Tips and Tricks - God of War (2018) Guide - IGN (2024)

The latest entry in the God of War series has changed the formula a lot from previous entries, and understanding how this new adventure works can be confusing both for returning fans and new players.

Our tips and tricks have been split into a few sections to better help you master God of War. This page is spoiler-free, though it will reveal some unlockable skills.

Jump to a Section

• Tips for Starting Out
• Combat
• Exploration
• Skills, Armor, and Leveling Tips
• General Tips

Tips for Starting Out

God of War can be a bit challenging, but there are a few things you can do to make the grand Nordic adventure easier on yourself.

Break Everything

Those pots, boxes, and miscellaneous containers lying around may look innocuous, but sometimes you'll find Healthstones, and even more importantly, Hacksilver! Most of these finds are paltry, but overtime your efforts will amount to a great fortune. Sometimes though, you'll be lucky and find a hoard of hundreds or even thousands hidden in odd places.

Sell Stuff

Speaking of finding Hacksilver, there's no reason to hold on to the Artifacts you find. Sell them for loads of cash early on. Check out our Walkthrough so you don't miss any as you play.

Get Those Collectibles

There are more than just Artifacts to scour for in the Nine Realms. There are also Nornir Chests (the chests locked with runes), which grant health bar and rage bar boosts;Legendary Chests, with Runic Attacks inside; Odin's Ravens, which grant XP as part of a Labor, and a few more which are sure to help you become stronger. Keep those eyes peeled and explore.

Pay Attention to Labors

You can see a list of Labors under the Goals tab in the menu. They act like a set of challenges that unlock as you come across new enemies and a variety of other things in the world. Keep them in mind as you continue your journey so you can actively work toward earning that sweet extra XP they grant.

Use Your XP

It's worth mentioning that XP doesn't affect Kratos' or Atreus' level. You have to use the XP you earn for it to mean anything! Every so often, check the Skills tab, and SPEND the XP. You can tab over the different sections with the D-Pad. XP may seem scarce at first, but you'll be swimming in it eventually, so use it on the Skills related to the attacks you the most.

Check out the video below for 7 Skills to Get First if you're unsure what to spend your hard-earned XP on.

See the Gaining Levels, and also Experience section above for more detailed information on leveling up Kratos.

Sometimes, Be a Coward

Occasionally you'll run into an out-of-sorts enemy that is a few levels above you. If you're intent on killing it, try keeping your distance - I mean, really, stay as far away as possible - and continuously throw your Leviathan Axe at the enemy's weakpoints if it has them. Probably not as exciting as close-ranged combat, but definitely safer and more reliable.

Wandering Doesn't Mean You're Lost

If you're having a hard time, take Atreus' advice and divert off the beaten path of the Region you're in. There are a ton of hidden areas accessible by boat in the Lake of Nine, for example.

Do some exploring, and you very well may walk away with some rare Armor, Enchantments, Runic Attacks, or Axe Pommels. Plus, plenty of extra XP for more skills and Hacksilver for better Armor!

Buy and Upgrade Armor

Like XP, don't be stingy with Hacksilver. Because XP doesn't affect you're strength, all of your stats are reliant on your gear. You can tell if a new piece of Armor or Upgrade will positively or negatively impact Kratos' level by the green (positive) or red (negative) triangles that appear next to the level in the Shop menu.

Note that most armor can be upgraded (for far less than it costs for the initial purchase), but they will eventually reach a cap. For this reason, you may want to focus on buying or finding one set of armor to fully upgrade based on your stat preferences - then wait for more armor to become available as the story progresses to buy and upgrade a new set as better tiers become available.

You can always get more Hacksilver, so use it!

Don't Neglect Atreus

We don't mean literally, but pay attention to his equipment and Skills as much as Kratos'. His armor gives him extra abilities that will help you in combat, like passing you Healthstones or giving you opportunities to do extra damage.

Purchasing his Skills makes Atreus much more useful and active in combat as well. Plus, Atreus' stuff is generally significantly cheaper to purchase than Kratos', so get to it. You'll regret it if you wait, and with enough skill and gear invested in him, he'll become one of the most useful tools in your arsenal.

Interact After Fighting

When an enemy is around, things that are usually able to be interacted with won't appear to be so. The circle icon just will not show up, and you won't be able to press circle to do something even if you know you can. So, after you've finished a fight, make sure to look around again in case you passed something you can pick up.

Combat Tips

• Learn enemy attack patterns to make fights easier. Some of the heavy hitters actually have fewer attacks if you stand closer to them. Experiment to see what works best for you.

• New enemies often spawn mid-battle, so be mindful of your surroundings. A white arrow indicator will appear on Kratos when a new threat appears on the battlefield. That indication turns red when the enemy is in attacking range.

• Combining barehanded attacks with Atreus's arrows can build up an enemy's stun meter extremely quickly. Get in the habit of pressing square simultaneously with your attack buttons when your goal is executing an enemy. This is particularly helpful for quick enemies like the Revenant or enemies that regenerate health quickly.

• Kratos doesn't take damage while performing an R3 takedown.

• Use skills like Countering Strike or runic attacks that push back enemies to fling smaller enemies off the sides of cliffs. This is especially helpful at the start of tough battles.

• Learn how to parry. Certain skills will specifically increase parry damage or build combos based on parrying. If you're down to one simple enemy, you can use it to help you get down parry timing.

• You can't parry attacks that are highlighted in red.

• A heavy axe throw can freeze enemies if it hits them in the right place. Follow it up with an R2 kick into a wall for huge damage, or kick them into other enemies to inflict those in the area of effect with frost.

• Aim at your enemy's legs then use a light or quick axe throw to trip them. They'll stay down for a short period of time, allowing you to focus on others or slam that fallen enemy with a series of heavy attacks. This is particularly useful against enemies with shields if you don't have the shield bash skill.

• If Kratos is missing his axe the Triangle button shows on the bottom left overlay.

• Kratos can do a sidestep dodge in a middle of a combo and then still continue the same combo chain. This is called a dodge offset, and doing so allows you to complete a long combo, like R1, R1, R1, R2, without having to stay stationary. So you can press R1, R1, dodge, R1, R2.

• Always look for opportunities to use the environment to your advantage. You can lead enemies to edges, dodge around them, and then juggle them off. Or smash enemies into walls for huge stun damage.

• Read your Labors to better learn how to use the environment to your advantage in a fight. For example, there's a Labor that requires Kratos to pin enemies to walls.

• Some enemies have executions that provide a huge help in combat. Nightmares can be thrown at other enemies for an explosive projectile, Ogres can be ridden and directed to wipe out groups of smaller enemies, heavy draugrs can be used as battering rams, and smaller draugrs/hel walkers create a ring of fire/ice that hits nearby enemies when executed.

• Don't forget to use your Runic attacks and change them as you encounter different kinds of enemies. Runic attacks can inflict elemental status ailments too, which can help slow down tough enemies.

• If you or Atreus knock down an enemy, use a heavy attack (hold down R2) to do massive damage to your foe and get a cool animation.

• Try to pick Runic attacks that chain together well. For instance, if you have an attack that stuns a line of enemies, follow it up with something that has a large area of effect and does a lot of damage.

• Big enemies like trolls can hurt smaller enemies when they attack.

• Green potions are strategically located in pots near major encounters. Be mindful of your health bar before you pick them up. Leaving them on the map until you need them is key to beating larger enemy encounters.

• On default controls, click R3 in a battle to focus on a single enemy. This keep that target locked and allows you to pivot around them. It also helps you land bow shots from a distance with Atreus.

Rage Tips

• Pop that Rage if it's full when you're low on health. You'll get some health back as you do damage.

• Rage builds fast early on since the meter is shorter, so use it as often as you need it.

• Increase your Rage meter by finding Horn of Blood Mead. You can only find 9 in all of God of War, so be sure to open Nornir Chests as you find them.

• Cancel Rage by pressing L3+R3! It costs a little bit of Rage to cancel, but that's much better than wasting it.

• Big Rage moves you unlock further down the skill tree drain your Rage meter faster.

• Don't use Rage when you're fighting Revenant. Even in Rage, they move too quickly for Kratos to land effective hits.

Health and Regen Tips

• If you're playing on a more challenging difficulty level or if you're having a hard time staying alive in longer fights, be sure to buy armor for Atreus that allows him to find random health drops for Kratos.

• Mystic Gates bring Kratos back up to full health!

• Kratos regains health when he does damage in Rage mode.

• Bitter Squirrel is Atreus’ secret most helpful Runic Attack. You can find it Tap to Reveal This ability summons a ghost squirrel named Ratatöskr (voiced by Troy Baker!) who will dig up Health and Rage consumables for you, much to his chagrin. This lets you recharge your Rage and Health is extremely easy ways, but it has a long cooldown.

Exploration Tips

God of War's world has plenty to offer, including some incredibly helpful items tucked away in secret places. Use these tips to make sure you're making the most of your journey.

• Seriously, solve the Nornir chest puzzles every time you encounter them! This will help you to up your health and other important resources early on in the game.

• Use the Left-Hand rule! If you've ever had to solve a maze with no clues, you might have followed the "left-hand rule" (or "right-hand rule"). Basically, hug the walls left - and always go left - inspecting every inch along the way. You'll catch anything you may have missed, so if you're lost, try this out.

• This may seem obvious, but don't forget to look up. You may find something you can hit with Kratos' axe or shoot with Atreus' arrows to open a path or earn some extra Hacksilver.

• As soon as you're able to explore the Lake of the Nine, use your boat to explore as much as you can and be on the lookout for Yggdrasil's Dew. These grant permanent bonuses to your stats and will give you a rare boost that isn't tied to gear.

• Swing your axe into every pot and vase you see. These may contain only a small amount of Hacksilver, but it all builds up over time.

• On the timed bell-based Nornir chest puzzles, consider throwing your axe behind the first bell you wish to trigger, then recalling it when you are lined up for the second bell in the sequence. This can save you a valuable split second necessary for completing the challenge.

• Realm Tears aren’t all dangerous. If you had to do a puzzle to reveal it or if it’s in a small area that wouldn’t allow for fighting, it’s probably safe. It’ll also show up on your map as a Realm Tear instead of Realm Tear Encounter.

• If you're hunting Odin's Ravens (Spies of Odin), listen for a twinkling sound and cawing.

• Gold and purple chests contain Ciphers needed to access the realms of Muspelheim and Niflheim - 4 ciphers are required to unlock a realm, but there are more than enough chests to find, as additional chests will give you Enchantments.

Skills and Leveling Tips

As mentioned, Kratos doesn't gain levels through XP – instead, you have to upgrade his armor. Below you'll find tips on how to upgrade Kratos' armor for levels and some tips on skills.

Skills

These are general tips, but if you're looking for which skills to upgrade first or essential skills, visit the Skills page for a complete guide.

• If your skills glow in the skill tree then you've unlocked their bonus.

• Atreus needs your care. It's in your best interest to invest in his growth early on!

• Use the right weapon for the right encounter - some enemies are immune to the Leviathan Axe's icy attacks, so use your fists instead! Make sure you have the right skills upgraded for that fight too.

• Never neglect upgrading Runic Attacks. Hoarding XP doesn't do you much good. If you like an attack, upgrade it to at least level 2 sooner than later.

Armor and Weapons

• You'll find many Enchantments for your weapons if you explore. Make sure to check their stats and equip the best ones constantly to level up faster.

• Not all Armor is crafted - some Armor Chests can be found in regions, hidden in Coffins that can be tricky to get to.

• Sometimes, fully upgraded lower tier armor can be better than un-upgraded armor of a higher tier, so you may need to invest in upgrading a new set before it becomes useful.

• Upgrade your armor with Enchantments when you can't afford to upgrade your armor. It's also worth upgrading decent armor for more slots. Even if your armor is a little low, your enchantments can greatly boost your level if they're high enough and if you have several equipped.

• Deck out Atreus' armor to compliment your playstyle. Give him the runic armor if you find yourself in need of health constantly, or the melee armor if you want to capitalize on him knocking down or choking enemies more often.

• Like Runic attacks, change your Enchantments if you're having trouble in certain fights.

• If you're having a hard time learning how to parry, equip the Golden Talisman of Protection. The more you level it, the bigger the parry window becomes. It can only be leveled up to level 5, but you should find it fairly early.

• Upgrading your Luck increases your chance to potentially get a higher number of dropped items from fights.

General Tips

• If you're not a fan of the controls you can remap buttons in the menus.

• There's a lot of dialogue in God of War, and some of it happens in the heat of battle. Turn on subtitles if you're having a hard time hearing Atreus' callouts or lore that's shared during fights.

• If you're stuck fighting a new enemy or lost in a new area, Atreus will almost always hit at what you need to do next.