Legacy Edition does not need a menu literally labeled “New Game Plus” for the completion route to function like one. After a campaign clear, use that completed save to start the next difficulty. Current player evidence for AppID 2523770 reports that hero level, skills, equipment, items, and statistics remain, while the story begins again. Preserve the completed save until the new cycle is visibly established.
Carry forward
Level, skill allocation, equipment, inventory, and tracked statistics are reported to persist on the retained save.
Repeat
Main quests and chapter travel begin again; treat current-cycle quest entries as active requirements.
Before transition
Finish missables, organize gear, confirm the final checkpoint, and allow a clean Steam Cloud sync.
After transition
Verify difficulty, hero level, loadout, quest log, and the first normal autosave before continuing.
Freeze the completed campaign in a healthy state
Do not rush from the final cutscene into another selection. Confirm that the campaign completion registered and that the game returned through its intended flow. Open the hero inventory, check level and equipment, then exit normally. Give Steam Cloud time to synchronize before reopening or changing machines.
Complete story-sensitive achievements before leaving Normal. Speak to Frodo during the first Rivendell visit, finish Glorihirin’s Mirkwood sequence, return the seven scrolls to Elrond before Siege of Nordinbad, and defeat final Agandaûr without calling Beleram when pursuing the related objectives. A repeat run can recover missed content, but carrying unfinished business into Heroic makes the harder clear less efficient.
Organize set pieces across the fellowship. Keep all six matching yellow armor slots together when possible, retain the weapon each planned hero can actually equip, and sell ordinary clutter. Do not perform speculative file backups between different Steam AppIDs; this page covers the normal in-game transition for AppID 2523770 only.
Start the next cycle from the completed save
Use the game’s completed-save option and choose the next intended tier. For the current achievement route, that means Normal to Heroic, then the same continuing save from Heroic to Legendary. The current community guide treats the difficulty achievements as non-stacking, so a direct leap does not replace the intermediate clear.
Once Bree loads, pause the efficiency route long enough to inspect the save. Confirm the difficulty text, hero level, allocated skills, inventory, equipped items, and Gameplay Stats. Then let the first autosave complete. If any critical carryover is absent, stop before overwriting more checkpoints and reproduce the transition from the intact completion state.
The story log will not remain at the finale. A replay resets campaign progression because Bree and Fornost must happen again. That is expected even while characters retain power. Separate permanent growth from current-cycle quest state when deciding whether something is missing.
Convert retained power into a faster Heroic route
Heroic can focus on the eight campaign chapters after the Normal run has secured optional completion. Skip side branches only when you know the associated item or achievement is already complete. A familiar route reduces risk: enter encounters with recovery available, use war machines for their correct lanes, and avoid triggering the next group before the fellowship regroups.
Current completion routing recommends a Farin-centered approach for the harder cycles. Meet Dexterity requirements for a useful crossbow, Stamina requirements for armor, place roughly 20–25 points into Will when the build needs the resource, and then favor Strength. Read the live item and skill screens before copying those priorities because actual loot determines which requirement is urgent.
Use retained statistics intelligently. If 600 kills or another cumulative target is close, ordinary campaign progress may finish it. Avoid a lengthy farm that solves a counter already likely to unlock naturally before Carn Dûm.
Prepare the Legendary handoff deliberately
After Heroic, repeat the completion verification. Do not select Legendary until the intended hero is equipped, the six-piece set search is resolved or close, and useful consumables remain. Current guidance uses normal travel between Bree, Sarn Ford, Rivendell, and Nordinbad to inspect refreshed merchants for named armor pieces.
Legendary punishes careless revives and extended attacks. Use the retained run to preserve a full response kit: a method for distant targets, crowd pressure, boss openings, and emergency survival. Keep companions equipped even when controlling one hero most of the time. Their AI damage and durability remain part of the encounter.
The final campaign is not the time to test whether Beleram’s prompt counts for the Like a Thunderbolt objective. If that condition remains, leave the prompt untouched in the Agandaûr fight and win with weapons, skills, positioning, and fellowship support.
Troubleshoot without risking the only completion save
If the next difficulty does not appear, restart Steam and Legacy Edition cleanly, load the completed campaign, and verify the ending state again. Record screenshots of the menu and save selection. Avoid importing an original-release save or renaming folders; no official compatibility between AppID 32800 and 2523770 is documented.
If carryover differs from the current public route, note the date, public or beta branch, platform, host status, and exact sequence used. That evidence is suitable for Aspyr support and can distinguish a changed build from an incorrect menu choice.
Use the difficulty guide to choose the sequence and the Farin build for the durable later-run setup.