With the release of God of War: Ragnarök comes a new adventure for Kratos and Atreus to venture to. However none of the armor or upgrades will carry over with this new installment. Starting from scratch may seen daunting, the right choices make all the difference. While this guide will cover only the beginning upgrades, we also have you covered should you be looking for something more advanced.
How to acquire upgrades
Before you consider any upgrades, players must know how to earn them. Doing so is easy enough, and can be done in two ways. XP can be earned though combat, as well as by completing quests throughout the game. Doing both is essential to get the most out of your abilities. The more upgrades you acquire, the more XP is demanded skills further up the upgrade tree.
Glacial Rake
In battle players will often find themselves overwhelmed. Glacial Rake is the beginning of the solution to that problem. With this skill unlocked, Kratos can send shards of ice hurtling toward opponents, stunning them and applying stacks of Frost. This leaves groups of enemies ripe for the taking.
Technique
This category in general is important and shouldn’t be overlooked by players. What Technique allows players to do is charge their weapons between strikes. This allows Kratos to attack with stronger elemental damage, important when facing enemies with elemental resistances. This can be applied to both the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos. The more you invest in this branch of upgrades, the stronger and more powerful elemental attacks players can dish out as Kratos.
Hyperion Grapple
This upgrade to the Blades of Chaos gives Kratos an unexpected means of traversal. Much like the Meathook in Doom Eternal’s Super Shotgun, you don’t bring your enemies to you. Rather, the players use the Blades of Chaos to hurl themselves to an enemy. This can be great for focusing attacks on one target with the added benefit of stunning them. Or should the need arise, getting out of a sticky situation to find some breathing room in a particularly hard fight.
Permafrost
This is a skill for players who feel confident in their skills or have shown mastery in God of War Ragnarök. The premise of this skill is simple but effective: the more hits you land with the Leviathan Axe, the more Frost damage you inflict. There is a caveat however, this only applies when Kratos has not been damaged. Meaning as soon as players take a hit, Permafrost is reset. Should players be able to avoid damage, Permafrost is great for building up Frost damage over time.
Serpent’s Snare
Arguably one of the best attacks to have unlocked early in the game. Serpent’s Snare can set players up for combos if timed right. When used correctly, Kratos will launch enemies up in the air, this will send Frost shards in a small radius. Good for both combo setup and crowd control, Serpent’s Snare is not one to be missed.
