Before starting Elden Ring NG+, or New Game Plus, you might want to check if you've missed anything from this substantial list covering easily missable bosses, items, and all sorts of secrets out in Lands Between. Elden Ring has such a world and many parts of it aren't obviously visible on the map, so it's to skip big area without even realising. Some of these items and bosses are well worth checking out before you commit to starting over in NG+, however, as it might be many hours before you reach that point again, or you might miss a build-critical item - NG+ is a step up from Elden Ring's normal difficulty, so preparation is key! With that in mind, I've laid out a list of things to do before NG+ in Elden Ring.
Everything to do in Elden Ring before starting NG+
The main thing to do in Elden Ring before starting New Game Plus is to make sure you've found everything that's unique, that can't be farmed or obtained infinitely in a single playthrough. Otherwise you miss the chance to get them altogether until starting the new game and getting back to this point. With that in mind, here are some essential things to do before rewinding back to the time of being a lowly Tarnished.
Unique items to get before starting Elden Ring NG+
We'll start with a basic list of items. These can be found in all playthroughs, but they can't be farmed infinitely in the base game or New Game Plus, so make sure you get as many as possible of these finite resources.
- Find all the Elden Ring map fragments (yes, these carry over into NG+)
- Find all the Elden Ring Golden Seeds to max out your Flasks' uses.
- Find all 12 Sacred Tears to enhance your Flasks' effectiveness.
- Locate as many Larval Tears as possible. These are used to respec your character, as outlined in our Elden Ring respec and Larval Tears page. We've even outlined where to find them all!
- Locate as many Elden Ring Stonesword Keys as possible.
- Find all the Crystal Tears to ensure your Flask of Wondrous Physick has as much versatility as possible.
- Find all the unique Elden Ring Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones (13 total) and Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones (8 total) - these can't be farmed but will carry over, so this is your best chance to maximise how many you have. Or just spend them on your weapons to boost them before you transfer - whatever works, works.
- Find all the Great Grave Glovewort and Great Ghost Glovewort for Spirit Summon upgrades.
All of these items are unique and can't be farmed forever, so you need to make sure you obtain them now. You'll be able to get them again in NG+, but you're still working from a limited pool either way and aren't being as efficient as possible if you don't. Not to mention that it's much easier to get them now, at the end of one campaign, than to replenish your stock going into another game.
Best things to do before Elden Ring NG+
Beneath this we'll lay out some helpful pointers on special experiences, locations, places and activities that are best done in the late-game of one campaign, rather than trying to work back up to it in the next one. We've also linked to more detailed explanations of these below, so just click on any of these ideas for more information on what we mean and what to do.
- Use all the Walking Mausoleums to duplicate as many Remembrances as you can and spend them with Finger Reader Enia.
- Locate all the Legendary Spells, Weapons, Ashen Remains and Talismans if you want to use them, or if you're attempting the related Achievements/Trophies.
- Clear any NPC quests and kill any bosses you're interested in doing.
- Use the expansive resources and opportunities available to make the best possible build for your character.
- Farm late-game areas to get lots of Runes and maximise your wealth.
- Exhaust those Runes with purchases and levels.
Walking Mausoleums and Remembrances
Walking Mausoleums are the giant, four-legged landmasses that amble about Elden Ring, each one with a stone building resting on top. These buildings can be used to duplicate the special Remembrances you get from killing bosses, even after you've used them! This way you can get both special items or spells from each Remembrance - though not infinitely.
Each Mausoleum can only be used once, and even then there's limitations - some Mausoleums have ringing bells beneath them, and some don't. Those that don't can only duplicate certain Remembrances, not any of them.
With only 7 Walking Mausoleums in total across Elden Ring, and two of which that're bell-less and can't duplicate the Demigod Shardbearer Remembrances, you won't come away with every prize for every Remembrance. Still, it's worth doing, especially considering you can fill out your prizes a little more when they come back in NG+.
Legendary Spells, Weapons, Ashen Remains and Talismans
Most players won't need every legendary item, as many won't be compatible with the build players are going for, but it's nice to have them regardless, and they'll definitely be some you might be able to use. There's also achievements and trophies for collecting all of the four types (one Achievement for each category), though it's possible you'll have missed your chance to get certain ones, depending on your progress.
Clear NPC quests and bosses
This is an obvious one, but make sure your business is all tied up before you say goodbye! Questlines comprise some of the best parts of the game, and there's a lot of fun optional bosses like Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, or the legendarily-tough Malenia. Or maybe you just want to go kill all the dragons and get their hearts for prizes from the Cathedral - it's all there for you to do! We've actually written guides on a lot of these, laid out for you to check out below.
- How to beat Commander Niall in Elden Ring
- How to beat Malenia in Elden Ring
- Elden Ring Dragonlord Placidusax boss fight guide and location
- Elden Ring Blaidd the Half-Wolf locations and questline
- Elden Ring Ranni questline and secret ending
- Elden Ring Varre questline
- Elden Ring Millicent questline
- Elden Ring Thops questline
- Elden Ring Irina questline
- Elden Ring Sorceress Sellen questline
- Elden Ring Nepheli Loux questline
- Elden Ring Fia questline and ending
- Elden Ring Goldmask questline
- Elden Ring Dung Eater questline and Seedbed Curses
- Elden Ring Alexander questline
- Elden Ring Patches questline
Use everything you have to make the best build possible
The late game of Elden Ring is when you have access to everything, and it'd be foolish not to make use of that while you can. With all the merchants, bosses, areas and special items accessible at this point, it's the perfect time to experiment with your build and make yourself into something better for the sake of being as prepared as possible for the more challenging NG+. If you're looking for inspiration or just want to try out the most powerful builds, we've put together an Elden Ring best builds page for you to learn from, with options for all kinds of characters.
Farm late-game areas for Runes galore
Again, with everything accessible to you, it's much easier now than in the NG+ early game to find good farming and grinding spots where you can rack up tens of thousands of Runes easily. We actually put together a page on Elden Ring Rune farming locations, with info on how players can get very rich very fast. Who could object to that?
Spend those Runes on levels, items, spells and Smithing Stones
Spend those Runes! With all the merchants available to you right now, make sure you buy anything you won't be able to get in the early game. Level up if you think you'll need it, but also get items that seem valuable, and spells obtained through Prayer Books and Sorcery Scrolls.
You should also buy as many Smithing Stones as possible - as in, dozens of them, if not hundreds. If you've worked on finding all the Elden Ring Bell Bearing locations for the Twin Husks in the Roundtable Hold, there's bad news - they won't remember you found those for them in NG+, and you'll have to get them all over again. Until that happens, stock on Smithing Stones (or find them at our Elden Ring Smithing Stones page) and any other items you want well in advance, so you're sure not to run out until you get those Bell Bearings back.
What does and doesn't carry over into Elden Ring NG+?
Speaking of Bell Bearings, what does and doesn't carry over into New Game Plus can seem a bit arbitrary, but it's worth knowing so you understand the full extent of what the experience will let you keep. We've split them into two lists below, so you know what you have to use/spend before heading back to the start.
Carries Over:
- Armor/Weapons/Talismans
- Spells
- All Flask Upgrades
- Wondrous Physick upgrades/options
- Map Fragments
- Consumables
- Crafting recipes/Cookbooks
- Gestures
Doesn't Carry Over:
- Game Progress
- NPC quest progress
- Quest items
- Unlocked Sites of Grace for Fast Travel
- Keys/Similar Items (such as the Dectus Medallion or Glintstone Key)
- Great Runes
- Bell Bearings (and no, the Twin Husks don't remember the Bell Bearings you've given to them)
- Sorcery Scrolls and Prayer Books (again, relevant merchants forget they've been given them)
- Mark of the Frenzied Flame (if you allied with the Three Fingers for the most fiery of the Elden Ring endings)
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