God of War Ragnarok: 5 Beginner's Tips

God of War Ragnarok is an ambitious new entry in the long-running hack-and-slash series. Like its 2018 predecessor, Ragnarok allows you to explore different realms, complete side missions, upgrade weapons, find treasures, and complete puzzles. 

While it's fundamentally very similar to the last entry in the Norse saga, God of War Ragnarok has plenty of new tricks up its sleeves that should surprise even the most hardcore fans. As such, whether you're new to God of War or returning after experiencing Kratos and Atreus' last adventure, here are five beginner's tips to keep in mind when venturing into God of War Ragnarok. 

God of War Ragnarok: 5 Early Tips and Tricks

Play / Replay 2018's God of War

First things first, we can't overstate how much it's important to play or replay 2018's God of War before starting God of War Ragnarok. Experiencing Ragnarok without playing through its predecessors is like picking up Uncharted 4 without experiencing Nathan Drake and company's previous globe-trotting adventures.

While it's not blasphemous to play God of War Ragnarok without playing God of War, you will be missing out on much of the character development, world-building, and references Ragnarok makes to that game at every crossroads. It will still be a fun and memorable adventure, but one that lacks the impact it deserves.

Unlock & Equip Mod Tokens

If you played through God of War, you would notice that one of the newest additions to the gameplay is the option to unlock skill mods, aka mod tokens.

Mod Tokens are the game's way of encouraging different playstyles. For instance, if you prefer using the 'Leviathan's Fury' skill in combat, you can complete its skill labor to unlock its mod tokens which would allow you to increase the effect of that skill. Pretty sweet, right? Every skill has three mod tokens you can choose from, so pick one that suits your playstyle. 

Upgrade Relics

You can activate several active and passive buffs in God of War Ragnarok to improve  Kratos' efficiency in combat. Whether by temporarily increasing melee damage or granting a burst of Rage, Relics give Kratos an extra advantage on the battlefield. 

While it's easy to equip a Relic to suit your playstyle, it's equally easy to forget to upgrade them. You can upgrade every Relic three times in God of War Ragnarok. They cost Kratos XP, so if there's any particular one you find yourself using a lot, make sure to upgrade it fully. 

Fiddle through the Accessibility setting

Ever since its reveal, Sony Santa Monica Studios has been extremely vocal about the game's multitude of accessibility features, and rightly so. However, aside from the visual and audio aids, there are other neat additions like the option to enable miniboss checkpoints. We wish more video games included such features, and we recommend you go through God of War Ragnarok's incredible set of accessibility options to see if anything fits your needs.

Don't skimp on side quests

While combat is an essential part of the game, God of War Ragnarok puts much emphasis on storytelling and character development. Much of its side quests are just a way to get to know and understand some of those characters even better. 
Given how important their roles are in the overarching plot, completing these narrative-driven side quests makes their presence more notable and impactful in the main story.

And that's some of the things you should keep in mind when beginning your journey in God of War Ragnarok. 

Stay tuned for more God of War Ragnarok news, and check out some of our Guides & Tutorials below:

Is God of War Ragnarok Worth It? The Reviews Are In! | God of War Ragnarok Graphics Modes: Best Options & How To Change | God of War Ragnarok: All Kvasir's Poems Locations| God of War Ragnarok: Mod Tokens Explained | How Long is God of War Ragnarok? Story Length & Full Completion | God of War Ragnarok Collector's Edition - Price, Mjolnir, And More | God Of War - Order Of Games | Early Access | Trophy List | Difficulty Levels | Pre-load & Download Size | New Game+ Mode | Miniboss Checkpoints | All Voice Actors | Atreus Age | Accessibility Options

 Featured image courtesy of Sony Santa Monica.