Topic: God of War OT

I might start God of War tomorrow. Anyone has any tips I should be aware of before I get into it? I've heard it can be quite a hard game, and I'm not the most seasoned or skilled player, so any tips regarding the combat especially would be appreciated. Just keep it non-spoilery, please!

@Tjuz Start on normal, if it's too easy, crank the difficulty up a notch. I found normal to be quite enjoyable, some of the end game stuff got really difficult, even on normal. Other than that, enjoy!

@Tjuz I found some of the earlier stuff tricker, as until you can upgrade and buy more moves you only have the basics. Learn how to parry and dodge, the game is good at teaching you these things naturally.

As you can spend your upgrade points as you wish, everyone will have their fave moves sets. I found the shield moves useful, especially the one that flings enemies projectiles back at em.

@Tjuz It took me a while to get to grips with the combat so I died plenty of times early on but the game does a brilliant job of allowing you to stick to basic moves and get through no problem, but also has some quite in depth techniques (like stance changes late on) that can take longer to master but are highly rewarding once you do.

Enjoy!

This is my first GoW and honestly I was expecting something à la Bayonetta while I feel more like I'm Lara Croft!

@andreoni79 The previous games were defo more like Bayonetta to play. This one is biggest change up to the series so far.

Been playing this since Monday and it's really gripping. I've been playing on average about 2 hours each day, and have just arrived at Alfhiem to get the light to clear the black smoke back on the mountain. While I'm getting used to combat I still get hit a lot, so I'm going with a more defensive build. I also really appreciate the environmental puzzles which almost give it a Zelda like feel in parts. Of course it looks absolutely stunning, too.

@RR529 I think the trick is to use dodge. Also pay attention to Atreus, he'll tell you when an enemy approaches from behind, or if you have the enemy indicator turned on, just pay attention to that. I always took out a few enemies from a distances with my axe, reducing the number of enemies you have to face in close combat.

@RR529 Use Atreus whenever you can, depending on what ability you got you will either stun or injure them, so can save you some time to heal up.

I found all the sheild powers handy, especially the one that fires projectiles back at the enemies. I wish I had that for one section earlish in the game.

@RR529 I really liked how customisable all the combat abilities were. Unlike a lot of games, you’re not going to be able to eventually unlock everything so can form a build that works for you. Similarly, the tubes can make a massive difference to your approach to combat.

The later combat abilities that allow stance changes are really good but harder to use and I neglected them until late in the game.

EDIT: runes!

@Thrillho The tubes are the best part of the game

@Octane Ha, good old turbo typing with autocorrect on the phone!

Man, I need to play this game.

This or Spider-Man first?

@Th3solution The Witcher 3 first!

@JohnnyShoulder Lol. I should have known that was coming 😂

@Th3solution TW3 > GoW > Spidey

@Th3solution GOW > TW3 > Spidey

This one's shorter, so you can move on to TW3 sooner

@Octane @Thrillho @JohnnyShoulder Man, you all got me so confused now 😂
I’m going to go with my mood at the time. I plan to [hopefully] finish Red Dead Redemption this weekend and see which way the wind blows after that. I had a God of War itch that needed to be scratched, but I just glazed over the Witcher 3 thread for a minute to see if it sparked interest and it kinda made me a little bit excited to try it too. The point about length is a good one though, coming off of the protracted tale of Arthur Morgan. I might be attracted to something with a bit of brevity first. I don’t know.

Thanks for the tips. I'm not doing too bad though. Other than one sction early on I had trouble with, and once activating an optional(?) fight that got me in one hit, I haven't died.

@RR529 Is that one of those enemies that come through a portal? If so it is probably best to come and face it later. Although possible to defeat it now, it would be very difficult. You can come back to most areas later on, so I would not worry about missing out on anything.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but have you noticed the colour of the enemies power bar? That does mean something. Enemy power levels can be found above the targets once they take damage, showing its health bar. The color of the health bar indicates the enemy’s power level. A good practice to take is having Atreus shoot an arrow at an enemy to reveal its power level if you’re unsure how strong it is.

Here are the various colors and what power level they indicate.

Light Green - Kratos > Enemy by 2+ levels
Dark Green - Kratos > Enemy by 1 level
Yellow - Kratos = Enemy
Orange - Kratos
Purple - Kratos
Purple + Skull - Kratos

If you’re wondering what enemy power levels affect, they determine the amount of damage taken normally and when Kratos is in Spartan Rage mode. How an enemy reacts to attacks changes as well. If you’re on par with an enemy, Atreus’ arrows have a higher chance to distract or stun it.

The amount of burn, frost, shock and stun damage decreases the higher the enemy’s power level is in relation to Kratos. But the most important way power levels affect battle is what can be blocked. If you come across a purple enemy, there’s a good chance that it will kill Kratos in one shot even when he’s blocking.