NG+

Learn what to expect in Dark Souls Remastered NG+ cycles. Discover tougher enemies, challenging bosses like Four Kings, and strategies for the Platinum Trophy.

Hello folks. So if you are reading this section, then you have likely completed the game or are looking for things to look out for on subsequent game cycles. This section will tell you what to expect, what to look out for and of course, the all important Platinum Trophy.

In simple terms, NG+ is another cycle of the game after the first one. Mostly, things will remain the same but there are some differences. Enemies and bosses will be tougher to kill. They now will have more defences and you won’t be dealing as much damage. They will also be hitting harder. On the plus side, enemies will now drop more souls on kill. In games like Dark Souls 2 and 3, there will be new items and new enemies but in Dark Souls 1, there isn’t any obvious “new” content on NG+ cycles.

However, there are some stuff that’s going to be significantly harder. First of all, bosses. Ornstein and Smough, Manus, Kalameet and Four Kings are most likely going to be the troublemakers on every new playthrough you do. Thankfully, if you 100% completed the DLC, then you likely won’t need to fight Manus or Kalameet again but if you are going for 100%, then you need to kill Ornstein and Smough and Four Kings at least once more. Ornstein and Smough are going to be the same strategy as before, the only difference now is they are more punishing. However, Four Kings will likely be the hardest obstacle in NG+.

It is likely you will need a new setup for this boss this time around. Not in terms of defence, as Havel’s set does the work for you but damage. The Lightning Halberd we have used is good but this is where it puts your damage to the test. The Halberd is a very cheap stat investment for high damage but of course, there are better choices for higher investments which you can consider looking into. The fight remains the same but since the boss is tougher and stronger, your DPS will be tested. Without changing the build at all, I ended up having four of them in the fight at once since my damage was not on par. It could have been me being bad but it can happen to anyone so that should be the only real hurdle on further NG cycles.

Now, for the Platinum, I recommend you check the Trophies section to see everything you need to do to acquire it. So far, if you have followed the guide to the letter, you should already have a fair few trophies. In my opinion, there is no Trophy in this game that requires a substantial amount of work to do, unlike other Souls titles. Since you have most of the stuff you need, it is likely the next playthrough is going to be finished faster then the first one. The only Trophies that will require some effort on your part is the upgrade weapons with certain Embers as you may need to farm Slabs or other materials as you progress.

The next section will be the post-game. This will cover everything you may want to wrap up before starting a new game so you don’t make things harder for yourself.