God of War: Ragnarok Cheats and Tips
Explore thoroughly
As you explore each realm, you’ll quickly notice that there is an abundance of secrets to find throughout each one–hidden chests, lore scrolls, buried treasure, and a myriad of events tied to side quests that unlock as you move forward in the main story. Many of these are off the beaten path and require you to be extremely thorough as you navigate a biome. If something looks interactive, there’s a very good chance that it is, and the rewards you’ll gain for being so meticulous can make a huge difference in combat and beyond. If you want to level up your gear and take on the hardest challenges in the game, you can’t afford to miss any opportunity possible to earn some extra loot.
You should also accept that not every puzzle can be solved right away, however. Thankfully, your companion characters like Atreus and Mimir are good about voicing that to you.
Make use of Atreus’ arrows during combat
Combat can get pretty hectic in God of War Ragnarok, so you’ll need all the help you can get. By pressing the Square button, you can have Atreus fire arrows at your enemies for you, dealing some damage and building up an enemy’s stun bar more rapidly. Arrows recharge pretty quickly, too, so consistently combo them with your own barrage of melee attacks and then follow up with devastating stun grabs to finish off your foes. Additionally, Atreus’ ranged attacks come in handy against small creatures and flying enemies, both of which can be a little more difficult for Kratos to land melee hits on.
Check the lost items chest frequently
It doesn’t matter how good you are about picking up the stuff enemies drop after battles, you’re almost guaranteed to overlook something valuable here and there. Early in the game, Brok will introduce you to a chest beside his forge where he keeps all of the items you’ve left behind on your travels. Any time you approach a forge throughout the game, the chest will be closed and glow blue when there’s something to snag from it–usually crafting materials you didn’t see after a combat encounter. Be sure to check it regularly to be sure you’re not missing anything that could be useful to you on your journey.
Don’t fret over skills too much
As you find weapon upgrades during exploration, you can use them at the forge to gain a new weapon level and unlock some new skills for each armament. Since you’ll be leveling your weapons multiple times using Frozen Flame and Chaos Flame, there are plenty of skills for Kratos and Atreus to unlock throughout the game’s lengthy campaign, and you can feel free to buy them in any order, really. As long as you’re completing at least some of the side quests and exploring thoroughly, you’ll have a constant influx of XP that will ensure that you can purchase most of the skills available at any one point in the story. Because of this, you’re (usually) only ever an hour or so away from buying whichever skill you’ve got your eyes on–so spend your XP freely and don’t worry too much.
Don’t skimp on upgrades
The armor, relics, and weapon hilts that you pick will largely depend on your preferred playstyle, and you have the option to upgrade them using materials gained while exploring, completing quests, and defeating enemies. The further you progress in the game, the higher enemies’ levels will become, so if you forget to keep up your gear levels, you may find yourself against foes who can kill you very quickly–even in a single hit sometimes. Check with Brock and Sindri at regular intervals to upgrade anything you’ve settled on. But don’t be afraid to switch things up as needed, either, because you’re quite likely to be overflowing with hacksilver and lower-tier materials throughout most of the game.
Nornir chests are always worth the hassle
You’ll find Nornir Chests in most realms, which require you to engage with or destroy three nearby runes to open. These runes usually take a bit of ingenuity to find and may require you to position yourself somewhere specific, burn away branches, or engage with other mechanics that become available to you later in your journey. It’s always worth the hassle to find them and unlock the chest, though, as doing so will provide you with the items needed to permanently upgrade your health and rage. Without routinely opening these chests, you’ll be underpowered to take on the game’s later challenges.
Compete in Muspelheim challenges
After obtaining two Muspelheim seed halves and combining them together, you’ll be able to travel to Muspelheim. Like in the first game, this realm features a selection of combat challenges that reward you with loot when completed. If you want to max out your armor levels and earn some new ways to customize your build, this will be a necessary part of your adventure. And due to the fact that you’ll need to complete and re-complete challenge rooms in specific orders to unlock the final six challenges, you’re likely to spend quite a few hours here figuring it all out.
Sell your artifacts
As you move through each of the game’s biomes, you’re going to find artifacts, often in the form of books and poems, that can be sold to Brock and Sindri for a nice chunk of change. Most of them prompt some funny conversations with Mimir, and a few of them are even related to quests. Don’t worry, though, selling them won’t impact your progress with a collection, and that extra Hacksilver you’ll pocket can aid you with upgrades and more.
