CONTROL Resonant New Game Plus Guide

CONTROL Resonant New Game Plus carries over Aberrant upgrades, health and resource improvements, Combat Abilities, Talents, and Artifacts, but it resets traversal abilities. The mode adds further Talent nodes, a fourth Artifact slot, alternate ability rewards from Resonant bosses, and more dangerous encounter variants. Players can also revisit World Quests, bounties, collectibles, and some side-story or conversation choices.

New Game Plus is available after finishing the main story. Update 1.4.0, released October 1, removes the launch version's one-replay limit through New Game++. NG+ preserves combat investment while resetting traversal powers needed for story and map progression. Exact menu prompts still need public-build verification.

Check the dog-quest Artifact before starting NG+

If Every Dog Has Her Day is complete but its Artifact is missing, keep that save in the original run until you check the 1.4.2 reward fix. Remedy's retroactive recovery applies only to players who have not entered New Game+. Update, fully relaunch, load the completed original-run save and compare the quest record with your Artifact inventory before confirming the replay prompt.

If the reward remains absent, preserve the save and report its quest and NG+ state to support. The 1.4.2 reward decision table explains which save states qualify. This preparation advice follows the eligibility limit in Remedy's October 8 notes, checked October 10, 2026.

How many New Game Plus runs can I start?

New Game++ allows unlimited consecutive runs without erasing accumulated progression, a feature introduced in 1.4.0. Install the latest announced hotfix, 1.4.2 as checked October 10, 2026, and inspect your completed save's replay prompt after checking missing rewards. The main menu has seven save slots; original and NG+ saves use separate save folders accessible through Load Game.

What carries over?

This carry-over list comes directly from Remedy's New Game Plus announcement. Currency, crafting materials, quest items, map discovery, cosmetic settings, and individual collectibles were not all covered in the same detail. Those items need a versioned check of the game's transfer screen before this guide labels them as carried or reset.

Why traversal abilities reset

Traversal powers control access to parts of CONTROL Resonant's large zones. Keeping them from the opening could bypass intended gates, change the order of discoveries, or disrupt quest triggers, so Remedy resets them even while combat powers remain. The choice preserves the world's progression without erasing the player's build.

This also means New Game Plus is not an immediate free-roam cleanup mode. Dylan will need to reacquire the relevant movement tools before reaching every gated location again. Players focused on collectibles should not assume the entire map is open as soon as the second run begins.

New Talent nodes

Not every Talent can be unlocked during the first playthrough. New Game Plus expands the available tree with additional nodes, letting the returning build deepen its original specialty or branch into a complementary role. This turns the mode into part of the intended build progression.

The complete Talent tree, node costs, and prerequisites still need a versioned check in the public build. The useful strategy is to leave room for synergy between carried abilities and new choices rather than treating the first-run build as finished.

Alternate Resonant boss rewards

Defeating a Resonant can offer multiple Combat Ability rewards, while the first run does not let Dylan collect every option. New Game Plus lets players confront the boss again and choose a different ability tied to that encounter. This makes replaying a boss mechanically meaningful instead of only repeating it at greater difficulty.

The system also changes how players should read a first-run “best reward” recommendation. One choice may fit an execution-focused build, while another may support crowd control or ranged pressure, and both can eventually belong to the same expanded save. The Resonants guide now lists the reported choices; controlled comparisons still need the public build.

The Collective's Mold choice in New Game Plus

The Gamescom presentation provided a concrete example of this system. After defeating the Mold boss The Collective, Dylan was shown choosing one of two Mold abilities: channeling Mold through his arm to attack, or summoning an independent Mold tentacle from the ground. The report says only one can be chosen in that playthrough and that acquired powers carry into New Game Plus.

The September 23 Epic Games Store guide now names these choices Spore Burst and Growth and places The Collective in the Park. The sources still do not document the exact re-fight screen or when the other option becomes available. See The Collective's reward comparison rather than assuming a complete boss walkthrough.

The fourth Artifact slot

Dylan can equip three Artifacts during the initial playthrough and unlocks a fourth slot in New Game Plus. Because Artifacts may include conditions and tradeoffs, the extra slot can complete an interaction rather than simply add another percentage bonus. It also increases the number of combinations worth testing.

Untapped Artifacts can be crafted in The Gap, where their properties become part of the buildcrafting process. Remedy has not disclosed every pool, roll rule, or reroll cost. Until those systems are tested, preserve useful conditional pieces instead of dismantling everything that does not fit the first build.

Harder and evolving encounters

New Game Plus introduces more dangerous opposition and can change how encounters are composed. Remedy has said bosses may behave differently, which suggests that familiarity with the first-run pattern will help without guaranteeing an identical fight. The mode is designed to challenge the carried power level rather than let an endgame build flatten the opening unchanged.

Exact enemy scaling and new moves remain unknown. It is not yet clear whether difficulty can be selected independently, whether all encounters change, or whether boss health scales with carried upgrades. A versioned comparison is needed; one highly upgraded save does not establish a general scaling rule.

World Quests, bounties, and collectibles

Players can revisit World Quests, bounties, and collectibles in New Game Plus. The return creates a cleanup opportunity, but it also supports alternate side-story choices or conversation outcomes rather than only checking missed boxes. Optional content may therefore be worth replaying even if it was completed once.

Remedy has not explained whether collected items disappear from the map, remain recorded, or provide a second reward. Achievement hunters should keep a manual record of any missing objective until carry-over behavior is confirmed. The world guide separates documented world systems from untested NG+ map and completion behavior.

How to prepare before starting New Game Plus

Check the Every Dog Has Her Day reward first, then finish any other first-run activity whose outcome you want to preserve. Record the build and Artifact inventory before accepting the transition. Keep at least one stable combat setup instead of converting every resource into an experimental upgrade. If the game offers a separate completed save, retain it until the transfer rules are verified.

Think of the first run as a specialization phase. Choose abilities and Talents that solve a coherent problem, knowing that later nodes and alternate boss rewards can broaden the setup. The builds guide gives a framework for planning around form, ability, execution, and Artifact synergy.

Is New Game Plus required for completion?

It is required to access at least some progression that cannot be completed on the first run, including further Talent nodes, a fourth Artifact slot, and alternate abilities from the same bosses. Whether every trophy or achievement requires those features has not been confirmed. “Completion” may therefore mean either clearing all first-run content or exhausting the expanded NG+ systems.

Players interested only in the campaign can still stop after the first ending. Those who want the complete buildcrafting sandbox should plan a second run as part of the experience. Remedy now estimates 25–35 hours for the main story, with substantially more for completionists, but has not provided a separate NG+ duration. See the playtime guide.

What remains unknown?

Unlimited replay is now confirmed in 1.4.0. Exact menu flow, difficulty restrictions, material carry-over, map and quest state, achievement requirements and older-save conversion prompts still need a public-build check. Further scaling or exclusive rewards in later NG++ cycles are not specified. See the released patch guide.

Sources and verification

This guide was last verified on September 10, 2026 against Remedy's April 30 New Game Plus feature and its earlier buildcrafting overview, both published through PlayStation Blog, plus GamesRadar+'s Gamescom presentation report for The Collective's demonstrated Mold choice. Every carry-over and new-feature claim above comes from those disclosed sources. Unpublished transfer details are deliberately marked unknown.

September 16 update: Thomas Puha's official PlayStation Blog feature confirms access to The Gap at will, Dylan and Aberrant upgrades, build testing, and Artifact crafting. It also gives the current 25–35-hour main-story estimate.

September 24 update: Epic Games Store's authored ability guide names The Collective's options Spore Burst and Growth and places the encounter in the Park. Remedy remains the source for New Game Plus carry-over rules.

October 2, 2026 update: Remedy's released 1.4.0 notes confirm unlimited NG++ runs and seven main-menu save slots. The one-replay launch limit is historical; the preceding NG+ carry-over rules remain the baseline.