NG+ in Onimusha: Way of the Sword unlocks after completing the main story. Many upgrades and skills carry over, but some resources reset. Carnage difficulty only available in NG+. 2 playthroughs needed for Platinum.
1. What is NG+?
New Game Plus (NG+) is a second-playthrough mode in Onimusha: Way of the Sword that becomes available the moment you complete the main story. It allows you to restart the campaign while retaining select upgrades, equipment, and skill progression — and is the only way to unlock Carnage, the hardest difficulty in the game.
Most trophies tied to multiple playthroughs (including the Platinum) require a NG+ run, making it essential for completionists. If you plan to chase Platinum, structure your first playthrough carefully so that you don't waste time on activities you'll have to repeat anyway.
You cannot choose Carnage difficulty until you've completed the main story at least once. On your first run you start at Action (default) and unlock harder modes progressively. Plan your first playthrough on a difficulty that will let you comfortably clear all content, then switch to Carnage for the NG+ push.
NG+ matters for three reasons: (1) Carnage difficulty unlocks (the only way to earn True Onimusha), (2) Trophy progression for Platinum requires two distinct runs, and (3) certain side content (like Boss Rematch) only becomes available after first completion.
2. What Carries Over to NG+
Confirmed from Retrogems: the following progress persists into your second playthrough.
| Category | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Unlocked Skills & Techniques | All sword arts and skill tree upgrades carry over directly. | Keeps |
| Collected Amulets & Talismans | Every accessory and defensive relic remains fully accessible in your equipment inventory. | Keeps |
| Rare Consumables | Awakening boosters and healing pouches stay safely stocked in your reserves. | Keeps |
In practice, this means your combat toolbox — every move you've unlocked, every charm you've earned, and your stockpile of emergency healing items — is intact from the moment you re-enter Kyoto.
3. What Resets in NG+
Equally important: the following items are wiped or partially wiped on a new playthrough. Plan to re-acquire these during your second run.
| Category | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon & Gauntlet Upgrades | Blade forge ranks and Oni Gauntlet reinforcements do NOT carry over — full re-leveling required. | Resets |
| Red Souls | Stored red soul counts reset to zero. | Resets |
| Side Quests | All Kyoto mystery quest progress resets completely — Mysteries of Kyoto, Chance Encounters, and similar content must be redone. | Resets |
Because Mysteries of Kyoto and Chance Encounters reset in NG+, you have one chance to clear them all on your first run. Use the Point of No Return save to clean up any misses — don't roll into NG+ expecting to fix missed quest lines.
4. NG+ Strategy Tips
- Choose Action difficulty for your first playthrough — this is the default and unlocks Carnage for the NG+ run. Higher difficulties don't add new rewards beyond trophies.
- Do NG+ on Carnage — the True Onimusha trophy requires completing the game on Carnage, which is only accessible in NG+.
- Save your rare consumables — Awakening boosters and high-tier healing pouches that survive into NG+ give you a much safer buffer for Carnage's brutal early bosses.
- Re-forge weapons on Carnage — because upgrades reset, plan a smithing priority. Max your main katana first, then your secondary weapon, then the Oni Gauntlet.
- Don't skip side content in run 2 — even though Mysteries reset, completing them again is the fastest way to farm Tamahagane and Fine Silk Cloth for armor/sword upgrades.
- Resource farming strategy — early in NG+, replay the highest-yield Chance Encounter (Ace Archer challenges) for guaranteed upgrade materials.
5. Recommended NG+ Build
With your skills and amulets carried over from run 1, you can push an optimized build from minute one of NG+. The following loadout covers most of Carnage's challenges:
6. Trophy Impact
NG+ is the engine that drives the trophy list. Two trophies are NG+ exclusive:
- True Onimusha — Complete the game on Carnage (NG+ only).
- Glutton for Punishment — Defeat every Boss Rematch opponent on Carnage (NG+).
- Platinum — Requires both trophies plus all other unlocks across two playthroughs.
Beyond the headline trophies, your carried skills and equipment accelerate progress on any Skill or Equipment trophy that tracks cumulative progress.
First run: Action difficulty → clear all Mysteries, Chance Encounters, collect all collectibles → earn main story trophies → save at Point of No Return. Second run (NG+): Carnage difficulty → re-clear missed content → defeat every boss rematch → earn True Onimusha + Glutton for Punishment → Platinum.