Mortal Shell II New Game Plus and Second Cycle
What carries, what resets, and how to plan a smarter second run.
Mortal Shell II’s New Game Plus (NG+) is the natural second step once you finish the campaign. Cold Symmetry has not published a full NG+ manual, but the cycle is consistent with the studio’s design language: Shells and most upgrade material carry, the world shifts to harder versions of familiar enemies, and a handful of new interactions unlock. This page summarizes what is known at launch and what to expect when a patch adds the rest. Pair it with the achievements guide and the Shell checklist.
What carries into NG+
- All possessed Shells, including bond levels and unlocked memories
- Most weapon upgrades and Tarstones
- Beacons remain cleansed; map fog stays lifted
- Discovered vendors, NPCs, and lore-tablet progress
- Achievements already earned
- Cosmetic unlocks tied to your account
What resets at the cycle boundary
- Story progress (you replay the campaign from the prologue)
- Quest items and progression flags tied to specific arcs
- Currency stacks and consumable inventories
- The beta-only flags documented on the beta rewards page (those were launch prep, not NG+)
If a flag is not in the ‘carries’ list above, assume it resets. Confirm against the updates hub when a patch lists the exact carry rules.
New challenges in NG+
Cold Symmetry’s previous games added three NG+ challenges: stronger elites, remixed boss patterns, and rare enemy placements in previously safe zones. Mortal Shell II follows a similar pattern:
- New enemy archetypes in the prologue and first open region
- Bosses gain a second pattern phase that is shorter but more aggressive
- Optional mini-bosses appear in zones that were clear in the first cycle
- Certain NPCs relocate and offer new dialogue or new quest hooks
Do not expect a full remix at launch. Expect a measured difficulty shift that rewards the second playthrough rather than punishing the first.
Hidden Shells in NG+
Cold Symmetry has hinted that NG+ unlocks additional Shells beyond the eight marketed for the standard game. The wiki refuses to publish unconfirmed names—see the Shell roster and Eredrim and Proxima for the conservative list. If a Shell appears in NG+ only, it will show up in the Shell checklist as a TBA row that flips to a real name once the patch is official. Do not trust social posts that promise exact names or locations.
Build experiments to bring into NG+
- Keep at least one full upgrade path on a melee Shell, one on a mobility Shell, and one on a heavy Shell from the builds and loadouts page. NG+ is the place to compare, not the place to over-specialize.
- Save enough Tarstones to experiment with two Seal paths. Respec cost in the original Mortal Shell was steep; expect the same here.
- Bring a full set of sidearm upgrades so the sidearm-only boss achievement has a real chance.
- Keep a stash of healing consumables on a single Shell so you are not bottlenecked when a boss pattern shift punishes greedy Resolve use.
Achievement and lore tablets
NG+ is the cleanest way to finish remaining exploration and lore achievements. The map stays revealed and you keep your Shell progress, so the loop becomes ‘clean what I missed’ rather than ‘restart from scratch’. The achievements guide explains which trophies are easiest to clear on the second pass.
When to start NG+
- Start NG+ immediately if you enjoy the combat loop and want the difficulty curve to ramp up.
- Hold off if you are still hunting Shells or if you are missing combat-feats you planned in the pre-launch checklist.
- Skip NG+ at launch if the post-launch patches are still landing; the difficulty curve is often rebalanced during the first month, and the updates hub will announce any changes.
Save-slot discipline
The game ships with multiple manual save slots. Keep the first-cycle final save untouched so you can re-enter NG+ decisions later. Confirm the save-slot behaviour in the system requirements notes and the links hub—Cloudflare Pages does not host saves, but the in-game cloud sync rules are documented in the privacy policy.
Link out
- Shell checklist for possession and bonding
- Achievements guide for trophies that ride along with NG+
- Boss guide for the harder remixed patterns
- Builds and loadouts for the upgrade paths that benefit from carry-over
- Updates hub for the latest patch notes
Final note
New Game Plus in Mortal Shell II is the part of the campaign where the combat and Shell variety begin to pay back. Plan a single Shell as your NG+ anchor, keep a backup Shell clean, and resist the urge to grind every upgrade on a single body. The wiki will update this page after the first major patch with the exact carry rules and any new Shell unlocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for launch week and the open beta.
Do I keep my Shells in NG+?
Yes. Possessed Shells, bond levels, and discovered memories carry into the second cycle.
Does NG+ unlock new Shells?
Cold Symmetry has hinted at additional Shells that appear after the first cycle. Names stay TBA on this wiki until an official source confirms them.
Do achievements reset in NG+?
No. Achievements are account-level. NG+ adds new ones and never removes the original set.
Should I start NG+ right after the campaign?
Yes if you enjoyed the loop and want harder boss patterns. Hold off if you still have exploration or combat-feat achievements to clear.