play Beyond NG+7?
Even though the difficulty doesn’t increase, there are still reasons to continue playing beyond NG+7:
- Completionism: Some players enjoy collecting every item, completing every quest, and defeating every boss in the game. Starting new playthroughs allows them to do this without having to create a new character.
- Experimentation: NG+ runs are a great way to try out different builds, weapons, and strategies. Starting a new playthrough with an existing character lets you change your playstyle without losing your progress.
- Fun: Simply enjoying the gameplay loop of Dark Souls is reason enough to keep playing. The series is praised for its intricate level design, challenging combat, and rewarding sense of accomplishment.
- PvP and Co-op: Some players enjoy participating in online multiplayer activities, such as player versus player (PvP) combat and cooperative play. NG+ runs allow them to find other experienced players and engage in high-level gameplay.
Misconceptions About NG+7
A common misconception is that NG+7 is somehow different or “special” compared to other NG+ cycles. In reality, it’s simply the point where the difficulty scaling stops. Some players may mistakenly believe that NG+8 is even harder, but this is not the case.
Another misconception revolves around the notation. Some people refer to the seventh playthrough as “NG+7,” but technically, it should be written as “NG+6” (six plus signs), as the initial playthrough is considered NG. It’s a minor detail, but important for clear communication.
The Dark Souls Experience: More Than Just Difficulty
Ultimately, the appeal of Dark Souls and its NG+ system lies in its depth, challenge, and replayability. The game’s intricate world, demanding combat, and rewarding sense of accomplishment keep players coming back for more. The NG+ system is simply a way to extend this experience and provide a fresh challenge for those who have conquered the game’s initial difficulty.
Whether you’re striving to reach NG+7 or simply enjoying the journey, the Dark Souls series offers a rewarding and unforgettable gaming experience. The series is known for its unique world, incredible gameplay and high level of replayability. This makes the game a truly unique experience that can’t be found anywhere else. Don’t be afraid to give it a shot if you haven’t already!
To further understand the complexities and community surrounding games like Dark Souls, consider exploring resources like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org, which delves into the educational and social aspects of gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What exactly carries over to New Game Plus?
In general, most of your character’s progress carries over, including:
- Character level and stats
- Weapons and armor
- Items (excluding key items like embers that allow you to upgrade your weapon past a certain point)
- Spells and pyromancies
- Covenants
2. What doesn’t carry over to New Game Plus?
Key items essential for progression are typically reset, such as:
- Keys that unlock specific areas
- Embers (Dark Souls 3) and similar items required for weapon upgrades
- Tomes that unlock new spells
3. How much harder is NG+ compared to the first playthrough?
The difficulty increase in NG+ is significant, especially in the early stages. Enemies have considerably more health and deal more damage. This can make the initial areas of the game surprisingly challenging, even with your leveled character and equipment.
4. Does the number of souls dropped by enemies increase in NG+?
Yes, the number of souls you receive from defeating enemies increases with each NG+ cycle, up to NG+7. This can help you level up faster and acquire more items from merchants.
5. Are there any new items or enemies in NG+?
Generally, there aren’t entirely new enemies, but some enemies may have slightly different placements. Most significantly, you can acquire certain rings and other items that are only available in NG+ cycles.
6. How does co-op and PvP work in NG+?
Co-op and PvP matchmaking are primarily based on character level and weapon upgrade level, rather than the NG+ cycle. This means you can play with players in different NG+ cycles as long as your character level and weapon level are within range.
7. Can I revert back to NG from NG+?
No, once you start a New Game Plus cycle, there’s no way to revert back to NG without starting a new character.
8. Does the covenant progress reset in NG+?
Covenant progress generally does not reset in NG+. You retain your rank and any rewards you have earned.
9. Does the difficulty scaling differ between the Dark Souls games?
Yes, the specific difficulty scaling and the point at which it caps can vary slightly between Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and Dark Souls III. However, the general principle of increasing difficulty up to around NG+7 remains consistent.
10. Is it possible to complete Dark Souls without ever leveling up (SL1 run) in NG+?
Yes, it is possible, and many experienced players take on this challenge for added difficulty. Completing a Soul Level 1 (SL1) run in NG+ requires exceptional skill, knowledge of enemy patterns, and strategic use of equipment.
11. How does the Bell Demon (Sekiro) or Charmless (Sekiro) mode affect NG+ difficulty?
While these features are specific to Sekiro, they highlight the series’ commitment to providing additional layers of difficulty. Charmless mode makes the game more difficult, and the bell demon makes the game more challenging as well. By completing these tasks in NG+, this increases the difficulty of the game.
12. Is it worth it to play Dark Souls II through multiple NG+ cycles?
Dark Souls II has some unique items and boss souls only available in NG+ or higher, making it worthwhile for completionists. Some items are also available in NG+ cycles.
13. Does Elden Ring have a similar NG+ system?
Yes, Elden Ring features a New Game Plus system that functions similarly to Dark Souls, with increasing difficulty up to a certain point. Just like Dark Souls, Elden Ring features NG+ with increasing difficulty.
14. What is the best strategy for tackling NG+7?
The best strategy is to utilize your accumulated knowledge of the game, optimize your build, and master the combat mechanics. Knowing enemy weaknesses and level layouts is crucial for success.
15. How does item discovery work in NG+?
Item discovery is generally unaffected by the NG+ cycle itself. It primarily depends on your Luck stat, equipment that boosts item discovery, and consumables. However, since you’re facing tougher enemies, the increased soul drops can indirectly help you acquire more items from merchants.