Tainted Grail New Game Plus Guide: Carryover and Loot

TL;DR: Finish the main story and the game offers NG+ after the credits (or later from the main or pause menu). You keep your level, attributes, skill points, Sarras skill tree, equipment, consumables, crafting materials and money. You lose world and quest progress, King's Powers, learned recipes, keys, journals, letters and active buffs. Each cycle costs 50 armor (minus 50 at NG+1, minus 100 at NG+2), and new items roll about 10 levels better. Buy respec potions before you start.

Updated 2026-10-27: Rewrote the guide around the 1.1 patch notes and the community wiki's New Game Plus page. Inventory, stash and the Sarras skill tree carry over, the armor penalty numbers are stated outright, and references to a carryover screen that lists exceptions are gone, since neither source describes one.

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Current status: October 2026 (quick answer)

New Game Plus arrived in version 1.1, which Questline posted on Steam on September 9, 2025. The patch notes are short: "The entire world is reset," you lose your King's Power, learned recipes, quests, keys and readable items, and "Everything else is kept." The same update added a transmog system. The base game lists at $44.99 on Steam (30% off at $31.49 when we checked on October 27), and the store page sells the Sanctuary of Sarras expansion alongside it.

The community New Game Plus page fills in the detail the patch notes skip, including the armor numbers. Where this guide gives a number the patch notes don't, it comes from that wiki.

How to start New Game Plus

NG+ unlocks when the final main quest ends and the credits roll. The game then asks whether you want to keep playing your current save or start NG+ straight away. If you say no, you can still start it later from the main menu or the pause menu. Your character wakes up in the Island Asylum cell where the game began.

What carries over

The wiki splits the carryover into two groups. Your character keeps their level, attribute points (bonuses from consumables included), skill points and the Sarras skill tree. Points you spent in the secret Red Death tree come back as refunds, because that tree's progress resets.

Your inventory and stash come along whole: equipment, consumables, crafting materials and money. That matches the patch notes' "Everything else is kept," and it's more generous than earlier versions of this guide made it sound. You don't need to strip your stash before you start.

A carried-over character still returns to a world that has to be explored again.

What resets

The world stage and world map reset, which reopens dialogue choices, quest paths and endings. Quest-based powers go too: King's Powers along with access to places locked behind the King's soul, learned recipes, secret tree progress and character statuses, keys, journals and letters, and any active buffs.

A few bonuses stack instead of resetting. Starting bonuses, Druid Shrine bestowments (not the Favor buff) and Shrines of the Beasts can be collected again in each cycle on top of what you already have. The wiki's example: a +10 attribute buff from an altar in your first run becomes +20 once you take it again in NG+.

So anything you only want to do once, a side quest or a particular ending, belongs in your first save. After the switch, it's a fresh world.

The armor penalty and difficulty curve

The patch notes say your armor is debuffed for each NG+ level, and enemies are stronger with higher status resistances. The Tainted Grail wiki gives the numbers: minus 50 armor at NG+1, minus 100 at NG+2, minus 150 at NG+3, and so on. There's no cycle cap, though the wiki says nobody has tested past NG+20.

The penalty bites harder than the new gear suggests. An NG+ version of an armor piece counts as +10 upgrades, and the wiki points out that can still add fewer than 10 armor points. Put that next to a 50-point penalty and a fresh NG+ piece can end up with lower stopping power than the upgraded armor you carried in. Compare the numbers before you swap.

For a build, that means:

• Keep a damage option that ends ordinary fights fast.
• Don't trade hits on the strength of your armor number; it's 50 lower every cycle.
• Carry healing and crowd control for the opening areas.
• Keep an alternate set if a new drop suits a different resistance or weapon style.

New loot and why the second cycle is worth playing

According to the 1.1 notes, everything you find and craft in NG+ is stronger, rewards improve, and a couple of enemies drop more loot. The wiki is more specific. New items roll with base stats about 10 levels better than your last playthrough, many relics and jewellery pieces get higher bonuses, and some enemies drop extra loot only in NG+, including weapon and armor sets you can't get anywhere else. That's a good reason to go back through the early areas instead of rushing the main quest.

If you like how your first-run gear looks but want the stats of a new piece, transmog shipped in the same 1.1 update as NG+.

The new cycle is a combat and gear chase. Compare real stats and survivability instead of assuming every new drop is an automatic upgrade.

Step-by-step: prepare and start NG+

1. Finish what you want to do once: Side quests, endings, DLC objectives and achievements reset with the world. If you want them done in this save, do them before the credits.

2. Stock up on respec potions: The wiki warns they aren't available right away in a new cycle, so buy a few while you can.

3. Mark your best gear: Everything in your inventory and stash comes along, so you don't need to sell or move anything. It helps to know which upgraded pieces you'll compare against NG+ drops.

4. Respec only with a reason: An armor-heavy build may need changes because of the penalty. A familiar build is also worth a lot while you learn the tougher enemies.

5. Start NG+: Accept the prompt after the credits, or start it later from the main menu or the pause menu.

6. Rebuild around the first new drops: Use your carried kit to get through the opening, then compare new weapons and armor as they appear. Replace a piece when it solves a real problem, and check stopping power rather than the upgrade level.

Common NG+ mistakes

• Starting before you finish optional content. The new cycle resets the world, so anything left undone means doing it again.
• Forgetting respec potions, which you can't buy right away in the new cycle.
• Ignoring armor because your level carried over. The 50-point penalty per cycle and tougher enemies make careless trades hurt.
• Selling first-run gear you still want. Your old upgraded pieces are the baseline every NG+ drop has to beat.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tainted Grail have New Game Plus?

Yes. It came in version 1.1 on September 9, 2025. It unlocks after the main story's credits, and you can start it then or later from the main or pause menu.

What carries over into Tainted Grail New Game Plus?

Level, attribute points, skill points, the Sarras skill tree, and your whole inventory and stash: equipment, consumables, crafting materials and money.

What resets?

The world stage and map, quests, King's Powers, learned recipes, secret tree progress, keys, journals, letters and active buffs.

Is NG+ harder?

Yes. Enemies get stronger stats and higher status resistances, and the wiki lists your armor dropping by 50 per cycle: minus 50 at NG+1, minus 100 at NG+2, minus 150 at NG+3.

What rewards does NG+ add?

Stronger found and crafted items (about 10 levels better, per the wiki), better relic and jewellery bonuses, and extra enemy drops that include NG+ only weapon and armor sets.

Should I respec before NG+?

Only if your build depends on armor or no longer fits the gear you want. Buy respec potions first, because they aren't available right away in a new cycle.

Does Sarras progress carry over?

The Sarras skill tree does. Quests reset with the world, so Sarras quests are open again.

Related Reading

• Tainted Grail Complete Guide: story, builds, and exploration help.
• Tainted Grail Sarras Guide: DLC-specific route and choices.
• Tainted Grail Best Builds: build planning for the harder cycle.
• Tainted Grail Armor Guide: mitigation and gear comparison.
• Tainted Grail Beginner Guide: first-run preparation before NG+.
• Tainted Grail Zones Guide: route planning for the reset world.
• Tainted Grail Boss Guide: combat preparation for repeat encounters.
• Tainted Grail Alchemy Guide: crafting and consumable planning.
• Tainted Grail Crit Build Guide: an alternative damage route for tougher cycles.

References

• Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon on Steam: list price and DLC listing.
• New Game Plus on Tainted Grail Wiki: unlock, carryover and reset lists, stackable bonuses, armor penalty numbers, loot scaling and strategy tips.
• Version 1.1 patch notes on Steam (Questline), September 9, 2025: New Game Plus reset list, armor debuff per NG+ level, stronger enemies, improved loot, transmog.