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God of War Ragnarok: 7 Tips for New Players

Even Kratos could use some helpful advice.

Oscar Gonzalez Former staff reporter
Oscar Gonzalez is a Texas native who covered video games, conspiracy theories, misinformation and cryptocurrency.
Expertise Video Games, Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories, Cryptocurrency, NFTs, Movies, TV, Economy, Stocks
Oscar Gonzalez
3 min read
kratos and atreus look at the dwarf brok who has his hand on a table in front of them

Take some counsel before adventuring. 

Sony

God of War: Ragnarok is out, and it's already winning over gamers, making it a successful follow-up to 2018's God of War

While the sequel plays much like the original, new players jumping in for the first time could use a few tips. Returning players might also find the following advice useful as well. 

Here are seven helpful tips for God of War Ragnarok. 

Destroy everything!

There are a lot of barrels, boxes and vases scattered around the nine realms, and although not all of them contain items, it's helpful to destroy them all. The most obvious reason is that these objects can contain hacksilver, the currency used to buy items and upgrade gear. Health and rage stones can also be found inside, especially during boss battles. Make sure to spend a few seconds looking around when fighting a boss and make a beeline to destructible objects to find a few useful items. 

Do all the sidequests

A few hours into the game, Kratos will have some freedom to explore the nine realms and complete favors, or side quests. It's tempting to ignore these quests in order to get deeper into Ragnarok's compelling story but don't. Spend time with the side quests, they offer a lot of gear with better stats. Often the gear is better than what you'll find in the main storyline quests. There are also more chances for health and rage upgrades, as well as materials to improve equipment. 

Learn to parry

It's easy to overlook Kratos' shield, but it's incredibly helpful in fights, especially against bosses. Shields have different abilities attached to them, and parrying is vital. Bosses will unleash a range of attacks including powerful and unblockable attacks highlighted with a yellow circle and red circle, respectively. Dodging will help you survive the fight, but parrying yellow attacks will give you a big advantage. A successful parry creates a long window to perform combos, has a chance of buffing Kratos, and allows for companions to unleash more attacks. 

Use Rage to heal 

Spartan Rage is a time-limited mode allowing Kratos to do huge damage on enemies. More importantly, it can heal him during a battle. Holding onto Rage is especially important in boss battles as it can heal, do damage and interrupt certain attacks. 

If you're stuck, sit back and listen

Developer Santa Monica, once again, threw in some puzzles in Ragnarok. These require players to make use of special abilities found in Kratos' weapons. These spots can be tricky, but luckily, the developers provide tips via in-game dialogue. Give it a minute and someone will tell Kratos what to look for and, in some cases, his companion will look at or place themselves right near the point required to complete the puzzle. 

Try to juggle enemies near an edge to knock them off

Enemies in Ragnarok can be a little spongey, meaning you need to deal a lot of damage to kill them. However, there is a way to get an instant kill on enemies. When Kratos is near an edge he can leap to and from, enemies can fall off with the right combo. Knocking enemies into the air and juggling them can push them right over the edge causing them to drop to their deaths. For an even easier guaranteed kill, use the Blades of Chaos' grab attack on enemies jumping from one ledge to another. Time it just right, and the blade will grab an enemy allowing Kratos to fling them down to their deaths. 

Keep an eye out for symbols

If it seems like you've reached a dead end, always watch for any runes or symbols. These have been placed throughout the game indicating where to go. These are especially useful in long climbing sections, where the next ledge to climb to isn't so easy to spot.