'Dishonored 2' news, updates: Free update introduces New Game Plus mode; full patch notes revealed

The latest update for "Dishonored 2" is now out, finally introducing the much-anticipated New Game Plus (NG+) mode.

Initially announced last week, the NG+ mode enables players to replay the game by using any Bonecharm traits or runes they discovered while doing their first playthrough. Another important feature from the mode allows players to access both Corvo and Emily's skills regardless of which character they choose. This opens the door for even more interesting combinations of abilities.

Aside from the New Game Plus mode, the new update for "Dishonored 2" also features the New Quick-Access Wheel option for hiding and unhiding items. According to the full patch notes on Bethesda's blog site, the update brings in fixes for various Bonecharm effects (Strong Arm, Spiritual Pool, etc), Oraculum's false-kill count, and issues in slow-motion. Different enhancements and tweaks were also made for mana potion refill speed, User Interface issues, and AI detection.

Before jumping into the NG+ mode, Kotaku revealed a list of important things to consider while playing the game. According to the publication, the first thing players should do is assign all of their runes before ending the game. Although the start of mission 2 allows access to every rune, users can't carry over unassigned runes.

Similar to the runes, bonecharms must also be broken down before the game because they can't be carried over. Most importantly, runes must be crafted out of all extra whale bones. Purchasing the runecrafting ability is worth it because players can craft even just a few spare runes from their leftover whale bones. Players who have all bonecharms in the game can also balance it out. Those runes can be used to buy any kind of power, and the runes themselves can be carried over to NG+.

Developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda, "Dishonored 2" is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows PC.