New Game+

Congratulations on completing your first run through Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth! New Game+ offers a fresh perspective on the cinematic dungeons, allowing you to carry over certain progress and tackle the challenges with enhanced power or explore different team compositions. This detailed guide will outline exactly what transfers, what doesn't, and provide strategies to maximize your subsequent playthroughs.

What Carries Over

Starting a New Game+ will retain a significant portion of your hard-earned progress, making subsequent runs smoother and more focused on exploration or specific challenges. Here's a breakdown:

• Character Levels: All characters will retain their levels from your previous save. This means you won't have to grind from scratch, allowing you to dive straight into more challenging content.
• Persona Compendium: Your entire Persona Compendium will carry over, including all registered Personas and their skill sets. This is invaluable for fusion and creating powerful Personas early on.
• Equipment: All weapons, armor, and accessories you've acquired will be available from the start. This includes unique drops and crafted gear.
• Items: Consumable items, key items (excluding story-specific ones), and materials will transfer. This can give you a significant advantage in dungeon exploration and crafting.
• Money (Yen): Your accumulated Yen will carry over, allowing you to purchase powerful gear, Personas, and items from the start without financial constraints.
• FOE Data: Information on FOEs you've encountered and defeated will remain in your database, including their weaknesses and attack patterns.
• Map Progress: Your completed maps for each labyrinth will carry over. This means you won't need to redraw them, freeing you to focus on combat and quest objectives.
• Special Screenings: Any Special Screenings you've unlocked will remain accessible.

What Does NOT Carry Over

While much of your progress transfers, certain elements reset to ensure a fresh narrative experience and maintain game balance:

• Story Progress: The main story progression, including all completed events and unlocked dungeons, will reset. You'll need to play through the narrative from the beginning.
• Quest Progress: All side quests, including those from Elizabeth and the other Velvet Room attendants, will reset. You'll need to accept and complete them again.
• Navigator Skills: Any Navigator skills learned by Fuuka, Rise, or Futaba will reset. You'll need to progress through the story to unlock and upgrade them again.
• Unfused Personas: Any Personas currently held by your party members that are not registered in the Compendium will be lost. Ensure you register all valuable Personas before starting New Game+.

New Game+ Strategies and Recommendations

Early Game Dominance

With your high-level characters and powerful Personas, the early dungeons will be significantly easier. Use this advantage to:

• Farm for Rare Drops: Target specific enemies or FOEs in early labyrinths that drop valuable materials for crafting powerful gear or selling for extra Yen.
• Experiment with Team Compositions: Since grinding isn't a concern, try out different party members and see how their unique skills and Personas synergize. This is an excellent opportunity to explore less conventional strategies.
• Complete Quests Efficiently: With your strength, you can quickly clear early quests, gaining valuable rewards and unlocking new content faster.

Challenging the Labyrinths

Even with your carried-over strength, some challenges remain. Consider these strategies:

• Higher Difficulty: If you played on Normal or Easy, consider increasing the difficulty to Risky or Hard for a more engaging experience. Your established party and Personas will help mitigate the increased challenge.
• FOE Hunting: With your advanced party, you can now confidently take on FOEs you might have avoided in your first playthrough. Remember to utilize their weaknesses, which are still recorded in your database. Confuse can be particularly effective against early FOEs, as noted by experienced players.
• Persona Optimization: Focus on fusing ultimate Personas with optimized skill sets. With your full Compendium, you have access to a vast array of skills to inherit. Aim for Personas with powerful elemental attacks, healing, and support skills.

Maximizing Your Playthrough

To get the most out of New Game+, keep these points in mind:

• Complete the Compendium: If you didn't achieve 100% Persona Compendium completion in your first run, New Game+ is the perfect opportunity. With all your Personas and money, fusion becomes much simpler.
• Unlock All Special Screenings: Ensure you've completed all Special Screenings, as some offer unique rewards or challenges.
• Acquire All Equipment: Use your carried-over materials and money to craft any remaining weapons, armor, or accessories you missed.
• Revisit Dialogue Choices: If you're interested in the narrative, make different dialogue choices to see how they affect character interactions, even if they don't alter the main plot significantly.

By following these guidelines, your New Game+ experience in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth will be both rewarding and highly enjoyable, allowing you to delve deeper into the game's mechanics and narrative at your own pace.