New Game Plus is a staple in most JRPGs, and Tales of Symphonia Remastered is no exception. However, how it handles its New Game Plus mode is unique compared to most other titles, which can catch many players off guard who aren't familiar with how it works or how to access it.
While New Game Plus is needed to earn all Titles or strengthen your bonds with other characters, you should know what you're getting into before diving in. What carries over entirely depends on what you choose and how much Grade you have accumulated during your playthrough.
New Game Plus Overview
As already touched on, the New Game Plus system in Tales of Symphonia Remastered is handled uniquely compared to most other JRPGs. If you have played any other Tales of games, you are probably already familiar with the Grade system and how it works. If not, please read through this section before moving on to the "Grade Shop" section of the guide!
What Is Grade
Grade is a separate currency from your Gald and is accumulated by completing combat encounters. The better you do in a battle, the more Grade you will receive. However, unlike Gald, you cannot freely check how much Grade you have via the menu and will have to visit specific Katz found in Asgard, Triet, Palmacosta, Hima, and Luin that sell EX-Gems for Grade to see how much current Grade you have. A quick side note on that, while EX-Gems may seem worth the cost of Grade, we strongly suggest against it, as the Grade Shop is much more valuable overall, and you do not want to waste Grade on items you can obtain elsewhere.
Best Way To Earn Grade
Many factors are at play when it comes to amassing Grade during encounters, making farming quite tedious but relatively easy if you know what you're doing. Generally, finishing a battle quickly, taking little to no damage, and not expending TP will net you the most Grade upon completion, while taking damage, dragging the fight on, and using up your TP will negatively impact how much Grade you get.
So, the best way to rack up Grade is to simply head to early areas of the game and farm enemies you can steamroll with one hit. Will it be fun or rewarding? Absolutely not. But it will be your best option to earn lots of Grade and earn it fast. Furthermore, there is also something you can purchase from the Grade Shop that will increase how much Grade you receive during encounters. We will touch more on that and all other options in the section below!
Grade Shop
Now that we have covered what Grade is and the best method to obtain it, it's time to cover the Grade Shop, which will allow you to carry over crucial things to your new playthrough. But first, let's briefly cover how you access the Grade Shop, as you may be wondering how to do before you beat the game's final boss.
How To Access The Grade Shop
To gain access to the Grade Shop, you will have to defeat the game's final boss located in Vinheim. From there, after the credits roll, you will get to create a Clear Save. We recommend selecting a new Save Slot for this, as Saving over your main one can come back to bite you if you want or need to farm for more Grade to carry over crucial things such as EX-Skills, Titles, Figurines, and more.
Once the new Save File is created, load it to be instantly greeted by the Grade Shop! Here, you will see how much Grade you currently have and how much everything costs. Again, if you kept your original Save File, this will be where you can decide to go forward or go back and farm. You do not want to be left in a position where you cannot afford to carry over the things you want or need for Title progression or Achievements/Trophies, so we cannot recommend claiming a new Save Slot for your cleared data.
If you want to see how much everything costs at the Grade Shop before you defeat the final boss, you can find that information in the table below! Remember, you can check your current Grade by visiting the Katz selling EX-Gems in Asgard, Triet, Palmacosta, Hima, and Luin. So, using the table below, add everything you want or need to carry over and see if you need to farm for more before taking your plunge into New Game Plus!
The Grade Shop
Feature |
Description |
Grade Needed |
---|---|---|
10x EXP |
Receive 10x more EXP after encounters. Cannot be purchased alongside 2x or ½ EXP. |
3,000 Grade |
2x EXP |
Obtain 2x more EXP after encounters. Cannot be purchased alongside 10x or ½ EXP. |
1,000 Grade |
Gald |
Bring current Gald into your new Save. |
1,000 Grade |
Titles |
1,000 Grade |
|
Tech |
1,000 Grade |
|
EX-Gems |
600 Grade |
|
30 Items |
Raises the amount you can stack the same Item to 30. |
500 Grade |
EX-Skills |
400 Grade |
|
Max HP |
Increases every playable characters' HP by 500. Cannot be purchased alongside Min HP. |
250 Grade |
Grade |
Grade accumulated during combat is increased. |
100 Grade |
Increase Tension |
All playable characters have raised Tension at the start of encounters. |
100 Grade |
Combos |
Drastically raises your Combo Bonus and lowers your EXP gained to one. Higher Combos = Greater EXP per encounter. No Combos = 1 EXP per encounter. |
50 Grade |
Recipes |
50 Grade |
|
Cooking Ability |
Every character's Cooking Stats and Proficiency will carry over to NG+. |
50 Grade |
Tech Usage |
Amount of times you used Tech will carry over, making it easier to learn new Tech. |
25 Grade |
Memory Circles |
Memory Circles unlocked in Dungeons will carry over to your new Save File. |
20 Grade |
Affection |
Affection Points between Lloyd and all the other party members will carry over. |
10 Grade |
½ EXP |
Halves your EXP rate, making you level slower than usual. Cannot be purchased alongside 2x or 10x EXP. |
10 Grade |
Min HP |
Lowers all playable characters' HP to their default limit. Cannot be purchased alongside Max HP. |
10 Grade |
Mini Game |
Results and Scores obtained in all Mini Games will carry over into NG+. |
10 Grade |
Collector's Book |
Progress for your Collector's Book will remain intact on your new playthrough. |
10 Grade |
Figurines |
10 Grade |
|
Monster List |
Keep your Bestiary, saving your Monster Book's progress for NG+. |
10 Grade |
Battle Info |
Information on your Combat Record will carry over to NG+. This includes your Kill Count, making it useful for the Devil's Arms Weapons. |
10 Grade |
World Map |
World Map information, such as landmarks and areas, will carry over to NG+. |
10 Grade |
Play Time |
Doesn't reset your total Play Time, allowing you to log the total time played. |
10 Grade |