God of War Ragnarok: five spoiler-free tips before you get started
God of War Ragnarok is finally here after a long four-year wait from 2018’s God of War. Some of you may have already jumped into the game, while others may be waiting for the holidays or until you can pick up a PlayStation 5. But whether you’re already a dozen hours in or holding off, these quick and easy tips will help make sure you have the best possible experience with this epic action-RPG.
1. Take your time
2018’s God of War saw the long-running series add new exploration and RPG-lite gameplay that greatly expanded the playtime. Where the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3-era God of War games averaged around ten hours to complete, God of War 2018 took at least twenty or so if you zoomed right through, and upwards of fifty-plus if you really wanted to do everything.
By all estimates, God of War Ragnarok is even longer, with the handful of players who have already beaten it reporting at least thirty hours of game just for the main story. And it’s precisely because it’s so lengthy that I have to recommend: Don’t rush things. Part of what made the previous entry so special—and this certainly carries over in what I’ve played of Ragnarok so far—are the many quiet moments between the characters, when Kratos shares a story of his difficult Spartan youth with Atreus, or when Mimir digs into the details of various obscure Norse mythological figures.
If you’re wondering where my review of God of War Ragnarok is, well, I’m following my own advice on this one. I’m hoping to have a review written in the next day or so, but I refuse to ruin this experience by running right to the credits. That’s just not the kind of game this is.
2. Don’t worry about the RPG stuff too much in your initial playthrough
As in 2018’s God of War, Ragnarok has a fairly deep system of gear, crafting, skill purchases, and other ways to customize Kratos and bend the gameplay toward your preferred style. What that means is that if you want to, you can spend an awful lot of time messing around in menus. And hey, I’m an RPG fanatic! I love messing around in menus!
That said, focusing too much on the nitty-gritty numbers can really distract from what’s special about God of War Ragnarok. Obviously you’ll want to equip new gear, upgrade existing pieces, and spend your experience points regularly. But don’t get too caught up in all that stuff, at least not on your first time playing the game. You can always do a second playthrough on a harder difficulty setting later, or you can wait to see if Sony adds in a new game plus mode, as they eventually did with God of War 2018.
3. Don’t be afraid to play on a lower difficulty setting
This goes hand-in-hand with the last game, but if you’re not a hardcore God of War player who has to take down every game on the highest challenge possible, don’t be afraid to play with one of the multiple lower difficulty settings from the start.
God of War Ragnarok comes packed with five whole difficulty options. In order from easiest to hardest, they are: Give Me Story, Give Me Grace, Give Me Balance, Give Me No Mercy, and Give Me God of War. I’m playing on Give Me Balance, which is described as “for players who want an adventure that’s equally focused on story and combat.” Now I’m not the best gamer in the world, but I’ve played pretty much every God of War game, including going through the 2018 entry twice; even still, and even on what amounts to the “normal” or “medium” difficulty, I’ve found myself dying plenty in Ragnarok.
What I’m saying is, this is a challenging game! If you’d prefer to focus on the story, especially for your first playthrough, don’t feel bad about selecting Give Me Grace or even Give Me Story. And if you opt for a higher level of challenge, know that you can change difficulty settings at any time in the options menu.
4. Listen to your allies
Where the older God of War games were pretty solitary adventures, Kratos found traveling buddies in the forms of his son Atreus and the talking head of Mimir, a veritable encyclopedia of Norse mythological knowledge. In Ragnarok, Kratos gets even more companions throughout his journey, and those allies often provide crucial information as you travel.
For one thing, friendly characters will aid you in battle by warning you when enemies are about to attack. This is particularly useful when those attacks are coming from outside of your camera view. Mimir, Atreus, and others will also suggest strategies for battles, letting you know specific times to hit an enemy, or dropping hints at what their weaknesses might be.
The incidental dialogue proves helpful outside of combat as well. When exploring certain areas, your friends will often make a remark to let you know when you’ve found all the optional treasure to be discovered, which I’ve found incredibly useful as someone addicted to grabbing all the collectibles and loot I can get my hands on.
Likewise, they’ll also point out objects in the environment that you might have missed, offer tips on solving puzzles, and remind you where you should be headed next. They’ll even let you know when you encounter an environmental puzzle that cannot be solved until you find more tools!
5. Make good use of Brok and Sindri
The dwarven blacksmith siblings Brok and Sindri are back in God of War Ragnarok, offering Kratos and Atreus an array of crafting and upgrading services. But there are two important bonuses they offer that can be easily overlooked if you’re not careful.
First off, at most of the blacksmithing tables where Brok and Sindri set up shop, there will be a giant treasure chest right next to them. These chests will always contain any item drops from enemies or smashed buckets that you forgot to pick up. It’s easy to miss one or two shinies in the midst of Ragnarok’s colorful environments, so this is a truly priceless benefit they provide.
Second, in a mechanic that carries over from the previous game, you can pay Brok and Sindri to craft resurrection stones. These one-time-use items will allow Atreus (and occasionally some other allies) to bring Kratos back to life if you fall in battle. It’s not enough to make the game a cakewalk, and the price of resurrection stones adds up quickly if you keep using them, but they can be enough to make the difference between victory and a loading screen in especially tight battles.
With these five simple tips, you should be set to jump into God of War Ragnarok whenever you’re ready and have a great time. Stay tuned for my full review soon, and I look forward to hearing thoughts from you as well!
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