With its mechanics drawn from RPGs and its unwelcoming interface at first glance, God of War Ragnarok nevertheless does the utmost to make its progression as pleasant as possible. In this guide we will see the different ways to upgrade Kratos.
RPG mechanics: don't worry, you'll be fine
We understand why you're afraid: for the past few years, AAAs have tended to make their job easier by offering progression systems inherited from role-playing games , with colored loot, statistics from everywhere... We're going on and on from the best . Only you shouldn't grimace too quickly when faced with the menus of God of War Ragnarok: Santa Monica has done an excellent job of refining the main axes of the first game, limiting the number of armor sets to force you to improve the one that suits you. best matches. The best armor is no longer the one you get at the end, but rather the one that suits you best. The loot is also still in place, but the same, once a small adaptation phase is over, it's not Nioh and his enemies who are puking with resources and equipment either, we're on something much more mastered here. that does not venture beyond level 9 and its 6 base stats.
Gain in experience: how does it work?
The simplest thing in the world: as soon as you find something or accomplish an objective, you will earn experience points for Kratos and his current companion. There are also "jobs" which are a list of small challenges to be completed on several levels to acquire large packets of XP without effort. You will then have to invest all that in the different skill trees, but not only: certain skills and equipment, such as the type of rage you have or the runic techniques equipped, can also evolve thanks to your experience. For the armor pieces on the other hand, it will always be at Brok and Sindri that it happens, nothing new under the sun.
Skills and development
For the different skill trees it's exactly the same as in the 2018: you collect the flames capable of improving the level of your weapons at the forge , then you spend your points to unlock new moves. In this regard, the movesets of the ax and the blades do not move very much compared to the previous trip, but to compensate, we have added a little subtlety to them. After a certain number of uses, a technique can evolve and be granted a passive bonus to choose from 3, against 1000 additional experience points. We're really on pure build "tuning" here: if you want to focus Kratos on stuns, damage, or even elemental afflictions, it's here that it happens.
Build: Things to consider
Not much choice if you plan to survive in God of War difficulty mode, you will have to adapt your style of play and try to give an "axis" to your progress. There are 6 different statistics in the game, press triangle to see what they correspond to when you are in the menu. A Ragnarok armor set is made up of 3 pieces and like the previous title, set effects are activated. This time it will only take 2 pieces to get the full bonus, which means you can make some pretty stylish mixes as long as you have a well-stocked wardrobe.
You will also have to rely on the amulet and all the gems you collect: this new piece of equipment is to be improved to unlock more slots and each group of gems to be embedded also has set bonuses. Note also the importance of shields, which each offer their own gameplay intricacies. If we add to that the active relic, the 3 forms of rage and the accessories... There is really something to have fun in this episode.
Chests of the Norns
The classic axis of progression of any action-adventure game since the first Zelda : the famous chests containing resources which, placed end to end, lengthen your health and special gauge. The principle has not changed, the number of apples and mead horns required will continue to increase as you progress. Far from being simple chests placed on your way, you will have to think a little bit before figuring out how to open them, thanks to a small batch of increasingly complicated puzzles to solve. Or you can take a look at our realm-by-realm walkthrough that will tell you everything you need to know to recover their precious content.
