Does anyone have a maxed NG+ score save that they can share? I'm interested in playing a "as powerful as you can legitimately be from the start" run.
I don't think there's many masochists that did a full purity run on the highest difficulty mode AND hunted all of the optional bosses and whatnot... In fact, there's only one that I'm aware of on the forum, and dunno if they have that save anymore, much less if they're willing to share it.
I just want to note here, story mode is very easy once you have familiarized yourself with the game on higher difficulties. Other options is getting the deluxe version on Patreon which has a built-in cheat mechanic (though it's not intended to be in the game), or farming some quick points by turboing corruption on normal or higher difficulty. You can already get all of the stat-related new game+ benefits with 50-60 points or so.
However it should be noted that the new game+ benefits are limited and are mostly there to make the start for higher difficulty a bit easier. It's only a +2/3 stat increase and it doesn't mean much in the long run.
(Another note, if I recall correctly you can't even buy every new game+ benefit even if you have max points)
If you really want an easy, overpowered run for SKA, story mode is your best bet. Or cheat with the deluxe version.
I'd say that the most important bit of the NG+ bonuses isn't the stat bonuses (which are pathetic), but rather, the extra skills you can have learned from the start. Depending on what you get, you can completely change the early game in a number of ways, to say nothing of the huge amounts of money you can save up, which you can then use elsewhere. Bless Item and Radiance for example are both extremely powerful spells, and both of them are painfully expensive and take 2 days minimum to learn, on top of the fact that you only get access to them much later in the game. Just being able to have a few Blessed Bombs and later Blessed Bombs+ on hand can make all the difference in some boss fights.
The reading boost skill is another one that you get access too much later in the game, and makes a difference in picking up any of the special books (like the Fire boost book and the M.Atack boost books which have some notable boosts to them).
Storm, Air Bubble, Lightning Sword, Stone Mind... There's a long list of skills that can make a huge difference by having access to them from Day 1, and more importantly, before Festival of Greed, either because of the opportunities they create or the time and money that they help you save. (or Lewdness in some cases...)
The thing is, the best NG+ bonuses are clearly designed around the idea that it's genuinely NG+ and
you know what you're doing, and thus aiming for specific builds and whatnot in the next playthrough, with the express goal of maximizing results with targeted skills and strategy.
Not that I specifically
like SKA's NG+ system, since the bonus is based on the best playthrough, and the best bonus is for the hardest playthrough, at which point,
you don't need it for anything anymore. So the system is extremely flawed tbh...