Everything about Mina the Hollower New Game Plus — what carries over (almost nothing), all 7 cycles and their unique modifiers, difficulty rank scaling, item randomization, world mirroring, and the NG+7 endgame. This Mina the Hollower New Game Plus guide covers every cycle in detail.
Mina the Hollower’s New Game Plus is fundamentally different from most Metroidvania NG+ modes. Almost nothing carries over between cycles. Weapons, trinkets, sidearms, and all upgrades reset completely at the start of every new cycle. You begin each run from scratch, re-acquiring your loadout as you progress.
You do not start NG+ with your previous run’s weapon. Three weapons are available from the game’s opening and you re-select your choice at the Ossex blacksmith. The Battery Buster and Hollower’s Shield (Guardian Casket) — the two late-game weapons — must be re-found in the world each cycle.
Each cycle introduces specific modifiers that change how the game plays. NG+7 is considered the true completion point. After NG+7 you can continue indefinitely but no new modifiers are added.
Special note for NG+7: This is the only cycle where items from the previous run (NG+6) carry over instead of resetting, making NG+7 the only cycle where you start with a loadout. This makes NG+7 both the hardest and the best-equipped cycle.
Modifiers: Fewer Underlabs available across the world. Stat cap increases to 15 per stat. Bone drop rates increase.
Key challenge: Fewer Underlabs means fewer weapon upgrade opportunities. Prioritise reaching Underlabs before exploring optional areas. The difficulty increase is moderate — suitable for players who want to experience NG+ without severe disruption.
Modifiers: Entire world flipped horizontally. Fewer Underlabs. Your memorised routes and item locations are reversed.
Key challenge: The horizontal flip disorients players who have internalised the world layout. Muscle memory for left-right navigation is inverted. Good practice for adaptability; item locations are the same as NG+1 but mirrored.
Modifiers: Item locations randomized. Standard world orientation. Rank 2 difficulty (elevated enemy stats).
Key challenge: You can no longer rely on memorised item locations. Treat this cycle like a fresh blind playthrough. Exploration becomes mandatory rather than optional. The randomization applies to trinkets and weapons but not the overall dungeon structures.
Modifiers: Enemy level stats randomized (enemies get random stat distributions). Fewer Underlabs. Item locations still randomized from NG+3 rules.
Key challenge: Enemy difficulty becomes unpredictable. A weak-looking enemy may have a high attack stat; a large threatening enemy may be surprisingly fragile. You cannot assume difficulty from appearance alone.
Modifiers: Item locations randomized. Sidearm locations randomized separately. All previous Rank 2 modifiers active.
Key challenge: Both your main gear and sidearms are in unknown locations. Build planning requires finding what you actually have rather than what you know exists. Sidearms are your secondary combat and utility tools — not knowing where they are significantly affects early-cycle power.
Modifiers: All shuffles active (items, sidearms, enemy stats). World flipped horizontally. Maximum Rank 2 chaos.
Key challenge: Every disorienting modifier stacks simultaneously. The world is mirrored, all gear locations unknown, enemy stats randomized. Considered the most chaotic cycle.
Modifiers: Maximum difficulty. Barely any Underlabs (severely limited upgrade access). Stat cap increases to 35 per stat. Items from NG+6 carry over.
Key challenge: The harshest difficulty spike of any cycle, combined with near-total loss of Underlab access. You enter NG+7 with your NG+6 loadout intact — this is the one cycle where your equipment matters from the start. Completing NG+7 represents the game’s true completion point for NG+ content.
NG+ difficulty is divided into three Ranks. The jump from Rank 2 to Rank 3 (NG+7) is described as the sharpest of any transition.
| Cycle | Rank | Stat Cap Per Stat | Underlabs | World | Shuffles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NG+1 | Rank 1 | 15 | Fewer | Normal | None |
| NG+2 | Rank 1 | 15 | Fewer | Mirrored | None |
| NG+3 | Rank 2 | 20 | Normal | Normal | Items |
| NG+4 | Rank 2 | 20 | Fewer | Normal | Items + Enemy stats |
| NG+5 | Rank 2 | 25 | Normal | Normal | Items + Sidearms |
| NG+6 | Rank 2 | 25 | Normal | Mirrored | All shuffles |
| NG+7 | Rank 3 | 35 | Barely any | Normal | None (items from NG+6 carry over) |
Because your loadout resets every cycle, NG+ strategy is fundamentally different from a first run. The key principle is fast re-acquisition: get combat-capable as quickly as possible and never skip resource opportunities.
Bone drop rates are higher in NG+ than your first run. Spend Bones on stat upgrades the moment you have them — do not hoard Bones waiting for specific items. Your stat cap is higher than a first run, and hitting that cap early dramatically increases survivability while you re-collect gear.
Underlabs are more scarce in NG+ (especially NG+1, NG+2, NG+4, and NG+7). When you find an Underlab, use it immediately for weapon upgrades. Do not explore optional areas before visiting every available Underlab — the upgrade loss compounds quickly in Rank 2 and Rank 3 cycles.
From NG+3 onward, item locations are randomized. Treat these cycles like a fresh blind run. Do not rely on memorised routes — explore every area and check rooms you might normally skip. Your build in shuffled cycles is determined by what you find, not what you plan.
Since weapons reset every cycle, pick one that is effective from the moment you acquire it. Late-game weapons (Battery Buster, Guardian Casket) require re-finding in the world each cycle — factor this into your planning.
Nightstar is available from the game’s opening and immediately effective. Its long reach and multi-hit capabilities make early-cycle enemy clearing fast even without upgrades. Pair with Iron Lung (find it early) and mobility trinkets as they appear.
Why it works in NG+: You are underpowered before you find upgrades. Nightstar’s reach means you take fewer hits during this vulnerable window. Other weapons require closer range that becomes punishing without the defensive trinkets you have not yet re-collected.
Once you know where to find the Battery Buster and can reach it quickly, its Burst Shot damage scales devastatingly with the higher stat caps available in later cycles. In NG+7 with a NG+6 loadout carrying over, a fully upgraded Burst Shot with 35 Attack is among the highest single-hit damage in the game.
Why it works in NG+: The higher stat caps (up to 35 per stat) make charged shots increasingly powerful. By NG+6/7 the Burst Shot damage at max Attack is qualitatively different from a first run.
| Cycle | Recommended Weapon | Priority Trinkets (when found) |
|---|---|---|
| NG+1, NG+2 | Nightstar | Iron Lung → Keri the Wisp → Attack Bone Up → Proto Spark |
| NG+3 (shuffled) | Nightstar (until Buster found) | Whatever you find; prioritise survivability over damage early |
| NG+4, NG+5 | Battery Buster if findable | Iron Lung → Attack Bone Up → Shock Flint → mobility trinkets |
| NG+6 | Battery Buster or Daggers | Build the strongest possible loadout to carry into NG+7 |
| NG+7 | Whatever carried from NG+6 | Already equipped; focus on levelling to the 35 stat cap immediately |
Three achievements are tied to or practically require New Game Plus runs. See the full achievements guide for details on all 50 trophies.
| Trophy | Requirement | When to Attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Hollowin’ Again! | Finish the game in New Game Plus (any cycle). | NG+1 completion. Stack with Speed Runner if possible. |
| Speed Runner | Complete the full game in under 4 hours. | Best in NG+1 with knowledge of all areas and boss patterns. No modifiers. |
| Hardifier | Finish the game with 3 active Hard Modifiers. | NG+1 or NG+2 with modifiers active. Do not combine with Speed Runner attempt. |
| Weirdifier | Finish the game with 3 active Weird Modifiers. | Separate run from Hardifier. NG+1 or NG+2 recommended. |
Almost nothing. Weapons, trinkets, sidearms, and all upgrades reset completely at the start of every NG+ cycle. What does carry over is Mina’s stat level cap (which increases each cycle, up to 35 per stat in NG+7) and increased Bone drop rates. The sole exception is NG+7, where items from NG+6 carry over.
There are 7 distinct cycles with unique modifiers. After NG+7 you can continue indefinitely but no new modifiers are added. NG+7 is considered the true completion point for NG+ content.
Yes, strongly recommended. All items reset each cycle, so secret bosses, trinket collection, and achievement hunting are all significantly easier on a first run. Community advice: “100% the game before going into NG+.”
From NG+3 onward, item locations are actively shuffled — you cannot rely on memorised item positions. In NG+5 and NG+6, sidearm locations are also shuffled separately. Treat shuffled cycles like a fresh blind playthrough.
The entire world is flipped horizontally — a mirror image of the normal layout. All left-right navigation is reversed. Item locations remain in the same relative positions but mirrored. This disorients memorised muscle memory for movement and routing.
Yes. NG+7 is Rank 3 difficulty — the highest tier — with barely any Underlabs available (severely limiting weapon upgrades) and the highest enemy stat scaling. The compensating factor is that items from NG+6 carry over, so you enter NG+7 with a pre-built loadout rather than starting naked.
Nightstar for early cycles (NG+1–3) because it is available from the game’s opening and immediately effective without upgrades. For later cycles, Battery Buster is preferred if you can reach it quickly — its Burst Shot scales increasingly well with the higher stat caps available in Rank 2 and 3 cycles.
No confirmed NG+-exclusive ending exists. NG+ is focused entirely on gameplay modifier and difficulty escalation — the narrative plays out the same way each cycle.