God of War Ragnarok is one of the best games in PlayStation’s catalogue, and it is considerably more mechanically dense than it appears. The combat system in particular has significant depth that the game introduces gradually but never fully explains. This guide covers the things you genuinely need to know to get the most from it, particularly for players who are new to the series or coming in from the 2018 God of War.
Play on Balanced or Normal First
God of War Ragnarok offers multiple difficulty settings, and the game is balanced well enough on Normal (Give Me a Balanced Experience) that the challenge arc feels appropriately tuned. On lower difficulties the combat can feel too forgiving to learn properly; on higher difficulties early-game death loops from mid-story enemies can be genuinely discouraging.
If you find specific encounters frustrating after multiple attempts, the game allows you to change difficulty at any time from the menu without penalty. Do not be stubborn about sticking to a difficulty that is stopping you from enjoying the game.
Parry Everything You Can
The parry system in Ragnarok rewards players who engage with it rather than dodge-focusing. Yellow-ringed attacks can be parried by pressing the L1 block button just before impact. A successful parry staggers the enemy and deals bonus damage. A block absorbs some damage but does not stagger.
Red-ringed attacks cannot be blocked or parried and must be dodged. The visual cue is distinct: yellow ring means parry is possible, red ring means evade.
Getting comfortable with parry timing is one of the highest-skill-ceiling improvements available. Once you can consistently parry, encounters that were problematic become manageable. The Leviathan Axe has good parry windows; practice on lower-tier enemies until the timing becomes instinctive.
Use Your Full Weapon Kit
Kratos carries multiple weapons: the Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and later the Draupnir Spear (acquired mid-story). Each has different strengths:
Leviathan Axe: Strong against fire-type enemies, good for frost status building, excellent for ranged throw attacks.
Blades of Chaos: Strong against frost-type enemies, excellent for crowd control, best sustained damage output.
Draupnir Spear: Exceptional for building stagger on armoured enemies and for a powerful charged explosion attack.
Many players default to one weapon and neglect the others. Enemy types have elemental resistances and weaknesses, and swapping weapons mid-fight to exploit these is both strategically correct and contributes to your Runic and Fury meter, which feeds into more powerful special attacks.
Atreus Is Not Just a Storybeat
Atreus (your son and companion) has active combat utility that many players underuse. Press Square to have him fire arrows, and hold Square for a heavier arrow volley. He can interrupt enemy attacks, distract enemies to create openings, and his arrows apply elemental effects depending on his equipped gear.
More importantly, Atreus can hold enemies in place with a grapple move triggered after softening them up. This lets Kratos land additional free hits. Pay attention to the prompts that appear near enemies and use them: these are context-sensitive opportunities the game offers and they are genuinely good.
Gear and Upgrading: The Priority Order
Ragnarok has a loot and upgrade system where gear is crafted and upgraded using materials found in the world or dropped by enemies. The system is more streamlined than many RPGs but still requires some attention.
Prioritise upgrading your chest armour and bracers first. These provide the highest stat bonuses relative to the material cost. Full armour sets also unlock set bonuses that can significantly affect your playstyle.
Do not upgrade everything. You will not have enough resources to fully upgrade multiple sets of armour, and some gear becomes obsolete quickly in the first act of the game. Wait until you find armour you genuinely plan to use before investing heavily in upgrading it.
The Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos should be upgraded whenever possible. Weapon upgrades provide more consistent benefit than armour upgrades in the early and mid-game. Check Brok and Sindri’s shop regularly for upgrade availability.
Accessibility Menu Has Genuinely Good Options
Ragnarok ships with one of the most comprehensive accessibility menus in any recent game. Beyond difficulty sliders, it includes aim assists, visual cues, and modifications to combat timing windows. If a specific type of challenge (precise parry timing, tracking fast-moving enemies) is limiting your enjoyment rather than contributing to it, the accessibility settings can address it without reducing the rest of the experience. Worth reviewing even if you would not typically consider yourself an accessibility setting user.
The World Is Bigger Than the Critical Path
Ragnarok’s world is dense with optional content that is genuinely worth doing. The Favour system (the game’s term for side quests) includes some of the best writing in the game, additional story context for secondary characters, and valuable rewards.
The Crater in the Vanaheim realm in particular is a self-contained area with significant side content that many players miss entirely because it is not obvious from the map. The same applies to Muspelheim, which unlocks arena challenges that yield some of the best end-game armour.
If you are enjoying the game and want more of it, do not rush the critical path. Explore each realm thoroughly before moving on.
The End Game and New Game Plus
After completing the main story, Ragnarok opens up additional content including the secret boss fights and the full Muspelheim gauntlet. These are the hardest encounters in the game and test everything you have learned.
New Game Plus is available after completing the story and carries over your gear and upgrades while increasing enemy difficulty and introducing new enemy variants. It is one of the better NG+ implementations in recent memory if you want to replay the story with a fully developed Kratos.
God of War Ragnarok rewards players who engage with its systems rather than steamrolling through it. The combat depth, the world density, and the story quality are all high enough that taking your time is the correct approach.
