Dark Souls Remastered is a very difficult game and can be challenging for someone who has just started it. One major thing I didn’t know about on my first playthrough was that beating Gwyn, Lord of Cinder automatically takes you into NG+. To save yourself from this surprise, we will go over the things you must do before ending Dark Souls Remastered and jumping into NG+.
Things you need to do before NG+ include, purchasing important items from merchants, playing the DLC, getting your hands on the best weapons and armor, helping other players, kindling Bonfires, and many more side activities that will get locked out if you defeat the final boss.
1. Buy Out The Merchants
There are many NPC merchants you uncover throughout your journey. Some of them sell valuable items like cures, special weapons, and important materials. It does not matter what the item is specifically, as long as it helps you reach your destination.
When you activate NG+ by killing Gwyn, you lose access to all the NPC shops found later in the game. So the best thing to do is to farm those souls and stock up on everything you possibly can so you are ready for your next playthrough.
2. Trade with Snuggly
Many people probably do not even know there is a bird’s nest that you can trade with. If you ever go back to the Undead Asylum through the crow’s nest above the Firelink Shrine, and you make your way down the snowy slope, to your left down a pathway is a small nest.
As you get closer, a bird named Snuggly starts speaking to you. At first, it seems like there is nothing to do here, but it is quite the opposite. When you place a specific item in the nest, return to the menu, and then return to your game, you will find a different item in the nest.
Items like Twinkling Titanite and special rings can be obtained through this trading process, but the only downside is that you can only trade for a specific item once. But in the end, it is worth the time because of all the good materials and valuables you get from it.
3. Kill the Firekeepers
I know it sounds harsh, but killing the different Firekeepers for their souls hugely benefits you. During the game, you will encounter 3 Firekeepers: Anastacia of Astora in the Firelink Shrine, Quelaag’s sister in Quelaag’s Domain, and Darkmoon Knightress in Anor Londo.
If all are killed, they will each drop a Firekeeper soul, of which you can upgrade your Estus flask level to get more health from each flask. Remember that when you kill them, you cannot sit at their corresponding bonfire or warp away from them.
The maximum level you can attain from them is estus flask +7, which is 7 Firekeeper souls. There are only 7 Firekeeper souls in each playthrough, but most likely, you will use one to revive Anastacia once Knight Lautrec kills her.
4. Play The Artorias Of The Abyss DLC
Don’t be like me and kill the final boss before playing the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. It has some of the best content in the entire game.
The way to start the DLC is to go to the Darkroot Basin and kill the hydra that is in the large body of water. After you beat it, go to the Duke’s Archives bonfire and kill the ice golem near the entrance.
You will receive a broken pendant, in which a golden golem will spawn in a cave near where you killed the hydra. Once you kill the golden golem, the Dusk of Oolacile will appear and talk to you. Now return to the cave, and a small portal will appear to take you to the DLC.
5. Farm For Rare Weapons And Armor
You will probably want to get as many items as you can, but you have to farm enemies to do it. If you ever try to farm for anything, do it in the first playthrough because it will be the easiest NG to do it on. The more items you have, the easier time you will have in your next playthrough if you stumble upon something valuable.
Sometimes it can be frustrating to farm for certain things, but it is best to do it when the enemies are the easiest, so you have a better time doing it. Farming early will certainly pay off when you want to try a new weapon or build.
6. Collect All Titanite Slabs
Titanite slabs are probably the rarest upgrade material in the game because there are only a few you can find in the game world. A Titanite slab allows a player to upgrade a standard weapon to its highest levels.
Some locations include killing the Stray Demon in Northern Undead Asylum, killing a Crystal Lizard in the Great Hollow, and completing Siegmeyer of Catarina’s questline. They are also a very rare drop from the Darkwraith Knights.
If you want to put in the time and effort to farm or find any Titanite slab, it will pay off in the end with the extra defense or damage to your gear, depending on what you use it for. Better upgraded gear = easier NG+.
7. Helping Out Other Players
The best way to have fun in Dark Souls Remastered is to join someone’s world and help them overcome the odds. All you have to do is get a White Sign Soapstone and use it in an open area where another player can easily see it in their world.
When they see the summon sign, they can summon you into their world so you can help them get through and beat the boss. Some people are not good at the game and need help from their fellow hollows. If you are going to do this, do it before NG+. It is also a good way of accumulating souls and other rewards.
8. Get A Good Divine Weapon
Divine weapons are most useful when treading through the catacombs because they kill skeletons, even if the wardens are still alive. Skeletons are probably the most annoying enemy in the game because once you kill them, they revive themselves using the help of the wardens.
You can find a divine weapon by killing enemies, or you can make one by finding a Divine Ember and giving it to Andre the Blacksmith in the Undead Parish. Having one of the divine weapons in your inventory will be a godsend especially when preparing for NG+.
9. Kindle As Many Bonfires As You Can
Kindling a bonfire is very useful as it uses up one Humanity which then will add five Estus flasks whenever you spawn at that specific bonfire.
You can kindle a bonfire a total of 3 times, which gives you 20 estus flasks when you rest at that specific bonfire. Your character has to have his/her humanity to kindle a bonfire. A total of 4 Humanity is needed to kindle a bonfire to the max.
Be warned that the bonfire you are kindling is the only one you kindle at that time, not all of them. If you kindle a bonfire, it goes over into your next NG+ playthrough.
In Dark Souls Remastered you must make sure that whatever you do, you must do it before you fight Gwyn, Lord of Cinder, or else you will be sent straight into NG+. NG+ is more challenging than NG in Dark Souls Remastered, but if you are ready, you will not have any issues getting through