Does New Game Plus Affect Dlc?

New Game Plus typically does affect DLC, usually by carrying over your character’s progression and items into the DLC content, making it more challenging or allowing you to access higher-level rewards.

Jumping back into a favorite game with all your hard-earned gear is exciting, right? You finish the main story, start New Game Plus, and now you’re wondering what happens with the extra content. Does new game plus affect dlc, or will it be like starting from scratch again? This is a common question among gamers who enjoy both the main narrative and additional stories. Players want to know how their previous progress interacts with new challenges and rewards.

Does New Game Plus Affect DLC?

So, you’ve conquered a game, seen the credits roll, and maybe even dabbled in a New Game Plus run. Now, you’re itching for more, and that usually means diving into downloadable content, or DLC. But a big question pops up: Does starting a New Game Plus change how the DLC works? It’s a good question, and the answer, like most things in gaming, isn’t always a simple yes or no. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how New Game Plus can interact with DLC, focusing on what to expect when you decide to jump in again. We’ll look at various aspects, from how difficulty changes to what gear you get to carry over, as well as how it impacts the game’s narrative.

Understanding New Game Plus

Before we get too deep into DLC, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about New Game Plus. Think of it as a “second playthrough” mode you can start after beating the main story of a game. Instead of starting completely from scratch, you often get to keep some things from your first run. Here’s what typically carries over:

Your character’s level: Usually you keep the character level you reached, giving you a head start.
Your equipment and items: Weapons, armor, items, or resources earned in the first game often come with you, sometimes with some tweaks.
Character skills: You get to continue with the skills or abilities that you’ve learned.
Some progression: Things like map discoveries or some side quests might be reset, but sometimes not.

What does NOT carry over? This varies from game to game but generally includes:

Story progress: You’ll almost always start the main story fresh.
Key items: Story-related items or keys you needed to progress the game are usually reset.
Some side quest progress: Many optional missions will need to be completed again.

Basically, New Game Plus is designed to let you re-experience the game with a powerful character, letting you try different strategies or tackle it with a different playstyle from before. It’s a chance to have a more relaxed, or sometimes even more challenging, run through the game. It gives players an extra life to replay and enjoy the game. It is like a fresh start with your previous progress intact and some difficulty changes.

The DLC and New Game Plus Connection

Now for the big question: how does all of this affect DLC? The simple answer is: it depends on the game. There isn’t one simple rule for all games, developers might handle this differently. However, there are a few common ways that DLC interacts with New Game Plus, and we’ll go over them.

DLC Integrated Into the Main Game

Some DLC is designed to slot into the main game’s existing world. Think of it like extra side quests or new areas that become available within your main playthrough. Here’s what you can expect when playing this kind of DLC in New Game Plus:

Increased Difficulty: If you start a New Game Plus, the DLC might get more difficult as well. Enemies could have more health, hit harder, or have new abilities.
Level Scaling: Games often scale enemies to your level, and this can apply to DLC areas as well. If your level is super high from your first playthrough, DLC enemies will be tougher.
Gear and Items: You usually keep all the gear you had before, which may give you an advantage in DLC areas, but the DLC will have items that will give a unique benefit.
Story Impact: Because the DLC’s story is woven into the main game, it doesn’t usually change. However, you can experience it with your stronger character, sometimes changing the pace of the quests.

DLC as a Separate Experience

Other DLCs act like separate adventures that aren’t necessarily tied to the main game’s story. Often they offer new stories, different locations, or new characters to meet. This type of DLC also has its own rules when combined with New Game Plus.

Independent Difficulty: The difficulty of this type of DLC might be separate from the main game’s, or it might scale based on how far you are in the game. In a New Game Plus, the DLC might scale based on the highest difficulty you can have in the main game.
Fresh Start: Sometimes, you will need to start the DLC with a character made separately from your New Game Plus character. This is less common, but it does exist.
New Gear and Skills: This type of DLC often introduces new gear or skills that you can use in both the main game and the DLC. You can carry them over when you jump back into New Game Plus in the future.
Self-Contained Story: Since the DLC has its own story, it usually isn’t influenced much by New Game Plus other than having you start with a boosted character if the game allows.

How New Game Plus can make DLC easier or harder

Whether a New Game Plus run makes DLC easier or harder depends on a lot of factors. Let’s break down the reasons why it can go either way.

Easier due to Gear: If your gear and character are already powerful from the first playthrough, you can often plow through the first few parts of DLC with more ease. This is true in cases where the DLC does not scale up enemies with your increased player level.
Easier by Knowing The Game: You have the knowledge from the first run about the bosses or about a certain location and their patterns, this will help you easily get through them in DLC.
Harder due to Scaled enemies: Many games make the enemies in DLC stronger based on your character level, or the New Game Plus difficulty. So the advantage of having better gear or a higher level can be reduced because your enemies will also scale up with your stats.
Harder because of higher Difficulty: Starting a New Game Plus often has higher base difficulty. When you also play DLC with this increased difficulty, it will be more challenging.

Things to Consider Before Starting DLC in New Game Plus

So you’re ready to begin the DLC after playing through New Game Plus? Here are some things you should think about before jumping in:

Check game forums or wikis: See what other players have said about how New Game Plus works with the DLC.
Experiment in a New Save: If you’re worried about how it will affect your current saved file, make a different save file. Experiment with that save file and if you like it, then proceed on the original save.
Try the DLC on your original file first: If you’re still not sure, test out the DLC on your original save file first. If you feel the difficulty is not right for you, you can play the DLC in New Game Plus with a stronger character.

Examples of Games and Their New Game Plus/DLC Interactions

To really get a feel for how this works, let’s look at some examples of games and how they handle New Game Plus and DLC:

Example 1: The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a popular game known for having two big expansions, “Hearts of Stone” and “Blood and Wine.” Here’s how they interact with New Game Plus:

New Game Plus: You keep your level, skills, and equipment (some will be changed), and all of your potion/decoction recipes and crafting diagrams but most quests reset.
Hearts of Stone & Blood and Wine: The expansions scale with your level. So, if you enter the DLC on a New Game Plus playthrough, enemies will be scaled up from the base game.
Gear: The DLC includes some very powerful new items that can enhance your character even further, providing another level of growth for your character. These can be taken to further New Game Plus playthroughs.

This is a good example of DLC scaling with New Game Plus, giving a challenge even to high-level characters. It allows players to experience the DLC with their already powerful character.

Example 2: Dark Souls Series

The Dark Souls series and its related games (like Bloodborne and Elden Ring) offer a challenging experience. When it comes to New Game Plus and DLC:

New Game Plus: All of them increase the difficulty of the enemies in a new playthrough while also allowing you to retain your levels, stats, equipment, and most items. Some key items are reset.
DLC: The DLCs, like The Old Hunters in Bloodborne or The Ringed City in Dark Souls 3, all scale up to the New Game Plus difficulty. You can access the DLCs in your New Game Plus and play through them as you normally would in the first play through.
Difficulty: The DLCs are known for being some of the hardest parts of their respective games, and going in during New Game Plus can be a really tough challenge even if your level is high.

This example showcases how DLC can become significantly more challenging in New Game Plus, so players must be prepared with the proper gear and skills.

Example 3: Borderlands Series

The Borderlands games are known for their loot-based gameplay. Here’s what happens when you throw DLC and New Game Plus into the mix:

New Game Plus: After completing the main story you can restart the story with all of your levels, equipment, skills, and upgrades, and the difficulty will increase.
DLC: DLC content in Borderlands games scales with your character level. In a New Game Plus, enemies, missions, and loot in the DLC will scale based on the level you started the new game with, making them harder and more rewarding.
Loot: DLC areas usually have their own unique loot pools, which include new weapons, gear, or skins which can improve your character in the main story or in a new New Game Plus playthrough.

This shows how scaling can make the game remain challenging with the DLC’s loot helping the character to be even more powerful. This also gives another run through the DLC for players.

Example 4: Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn has a DLC called “The Frozen Wilds,” which blends well with its base game.

New Game Plus: You keep your character level, skills, equipment, and some of your resources but story progress is reset.
The Frozen Wilds: This DLC is a new area you can access during your main playthrough or a New Game Plus. When you start a new game plus, the enemies will be as strong as your player level.
Progression: The content in the DLC is meant to be completed later in the game, so the scaling is already higher. Playing it after your first playthrough can feel much harder. But, you will be rewarded with new weapons, skills, and gear that carry over to another playthrough.

This illustrates that even with strong characters, the game scales the difficulty to still offer a challenge.

Tips for Playing DLC on New Game Plus

Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when tackling DLC on New Game Plus:

Be Prepared: Before jumping into DLC on New Game Plus, make sure your character has the best equipment available. Do some preparation by crafting and farming gear from the main game.
Don’t Rush: Take your time and explore everything, don’t rush the DLC just because you have a powerful character. DLCs offer unique items, lore, and missions that enrich your gaming experience.
Consider the Difficulty: Make sure that you know the game’s mechanics, specifically how the difficulty scales in New Game Plus. This will let you make better judgments about how you want to approach each situation.
Have Fun: The goal is to have fun. If you think the New Game Plus difficulty is too high, go back to your previous game save and play it normally. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

Playing DLC in New Game Plus is a great way to get more out of your favorite games. It presents new challenges, new opportunities, and a lot more replay value. Remember to think about how the New Game Plus and DLC work together in your game so you can be ready for anything.

In conclusion, how New Game Plus affects DLC varies quite a bit depending on the specific game. While some DLC seamlessly integrates with the new difficulty, others offer an independent experience. It is important to consider all the factors discussed, and to do a little research before you jump in. By doing this you will be able to better understand how the game handles this mechanic and you can best prepare for it, ensuring that you have the best possible time enjoying your favorite games. This approach will give you the best way to enjoy the games.

Don't Let Your First Shadow Of The Erdtree Run Be In New Game Plus

Final Thoughts

New game plus usually carries over your character progression, including levels and equipment. This makes the initial part of DLC content easier. However, DLC often has scaling mechanics that can adjust difficulty.

You might find some challenges remain even with your powered-up character. Therefore, does new game plus affect DLC? Yes, it impacts the initial difficulty. New game plus impacts the main game and carries over to DLC, so you must keep this in mind.