After more than four years, finally, God of War Ragnarok is set to release on November 9th for PS4 and PS5. There’s a lot of hype around the sequel and whether it can live up to, much less surpass the original. But we’re more excited at the sheer scale of this venture and all of the incredible things that it will offer for days (and potentially, weeks) to come. Here are ten things we can’t wait to do in God of War Ragnarok.
Fight Thor
We have no way of knowing how the story will play out. Will Kratos and Atreus survive Ragnarok, and still be a family? What is Odin’s ultimate goal? How will the two sides clash? How does Tyr, play into all of this? Will the world come to an end? There are many questions, but one thing that has to happen – and which we want for sure – is a battle with Thor.
Have it play out in the beginning, much like Kratos’ fight with the Stranger did. Have it play out later in a larger setting with both forces unleashing the full extent of their power. Regardless, it needs to happen so we can finally see the two powerhouses go at it. Of course, bashing Thor with Mjolnir and then claiming the weapon for ourselves wouldn’t be too shabby either.
Discover New Combos
Back in the day when Kratos was still stomping around Greece, a new God of War title was always an exciting prospect. It meant new combat possibilities, whether from new weapons or new techniques added to the older one. That same excitement applies to Ragnarok, especially after all of the little gameplay snippets seen thus far.
Kratos now has Weapon Signature Moves, as seen with Frost Awaken for the Leviathan Axe and Whiplash for the Blades of Chaos, which add ice and fire damage to their respective weapons. It’s only one new addition revealed thus far, but which leads to even deeper theory-crafting around combat. What further means we’ll use to mercilessly destroy our opponents while making the combo counter rise has us excited.
Play With Verticality
Another interesting aspect, both in terms of combat and level design, is the increased verticality of some environments and the movement options. This was seen in Svartalfheim, as Kratos effortlessly leaped off of structures for ground slam attacks or grappled up ledges to reach enemies. Also, being able to stick enemies with the Leviathan Axe, and knock them off of ledges to create an icy explosion below? Brilliant. Not only does this make combat a lot more fluid while keeping it fairly grounded, it could also lead to new sights and more interesting exploration segments.
Use New Weapons and Shields
It wouldn’t be a new God of War without new weapons, and while they’re definitely present, Santa Monica Studio has thus far focused on something else – new shields. The Dauntless Shield is a parry-focused shield where parrying at the last moment can allow for stunning and greatly knocking opponents back. The Stonewall Shield is different – it doesn’t parry at all.
Instead, it absorbs energy while blocking and after fully charging, you can slam it on the ground to knock enemies into the air with great force. Both shields have their own unique uses and feed into different aspects of combat, and there’s probably even more to come. Now all we need are details on the new weapons.
Experiment With New Builds
For how awesome the first game looked, from its initial reveal all the way up to release, there were definitely concerns around the RPG-lite mechanics. These were pretty much unfounded in the final release, as players could easily access powerful armor and Runes to customize some pretty great builds. Ragnarok doesn’t have to drastically increase the complexity, but having more options for even crazier builds would be great (like, say, a tank that feeds into the Stonewall Shield’s damage absorption).
Explore New Realms
While God of War (2018) only provided access to six of the nine realms, Ragnarok will let you explore all nine. Svartalfheim is a brand new one, presenting Dwarven cities with incredible engineering and environmental puzzles that rely on freezing geysers with the Leviathan Axe to progress, among other things. Lest you think the sequel is recycling the previous game’s realms, there will be brand new areas to explore in all of them. This is on top of new means of traversal, like the previously revealed wolf-sled.
Slay Dragons, Einherjar, and More
Speaking of wolves, a large wolf, which many believe to be Fenrir, was already teased in the “Father and Son” cinematic. In addition, GameInformer’s cover reveal for Ragnarok confirmed that there would be dragons. Given how things turned out with Freya in the previous game, it’s a safe bet that she’ll fight against Kratos and Atreus on more than one occasion.
And if that weren’t enough, two new Valkyries, Hrist and Gna, were confirmed last year along with the Einjerhar, Odin’s warriors that have been preparing for Ragnarok. Overall, the potential for new boss fights is pretty crazy and yet it feels like we haven’t even scratched the surface.
New Challenges
The Valkyries remain some of the best optional bosses in gaming, ramping up slightly in difficulty and variety as you progress through God of War (2018). Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen, serves as a culmination of all these fights, pushing your skills to the absolute limit. It seems a given that Ragnarok will have its own tough optional challenges. Given the sheer variety that its predecessor had aside from the Valkyries – like Fafnir and the Travellers – we’re hoping for something even meatier this time around.
Experience New Side Content
New areas means new side content. Judging from the reveal of Svartalfheim, there will be new NPCs to interact with and side quests to undertake. Even without taking optional bosses into account, there could be new Realm Tears to uncover, new trials that perhaps delve deeper into Muspelheim, and much more.
Of course, something like Niflheim with its random arrangements and replay value would also be appreciated. Perhaps some repeatable dungeons with different difficulties for greater rewards? One could always hope.
Look for Secrets
Secrets are an important part of the experience in any game, and God of War is no exception. Remember the mystery and puzzle to uncover the Shattered Gauntlet of Ages in the previous game? Something like that would be great in Ragnarok, but we’re expecting a lot more in terms of secrets.
Hidden Easter eggs, shocking lore bits, revelations that shine more light on the world, and maybe even references to other Sony franchises would all be ideal. This is the last game in the Norse saga after all so some surprises would be a given.
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