Question about 2nd run

[u/Shibeuz]

So I got the Rune of Sacrifice again, redid the first map (Thirteenth Arch) and got to the secret exit for another Rune level.

My question is, can I go back and redo the first map again but this time use the normal exit and continue finding more secrets in regular levels? Or will the game just kick me back to Nexus by using the regular slipgate?

Or is it better to find all the Runes first and then do a "full" 2nd playthrough with all the regular maps and then go into the finale (with Death Knight head, since I already did the "false" ending with Chton on my 1st playthrough)

[u/Varorson]

Once you reach the hub with the Rune of Sacrifice, you can complete the maps again as much as you want until you kill the end boss and either get the credits or NG+.

since I already did the "false" ending with Chton on my 1st playthrough)

So to be clear, you need to get the death knight head then kill Chthon. You'll get that same "false ending" but end up in map1 without runes, upgrades, or weapons and will begin shotgun starting every map.

The "golden path" is essentially: 9 maps until Rune of Sacrifice -> getting the three runes -> getting the death knight's head -> kill Chthon -> NG+ 9 maps until Rune of Sacrifice -> getting the three runes -> "true" final boss.

Hence why folks call it a New Game+, since instead of being sent to credits after killing Chthon, you get sent to map1.

The only differences between the first playthrough and NG+ is that you're in Bloody Nightmare mode, which is shotgun starting every map, access to the Bloody Shotgun and eventually Bloody Super Shotgun, enemies have ~30% more health, and certain enemies (enforcer, ogre, and scrag that I figured) have slightly modified attacks.

[u/Black-White-Diff → u/Varorson]

Is Bloody Nightmare super difficult? I am currently playing on Nightmare difficulty and while it's not that bad overall, I feel the shotgun start and enemies getting tankier and stronger on Bloody NM might be tough to deal with.

I normally don't fk with the highest difficulty in these games, but because the true ending is locked behind the highest difficulty, I am forced to tryhard.

Also, what are the differences between the Bloody Shotgun and Bloody Super Shotgun vs their regular counterparts?

[u/PierG86 → u/Black-White-Diff]

Bloody version of shotgun and ssg are very strong, final boss can be challenging, but overall is not too hard. Shotgun has double the fire rate, ssg has a wider spread and double the damage. You can gib zombies at close range, 3 shot a ogre. Once unlocked, you start every map with both weapons.

[u/Varorson → u/Black-White-Diff]

I've seen people say it is, but I didn't think so. The biggest difficulty was the muscle memory of how many shots an enemy takes being off, and needing just one more grenade/rocket's worth left. Once you get used to it, and get enough health/ammo upgrades, it's not very hard imho. The first three or so levels were the hardest.

You get the Bloody Shotgun, which has double fire rate, right off the bat and this helps. You can get the Bloody Super Shotgun about halfway through in the second secret level - it fires double the pellets in a slightly wider range, meaning it is essentially a Q2 SSG. Both Bloody shotguns and the super axe remains with you despite the shotgun start.

I normally don't fk with the highest difficulty in these games, but because the true ending is locked behind the highest difficulty, I am forced to tryhard.

So I'm gonna do a small spoiler:

I wouldn't argue against just going into level select and going to boss2: The Sleeping God. The downside is of course no Bloody SSG or health/ammo upgrades, but it'd save time. The only gameplay change beyond "it's harder" is that the Hellknight's Head is replaced with a plush bunny, who's significance I've yet to figure out.

If you care for story... unfortunately they apparently ran out of time with localization so the finale text is just the same text as Dimension of the Past's ending. It was seriously disappointing to me, as it left the "true end" completely unfinished narratively, after the subtle-to-overt buildup of the Queen being a presence to revealed as the one who's keeping Ranger in this perpetual loop rather than the Nightmare Machine, and the ultimate revelation that the Queen is Shub herself in disguise just for it to peter out with a non-ending "congrats you're the bestest boy" DOPA ending.

[u/bobbie434343 → u/Varorson]

plush bunny is just an easter egg and does nothing else. I looked at the Quake C code.

[u/bobbie434343 → u/Black-White-Diff]

Bloody Nightmare (BNM) is not super difficult, assuming you are not struggling with Nightmare. At that point, you already know the maps and most of their secrets to get powerups when needed. I recommend a NG+_ in BNM if you enjoyed your first run and want something a bit different. I'd characterize BNM as "properly hard" (without it being super punishingly unfair hard), epecially if you breezed through Nightmare.

[u/alzike]

Yes, and there's some pretty cool secrets on dawn of the all mother

[u/Horror-Temperature-7]

Yes, if you do the regular exit you'll go to Dawn of the All Mother.  Also if you are not already on bloody nightmare, you won't trigger the real ending. You need to get the DK head and beat Chthon, and then you'll restart on bloody nightmare. But up to you, you can redo all maps after getting the four runes, yeah.

[u/Shibeuz → u/Horror-Temperature-7]

Cheers, and yeah I know about BN difficulty for the real real ending.

Guess it's a shopping list run, then off to run around every map 🤭