Post-Game Content and New Game+

Congratulations, Hunter! You've successfully brought down the Cult of the Sun and avenged your family. But the hunt isn't over yet. Children of the Sun offers a robust post-game experience designed to challenge your skills, deepen your understanding of the game's mechanics, and reward you with powerful new gear and insights. This section will guide you through everything available after the credits roll, from hidden challenges to the ultimate New Game+ experience.

The Aftermath: Initial Post-Game Exploration

Upon completing the main story, you'll be returned to the world map, with new markers indicating areas of lingering Cultist activity and opportunities for further exploration. Your first priority should be to revisit key locations to uncover hidden lore and collect any missed collectibles.

Revisiting Key Locations for Secrets

• The Sunken Cathedral: Return to the final boss arena. A new pathway will have opened on the left side of the main altar, leading to the Chamber of Whispers. Inside, you'll find the Solaris Codex, Volume II, which expands on the Cult's origins and grants a permanent +5% damage bonus to all ranged attacks.
• The Obsidian Citadel (Upper Levels): After the final confrontation, the previously inaccessible upper levels of the Citadel are now open. Use your grappling hook on the newly revealed anchor points near the main entrance. Navigate the treacherous platforms to reach the Overlook of Despair, where you'll find the Shadow Weaver's Cloak, an armor piece that grants 15% stealth regeneration and reduces detection range by 10%.
• The Forsaken Village: Speak to the Elder in the central hut. He will now offer a series of three side quests, collectively known as "The Elder's Trials." Completing these trials (which involve eliminating specific high-threat Cultist patrols in the surrounding forests) will reward you with the unique Ancestral Bow of the First Hunter, a legendary weapon with increased draw speed and a chance to apply a "Sun-Scorched" debuff, dealing damage over time.

The Cultist Remnants: Elite Patrols

Scattered across the world map are new red skull icons, indicating the presence of "Cultist Remnant" patrols. These are significantly tougher than standard enemies, often featuring unique enemy compositions and enhanced abilities. Tackling these patrols is an excellent way to test your combat prowess and earn valuable resources.

• Strategy: Approach these encounters with caution. Scout the area thoroughly using your binoculars to identify enemy types and patrol routes. Prioritize eliminating snipers and heavy weapon users first. Utilize environmental hazards to your advantage.
• Rewards: Defeating a Cultist Remnant patrol guarantees a drop of Sunstone Shards (a rare crafting material) and has a high chance of dropping rare weapon attachments or armor modifications. The first time you clear all Remnant patrols in a region, you'll also receive a unique cosmetic item, such as the "Vengeance Seeker" Mask for the Forest region.

New Game+ (NG+)

Once you've explored the post-game world and feel ready for a true challenge, you can initiate New Game+. This option becomes available from the main menu after completing the main story. New Game+ allows you to replay the entire campaign with increased difficulty, new enemy placements, and the opportunity to unlock even more powerful gear.

Initiating New Game+

From the main menu, select "New Game+" to begin. You will be prompted to choose which save file to carry over. All your collected weapons, armor, upgrades, and skill points will transfer to your new playthrough. However, story progress, mission-specific items, and map reveals will be reset.

What Carries Over?

• Hunter's Arsenal: All weapons, armor pieces, attachments, and modifications you've acquired.
• Skill Tree Progress: All unlocked skills and spent skill points.
• Consumables & Resources: All crafting materials, healing items, and currency.
• Collectibles: Any lore entries, data pads, or unique items that provide permanent bonuses (e.g., Solaris Codex volumes).

New Game+ Enhancements

New Game+ isn't just a simple difficulty bump; it fundamentally alters the gameplay experience:

Increased Difficulty and Enemy Variety

• Enhanced Enemy AI: Cultists will be more aggressive, react faster to your presence, and utilize more complex patrol patterns. Snipers will have quicker target acquisition, and heavy units will be more resilient.
• New Enemy Variants: Expect to encounter "Elite" versions of standard Cultists earlier in the game. These variants boast increased health, unique attack patterns, and often carry superior weaponry. For example, the basic "Cultist Grunt" might be replaced by a "Fanatic Brute" with a heavy shield and a devastating charge attack.
• Reworked Enemy Placements: Familiar areas will feature entirely new enemy layouts. Expect ambushes in previously safe zones and more heavily guarded objectives.
• Reduced Resources: Ammo and crafting material drops will be scarcer, forcing you to be more strategic with your shots and resource management.

Exclusive NG+ Gear and Upgrades

New Game+ offers a unique tier of gear that can only be found or crafted during this playthrough. These items are essential for tackling the increased difficulty.

• "Apex Predator" Weapon Blueprints: Scattered throughout the campaign (often in previously empty chests or hidden behind new environmental puzzles), you'll find blueprints for "Apex Predator" versions of your favorite weapons. These versions boast significantly higher damage, unique perks (e.g., "Explosive Rounds" for the Sniper Rifle, "Rapid Fire" for the Assault Rifle), and require rare NG+ exclusive materials to craft.
  • Location Example: The Apex Predator Bow Blueprint can be found in a hidden compartment behind a waterfall in the Whispering Woods, accessible only after acquiring the new "Grapple Boost" skill from the NG+ skill tree.
• "Sentinel" Armor Sets: Completing specific main story missions in NG+ will now reward you with pieces of the "Sentinel" armor sets. Each set offers powerful bonuses when worn together.
  • Example: The Sentinel's Helm (reward for completing "The Cult's Ascent" mission in NG+) grants immunity to flashbang effects. When combined with the Sentinel's Cuirass and Sentinel's Greaves, the full set provides a 25% reduction in all incoming damage and a permanent highlighting of enemy weak points.
• New Skill Tree Branch: "Ghost Hunter"

  A new branch of the skill tree, "Ghost Hunter," becomes available exclusively in NG+. This branch focuses on advanced stealth, evasion, and environmental manipulation.

  • Key Skills:
    • Shadow Step: Instantly teleport a short distance, breaking enemy line of sight (requires 3 skill points).
    • Environmental Hazard Mastery: Doubles the effectiveness and duration of environmental traps (e.g., exploding barrels, collapsing structures) (requires 4 skill points).
    • Grapple Boost: Allows for a second, mid-air grapple, significantly increasing mobility and access to new areas (requires 5 skill points).

The Ultimate Challenge: "Eclipse Mode"

After completing New Game+ once, an even more brutal difficulty setting, "Eclipse Mode," unlocks. This mode is for the truly dedicated Hunter, featuring:

• One-Hit Kills: Most enemy attacks will be lethal. Precision and perfect execution are paramount.
• No HUD: All on-screen indicators (ammo count, health bar, enemy markers) are removed, forcing you to rely on environmental cues and sound.
• Limited Saves: Only a single save slot is available, and saving is restricted to specific safe zones.
• Exclusive Reward: Successfully completing Eclipse Mode unlocks the "True Sun Slayer" title and a unique, purely cosmetic Solaris Visage mask, which glows with an ethereal light, signifying your mastery of the hunt.

Whether you're hunting down lingering Cultist threats, replaying the campaign with enhanced challenges, or striving for the ultimate mastery in Eclipse Mode, the post-game content of Children of the Sun ensures that your journey as the Hunter is far from over. Good luck, and may the sun guide your arrows!