Finishing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice feels like climbing a mountain, only to discover FromSoftware built another, taller mountain behind it and put a terrifying sword master at the top.
New Game Plus, usually shortened to NG+, lets you restart the story while keeping much of your progress. Unlike some RPGs where a second playthrough is just a victory lap, Sekiro uses NG+ to test whether you actually mastered its combat.
Your attack power is higher. Your tools are upgraded. You know the bosses.
Unfortunately, the bosses remember you too.
How To Start New Game Plus In Sekiro
After defeating the final boss and choosing an ending, Sekiro gives you the option to begin Journey 2.
You do not have to start immediately. This is important because your current world remains open, allowing you to:
- Defeat optional bosses
- Find missing Prayer Beads
- Collect Prosthetic Tools
- Upgrade equipment
- Farm materials
- Explore areas you skipped
Starting NG+ before cleaning up unfinished business can make things harder than necessary.
What Carries Over Into New Game Plus?
Most of your character progression remains intact, making Wolf feel like the shinobi legend he became.
| Carries Over | Details |
|---|---|
| Attack Power | Retained from boss memories |
| Vitality and Posture | Prayer Necklace upgrades remain |
| Prosthetic Tools | All unlocked tools carry over |
| Prosthetic Upgrades | Previous upgrades stay available |
| Skills | Learned abilities remain unlocked |
| Sen | Money carries across |
| Spirit Emblems | Stored emblems remain |
| Items | Most consumables stay |
Walking into early areas with late-game abilities is oddly satisfying. That first General who ruined everyone’s evening on their first run suddenly feels less intimidating.
What Does Not Carry Over?
A few progression items reset because they are tied to the story.
These include:
- Mortal Blade
- Key story items
- Certain quest items
- Access to unlocked areas
- NPC quest progression
You still need to follow the main story path again.
How Much Harder Is Sekiro NG+?
New Game Plus increases enemy strength across the game.
Enemies gain:
- More health
- Higher posture resistance
- Increased damage
The biggest difference is psychological. First playthrough Sekiro teaches survival. NG+ asks if you actually learned the rhythm.
Players who relied on blocking without perfect deflections will quickly notice the difference.
Genichiro is no longer the teacher. He is checking your homework.
Kuro’s Charm: The Biggest NG+ Difficulty Change
After starting NG+, you can give away Kuro’s Charm.
This activates a harder mode where blocking becomes far less forgiving.
Without Kuro’s Charm:
- Imperfect blocks cause chip damage
- Enemies deal increased damage
- Deflection timing becomes much more important
This completely changes the feel of combat. Suddenly every sword clash matters.
For experienced players, this is arguably Sekiro at its best.
For everyone else, expect pain. Educational pain, obviously.
Demon Bell In New Game Plus
The Demon Bell can also be activated for an extra challenge.
Effects include:
- Stronger enemies
- Harder encounters
- Better item drops
Combining Demon Bell with no Kuro’s Charm creates one of the toughest versions of Sekiro.
At that point you are not playing a shinobi game. You are attending a very aggressive reaction-speed exam.
Things To Do Before Starting NG+
Before moving to Journey 2, consider finishing:
Collect All Prayer Beads
Extra Vitality and Posture are incredibly valuable.
Important sources include:
- Mini-bosses
- Hidden areas
- Secret rooms
- Late-game encounters
Upgrade Prosthetic Tools
Useful upgrades include:
Loaded Umbrella
- Excellent against heavy attacks
- Strong defensive option
Firecrackers
- Powerful against beasts and aggressive enemies
Loaded Axe
- Great posture pressure
Mist Raven
- Strong for advanced movement strategies
Farm Rare Materials
Late prosthetic upgrades require valuable resources. Collecting these before NG+ saves time.
Look for:
- Lapis Lazuli
- Fulminated Mercury
- Adamantite Scrap
- Yellow Gunpowder
Best Skills For New Game Plus
By NG+, certain abilities become much more valuable.
| Skill | Why It Helps |
| Mikiri Counter | Essential against thrust attacks |
| Breath of Life: Light | Restores health after deathblows |
| Ascending Carp | Improves posture damage after deflecting |
| Descending Carp | Keeps pressure after successful counters |
| Emma’s Medicine skills | Improves healing |
| Ichimonji: Double | Excellent posture recovery |
| Projected Force | Improves Prosthetic combos |
NG+ rewards aggression. Sitting back usually just gives enemies more chances to ruin your day.
Boss Strategy Changes In NG+
Most bosses keep the same moves, but the increased damage changes how you approach them.
Genichiro Ashina
NG+ Genichiro rewards clean fundamentals.
Focus on:
- Constant pressure
- Lightning reversal timing
- Perfect deflections
Guardian Ape
Your extra experience helps, but mistakes hurt.
Useful tools:
- Loaded Spear
- Firecrackers
- Mortal Draw
Owl
One of the biggest NG+ skill checks.
Remember:
- Avoid panic healing
- Punish openings carefully
- Do not overextend combos
Sword Saint Isshin
The final exam remains the final exam.
NG+ makes every mistake more expensive, but a confident player may actually find him easier because his rhythm is already familiar.
Best Prosthetic Tools For NG+
| Tool | Best Use |
| Loaded Umbrella | Defence and counterattacks |
| Firecrackers | Creating openings |
| Shuriken | Closing distance |
| Flame Vent | Pressure against vulnerable enemies |
| Sabimaru | Poison weaknesses |
| Loaded Spear | Specific boss counters |
The Prosthetic system becomes more enjoyable in NG+ because you finally have enough upgrades to experiment.
Can You Keep Increasing Attack Power?
Yes.
Each NG+ cycle allows you to defeat bosses again and increase Attack Power using memories.
However, scaling slows down over time. Eventually skill matters far more than raw numbers.
Very Sekiro. Even the levelling system tells you to get better.
Multiple Endings In New Game Plus
NG+ is ideal for unlocking alternative endings:
- Immortal Severance
- Purification
- Return
- Shura
Since your character is stronger, exploring different routes becomes much faster.
The Shura route is especially worth experiencing because it includes unique boss fights.
Is Sekiro New Game Plus Worth Playing?
Absolutely. Sekiro’s NG+ works because the combat system improves as you improve.
The first playthrough is about fear and survival.
The second is about confidence.
You notice enemy patterns earlier, experiment with tools more, and fight bosses on equal terms. Then you remove Kuro’s Charm and realise the game still has plenty left to teach.
A true shinobi victory was apparently just the tutorial.
