After spending countless hours duking it out with demons and getting beaten down by bosses, you've finally completed Dark Souls 3! A powerful feeling of accomplishment wells within you, then sadness - you have no idea what to do next. You think about moving onto to another game - one that's much more forgiving than DS3. Then, all of a sudden, you find your character back in the Cemetery of Ash!
That's because you've just unlocked New Game+ - your sole reward for beating Dark Souls 3. New Game+ can be overwhelming, even intimidating, without proper guidance. But fear not, dear readers, we're here to show you ten things you can do after completing DS3 for the first time.
10 Find Every Weapon
During your first Dark Souls 3 playthrough, you probably followed the same path that most players do - you found one weapon, or weapon type, that you liked a lot and stuck with it for the whole game. Based on the number of phantoms running around with these weapons, we'd wager that most players stick with a sword and shield for their first playthroughs.
However, all of your stats carry over in New Game+, allowing you to experiment more with the weapons. We encourage trying every weapon possible. You may have used a sword and board for your first go around, but the Saint Bident could be a better fit. The only way to know for certain is to get out there and explore!
9 Obtain Every Gesture
During the first run, you probably encountered dozens of other players - some friendly, most hostile. No matter the nature of the interaction, you guys probably started using gestures on each other. After spamming the 'wave' gesture a billion times, you were probably taken aback when you saw another player stoop down and fall asleep right before your eyes!
Well, that player just used the 'sleep' gesture - a boon granted by Siegward of Catarina. There are tons of other gestures that you have to find around Lothric - something that should be much easier now that you've beaten the game once. Plus, if you manage to find all of the gestures in the game, you'll get a spiffy trophy/ achievement for your troubles.
8 Become Lord Of The Rings
Well, you don't have to complete a Sauron cosplay to become Lord of the Rings in DS3 - though we've seen plenty of wicked cosplays over the years. No, for this entry, we're encouraging you to find as many upgraded rings as you can in New Game+
You might feel badass tanking hits with your Wolf Ring, but the upgraded version is needed to take your Poise to the next level. Most rings can make it to level 3, but you'll need the Ringed City DLC for those.
7 Access Every Hidden Area
Only so many areas needed to be visited to beat Dark Souls 3. For the most part, the game's mandatory sections are right next to each other, meaning the game can be beaten by, more or less, traveling in a straight line. And that's exactly what most players do during their first playthroughs, missing out on all sorts of awesome venues along the way.
We encourage you to take the roads less traveled in New Game+ and find all of the hidden areas in DS3. You won't regret it - there's plenty of fantastic loot and interesting enemies to encounter in these optional areas. A word of warning though, beware of Archdragon Peak!
6 Create The Twin Princes' Greatsword
Some of the best (or at least coolest looking) weapons in Dark Souls 3 come from bosses. Specifically, you have to beat them and then transpose their souls with the Kiln - an item dropped by the Cursed Greatwood. Elder Prince Lorian and Younger Prince Lothric will drop the Soul of the Twin Princes once defeated - allowing you to create Lothric's Holy Sword or Lorian's Greatsword.
Whichever weapon created during your first run, make the other in New Game+. Now that you have both of the Twin Princes' weapons, you can fuse them together - creating the illustrious Twin Princes Greatsword!
5 Try A New Build
Of course, you won't be able to do much with the Twin Princes Greatsword without the right build. That's one of the reasons encourage everyone to try out new builds during New Game+. If you turtled your way through Dark Souls 3 the first time, try a build that focuses on DPS.
Better yet, consider putting points into Faith and Intelligence to try out Sorceries, Miracles, and Pyromancies! Some of the more exotic weapons in DS3 require unconventional builds, so might as well mix things up anyhow.
4 Participate In Fight Clubs
Bosses and mobs aren't the only challenges out there - some of the most difficult fights will involve other players. To that end, we recommend dropping into a Fight Club after beating DS3. You can find them in Irithyll, Anor Londo - all over the place, really.
The Hollow Arena also lets players get their PvP fix. You can participate in a Duel or a Brawl - the first being a standard 'fight 'til you drop mode' and the second being a score-based mode.
3 Engage In Jolly Cooperation
On the flip side of the coin, use your extensive knowledge of DS3 to help other players out. By using White or Yellow Summoning stones, you can aid players against tough bosses or persistent gankers.
You've likely encountered many of the covenants in DS3, especially the Aldrich Faithful in Anor Londo. Conversely, the Warriors of Sunlight reward those who cooperate with other players - eventually granting access to an immensely powerful Miracle!
2 Defeat Each Boss (Including Optional Bosses)
Just in case our hints weren't subtle enough earlier in the article, you should try to beat all of the game's bosses in New Game+, rather than just the mandatory foes. Guys like Oceiros, the Consumed King, and Champion Gundyr await far away from the beaten path.
As expected, these optional bosses are also some of the toughest in Dark Souls 3. But accepting and overcoming challenges is what the Soulsborne franchise is all about! Besides, you'll need to beat every possible boss if you want to claim mastery over Dark Souls 3. Well, you'll also need to do one more thing.
1 Beat Dark Souls 3 Again, Six More Times
As difficult as Dark Souls 3 is the first time around, it only gets harder from here. Even New Game+, with its increased damage values and tougher enemies, is only the tip of the iceberg.
In total, New Game+ goes all the way up to level 7 in Dark Sous 3. If you truly want to call yourself a DS3 pro and experience the feeling of conquering the game, you'll need to fight your way to NG+7. We only hope that this article helps you set off on the right foot.