The New Game Plus System ofElden Ringis quite traditional, allowing the player to take items they have earned during their first playthrough and conquer the game again for either a new challenge or simply catharsis. However, once the player begins a new journey,they cannot return to their old one. So, it is important to stock up on what is needed before hastily jumping into a new run.
The most importantitems to prioritize are found at the end of the game. This is because it will take much longer to acquire them again in a new playthrough. So, ensure that the Tarnished has found as many late-game items as possible before starting your New Game Plus run-through in Elden Ring.
10Erdtree’s Favor +2
Well-Rounded Stat Boost
TheErdtree’s Favor +2gives a +4% bonus to HP, a +10% bonus to Stamina, and a +8% bonus to Equip Load. It is a perfect choice for character builds that need to keep their weight downwhile not sacrificing HP or Stamina. While not as big of a boost as theGreat-Jar’s Arsenalat +19% Equip Load, it typically gets the job done for most builds that need it.
This talisman is found extremely late and can only be acquired in Leyndell, Capital of Ash once the Rune of Death is unbound afterdefeating Maliketh, The Black Blade. To find this talisman,start from the Forbidden Lands Site of Graceand take the elevator up. Take the path to the west towards Leyndell to another elevator that will take the Tarnished to a courtyard filled with three Ulcerated Tree Spirits. The Talisman is sitting on a log in the middle of the courtyard.
9Rotten Winged Sword Insignia
Buff To Successive Attack Builds
TheRotten Winged Sword Insigniais a late-game talisman that is rewarded near the end of Millicent’s long questline. Itgreatly raises Attack Power with successive hitsthrough increments of +6%, +8%, and +13%, which can help a lot with skills such as theWild Strikes Skilland theDestined Death Skill. This talisman is exceptionally helpful against larger enemies with huge hitboxes in order to make full use of its effects.
In order to get this talisman, the Tarnished mustcomplete Millicent’s questlineand choose to help her defeat the quartet of her sisters. Once they have been defeated, the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia will be rewarded. The only way to get the other talisman option,Millicent’s Prosthesis, is tofinish her questline again in a New Game Plus run, which is part of why it is so important to get this in a New Game.
8Shard Of Alexander
Massive Buff To All Skills
TheShard of Alexanderis simple and extremely effective. It provides a +15% bonus to the Attack Power of all Skills, which aretypically the main source of damagefor many builds. Skills with high damage, such as theTaker’s Flames Skillmake great use of this talisman.
This talisman combos quite effectively with theGodfrey Icon, which boosts the power of Charged Skills by another 15%.
This talisman can be acquired by followingIron Fist Alexander’s questlineto its completion. He can be found at Farum Azulanear the Dragon Temple Lift Site of Grace, where he challenges the Tarnished to a final duel. Upon his defeat, he will bequeath the Tarnished with a shard of his being, which is the talisman.
7Crimson Seed Talisman +1
Keep That HP Bar Happy
TheCrimson Seed Talisman +1increases the HP restoration from Flasks of Crimson Tears by 30%, which can quickly add up over the course of several Flasks.The Land of Shadow actually has separate New Game Plus Scalingfrom the base game, which can quickly become incredibly challenging. This talisman can be found in the Finger Ruins of Rhia, after sounding the hanging bell forCount Ymir’s questline.
When starting a New Game Plus cycle,all enemies increase the amount of damage they deal and can take, to account for how strong the Tarnished has become. As such, healing for 30% more HP per Flask is going to pull a lot of weight once DLC enemies begin to dish out absurd amounts of damage. Not to mention, the Crimson Seed Talisman +1 is one of the best talismans in the game for invasions.
6Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
Tank As Many Hits As Possible
TheDragoncrest Greatshield Talismanprovides the Tarnished with an extra 20% Physical Damage Negation, which can become extremely important against bosses.Nearly every boss in the game has some kind of attack that deals Physical Damage, so having a passive 20% added negation is a wonderful quality of life change. This can stack with damage negation buffs such asGolden VowandBlack Flame’s Protection, which can allow for some ridiculous tankiness.
The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman also works to help counteract certain debuffs from useful talismans, such as theFire Scorpion Charm.
This talisman is found at the base of the Haligtree in Ephael, Brace of the Haligtree, just before descending the elevator to the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace.From the Drainage Channel Site of Grace, head over the branches until the Tarnished can jump to the roof of the chapel. Jump down the hole in the roof onto the rafters to see a chest guarded by Kindred of Rot that containsthe Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.
5Sword of Night and Flame
The Perfect Dual-Stat Weapon
TheSword of Night and Flameis still the best weapon in the game for split Intelligence/Faith builds, as its Intelligence and Faith scaling are higher than the newly introducedRellana’s Twin Blades, which is more of a Quality weapon.
While this weapon is acquired quite early in the game within the Carian Manor, it doesn’t begin to become a truly strong option until enough Stats have been invested. In order to reach its maximum damage output,it requires 50 Intelligence and 50 Faith, which can be tough to achieve in a single playthrough while also leveling Stats such as Vigor, Mind, and Endurance.
Sword of Night and Flame Build
Great Runes
The Sword of Night and Flameis an interesting weapon, as theNight-and-Flame Stance Skillhastwo different attacks that scale independently. Its light attack emits a comet torrent that scales with Intelligence, while its heavy attack unleashes a wave of fire that scales with Faith. As such, to get the most out of this weapon, prioritize leveling Intelligence or Faith first depending on which part of the skill you use more.
4Staff Of The Great Beyond
Cast Both Incantations And Sorceries
TheStaff of the Great Beyondis a long overdue addition to the sandbox of Elden Ring, allowing the Tarnished to cast both Incantations and Sorceries on a single Catalyst. Prior to the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, players had to switch to another Catalyst in order to cast a different class of magic. The Staff of the Great Beyond mitigates this problem by havingno downtime between casting Incantations and Sorceries. Acquire this staff by trading the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers with Finger Reader Enia.
The Dragon Communion Seal is still the best for Dragon incantations, as the Staff of the Great Beyond does not scale with Arcane.
Before this staff existed, I would have recommended theGolden Order Sealor thePrince of Death’s Stafffor players withIntelligence/Faith builds, as they have the highest scaling of all Intelligence/Faith Catalysts in the game. However,while the Staff of the Great Beyond might not have as high scaling, it is certainly worth the trade in order to cast every type of spell inElden Ring. This allows for combos that were otherwise not possible, which can be exciting to experiment and play with.
3Sacred Relic Sword
For Rune Farming Purposes
TheSacred Relic Swordis the final reward from the base game ofElden Ringafter defeating Radagon of the Golden Order andthe Elden Beast. It is infamous for farming Runes, as itsWave of Gold Skillcan decimate large groups of enemies at a time, netting thousands of Runes per minute in the right spots. One of the best spots for farming Runes is at thePalace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace, where dozens of Albinaurics are sleeping in a group.
2x - 5x depending on area
x1.1004 NG+
x1.1255 NG+
x1.2006 NG+
x1.2257 NG+
x1.2508 NG+
NG+7
x1.275 NG+
Having an infinite source of Runes is especially helpful for New Game Plus, especiallyif the player has decided to Respecbefore jumping into their new journey. Now that the base game is over, there are likely very few bosses to earn Runes from anymore andpurchasing Smithing Stones can get quite expensive. Utilize the Sacred Relic Sword to top off Runes in order to stock up on as many upgrade materials as possible.
2Grave/Ghost Glovewort Bell Bearings
Upgrade Cool Spirit Ashes
With so many Spirit Ashes inElden Ringto play around with, it can become difficult to keep all of them upgraded with enough materials. There are also several Spirit Ashes that can only be obtained through certain endings of questlines, like theDung Eater Puppet AshesorAncient Dragon Florissax, which meansnot every item can be acquired in a single New Game run. As such, it is important that the corresponding Bell Bearings for each tier of Grave Glovewort and Ghost Glovewort are found before diving into New Game Plus.
These Bell Bearings are scattered throughout the Lands Between, some notable locations being the Eternal Cities of Nokron and Nokstella. After acquiring theGhost Glovewort and Grave Glovewort Bell Bearings, they can be turned in at the Twin Maiden Husks for an infinite supply of Gloveworts 1-9. Unfortunately,there are a finite number of Great Gloveworts per journey, so upgrading every Spirit Ash to the maximum is quite a long endeavor.
1Somber/Smithing Stone Bell Bearings
Keep Your Weapons Fully Upgraded
By far the most important items to grab before beginning New Game Plus are theSomberstone Bell BearingsandSmithing Stone Bell Bearings. These will allow the Tarnished to upgrade any new weapons they find or want to switch to, without having to gather smithing stones throughout the map like in a New Game. By utilizing the Sacred Relic Sword for infinite Runes,these Bell Bearings provide an infinite source of armament upgrade materials.
Some of these Bell Bearings are given to the Tarnished along the main path, such as the Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing [4], which is dropped from the Godskin Duo in Farum Azula. However, others like the Somberstone Miner’s Bell Bearing [2] arefound in more hidden locations like Altus Tunnel. Because of this, it is important to gather all of them before beginning a new journey, as the Tarnished will have to discover these locations again if they missed any. With infinite smithing stones at their disposal, players should feel confident tackling New Game Plus inElden Ring.
