What‘s Different in Journey 2 of Elden Ring?
If you‘ve toppled Elden Ring‘s formidable lineup of demigods and are hungry for more, New Game Plus (Journey 2) offers a chance at new endings, increased challenge, and exciting build opportunities. However, while much stays the same, there are some key differences veterans and new challengers alike should expect.
Enemies Level Up for a Tougher Fight
The most immediate change upon starting Journey 2 is beefier enemies with even the lowly soldiers and basic mobs gaining increased health, damage output, defenses, and rune rewards.
Early game enemies that previously posed little threat can surprise unwary veterans. For example, Soldier enemies near the first Step site of grace gain +85% health and deal +50% more damage by Journey 7 based on data mining. This scales all the way up to endgame Banished Knights with +150% health and dishing out +100% more pain by the 7th cycle.
| Enemy | Journey 1 HP | Journey 7 HP | HP Increase | Damage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier | 100 | 185 | +85% | +50% |
| Banished Knight | 550 | 1375 | +150% | +100% |
While the table above compares base NG to NG+7, the difficulty ramps up steadily each round. So enemies that barely damaged you before can suddenly chop away health bars if you don‘t respect them!
Brave New World? Not Quite…
Aside from enhanced enemies thirsting for payback, the actual world of Elden Ring remains unchanged in Journey 2. The layout, locales, sites of grace, secrets, NPC quests and story all play out identically to the first run through.
However, map fragments, dungeons, and Imp Statues will reset needing to be re-activated. While retainable rune buffs carry over, keys to open imp statues and dungeon doors will need re-earning. So 100% completionists might want to keep an eye out for missed collectibles earlier on.
A Victory Lap for Your Build
Where Journey 2 shines is letting veterans re-experience Elden Ring with completely different builds much earlier than initially possible. Whether you want to try sorceries, swap from spells to melee, or maximize holy damage, starting with a high level and an arsenal of late-game spells and weapons enables wild new options.
My STR/FTH Paladin build wrecked early bosses like Margit in under a minute on Journey 3 whereas it was an hour-long grueling ordeal NG. I enjoyed obliterating Crucible Knight and Misbegotten Warrior who had humbled me before. Experimenting with builds kept subsequent playthroughs fresh.
Embrace Your Inner Elden Lord in New Game+
The key advantage is that nearly everything besides keys carries over into Journey 2 allowing you to embrace essentially godhood:
- Character level, stats, weapons, spirits all remain
- Golden seeds, sacred tears, crystal tears are kept
- Flask upgrades, great runes, crafting recipes intact
- Bell bearings so purchasing smithing stones unlocked
- Maps, sites of grace (need activating again), and dungeon locations stay
This means you can craft potent consumables, wield the legendary weapons, and cast top-tier incantations you previously had to work towards. While foes hit harder in return, being overpowered early on grants time to explore, complete quests, and essentially stat-check formerly difficult encounters.
Preparing for Another Cycle
Before beginning another lap around the Lands Between, I recommend:
- Finishing NPC quests, collecting crafting materials, spells, talismans
- Exploring off the beaten path for catacombs, sorceries, incantations
- Improving flasks as much as possible with seeds and tears
- Unlocking sites of grace, especially in late-game areas
- Acquiring bell bearings for maximum smithing stone purchasing
- Defeating option bosses like Astel for remembrances
- Achieving desired endings
The nicer your Journey 1 wrap-up, the easier subsequent runs will feel. Having 10 +12 flasks, fully revealed maps, and a pile of summoning ashes removes potential roadblocks. Once enemies overtake your power level (likely by Journey 7), thorough preparation will pay dividends.
Ready for the Real Elden Ring Challenge?
While everyone‘s mileage may vary, the community data around Malenia attempts shows that most players hit their limit by endgame of Journey 7 where enemies are double strength. So if you crave a truly brutal NG+ test of skill, Journey 7 Beckons. Just don‘t say I didn‘t warn you!
In summary, Journey 2 spices up subsequent playthroughs via challenge runs and build crafting. Take the time to 100% Soulsborne titles anyway so why not push the difficulty and enjoy your earned powers all over again? Just beware that with greater runes comes even greater foes lurking around the next corner.
