Your experience with God of War Ragnarok depends on the difficulty you choose, but if you’re new to the game and have chosen Give Me Balance (or any higher), you may need some tips, tricks, and strategies. Not only will this help you survive and progress faster, but it will also give you an even more awesome feeling of being a god of war (and better playing as Atreus). Check out all these God of War Ragnarok fighting tips for beginners and with patience and practice you will get better at your battles.
Note: There are no spoilers in this guide.
Combat Tips for Beginners in God of War Ragnarok
The world of God of War Ragnarok lurks all sorts of dangers, and you must be ready to defeat any enemy. Each opponent has their own weakness and you will have to switch weapons accordingly. Read the beginner tips below for becoming the best Kratos during combat, especially early in the game.
Master the movement of the camera
This is one of the most important things you need to practice. Know how to control the camera to have all or most of the enemies in your line of sight because that will make or break your combat experience. This will have a huge impact on your ax throws and melee attacks. Go to settings and switch things according to your preference.
For example, the “Lock Camera”and “Recenter Camera”settings can be customized to suit your preferences. Camera Lock in-game option offers 3 options: Classic, Auto Aim, and Auto Aim+. Whereas Recenter Camera on Attack gives Classic, Priority and Priority+ options. The default is “Classic”.
Green health stones help during combat
You saw these glowing green stones scattered around the world while exploring, but did you know that they can come in handy in combat as well? Yes, they can give you a health boost, but they can also stun your enemy for a moment if you step on them when they are very close. This gives you a chance to make the most of their vulnerability and use your weapons. You will have to carefully lure them towards the green stone and stomp at the right time to make this happen, especially if they initiate an unblockable red ring attack. Speaking of rings, be sure to understand what each enemy ring in GOW Ragnarok points to.
Know when to use heavy and light attacks
Heavy attacks are powerful but slower. If you’re surrounded by enemies and it’s a weaker type of enemy, use light attacks to get the job done quickly.
When you use a light throw of your axe, aim it at the enemy’s feet to make them lose balance and stumble.
Along with that, a heavy throw of your Leviathan Ax can freeze your enemies in place so you can dash towards them and rip them apart. This can be especially helpful if you’re feeling overwhelmed by approaching enemies. Don’t forget that Kratos’ fists are pretty strong too – use them to land punches whenever your enemies try to get up, up close and personal. In addition, bare-handed attacks will help you fill your rage bar faster and deal more stun damage.
And as you may already know, you can recall your Leviathan Axe by pressing the triangle button on your PS controller. If you throw it and instantly summon it back while an enemy is in front of you, it can cut it along the way and deal light damage. With practice, you will understand how the Ax arc works and will be able to plan your next reps in accordance with it.
Check the stun damage panel
Under the enemy’s health bar, you will see another bar designed for stuns. The more you stun enemies, the more the bar fills up, and eventually you can press R3 to get a cool finisher animation for a specific enemy. During this time, you will be invulnerable against other enemies.
If you hit enemies on the walls with weapons or bare hands, they will remain vulnerable and take more stun damage. You can launch enemies into the air with the Blades of Chaos, which can further weaken them. Another thing to add to the combo is Kratos’ powerful punch – he can leave enemies open to attack.
Don’t forget to ask your best boy/companion, Atreus, for help, because his arrows can also stun enemies. And if you improve his skills even more, he can deal a sweet amount of damage. It will also take the pressure off you a bit while you focus on other creatures. If you plan to freeze your ax it will take a couple of seconds so you need to concentrate and only do it when you are not surrounded by a crowd.
It’s all about timing – when your attacks, parries, stuns, and dodges are done at the right time, going on a rampage against enemies becomes much easier. This will come with more practice. Speaking of parry…
Parry is paramount
Just like Elden Ring and Ghost of Tsushima, you can parry in God of War Ragnarok as well. This is important because it will stun your enemy (and make you look pretty cool). This gives you a chance to land consecutive hits after you parry with your shield. Check out our recommendations for choosing the best shield to use in the game.
Improve weapon handling skills
The basic skills that Kratos has are pretty brutal, but you can make him a more hardcore version of himself by adding skills to his weapons (and Atreus’ bow too). Check out the abilities under Vehicles, Ranged, and Melee to deal extra damage to enemies. They will be for specific enemies such as burning or ice creatures, and in different scenarios you will also have to switch between weapons.
Use the neighborhood
Hide behind a rock to regain your composure, use the Blades of Chaos to climb up, or use items around you to throw them at an enemy. The surroundings can be useful during boss fights, so make the most of them. In addition to giving you a movement advantage, the Hyperion grappling hook can also help draw smaller/weaker enemies towards you to ensure immediate kills. Also, you can kick or kick opponents off ledges or rocks whenever possible.
Feel comfortable with side steps
Although Kratos parries and attacks aggressively, balance him with dodge and dodge to survive longer. If you step to the side, your light attack combo sequence will be maintained, but if you roll, the combo will reset. Thus, for better survivability, you need to add evasion to your movements (by pressing X).
Use Spartan Fury against the hordes
Try not to spend your rage meter on one or two small enemies. Spartan Rage is best if you’re using it to damage a group of enemies in a horde that could potentially overwhelm you.
Those were all the combat tips for newcomers to God of War Ragnarok. If you want to learn more tips, tricks, and strategies for gaming, check out our GOW Ragnarok guides and learn more about combat right away.