What Carries Over?
Driver levels
Driver and Blade equipment and growth, including skills
All awakened Blades except Roc, Aegaeon, Poppi QT (Poppi QTπ is reacquired along with Poppi QT in Chapter 4) and Nia's Blade Form
All items and Gold obtained
All areas' Development Levels acquired
Mercenary Ranking level
Status and data of all defeated Unique Monsters
Status of all Events Theater viewed
Play time
What Doesn't Carry Over?
Quests completed
Merc Missions completed
Heart to Hearts viewed
Skip Travel points registered
Certain Key and Info items
Rex's Master Driver Form (although Pneuma is still available from the start)
What's New?
All Blades can be dispatched on Merc Missions. This means that Special Blades like Pyra, Mythra or Dromarch that could not be disengaged from the party during an initial playthrough can now be dispatched.
Level 4 Specials for certain Blades have been unlocked.
Hidden Driver's Affinities have been unlocked and new Skills can be learned
Zeke's "Eye of Shining Justice" can be unlocked by developing his Hidden Affinities
Drivers Levels can be decreased at inns, with a corresponding amount of bonus EXP being granted for the number of levels decreased.
Traveling Bards that will exchange Bonus EXP and special items have been added to various locations throughout Alrest.
Traveling Bards are displayed on the mini map as green shop icons.
Among the newly exchangeable items, there are Accessory Expander Kits that will increase the number of accessories a Driver can have equipped.
7 NG+ only Blades (Torna Blades, 6 are RNG and 1 you have to talk to him at the World Tree near end of NG+ playthrough)