New Game + (Part 1) - Early Game Optimization

Optimize your New Game+ start in Mouthwashing by leveraging Daidara Metalworks purchases and prioritizing Social Link points.

Embarking on a New Game+ (NG+) in Mouthwashing offers a distinct advantage, allowing you to leverage your previous playthrough's progress. Unlike games with traditional "Social Stats" or "Social Links," Mouthwashing's NG+ carries over crucial narrative progress, unlocked lore entries, and potentially certain persistent ship system statuses or resource caches. This section focuses on optimizing your initial hours of gameplay by strategically utilizing these carry-overs.

Understanding NG+ Carry-Overs

In Mouthwashing, your NG+ journey isn't about maxing out relationships or accumulating specific stats. Instead, it's about:

• Unlocked Lore and Narrative Branches: All discovered codex entries, character backstories, and significant narrative choices that led to different story paths are retained. This allows you to revisit key moments with foreknowledge, potentially making different choices to uncover new dialogue or unlock previously inaccessible lore.
• Ship System Status (Potential): Depending on your final actions in the previous playthrough, certain ship systems might carry over in a pre-activated or partially repaired state. This could significantly speed up early exploration and resource gathering. Check your ship's status screen at the beginning of NG+ for any anomalies or pre-powered systems.
• Key Resource Caches (Potential): Certain rare or hard-to-find resources might be automatically restocked in your inventory or in specific locations if you met certain criteria in your first run.
• Knowledge of Threats and Puzzles: Your intimate understanding of enemy patterns, environmental hazards, and puzzle solutions is your most powerful tool.

Early Game Optimization Strategy

The early hours of NG+ are about leveraging your existing knowledge to bypass tedious tasks and focus on new content or achieving specific goals faster. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Initial Ship Assessment: Immediately upon starting, access your ship's console. Review the status of all systems. Note any that are already online or show reduced repair requirements. Prioritize restoring power to essential systems like the primary life support, navigation, and the cargo bay.
2. Prioritize Narrative Re-exploration: With the knowledge of critical plot points, revisit areas where you made significant choices. Look for dialogue options you previously ignored or areas that were locked off. For instance, if you know a specific dialogue choice leads to a hidden audio log, seek it out immediately.
3. Resource Management - The "Echo" Strategy: Instead of grinding for basic resources, focus on identifying "echoes" of your previous playthrough. This refers to locations where you know valuable resources were abundant or where specific crafting components are guaranteed. For example, if you recall a specific derelict pod always containing a high-grade power cell, head there directly.
4. Navigating Hazard Zones: You know where the most dangerous encounters and environmental hazards are. Plan your routes to either avoid them entirely if they aren't necessary for your current objective, or to tackle them with pre-prepared gear and knowledge of enemy weaknesses.
5. Targeted Crafting: Based on your knowledge of upcoming challenges, prioritize crafting specific items. If you know a section requires high-temperature resistance, focus on gathering the components for the appropriate suit upgrade early on, rather than randomly crafting.

Optimizing Early Encounters

The initial crash site and the immediate surrounding areas are still perilous. Your NG+ advantage lies in knowing what to expect:

First Crash Site Area (Sector 7-G)

• Objective: Secure basic survival supplies and reach the auxiliary power conduit.
• Known Threats:
  • Scuttlers (x3-5): Small, fast, melee-focused. Weak to blunt force. Your starting multi-tool can dispatch them quickly if you aim for their exposed joints.
  • Corrosive Spores: Environmental hazard. Avoid direct contact.
• NG+ Strategy:
  • Immediately head towards the wreckage of the escape pod. You likely know its location. It often contains a basic medkit and a few spare power cells.
  • Bypass the initial cluster of Scuttlers by using the debris for cover and moving swiftly towards the auxiliary power conduit. You know their patrol patterns.
  • If you previously found a blueprint for the "Reinforced Plating" upgrade, and the necessary components are still available in your inventory or at a known location, craft it now. This will significantly reduce damage from Scuttler attacks.

The Derelict Cargo Bay (Access via Maintenance Tunnel)

• Objective: Recover the ship's manifest and a functional comms unit.
• Known Threats:
  • Crawler (x1): Larger, slower, but heavily armored. Weak point is its glowing dorsal sac. Vulnerable to energy-based attacks.
  • Automated Turrets (x2): Stationary, high rate of fire. Can be disabled by precise shots to their power conduits or by overloading them with EMP charges.
• NG+ Strategy:
  • You know the location of the maintenance tunnel. It's often partially blocked, but you can clear it faster with your knowledge of weak points.
  • Approach the cargo bay from the upper catwalks if possible. This gives you a vantage point to disable the automated turrets before engaging the Crawler.
  • If you previously acquired an "EMP Grenade" blueprint and its components, ensure you have at least one. A well-placed EMP grenade will stun the Crawler and temporarily disable the turrets, allowing for a swift objective completion.
  • The ship's manifest is usually located in a locked locker. If you remember the override code from your first playthrough, you can bypass the lockpicking mini-game.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in NG+

• Overconfidence: While you have knowledge, the game can introduce new enemy variants or environmental challenges in NG+. Don't assume every situation is identical.
• Ignoring New Content: The primary draw of NG+ is experiencing what you missed. Don't get so caught up in speedrunning that you skip new dialogue, lore entries, or branching narrative paths.
• Resource Hoarding: If certain resources were plentiful in your first run but are now scarce due to NG+ mechanics, adapt your strategy. Focus on what's essential for your immediate goals.