At long last, the next big God of War game is here, and it's a massive adventure that takes Kratos and Atreus across the Nine Realms as they attempt to defy fate.
God of War Ragnarök is a huge game, and as such, it's a little daunting to explore even if you're familiar with past God of War games. Fortunately, we've spent plenty of time in the game already, and as such, we've composed some tips and tricks that will be useful to any beginners starting out in their journey.
Extra controller
If you'll be spending time hunting down collectibles, it's always a good idea to have an extra controller on standby. Keep one charged, and when your current one needs a break, you'll be able to keep playing with no issues. They come in a variety of colors like white, black, purple, blue, and red.
Explore the world, but don't get hung up on things
Just like its predecessor, God of War Ragnarök has a lot to explore, as players can visit all Nine Realms this time around, as opposed to the more limited offering in the prior game. Multiple areas are huge, with side quests to undertake, artifacts to find, and more. You should definitely explore whenever you get the chance, as undertaking optional quests and solving puzzles will always net you valuable rewards.
With that said, you will often run into something that keeps you from progressing. If this happens, you'll hear one of your companions like Mimir mention that you just don't have the right equipment to solve this particular puzzle. If this happens, you should just move on. You'll find new equipment later on in the game that will allow you to come back and uncover everything there is to find in a region.
Armor can be fully upgraded
A big change from how God of War (2018) functioned is with upgrading armor and armor rarity. Instead of having different color-coded tiers, with different pieces of armor starting at a particular level and being capped at a certain number of upgrades, every piece of armor in God of War Ragnarök can be upgraded to Level 9, which is the max rank.
As a result, you've got far more variety and flexibility when it comes to figuring out what gear you want to use. You never have to abandon the starting set of armor you have, if you don't want to.
Use your special amulet
Partway through the story of God of War Ragnarök, you'll acquire a special new piece of gear called the Amulet of Yggdrasil. This amulet can be improved over time until it has nine empty slots and can be radically customized to your liking. Over the course of your journey, you'll find different enchantments that can be slotted into the amulet, making this a great way to alter your stats in tandem with your chosen armor.
You can mix and match enchantments however you want, but do note that there are set bonuses for using three enchantments from the same Realm — for example, three Svartalfheim enhancements can increase Kratos' Stun damage based on how high his Defense stat is.
Evolve your skills
The skill system in God of War Ragnarök is largely similar to the one used in the preceding game, but now, skills can be further customized. Using a skill a certain number of times in combat will allow you to tweak the details of that skill, meaning you can do more Frost damage with a particular attack, or have increased defense while using a certain move. Because these will naturally unlock as you play, check back often and use your skill points to enhance your play style.
Upgrade your Runic Attacks
As you make your way across the different lands and uncover treasure, you'll find special Runic Attacks for your weapons. These special attacks are a vital part of your moveset, but if you come to rely on them, you can't forget to upgrade them. Just like your regular skills, Runic Attacks will take XP to upgrade, improving the damage, stun, and overall effects of the attack in question. If you're having trouble in a particular right, go back and make sure you've upgraded the Runic Attacks you are currently using.
Have fun!
God of War Ragnarök is a grand adventure, easily being one of the best PS5 games of the year, and there's a lot to uncover and do as you make your way through the story. Ultimately the most important thing is to pace yourself and make sure the experience is one that you will enjoy.
In our review of God of War Ragnarök, we wrote that "The combat feels better than ever, the performances are great, and there's plenty to do as you get lost in this version of Norse myth. This is Act 2 and Act 3 of the story that began with God of War (2018), and it's a journey that is fun and harrowing in equal measure, ambitious in its nature, and ruthless in its execution."
