Ghost of Yotei New Game Plus: Complete Systems & Strategy Guide

New Game Plus (NG+) in Ghost of Yotei turns a completed adventure into an even more demanding and rewarding journey. Once you understand what carries over, what resets, and how the new currency and gear tiers work, you can shape a second playthrough that feels both powerful and challenging instead of just repetitive.

This guide explains every major aspect of New Game Plus, using the original announcement details as inspiration, and expands with structured advice so you can plan before you hit the NG+ button.

How New Game Plus Fits Into Ghost of Yotei

New Game Plus is a post-launch feature added via a free patch for Ghost of Yotei on PlayStation 5. It’s designed for players who have finished the story once and want:

• Harder combat and smarter enemies
• Access to new charms, a new upgrade tier, and exclusive cosmetics
• A reason to re-engage with side activities and exploration

Like NG+ modes in other big action titles, the intent is not just to replay the story but to re-use your developed build in a tougher version of the same world.

Unlock Requirements: When You Can Start New Game Plus

Before you can jump into New Game Plus, you must:

• Finish the main story at least once on any standard difficulty.
• Update the game to the patch that introduces NG+ (v1.1 and above).

Once the conditions are met:

1. Return to the title screen after completing the game.
2. Select the New Game Plus option.
3. Choose the completed save file you want to use as a base.

This will create a separate NG+ run while leaving your original clear-save intact. That way, you can still roam your first-world completion and start additional NG+ cycles later.

What Carries Over Into New Game Plus

The core appeal of NG+ is retaining most of your character growth. In Ghost of Yotei, nearly everything tied to your combat capabilities and collection comes with you.

Progress and Items That Transfer

The following elements are available to you from the very start of NG+:

• Weapons – All blades, bows, and other offensive tools you acquired.
• Armor sets – Including their unlocked perks and base upgrades.
• Charms and trinkets – Both generic stat buffs and unique, build-defining charms.
• Learned skills and techniques – Combat stances, special abilities, and mobility upgrades.
• Permanent stat increases – Max health and any skill point expansions gained from activities like hot springs or reflection shrines.
• Inventory resources – Crafting materials, upgrade metals, and regular currency.
• Unlocked cosmetic items – Dyes, weapon skins, masks, and vanity outfits already in your possession.

The practical result is that your character feels like a late-game warrior from the opening mission of NG+. This sets the stage for tougher enemies and higher difficulties right away.

Why Carry-over Matters

Because your build persists, NG+ is where you can fully commit to a theme—such as a high-risk, high-damage glass cannon or a heavily armored parry specialist—and test it against stronger variants of familiar foes. This aligns with how other action games use NG+ to deepen mastery rather than simply pad out playtime.¹

What Resets When You Start NG+

Despite the generous carry-over, Ghost of Yotei resets several world and progression systems. This prevents NG+ from feeling like a completed map where you just run from story mission to story mission.

World and Exploration Resets

• Fog of war and map discovery – Your world map becomes unexplored again; fast travel points must be rediscovered.
• Enemy encampments – Previously cleared strongholds are repopulated.
• Wildlife companions / “wolf pack” – Animal allies you unlocked need to be located again.
• Points of interest – Activities like fox dens, bamboo strikes, and similar mini-challenges reset from a gameplay standpoint.

The twist is that these reset activities often reward you differently in NG+, which ties directly into the new currency system.

Activity Rewards Change in NG+

Certain activities that once gave permanent upgrades in your first playthrough now provide the NG+ currency instead. This keeps them relevant even when you no longer need more max health or skill points.

In practical terms:

• Revisiting previously completed hot springs or reflection altars now yields Ghost Flowers instead of health or skill bonuses.
• Other side activities (such as bounties or trials) provide Ghost Flowers in small bundles when re-completed in NG+.

The New Currency: Ghost Flowers Explained

The central system NG+ adds to Ghost of Yotei is Ghost Flowers, a special currency that unlocks new rewards and encourages deeper engagement with the world.

How to Earn Ghost Flowers

You gain Ghost Flowers in several ways:

• Completing story missions and side quests during NG+.
• Re-clearing NG+ versions of activities you previously finished in your first run.
• Equipping new NG+-exclusive “cursed” charms that slightly debilitate your character in exchange for a chance to earn extra Ghost Flowers from enemies.

The last point is particularly important: these cursed charms introduce a risk-reward loop. You weaken yourself—through reduced health, diminished defense, or other penalties—to accelerate your Ghost Flower income.

What Ghost Flowers Are Used For

Ghost Flowers are spent at a special vendor and on exclusive NG+ customization options. They can be used to acquire:

• Brand-new charms with unique or more extreme effects.
• Over 30 new cosmetic items, including weapon kits, hats, and masks.
• Certain special dyes and visual variants for existing gear.

This structure mirrors what many modern action RPGs do with postgame currencies: give players a reason to keep running content even when they no longer need standard resources.²

Meet Masujiro the Melodious: Your NG+ Merchant

To make use of Ghost Flowers, you’ll first be introduced to a new character: Masujiro the Melodious, sometimes described as a mysterious or melodic merchant. He’s central to the NG+ economy.

First NG+ Mission Involving Masujiro

After starting NG+, one of your earliest objectives is to visit Masujiro. This quest essentially acts as a tutorial for Ghost Flowers and the expanded upgrade system. Once you find him, his shop becomes your main source of NG+ exclusives.

What Masujiro Sells

Masujiro’s inventory is noticeably broader than most other vendors. You can expect offerings like:

• Cursed charms that trade safety for Ghost Flower gains.
• Unique armor variants or sets tied specifically to NG+.
• Vanity items—new masks, hats, and weapon ornamentation.
• Special dyes for both armor and weapons.

He accepts Ghost Flowers as his prime currency, but some top-tier items may also require standard coins and high-value metals in combination.

New Upgrade Tiers and Power Scaling

NG+ doesn’t just give you more of the same; it lets you push your gear beyond the old limits.

Armor Upgrade Changes

Armor that was previously capped can now be enhanced to Level 5. Reaching this tier usually provides:

• Additional passive perks or improved versions of existing bonuses.
• Better synergy with specialized builds (for example, parry-focused or stealth-heavy playstyles).

Weapon Upgrade: The Transcendent Tier

Weapons gain a new highest tier often described as Transcendent. Benefits include:

• Further damage increases beyond the old cap.
• Potential changes to stagger application or superior scaling with certain stats.

To reach these levels, you’ll typically need:

• Ghost Flowers
• Standard currency
• Rare upgrade metals

This multi-resource cost makes NG+ activities and exploration worthwhile for longer periods, echoing the upgrade-loop design in other long-lived action titles.³

Difficulty Options and Replaying Challenges

With New Game Plus comes a stronger focus on difficulty and replayable set-piece encounters.

Harder Difficulty Settings

The NG+ patch adds higher difficulty tiers beyond the standard modes, offering:

• Enemies that hit harder and soak more damage.
• Tighter timing windows for parries and counters.
• Less forgiving detection for stealth.

These settings cater to players who mastered the core combat loop and want something closer to a skill test than a story-focused experience.

Replaying Key Battles

Certain memorable encounters—like duels or specialized trials—become replayable. In NG+ you can:

• Refight named duelists or disciples to practice specific mechanics.
• Experiment with different builds against known patterns.
• Track your performance with new stat tracking for these challenges.

Stat tracking typically records the difficulty you cleared an encounter on and your completion time, providing measurable goals for self-improvement—similar to boss-rush or challenge modes seen in other games.⁴

Photo Mode & Accessibility Improvements

Alongside NG+, the patch adds quality-of-life features that enhance both creative and accessibility options.

Expanded Photo Mode

Photo Mode gains several tools that make capturing Yotei’s scenery more flexible:

• Shutter speed control for motion blur fine-tuning.
• Composition grid overlays to align shots.
• New color filters (such as pale pink, jade, gold, and muted gray moods).
• The ability to toggle your horse’s presence on or off in the frame.

These additions align with a broader industry trend where AAA games treat in-game photography as a core creative tool for players, not just a bonus feature.⁵

Accessibility Options

The same update also introduces accessibility improvements, including:

• Directional button remapping, letting players rebind key functions to suit their physical needs or preferences.

Adjustable control schemes are widely recommended as a baseline accessibility feature because they help players with diverse motor abilities participate more fully in demanding action games.⁶

Planning Your First NG+ Run: Strategic Tips

Because NG+ changes how rewards work and introduces new constraints, the way you prepare in your first playthrough affects your experience in the second. Consider the following steps before you start NG+.

Checklist Before Selecting New Game Plus

• Clear late-game regions – Collect valuables, charms, and cosmetics from the final zones; you keep them in NG+.
• Open all puzzle boxes and containers – Ensure your inventory holds everything possible, as unopened rewards won’t magically improve later.
• Finish animal rescues – Any rescued animals contribute to a more lively world state in your cleared save and may have cosmetic or emotional payoff.
• Upgrade key weapons and armor – Enter NG+ already equipped with the sets that fit your preferred playstyle.

Early NG+ Strategy

At the beginning of NG+:

• Seek out Masujiro early to unlock cursed charms and start generating Ghost Flowers efficiently.
• Target easily repeatable activities you cleared before (like shrines or trials) to snatch quick Ghost Flowers.
• Decide on a build goal – for example, maxing a specific armor set to Level 5 or pushing a favorite weapon to the Transcendent tier.
• Choose your difficulty thoughtfully; you can always bump it up later once your gear is upgraded and you’ve adapted to enemy changes.

Quick Reference Table: What Changes in NG+

FAQs: Ghost of Yotei New Game Plus

Do I need to finish every side quest before starting NG+?

No. Only the main story completion is required to unlock NG+. However, finishing more side content in your first run means you’ll enter NG+ with more gear and resources in hand.

Can I keep exploring my original save after starting NG+?

Yes. Starting NG+ creates a new run based on your completed save, but it does not erase or overwrite the original. You can freely switch between the two.

Are Ghost Flowers usable outside New Game Plus?

Ghost Flowers are specifically tied to NG+ content and the Masujiro vendor. Their utility is focused on the NG+ economy and gear upgrades introduced in that mode.

Is New Game Plus harder even if I don’t change the difficulty?

Enemies are generally tuned with the expectation that you have endgame gear and abilities. Even at familiar difficulty names, NG+ foes often feel tougher compared to your first playthrough’s early enemies.

Can I start multiple NG+ runs?

As long as you have completed saves to base them on, you can start more than one NG+ cycle. This lets you experiment with different build paths or difficulty settings without sacrificing old runs.