What are the differences in new game plus mode?

[Victor Miller]

I just bought trails of cold steel 1 and 2. I have now 8 hours in at the first entry. I looked at some random youtube video that said that cold steel 3 actually expects you to play the new game plus on number 2 for some important scene.

Not sure if I have time or interest to replay both these two games but could someone tell me:

1)What are the differences in cold steel 1 new game +?
2) What are the differences in cold steel 2 new game +?

3)Can you import saves from 1 to 2?
4)can you import saves from 2 to 3?
5)What are the differences/benefits of importing your saves?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Trails of Cold Steel 1
On a NG+ playthrough, there is a short extended scene that lingers on an antagonist (whose identity is revealed later). This scene adds nothing to the story.

Trails of Cold Steel 2
On a NG+ playthrough, five books called "The Black Records" pop up. They appear in certain locations on certain dates, so you need a guide to find them. If you collect all five, you can turn them in to a NPC who will decipher them. At the end of the game, you get a lore dump that becomes important in CS3 and 4 (but the key information is repeated in those games). You also get a scene with another character, which does add to the story. Rean and that character interact with each other in CS3 as if that scene had happened. That said, you won't be lost if you don't see this, as everything that is important to the story of CS3 is given to you in CS3.

Yes, you can import your save from 1 to 2.

No, you cannot import your save from 2 to 3. CS1 and 2 were developed for the PS Vita and the PS3, while CS3 was developed exclusively for the PS4. There is no importing whatsoever. CS3 assumes that Rean did not have a bond partner but did all of the quests.

When you import your save, you get a bonus scene with your chosen bond partner in the sequel, and some extra starting gear.




Link to CS2 clear save.[drive.google.com] Drop it into your CS2 save folder, located at C:\Users\User\Saved Games\Falcom\ed8_2

When starting CS2, load this so the Black Records books show up. You will have to scroll down to save slot 200. I do not recommend carrying over the monster notes, as they spoil which enemies you will fight.

You get the Black Records out of order. The list below contains the locations of the books in the order that you come across them.

1. Book 2: Purchase from the Celdic's General Store - Cornette (Grand Market, center) on December 1.
   
2. Book 3: At Bareahard's Underground Waterway, after defeating the Abyss Drome, explore the the same spot where the Abyss Drome used to be. On December 9.
   
3. Book 1: After defeating Ginosha-Zanak (The boss in the Ancient Quarry), then explore the boss area again. On December 15 - 31.
   
4. Book 4: After clearing the "Gone Air" quest, speak to Norton at Roer's Airport on December 23.
   
5. Book 5: Found in the southwest corner of Lohengrin Castle on December 27.

Once you have all 5 books, turn them in to Thomas before you begin the final mission at the end of act 2.

[Stabbey]

1)What are the differences in cold steel 1 new game +?
- You get 5 points per completion* to spend on bonuses in the NG+.
Possible bonuses include

(FREE) - Link levels, Rush, Burst link attacks
1 pt. - Carry over Mira and Sepith
1 pt. - Carry over Items
1 pt. - Carry over Notebook Data
2 pts. - Carry over Status (character and MQ level)
1 pt. - Unlock Stage outfits
1 pt. - Unlock Other outfits
2 pt. Unlock swimsuit outfits
2 pt. Receive 300,000 Mira and 300,000 Sepith
4 pts. Maximum Bonding points.

I actually did my first playthrough with a clear save just to start with the Max bonding points thing, to let me see every character's event. That'll leave you with room to carry over one more thing.


2) What are the differences in cold steel 2 new game +?

Playing on NG+ unlocks a hidden and undocumented sidequest, the Black Records quest, which requires you to find 5 Black Records at certain specific times and locations. You might want a guide to look them up because they're very missable. Get them all and it unlocks a special bonus scene in the epilogue. Cold Steel 3 expects that you saw this scene.

There is also an optional bonus boss only available on NG+ in the Finale chapter. Defeat it (nuke it into oblivion immediately) and you get a crazy overpowered accessory.


And again, you get 5 points per completion to unlock things in the NG+ run.

Possible bonuses include

(FREE) - Link levels, Rush, Burst link attacks and Overdrive
1 pt. - Carry over Mira and Sepith
1 pt. - Carry over Items
1 pt. - Carry over Notebook Data
1 pt. - Carry over Character level
1 pt. - Carry over MQ level
1 pt. - Carry over Orbment slot level
1 pt. - Unlock Stage outfits and some other outfits
1 pt. - Unlock Bathing clothes and some other Other outfits
1 pt. Unlock swimsuit outfits and some other outfits
2 pt. Receive 300,000 Mira and 300,000 Sepith
4 pts. Maximum Bonding points.


3)Can you import saves from 1 to 2?
Yes, from the same platform to the same platform (no-cross-platform save import.)

4)can you import saves from 2 to 3?
No, not on any platform. The story is written so that your choices from CS 1/2 don't matter.


5)What are the differences/benefits of importing your saves?

From CS 1 to CS 2? Rean thinks about his chosen bonfire partner in the tutorial boss fight, Rean gets +1000 link XP with his bonfire partner (a full link level). Anyone who Rean COULD have spent bonfire time with gets extra dialogue in their reunion scene with Rean as if they did (even if they didn't).

You get some free sepith and maybe a quartz, the bonuses get higher if your CS 1 save was at level 70, and higher still if you were level 80, but it's not really significant enough of a bonus to bother getting up to level 80.



*(By per completion I mean that complete the game the first time and you have 5 points to spend when starting NG+. Complete that run and you'll have 10 points to spend. Complete that NG++ run and you'll have 15 points, enough to unlock everything.)

[Shadow]

1) Not much. Extra costumes for characters, max bonding points for example.
2) There is some extra content - or rather, an important extra scene. I would recomend to just watch that on Youtube or whatnot when you're done with both games.
3) Yes
4) No
5) In the import from 1 - 2 it remembers the people you have a strong bond with. It also gives you a moderate start bonus at the start of the second game.

Hope this helps. If you need more info, just ask away!

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Victor Miller:

I looked at some random youtube video that said that cold steel 3 actually expects you to play the new game plus on number 2 for some important scene.

If you are looking to do everything you are supposed to do based on what Cold Steel 3 expects, then unfortunately I have bad - or maybe good - news for you.

Cold Steel 3 & 4 also expect(s) you to play the previous 5 games in the series prior to Cold Steel 1. Those would be Trails in the Sky parts 1, 2, & 3, and Crossbell parts 1 & 2.

Those latter two are a huge problem because they were never officially translated into English, and you can't buy the first one in an English version, and you can't currently buy the second one on PC at all (not in any language) as far as I'm aware.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

You do not need to have played the other arcs to enjoy CS3. Everything relevant to CS3 is given to you in that game.

inb4 the "but it won't have as much impact" posts.