New Game Plus is tied directly to Carnage difficulty in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which unlocks after you finish the story once, serving as both a hard mode and a second playthrough. This guide will provide you with tips and tricks on how to unlock and play New Game Plus mode in the game.
How to Unlock NG+ & What to Expect
As soon as you finish the main story and its final “The Clash At Rendaino” mission, the Carnage difficulty becomes available right after the end credits. Then, do the following:
- From the main menu, start New Game Plus.
- You will see the option to select the Carnage mode.
- Once you confirm, you cannot drop to Story or Action modes any longer.
You’ll see a clear warning before the final mission to make a manual save right before starting it. Once you choose to “Continue” after the credits, you’ll return before the finale, so you can still clear all the remaining side content on your first save. When you start NG+, only the following items and stats will carry over from your original playthrough:
- Awakened Oni Abilities
- Enhanced basic and special Skills
- Oni Armaments
- Hozuki Pouches and their enhancements
- Charms and Charm enhancements
- Items and offerings
- Genma Notes
- Rescued Lion Dogs
- Unlocked outfits
- Tutorial drills and Boss Rematch
Everything else will be completely reset, including Red Souls, Sword and Gauntlet enhancements, upgrade materials, clothing upgrades, Oni Bow, as well as all main and side story content progression. Basically, anything that Musashi learned or was given stays, and anything that you built into your weapons, clothing or currency will be gone.
Changes on Carnage Difficulty & Rewards
On Carnage difficulty, combat still feels strong because of your full skill tree, awakened abilities, charms, and Oni Armaments, but since you will start with endgame tools and base weapon numbers, it creates a riskier balance. Here are all the changes you should expect:
- Enemies hit much harder, with a one-hit kill possibility.
- Standard enemies parry and counter more frequently.
- Certain bosses gain new moves.
- Defensive techniques become critical even against regular Genma.
- No difficulty drop mid-run.
This means that you should prioritize fully upgrading all your Charms and Hozuki Pouches, which will require roughly 135,000 Red Souls and 150,000 Favor, so farm Red Souls and Favor aggressively whenever you can. Successful Carnage run rewards the following items:
| Stages | Rewards |
|---|---|
| First clear | Carnage unlock, Panda Suit, Wataru-kun Suit, Master Outfit, and related cosmetics. |
| Carnage clear | Additional exclusive sword skin, Haori coat, and outfit. |
| Further rewards | A final costume. |
