New Game+ Changes & Rewards

Prepare for New Game+ in The Surge 2. This guide details the changes, enhanced rewards, and how to master combat and your build after surviving Jericho City.

Congratulations, prospector! You've survived the perils of Jericho City and emerged victorious. But the fight isn't over yet. New Game+ (NG+) in The Surge 2 offers a fresh challenge, enhanced rewards, and the opportunity to truly master the combat system and your build. This section will detail what changes you can expect and how to best prepare for and exploit the NG+ cycle.

What Carries Over?

Before diving into the increased difficulty, it's crucial to understand what aspects of your character and inventory persist into NG+:

• Character Level & Stats: Your core level, all invested stat points, and core power remain exactly as they were at the end of your first playthrough.
• Inventory: All weapons, armor sets, implants, drones, drone modules, and crafting materials (including Tech Scraps) are carried over. This is your biggest advantage!
• Equipped Gear: Whatever you had equipped when you finished the game will be equipped at the start of NG+.
• Schematics: All schematics you've acquired for weapons, armor, and implants will be available from the start, allowing you to craft and upgrade them to higher levels.
• Currency: Tech Scraps, your primary currency, carry over.
• Banked Tech Scraps: Any Tech Scraps stored in your MedBay bank will also be available.
• Implants: All unlocked implants are retained.
• Drone & Modules: Your drone and any modules you've acquired are carried over.

What Resets?

While much carries over, certain elements are reset to ensure a fresh experience:

• Story Progress: The main story and all side quests are reset. You'll need to progress through the narrative again.
• Area Unlocks: All previously unlocked areas and shortcuts will need to be re-opened.
• MedBays: All MedBays will need to be reactivated.
• Collectibles: Audio logs, comic pages, and other lore collectibles are reset, giving you another chance to find any you missed.
• Boss Weapons/Armor (Initial Drops): While you retain the schematics, you won't get duplicate initial drops of unique boss weapons or armor sets from defeating them again. You'll primarily be looking for their upgraded versions or crafting materials.

New Game+ Specific Changes & Challenges

The core of NG+ lies in its increased difficulty and the rewards that come with it:

• Enemy Scaling:
  • Increased Health & Damage: All enemies, including standard foes, mini-bosses, and main bosses, will have significantly more health and deal substantially more damage. This requires more precise combat and better gear.
  • New Attack Patterns (Select Enemies): A few specific enemies and bosses may exhibit slightly altered or more aggressive attack patterns, requiring you to adapt your strategies. Pay close attention to familiar foes!
  • Higher Tech Scrap Drops: Enemies will drop considerably more Tech Scraps, allowing for faster leveling and upgrading.
  • Enhanced Component Drops: Enemies will also drop higher-tier crafting components, crucial for upgrading your gear past its initial limits.
• Gear Upgrades:
  • Mk. XI - Mk. XX Gear: The primary incentive for NG+ is the ability to upgrade your gear beyond Mk. X. You can now craft and upgrade weapons and armor up to Mk. XX. This requires new, higher-tier crafting components that only drop in NG+ cycles.
  • Component Requirements: Be prepared to farm for materials like High-Purity Material, Superconductive Material, and Nano-Core Material. These are essential for pushing your gear to its maximum potential.
• Implant Overclocks:
  • Certain implants can be "overclocked" in NG+ to provide even greater benefits. These often require specific rare components found only in NG+ and beyond. Keep an eye out for these special crafting recipes at the MedBay.

Strategies for Success in NG+

To thrive in the harsher environment of NG+, consider these strategies:

1. Optimize Your Build: Before starting NG+, ensure your current build is highly optimized. Max out your favorite weapons and armor to Mk. X. Consider respecing your stats at a MedBay if your current allocation isn't ideal for your playstyle.
2. Prioritize Core Power: With higher-level implants and gear, your Core Power will be more important than ever. Invest in it to equip more powerful implants and reduce energy consumption.
3. Master Parrying: The increased enemy damage makes parrying an invaluable skill. Practice perfect parries to create openings and mitigate incoming damage.
4. Exploit Elemental Weaknesses: Pay attention to enemy elemental resistances and weaknesses. Using the correct elemental damage type can significantly shorten tough encounters.
5. Farm Early Areas: Don't be afraid to revisit early areas like Jericho City Downtown or Gideon's Rock. While the enemies are stronger, they also drop more Tech Scraps and components, making them excellent farming spots for early NG+ progression.
6. Targeted Limb Dismemberment: If you need specific crafting components for a weapon or armor piece, target the corresponding limb of the enemy. For example, to get components for a new arm piece, dismember an enemy's arm.
7. Utilize Drone Modules: Your drone can be a lifesaver. Experiment with different modules like the Medi-Voltaic Injection for healing, the Kinetic Supercharger for damage buffs, or the Aggression Amplifier for drawing aggro.
8. Don't Rush: NG+ is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time, learn new enemy patterns, and be prepared for tougher fights.
9. Experiment with New Gear: With all schematics available, NG+ is a great time to try out weapons or armor sets you overlooked in your first playthrough, especially as you find the components to upgrade them.

Embrace the challenge, and you'll uncover the true depth of The Surge 2's combat and customization!