Ways To Make A God Of War Ragnarok Playthrough Harder

God of War Ragnarok is without a doubt, one of the best PlayStation games ever made, as its epic narrative, satisfying combat and beautiful presentation have captivated countless gamers all over the world since 2022. Fortunately, this masterpiece of the action adventure genre is not only available on both PS4 and PS5, but also on PC via Steam.

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But those who have already experienced the excellent main campaign of God of War Ragnarok and want to replay it may be looking for a new challenge. Luckily for them, this game has so many different accessibility options and gameplay mechanics that raising its difficulty is quite easy. These are a few tips that will make any God of War Ragnarok playthrough even harder.

1

Playing On The Highest Difficulty Setting

“Give Me God Of War” Is The Biggest Challenge Of The Game

Naturally, the simplest way to make God of War Ragnarok more challenging is by choosing its highest difficulty setting. Like its predecessor, it has five in total, with the most challenging one being Give Me God of War, which is only recommended for seasoned players with incredible reflexes.

Give Me God of War turns Ragnarok into a “Soulslike” experience, where every single enemy can kill Kratos in just one or two hits, which means that players will have to be extremely careful with their approach and learn their attack patterns. This is especially true during boss fights since they don’t have any checkpoints in this mode. It’s important to keep in mind that the difficulty setting of this game can be lowered at any point of the adventure but, unlike the other difficulty settings, Give Me God of War can’t be re-selected after that, so any players who pick it at the start must be 100% committed to this challenge.

2

Facing Every Secret Boss As Soon As Possible

Fighting Berserkers, Valkyries, Dragons, and Draugrs Can Be Even Harder

Like its predecessor, God of War Ragnarok has a lot of optional secret bosses scattered throughout the map, like the mighty Berserkers, the terrifying Draugr Holes, the massive Dragons, and the infamous Valkyrie Queen, Gna. Most of these opponents were quite clearly designed to be defeated at the very end of a playthrough when Kratos already had enough skills, weapons, armor, runic attacks, and experience to face them without dying instantly.

But the thing is that, due to the semi-open world nature of this game, most of these optional bosses (especially the Berserkers) can be found randomly throughout the main campaign, many hours before defeating the final boss. Any players who want to face a true challenge should try to face all of these powerful secret bosses the moment they find them, without any prior preparation. They will certainly be rewarded for their efforts since they always drop some valuable loot.

3

Relying On The Companions As Little As Possible

Ignoring Both Atreus And Freya

Kratos is not alone in this epic adventure, as he’s constantly assisted by his son, Atreus, who at many points during the story is replaced by the Vanir Goddess, Freya. With their impressive bow and arrow skills and helpful magic spells, both of Kratos’ companions are a key part of the traditional God of War Ragnarok experience.

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Needless to say, the game would be a lot more challenging without their assistance, which may be exactly what some players are looking for. These companions can’t be deactivated, but they can still be neglected a lot, by not giving them new armor, not unlocking new skills for them and, most important, not calling for their help with the Square button (on PlayStation).

4

Not Equipping Any Armor Sets

Players Can Raise The Difficulty By Going (Almost) Naked

Just like the 2018 reboot, God of War Ragnarok leans toward the Action RPG angle by giving Kratos many passive role-playing mechanics that can make things a bit easier for the player. One of the most notorious ones is the armor sets, which are not only perfect for players who want to improve Kratos’ fashion sense, but they can also give him some much-needed buffs, like improving his defense, improving his strength, giving him resistance to certain elements, etc.

But, of course, this means that players can raise the difficulty of the adventure by simply removing (or never equipping) all armor and equipment, and thus getting rid of any added buffs or quirks. Curiously enough, this is also quite nostalgic, since armorless Kratos looks a lot like his younger incarnation from the classic Greek Era God of War games.

5

Not Using Any Runic Attacks

Kratos’ Most Powerful Special Attacks Are Completely Optional

In God of War Ragnarok, Kratos can be equipped with and use many different Runic Attacks that are assigned to his three different weapons. Most of these special moves are extremely efficient, helpful, and/or powerful, and sometimes they can make the difference between life and death during particularly intense encounters.

Furthermore, since all Runic Attacks have a specific cooldown time, they can’t be spammed for easy kills. Needless to say, as fun and satisfying as they are to find and use, Runic Attacks are 100% optional, and they’re not mandatory to complete the game. Of course, players should try to flat-out never equip them to not fall into the temptation to use them when they’re in a pinch.

6

Doing A No-Heal Run

Experienced Players Should Be Able To Complete A Playthrough Without Healing

God of War (2018) introduced a fascinating way of restoring Kratos’ HP that was carried on to God of War Ragnarok. Instead of equipping and using healing items (like a potion), Kratos can heal himself by stepping on specific green stones that are strategically scattered throughout the battlefield. Since activating them requires the press of a button, it’s very easy for players to ignore them to achieve a tougher experience.

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Of course, there are other ways to heal Kratos, like giving him a Resurrection Stone or equipping him with specific accessories and Runic Attacks that can restore his HP. Fortunately for players who’re looking for a challenge, however, these are all optional items, so they can always try to do a full “No-Heal Run”. Needless to say, going through the entire game without healing Kratos (or by relying solely on the small HP boosts of his Spartan Rage) feels almost impossible, but it can certainly be done.

7

Focusing On Just One Of The Three Weapons

Pick Just One: Leviathan Axe, Blades Of Chaos, Or Draupnir Spear

Kratos can famously wield three powerful weapons in this game: the iconic Leviathan Axe, the classic Blades of Chaos, and an incredible new weapon called the Draupnir Spear. All three of them have their unique features and characteristics that make them helpful in different scenarios, not to mention that they have great synergy because they perfectly complement each other.

This means that a God of War Ragnarok playthrough can become much harder by just focusing on one weapon, and completely ignoring the other two (only for combat, though, since they are all required to access certain mandatory areas). While the Draupnir Spear is normally obtained very late into the game, players who prefer it can wield it from the beginning by accessing New Game Plus. At the end of the day, there’s a secret fourth option: fighting only with Kratos’ fists and shield.

8

Achieving 100% Completion

God Of War Ragnarok’s Biggest And Most Ambitious Challenge

Previous God of War games have always been perfect for completionists, and God of War Ragnarok is no exception. The Nine Realms are filled to the brim with items, treasure chests, secret bosses, and even optional locations, which means that finding and completing everything to achieve 100% completion is far from an easy task.

Of course, sometimes players will not be able to access everything the moment they find it, and they will be forced to go back to previous areas with new abilities, so a lot of exploration and patience is required for this arduous challenge. Furthermore, those who want to make their 100% completion a bit tougher can also try to unlock all the game’s Trophies/Achievements.

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Released

November 9, 2022

ESRB

M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language