Question for NG+ veterans...

[utahcowboy]

I have about 700 hours clocked in game but I've only gone through the Unity once. It was a cool experience and I liked the subtle changes in the game on the other side. However, I soon stopped that play through to begin a new one. However, I've heard that there are several different universes to experience through NG+, and I think I'd like to see them, but I'm not sure.

For those who have gone hog wild with NG+ and have lots of experience with it, what kind of approach would you recommend and what would you do differently? As an example; do you think it's better to do all the main quests before the initial NG+, or would you wait until you reached NG+ 10? However, I'm interested in learning anything and everything that is non-spoilish as possible so I can decide how I want to approach guesting through NG+ or if I should bother?

[tcari394]

I did all of the quests and 100% the game (minus the powers, obviously) on the my first play-through. Then, I blew through about 15 NG+ until I got the start that I wanted (Constellation is dead and I am the hunter) . Now I am just wandering around, being a general menace/bad guy.

[Mexicola9302]

Just play through the game once complete, then always skip the mainquest until you have all powers at max level, then stay in your permanent universe and do all quests again without skipping anything and just stay there.

[utahcowboy]

Originally posted by tcari394:

I did all of the quests and 100% the game (minus the powers, obviously) on the my first play-through. Then, I blew through about 15 NG+ until I got the start that I wanted (Constellation is dead and I am the hunter) . Now I am just wandering around, being a general menace/bad guy.

Very cool!

[utahcowboy]

Originally posted by Mexicola9302:

Just play through the game once complete, then always skip the mainquest until you have all powers at max level, then stay in your permanent universe and do all quests again without skipping anything and just stay there.

Good advice.

[Geldric™]

Way back when, I used NG+ to go from around level 50 to level 100. I believe I hit 100 at NG+ 38.

However, I DID not do any extra temples... just ran thru the Unity (w/skip Story).

On a subsequent character I saved each NG+ crossing, so if I wanted to say start at NG+ 6, I could.

On an additional character, I tried my darnedest to get all the temples before each NG+.... yeah, I'm really glad there's a mod for that as it is extremely tedious and frustrating to only get 8 or 9 before giving up heading thru the Unity.
-----------------
POWERS: Are awesome and several are literally game changing and offer some great interactions. However, my last 700+ hours have been playing saves that skip the main story so I'll never have powers and I really enjoy it.

So if you like and enjoy the SB Powers, level them up and play a Neo/bullet time toon and have fun!

[tcari394]

I also want to mention that there is a mod out there that will level up each power automatically every time you cross the unity. That way you'll have X level powers by the time you hit NG+ 11 if you don't feel like doing the temple grind over and over again.

I normally don't play with game mechanic altering mods.. but the way they implemented the temple grind had me looking for a tall building to jump off by NG+2

[utahcowboy]

Originally posted by Geldric™:

Way back when, I used NG+ to go from around level 50 to level 100. I believe I hit 100 at NG+ 38.

However, I DID not do any extra temples... just ran thru the Unity (w/skip Story).

On a subsequent character I saved each NG+ crossing, so if I wanted to say start at NG+ 6, I could.

On an additional character, I tried my darnedest to get all the temples before each NG+.... yeah, I'm really glad there's a mod for that as it is extremely tedious and frustrating to only get 8 or 9 before giving up heading thru the Unity.
-----------------
POWERS: Are awesome and several are literally game changing and offer some great interactions. However, my last 700+ hours have been playing saves that skip the main story so I'll never have powers and I really enjoy it.

So if you like and enjoy the SB Powers, level them up and play a Neo/bullet time toon and have fun!

Awesome suggestion!

[utahcowboy]

Originally posted by tcari394:

I also want to mention that there is a mod out there that will level up each power automatically every time you cross the unity. That way you'll have X level powers by the time you hit NG+ 11 if you don't feel like doing the temple grind over and over again.

I normally don't play with game mechanic altering mods.. but the way they implemented the temple grind had me looking for a tall building to jump off by NG+2

I wasn't aware of that mod, and I wasn't aware that your powers don't automatically level up each NG+. I am definitely getting that mod.

[Geldric™]

Originally posted by utahcowboy:

I wasn't aware of that mod, and I wasn't aware that your powers don't automatically level up each NG+. I am definitely getting that mod.

YES - that mod is a godsend... the temple mini game to level up EVERY power to rank 10 = 240 temple visits (24 each NG+)... really bad design and super boring

[Ellorien]

I reached NG+10 with two characters and I am in NG+8 with the third one so you may say I have some experience with NG+.

Starting at NG+4 I recommend saving the game just before you are standing in front of the Unity. After you find yourself on the Guardian wait for the game telling you to go to the Lodge. If you see (MAST…) then reload and go through the Unity again until you see only “Go to the Lodge” prompt without parentheses. That means you arrived at an alternate Universe with a different Lodge.

So far, I got these:
Strauss is there with some armed henchmen, offering to sell you artifacts for 100,000 credits (must have the Industrialist background to avoid paying).
Andreja with several zealots is waiting to eliminate the last member of Constellation (must have the Serpent’s Embrace trait to avoid confrontation).
The Hunter is waiting for you. He will give you the artifacts and leave.
Multiple YOU. The Constellation YOU will give you the artifacts.
Grown up Starborn Cora accompanied by six Spacers wants to murder you for letting her father die. If someone else died in your original game then she will not attack.

I also got a Lodge with “someone” attacking me right away (don’t remember who it was) but that happened to my first character when the game had a nasty save bug so I just reloaded because it was pointless to continue.

[tcari394]

Originally posted by Ellorien:

I reached NG+10 with two characters and I am in NG+8 with the third one so you may say I have some experience with NG+.

Starting at NG+4 I recommend saving the game just before you are standing in front of the Unity. After you find yourself on the Guardian wait for the game telling you to go to the Lodge. If you see (MAST…) then reload and go through the Unity again until you see only “Go to the Lodge” prompt without parentheses. That means you arrived at an alternate Universe with a different Lodge.

So far, I got these:
Strauss is there with some armed henchmen, offering to sell you artifacts for 100,000 credits (must have the Industrialist background to avoid paying).
Andreja with several zealots is waiting to eliminate the last member of Constellation (must have the Serpent’s Embrace trait to avoid confrontation).
The Hunter is waiting for you. He will give you the artifacts and leave.
Multiple YOU. The Constellation YOU will give you the artifacts.
Grown up Starborn Cora accompanied by six Spacers wants to murder you for letting her father die. If someone else died in your original game then she will not attack.

I also got a Lodge with “someone” attacking me right away (don’t remember who it was) but that happened to my first character when the game had a nasty save bug so I just reloaded because it was pointless to continue.

I think it was a clone of yourself that was attacking you. That's the one I am on now and I had to fight and kill myself right away. But, now everyone is dead and nobody is bothering me with useless quests :)

[HeyYou]

Vanilla, you have an 85% chance of seeing the same "Lodge", as your first trip thru. I got a mod that changes that to 15%..... so, I see more 'random' scenarios when I show up. In one, there was a plant named Sarah..... of course, it does NOT talk to you, it's a plant. :D Noel was there though. :D

[utahcowboy]

Originally posted by HeyYou:

Vanilla, you have an 85% chance of seeing the same "Lodge", as your first trip thru. I got a mod that changes that to 15%..... so, I see more 'random' scenarios when I show up. In one, there was a plant named Sarah..... of course, it does NOT talk to you, it's a plant. :D Noel was there though. :D

I'll have to check out that mod as well. If I'm going to start using NG+ more, I want to be able to experience these other universe variations. That part sounds cool.

[Langkard]

If you plan on completing surveys of all the systems and their planets/moons, then you need to do so before entering the Unity, either the first time or during an NG+. Entering the Unity resets all of the systems to un-surveyed.

[Johny_Drifter]

My first play-thru, I completed most quests before rushing to NG+10. I figured no sense in trying to accumulate stuff if you're just going to lose it so go for the best Guardian VI ship and the best Starborn armor before settling down. Then I realized I missed a big part of the game so I started a new game.
In the new game, I played the game in it's entirety again then jumped thru the Unity to NG+1 and played it again in it's entirety. Then I took the abbreviated main quests for a few NG's then played all the way thru again in NG+6 and again in NG+10. In NG+10, I started experimenting with Outposts. Now I'm in NG+11 at level 175. I think you should just play the game as it was intended then when you start to get bored, jump thru the Unity and start over. Don't get too attached to your wealth or inventory. It is easy to get rich in this game by raiding Vultures Roost on Jaffa IV and the Ecliptic Base on Masada III. As well as taking the free weapons on the wall from behind the weapon vendor in the Key and raiding the free weapons and armor on Tolliman II Forward Base 441 that reset every 600 hours. I did not like messing around with outposts which is why I jumped into NG+11. I just wanted to delete all that stuff. Too easy to get rich without outposts. Once in NG+11, I hit Vultures Roost, and the Ecliptic Base. I do Crimson Fleet Vanguard missions until I unlock the Key and Terramorph missions until I get to Tolliman. Then I travel to Venus, sleep for 600 hours then do it all over again.