Phantom Blade Zero New Game Plus: How to Start, What Stays

Phantom Blade Zero does have New Game Plus: after the credits roll on any difficulty, fast travel from a Bell to the Puppet Cell in the Mountain of Imprisonment and speak to Inanis to begin a new cycle. Your equipment, progression items, skills and Archives come with you, while quests, map progress, key items and your remaining days reset. Below is what carries over in more detail, how a second cycle differs from 66 Days, and what to finish before you start one.

We checked this against PCGamesN's and Game8's New Game Plus explainers, the Fextralife wiki's New Game Plus page (edited November 4, 2026), Game8's 66 Days and outfits pages, and Push Square's difficulty feature in November 2026. Ending names are mentioned but not described.

How to Start New Game Plus

Every guide we checked describes the same in-world method: the new cycle starts through a character you will already know well by the end of the story.

1. Finish the main story on any difficulty and let the credits play out.
2. Load back in and use any Bell to fast travel to the Puppet Cell in the Mountain of Imprisonment.
3. Talk to Inanis and choose to begin the new cycle.

Fextralife notes you do not have to start right away. You can begin as soon as the credits end or first wrap up any endgame side content you still have open. Since quests reset the moment you start, the second option is usually smarter: anything unfinished on your first cycle has to be redone from scratch on the next one.

Fextralife also refers to the new playthrough as a new Cycle, and you will see that word used in place of NG+ in some menus and guides. It is the same thing.

What Carries Over and What Resets

PCGamesN's summary is the cleanest version: equipment, progression items, ability training and Archives carry over; quests, maps, key items and remaining days reset. Game8 and Fextralife fill in the details:

• Kept: weapons, Phantom Edges and accessories (Game8), along with medicine and healing items according to Fextralife.
• Kept: your skill tree progress and ability upgrades, so every Remnant Dust investment stays.
• Kept: your Archives collection, including books and documents you have read.
• Kept, per Fextralife: materials and collectibles.
• Reset: main story and side quest progress, key items and story-specific items, map progression and Bells, and the remaining days.

Where sources go further than this, be cautious. Some fan sites claim specific level caps or enemy level formulas for later cycles, but none of the established guides we checked publish official scaling numbers, and PCGamesN describes the new cycle only as "an even more perilous journey through the Wulin." Treat any exact figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until S-GAME documents it.

New Game Plus Versus 66 Days

Finishing the game unlocks two different ways to play again, and they are easy to mix up. New Game Plus continues your character into a new cycle through Inanis. 66 Days is a separate difficulty you pick when starting a new game.

• 66 Days rules: Wikipedia and Game8 describe a counter that starts at 66 and drops by one with every death, with permadeath at zero. Push Square says enemies appear to use Hellwalker stats.
• Unlock: Game8 says completing the game on any difficulty unlocks it, and Push Square adds that it must be selected at the start of a new game rather than switched to mid-run.
• Your gear in 66 Days: Game8's survival guide says equipment and abilities carry over from your previous save, but Push Square frames it as a fresh start, so check what your own menu shows before relying on a maxed kit.
• Exclusive ending: Wikipedia lists Undying Grudge as available only in 66 Days.

There is also a reported wrinkle about Hellwalker. Beebom says the hardest standard mode becomes available after New Game Plus, while Push Square says all three standard modes are open from the start. Our difficulty guide compares those sources and explains each mode.

What to Finish Before Starting a New Cycle

Because quests and key items reset, the best time to clean up is right before you talk to Inanis. Work through this list first:

1. Side quests still in your log. Their progress will not carry over. Our side quest guide lists the Tales and Collectible Quests by region.
2. Quick Hand Zhang's hideouts and treasures. Game8 says Zhang is not missable and his questline can be done at any point, so check whether you still owe him treasures before the reset wipes that progress.
3. Soul Tempering and upgrades. Spend materials now so the stronger gear is ready on cycle two, remembering that Soul Tempering cannot be reversed.
4. A backup save. Game8 notes there are 20 save slots. Keeping a save from before the final chapters lets you reach other endings without a full replay.

The sealed manor under the Sha-Chi Tower is a common thing to miss on a first run, because it depends on reaching the Mountain of Imprisonment before the Mirage Estate. If it slipped past you, a new cycle is your second chance; our Crimson Manor guide walks through the full route.

Goals Worth Chasing on Cycle Two

A second cycle is where most of the remaining unlocks live. Good targets to set before you start:

• A different ending. Wikipedia lists four endings, and several are tied to optional quests. The existing endings guide covers the conditions.
• Ending-based outfits. Game8 says special outfits unlock depending on which ending you complete. GameRant and KeenGamer add that Blizzard needs the Perfect ending requirements without finishing every Long Pillar challenge, which is easier to plan deliberately on a repeat run. Our outfits guide lists all eight.
• The Aureate. Game8 calls it the best weapon in the game and says it comes from defeating Zuo Shang in Mount Soulrend on the true ending route.
• Missables you skipped. Red in the Mandate Encampment, the Stately Monk's prayer beads and the Wounded Thief's manual all reset with the quests, so cycle two is a clean shot at the Twin Fish Pendant, Agarwood Prayer Beads and Arrowward.

Since your skills carry over, cycle two is also the right moment to try a build you could not afford the first time, such as a full Phantom Edge setup or a Sha-Chi combo build.

Rebuilding Your Character for the Next Cycle

Carrying everything over is only half the advantage. The other half is that a finished character can be reshaped cheaply, because most of the game's upgrades are not permanent decisions. Game8's Remnant Dust guide explains that you can reverse upgrades from their menus free of charge and get the spent resources back. That gives you room to experiment at the start of a new cycle:

• Swap your weapon focus. Pull Remnant Dust out of a main weapon you are tired of and push it into one you never had the budget for on cycle one.
• Fill every accessory slot. If you reached all four Boundless Capacity levels, you start the new cycle with six slots open, which changes how early fights feel.
• Re-plan your Phantom Edge pair. Some Edges arrive late on a first run. With them already in hand, you can build around them from the opening region.

Two exceptions are worth remembering. Soul Tempering cannot be undone, according to Game8, and KeenGamer notes that accessory polishing materials are not refunded either. Make those choices deliberately, and treat everything else as flexible.

A sensible routine is to spend the first hour of a new cycle in the early regions testing combinations against regular enemies before committing, since those fights are quick and forgiving with a full kit.

Is New Game Plus Worth It?

If you enjoyed the combat, yes. With your gear and skills intact, the early regions go quickly, and the run becomes a way to see the content you missed rather than a straight repeat. The main reasons to skip it are if you only wanted the story once, or if you plan to jump straight to 66 Days for the challenge.

One practical note for trophy hunters: Game8 says no trophy is tied to any difficulty, so you do not need a second cycle on a harder mode for the platinum. The existing game length guide gives a sense of how long a full run takes if you are budgeting time for another one.

Starting Fresh With Gear Already Built

New Game Plus requires a finished first run. If you want to begin a new playthrough from the opening area with a complete kit right away, the store's mega modded save is worth a look, but note what it is: four fresh Cycle 1 slots that all start at the beginning of the game, not a New Game Plus cycle. Two are set up for the easy to hard range and two for 66 Days, each pair offering fully upgraded or level 1 weapons, alongside 73 fully upgraded accessories, 17 maxed medicines and 9,999 skill points.

The page lists PS5 and PC as the only platforms, says you need to own the game already, and keeps the platinum trophy as a separate product. Browse the rest on the Phantom Blade Zero hub.

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