Stellar Blade New Game Plus: How It Works

Stellar Blade’s New Game Plus mode unlocks after you finish the main story once, letting you carry over your gear, skills, and progress into a harder playthrough with new content. You start the mode from the main menu after the credits roll, and it adds higher-tier Exospines, new outfits, and a tougher enemy layout. This article explains exactly what carries over, what changes, and how to make the most of your second run.

What Carries Over to New Game Plus

When you select New Game Plus from the title screen, your save file is copied into a fresh playthrough. Everything you earned in your first run stays with you, including:

• All weapons and their upgrade levels (Blood Edge, etc.)
• Your SP (Skill Points) and all unlocked skills from the three skill trees
• All Exospines, Gear, and Nano Suits you collected
• Your accumulated money (Gold) and crafting materials
• Drone upgrades and all consumable items in your inventory

What does not carry over are story-related key items, such as the Passcodes for locked doors and the Memory Chain quest items. You will need to re-collect those as you progress through the story again.

How to Start New Game Plus

After the final boss and the ending cutscene, you are returned to the title screen. From there:

1. Select “New Game Plus” from the main menu (it appears as a separate option once you have a cleared save).
2. Choose the save file that has the cleared icon (usually a star or a “NG+” marker).
3. Confirm that you want to start a new cycle. The game will warn you that it will overwrite your current post-game state, but your original clear save remains intact.
4. Pick your difficulty (Normal or Hard mode are both available for NG+).

You can only have one active New Game Plus file at a time, so if you want to replay again, you will need to start a third cycle from that NG+ clear.

What’s New in New Game Plus

New Game Plus is not just a difficulty bump. It adds several exclusive features that do not exist in the first playthrough:

• New Exospines: The vendor in the Wasteland (and later in the Great Desert) sells MK2 versions of existing Exospines, which have stronger effects and are only obtainable in NG+.
• New Nano Suits: Several outfits, including the black and gold “Nano Suit” variants, are only available to buy or craft in NG+. Some are tied to completing specific side quests again.
• New Gear: The Gear system gets upgraded versions (e.g., “High Capacity” versions) that provide better bonuses.
• New Skill Mods: A few skill modifications are exclusive to NG+, such as the “Burst” mod that changes how Beta Energy regenerates.
• Harder Enemies: On Hard difficulty, enemies have more HP, deal more damage, and some have new attack patterns.

You do not need to collect all collectibles again to get the Platinum trophy, but some trophies are tied to NG+ specific items.

How Difficulty Affects New Game Plus

You can choose between Normal and Hard when starting NG+. Hard mode is recommended for veterans because it offers the best rewards:

• Hard mode enemies drop more Gold and materials.
• Some NG+ Exospines are only sold by the vendor if you are on Hard? No, they are available on both, but the drop rates for rare materials are higher on Hard.
• Hard mode also has a separate trophy for beating the final boss on that difficulty.

If you find Hard too punishing, you can lower the difficulty at any time from the settings menu, but you will lose the ability to earn the Hard mode trophy on that save until you switch back.

Progression Tips for New Game Plus

Since you retain your skills and gear, early game becomes much easier. Here is how to maximize your NG+ run:

• Spend your SP immediately on the new skill tree nodes that are only unlocked in NG+ (they appear at the bottom of each tree).
• Prioritize buying the MK2 Exospines early—they are expensive but give massive stat boosts.
• Do not skip side quests, as several reward you with rare materials needed for the new Nano Suits.
• Save your Gold for the new Gear and Exospines instead of buying consumables.
• If you are aiming for 100% completion, collect all cans and documents again—they count toward a separate NG+ trophy.

A common mistake is to rush the main story and miss the new side quests that appear only in NG+. These quests are marked with a “+” icon on the map.

Common Problems and Fixes

Players often encounter a few issues when starting NG+. Here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

• Can’t find New Game Plus option: Make sure you have fully completed the final mission and watched the credits. The option only appears after the game saves your clear data.
• Lost all my items: You haven’t—they are in your inventory, but some quest items are removed. Check your gear and skill menus to confirm.
• Difficulty stuck on Normal: You can change difficulty at any time from Settings > Gameplay, but some trophies require you to start on Hard and not switch down.
• New Exospines not showing up: The vendor’s stock refreshes after you progress to the Wasteland. If you are still in Eidos 7, you won’t see them.

If you experience a bug where your map progress resets but your items are intact, that is normal—the map fog of war resets, but your collectibles remain counted.

Is New Game Plus Worth It?

For most players, yes. The new gear and Exospines add meaningful build variety, and the harder difficulty makes boss fights feel fresh. If you only care about the story, you can skip it, but you will miss out on the best outfits and the true endgame challenge. The mode takes roughly the same time as a first playthrough (15-20 hours) if you do all side content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to beat the game on Hard to unlock New Game Plus?
No, New Game Plus unlocks after any ending on any difficulty. You can choose Hard when starting NG+.

Can I play New Game Plus on a lower difficulty after starting Hard?
Yes, you can switch to Normal at any time, but you will not get the Hard mode trophy for that playthrough if you finish on Normal.

Do my outfits carry over?
Yes, all Nano Suits you unlocked carry over, including the pre-order bonus ones if you have them.

Are there new trophies in New Game Plus?
Yes, there are a few trophies tied to NG+ like collecting all new Exospines and finishing on Hard mode.

Can I get 100% completion in one NG+ run?
Yes, if you collect all items and complete all quests, but some items require the second playthrough due to the new content.

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