God of War Ragnarok is an Action-Adventure title from Sony Santa Monica for PlayStation consoles and PC. As the Spartan God of War, Kratos and his growing son Atreus, it will be up to you to find a way to protect yourselves from the wrath of the Asgardian gods as you seek to avert the fabled cataclysm that is Ragnarok. This page covers the basic mechanics of God of War Ragnarok, including new and returning features, how combat and exploration work, how to level up, and more.

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God of War Ragnarok’s Story So Far

Note: While there is a recap story you can watch before you play the game, we highly recommend having played the 2018 God of War game before playing Ragnarok. As a direct sequel, there will be many recurring mechanics and features that may make more sense to players who have played the previous game, though there will be ample tutorials and prompts to bring you up to speed.

Long after the events of the original God of War games that saw Kratos challenge and destroy the Greek pantheon of gods, the self-exiled God of War sailed to distant lands to the nordic realm of Midgard. There he met a woman: Laufey the Just, one of the giants of Jotunheim. The two of them began to raise a son, Atreus, as Kratos struggled to leave his past behind him.

With Laufey’s passing at the start of the previous game, Kratos and his son were tasked with delivering her ashes to the highest peak in all the realms - but the lapse in her magic wards got the attention of the gods of these realms. As Kratos and Atreus fled from this new threat, they met a witch named Freya, who was later revealed as the former wife of the main Norse god, Odin, and estranged mother of Baldur, the seemingly invulnerable god hunting the pair.

With help from Freya and two dwarves named Brok and Sindri, the father and son traversed the many norse realms in search of a way to Jotunheim and the reclusive and prophetic giants. Eventually, they were forced to kill two god brothers named Magni and Modi - the sons of Thor, and were then ambushed by the god Baldur. Though they were able to stop Baldur from killing his mother Freya, she could not forgive them for killing her child, and swore revenge.

As Kratos and Atreus reached Jotunheim to spread their mother’s ashes, they found the giants all dead, and the prophecies they left behind foretold the two’s journey, heralding the beginning of the end in Norse mythology - known as Raganrok. Only Kratos noticed a hidden part of the prophecy which seemed to depict his own death at the hands of the Norse gods.

God of War: Ragnarok takes place a few years after the events of the previous game, with a much more grown Atreus ready to explore his destiny as a half-giant, half-god. Kratos meanwhile seeks only to avoid stirring the wrath of a new pantheon of gods, but their actions may indeed bring about a war that will encompass all the realms.

How Long to Beat God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is a massive adventure, with plenty of open sandbox areas to explore mixed in with more linear story pathways across each of the nine realms. Depending on how much you like to explore off the beaten path, undertake sidequests, and take on optional challenges, it may take different amounts of time to see it to the end.

For those who wish to mainline the story and little else, expect to spend around 20 hours or more, up to around 25-30 hours if you stop to explore its many side areas. If you’re looking to complete every last favor and leave no collectible behind, it will likely take upwards of 40+ hours - though it is worth noting that several optional challenges and quests only reveal themselves after the story is complete and you are in the Epilogue exploration.

While God of War Ragnarok features a New Game Plus Mode, you can still explore and adventure in the Epilogue to complete every last side quest and collectible.

See our guide on Everything Unlocked in New Game Plus for more details.

Gameplay Basics - Combat, Exploration, and More

Like the 2018 God of War before it, Ragnarok emphasizes adventure and exploration mixed with grueling combat against supernatural foes and impossibly-sized creatures. As you control Kratos and his son Atreus, you’ll be able to explore the realms fighting off enemies and uncovering new loot and gear by defeating foes and looting chests. There are also many collectibles and activities to uncover in each realm and region, which you can view as a checklist when looking at the map.

The?main questline, also known as The Path, will lead you through different sections across the realms of Norse mythology, from the land of Midgard, where Kratos lives, to the homes of the Dwarves and Elves in?Svartalfheim?and?Alfheim,?respectively. As you progress the story, you’ll alternate between exploring more limited paths filled with puzzles and challenges and more wide open spaces where you are able to explore freely and uncover new regions and side quests to undertake whenever you want before moving ahead with the main story.

Each of the open areas can be revisited many times during the story, and after you have beaten the story and unlock a Post Game Epilogue to explore places you may have missed things in. There are certain sections that you may not be able to return to, but any important loot that you did not pick up can always be found at the Dwarven brothers shop in a blue chest. Shops are found all over the realms thanks to Dwarven magic, and you can use them to upgrade your gear with materials you find, and either craft newly available options or bolster existing equipment.

Check out our guide to every Realm and Region for info on what to expect and items you can find.

Combat Basics

Combat in God of War Ragnarok relies on three key components: Your weapons and associated weapon skills, your activated abilities (i.e. Runic Attacks and Spartan Rage), and your companion. Mastering the use of all three can help you succeed as you encounter more and more difficult encounters.

Kratos will make use of his Leviathan Axe to deal focused and powerful frost-infused damage, and his Blades of Chaos for fast and wide sweeping fire-infused damage, and both have unique uses, strategies, and combos.

When attacking, Kratos will automatically target the closest enemy you are facing, and you can also press R3 to target lock onto an enemy. However, it can be hard to switch targets once locked on, so this feature is best used in boss fights or when trying to specifically focus on a single tough enemy.

R1 uses your lighter attacks, while R2 is for stronger and harder-hitting moves. R2 moves can usually be upgraded to launch enemies into the air, which will cause them to float helplessly for several seconds. A good tactic against regular enemies is to launch them with R2 and follow up with a string of R1 strikes before pressing R2 again to slam them down.
R2 heavy attacks can also send enemies flying backward after launching them, which can cause them to crash into walls and deal heavy stun damage or into pits where they will immediately die.
Enemies will take stun damage as well as regular damage, and certain skills (plus your companion’s attacks) can raise their stun meter faster. A fully stunned enemy can be hit for massive damage with a Stun Finisher (if the indicator prompt is yellow, they’ll survive the hit, but if they are low enough health the indicator will turn red to show it will be a proper finisher).
Each weapon has ranged capabilities, as the Leviathan Axe can be tossed while holding L2 to aim and R1 or R2 to throw at your target (and Triangle to return it quickly to your hand). Meanwhile, the blades of Chaos can be thrown at much shorter range to hook into enemies to drag them to you or detonate them with fire.
If your weapon is sheathed or Kratos has tossed the axe, you can also attack with your fists (R1) or kicks (R2) for less actual damage, but much more stun damage.
Kratos also employs a shield, and can find new ones as you explore. You can block most attack by holding L1, although attacks with a yellow circle indicator will break your guard and stagger you, and red circle indicators cannot be blocked.
Depending on the shield you use, you can parry an incoming attack right before it hits by tapping L1 instead of holding it (which still works against yellow attacks). When timed right, your shield may be charged with energy that can be redirected with another shield bash (double tapping L1, or L1+R1 or R2 depending on the shield). Parries can even reflect ranged attacks back at opponents.

As you continue your adventure, you’ll find that each weapon has two different Runic Attacks that can be equipped for powerful light and heavy-activated moves (Hold L1 and tap R1 for Light Runic Attacks or R2 for Heavy Runic Attacks). These will often deal a lot of damage to one or many foes in your path, and their damage, stun, and runic power can be boosted by increasing their power in exchange for exp. They usually take a few minutes to recharge, but equipping gear with Cooldown can help lower this, as can certain gear attachments.

A new ability you’ll find early are Relics - equipable items that can be activated much like Runic Attacks by holding L1 + Circle to activate them. They come in many forms and you’ll find many as you progress in your adventure, and each has its own uses in combat - from boosting your own powers to weakening your opponents. Like Runic Attacks, they can be upgraded in exchange for experience.

Kratos can also call on his Spartan Rage, seen by the meter just below your health, which fills as you deal and receive damage. This will put you into a temporary invulnerable state, and allow you to unleash massive damage over a short period - and even regain some health in the process. It can be activated by pressing R3+L3, and deactivated early the same way if you want to conserve remaining rage when a fight ends.

See more info about How Rage Works

Lastly, your companion will also almost always be assisting you in most combat situations. Atreus has learned much over the last few years and will attack both at range with arrows and up close with melee swings. However, you can also command your companion to attack with more powerful shots by pressing Square when looking at an enemy you wish for them to direct their attacks at. These attacks can only be done so many times before they must recharge, which you can view in the bottom right corner, and are best used to compliment your own combo attacks or knock an attacking enemy off-balance to interrupt them.

Like Kratos’ Runic Attacks, you’ll eventually find Runic Summons that can be activated by holding down Square to unleash a powerful ability from your companion, who will target whoever you are looking at.

Gear and Weapon Attachments

Like the previous game, gear will play an important part in Kratos and Atreus's adventure, as it will be a primary factor in how you level up. Keeping your gear at its best by upgrading parts as you find the right resources will be the key to becoming more powerful.

Kratos will be able to equip three pieces of armor (Chest, Hands, and Waist), as well as a weapon attachment for each of his weapons that can bolster its effects and different ways. Some will give you passive bonuses, others may add a Luck-based chance to activate powers, or give you more options in combat. These can all be upgraded with various resources you can find by killing tough opponents, looting chests and coffins, and completing various side quests.

In addition, your weapons themselves can be upgraded themselves with special resources (Chaos Flame, Frozen Flame), or by getting enough fragments (Chaos Spark, Frozen Spark) from a variety of optional encounters.

Weapons, Gear, and more all have different associated stats, and it will be up to you to figure out which stats you wish to prioritize:

Strength - One of the most straightforward stats, it increases damage dealt on all attacks and skills
Defense - Found on most shields and bulkier armor, it decreases all incoming damage
Runic - This stat increases the power of Kratos’ Runic Attacks, as well as the elemental damage that comes with his weapons and their associated skills, and certain Relic attacks.
Vitality - Necessary for surviving tough encounters when you find yourself getting hit a lot, this stat increases your Max Health, and your resistance to being staggered in combat.
Luck - This all-purpose stat that can help you gain additional resources and rewards, it’s also a crucial stat when relying on gear or weapon attachment abilities that are activated by chance.
Cooldown - Expressly needed for those that value Runic Attacks, this stat reduces the time you need to wait for a Runic Attack, Relic, or ability to recharge.

Each region tends to have its own level range, and you’ll usually find similar resources in a specific region. Because of this, you may find at certain points that you will need to progress the story to gain access to new areas with rarer resources, but this also means you can quickly upgrade newly found gear to be on par with whatever you have equipped if need be. Even your starting gear can be fully upgraded over the course of the game, and you may find some gear has hidden bonuses that only appear at their highest levels - which you can find by pressing R2 when selecting gear to upgrade in the shop.

In addition to your main weapons, Kratos will also be able to swap out his Guardian Shield for other types that can be used differently - some have better overall blocking power, while others can be used offensively or defensively and reward last-second parries. Like your weapons, the shield can also be equipped with an attachment that can change the effects it can bring when blocking, parrying, or bashing.

Later in the game, you’ll gain access to an amulet that can be upgraded to slot various enchantments you can find all across the realms. This added feature lets you further enhance your playstyle by finding passive bonuses in large varieties with only limited slots (which can be expanded over time).

How to Level Up

While God of War does include familiar RPG elements like leveling up and skill trees, it’s not the same as most other games. While you do gain experience, it does not measure Kratos’ overall level - rather, your gear is what you’ll want to focus on.

You’ll gain experience after each combat encounter, and when you complete main quests (The Path), and side quest (Favors), but experience is a type of currency only used to unlock skills in your skill tree, as well as upgrading abilities like your Runic Attacks and Spartan Rage.

The only way to increase Kratos’ overall level is by upgrading your gear - which includes the level of your three armor pieces, weapon attachments, and the weapons themselves:

Most armor pieces can be initially crafted using Hacksilver (or found in legendary chests), and then upgraded using resources like various types of metal and steel, and rare and special resources as higher levels.
Weapon attachments follow this same rule, requiring much of the same ingredients.
Your weapons themselves often boost your level progress by the most, and the materials needed to upgrade them are often found by defeating tough bosses in the main story, but extra ones can be found by exploring and taking on optional challenges.

Important How-Tos

As you spend your first few hours in God of War Ragnarok, you may have lots of questions or run into things that might not make sense. Be sure to get more info on these helpful how-tos to steer you in the right direction: