God of War Ragnarök Tips and Tricks for PS5: What Should You Know to Master the Game?

God of War Ragnarok is more than just an action-packed game. It is a lavishly crafted strategic journey that demands patience and strategy from players. Whether you’re a returning player or someone new to the Nine Realms, Ragnarok offers layers of depth in exploration and combat. This guide will help you to master parrying and dodging, focus on Kratos’ and Atreus’ core skills upgrades, and thoroughly explore the realms during the early as well as mid, and last phases of the game. As you progress in the game, you should try different builds and experiment with playstyles, take on side quests for rewards or XP, and use Realm Shifts for tough fights. Players should keep an eye out for legendary and Nornir chests for survival, health, and powerful runic attacks. Ultimately, God of War Ragnarok is both an emotional and epic journey about god-slaying that requires patience and flexibility.    

What makes God of War Ragnarök different from its predecessor?

God of War Ragnarok builds upon the foundation of God of War, released in 2018, but it quickly sets itself apart with a faster pacing, expanded mechanics, and evolving tone. While both games share a similar foundation, Ragnarok leans into a more emotionally complex and expansive narrative, incorporating more humor and a wider range of emotional beats alongside the somber atmosphere. This is due to the increased involvement of supporting characters, more overtly mythological events, and the unfolding of grander. 

The narrative of God of War Ragnarok is more dynamic, shifting between characters and pushing players through realms with less downtime and greater intensity. Ragnarok introduces more refined combat and traversal options, mechanically. Likewise, players can access all previously unlocked weapons early on and gain new tools like Draupnir Spear, which adds variation to both puzzles and combat. With more interactive abilities and strategic choices, the companion system is also deeper. 

However, in terms of pacing, Ragnarok can feel less consistently focused than God of War, as it had a relatively straightforward journey with a clear destination, creating a more tightly controlled pace. Ragnarok sometimes juggles various plot threads due to its exploration of multiple realms and a larger cast, leading to moments to feel more drawn out and less urgent. Although this allows a more diverse environment and richer world-building. Overall, Ragnarok feels like a natural evolution, holding the emotional depth of its predecessor while ramping up the action, scope, and variety in nearly every aspect. 

12 Must-Know Tips and Tricks For God of War Ragnarok Players

While playing God of War Ragnarok, you can use tips and tricks to easily slaughter your way through the Nine Realms as the father-son duo, Kratos and Atreus. Although you can play much like the original game, players can use a few tips, like switching weapons mid-combo, customizing their build, upgrading runic attacks, tracking favors, mastering elemental charging, and prioritizing key skills. 

1. Break everything — from pots to hanging traps — for hidden loot

Breaking environmental objects like pots, vases, or hanging buckets in Ragnarok drops some hacksilver, the game’s main currency, health boosts, or crafting materials. The reward after breaking them is 100% sure. Whether in the middle of a combat zone or a calm exploration area, breaking these objects will give you the edge you need. Although the boxes and barrels on the ground don’t have a payout for breaking them, containers and barrels you see while sledding can be smashed by running into them for crafting rewards and cash. Hence, always keep an eye on these items for hidden loot and materials.    

2. Charge your weapons for max impact

You can charge your weapons for maximum impact or a devastating charged strike with extra frost or fire damage by holding down or mashing triangle for the blades or axe, respectively. This helps increase the elemental effect on the next hit, like with the Leviathan Axe, you can freeze enemies solid, and charging the Blades of Chaos ignites them, adding burn damage. The charged attacks have a strong area-of-effect (AoE) impact, which is perfect for breaking enemy shields or armour while facing heavily defended enemies.  

3. Unlock core skills early — especially elemental and evade-based ones

Unlock core skills that enhance elemental damage and evasion early, as they help improve your combat effectiveness and rhythm significantly. Likewise, you should focus on upgrading abilities like Flame Whiplash for the Blades of Chaos and Frost Awaken for the Leviathan Axe to boost elemental impact and build up status effects more efficiently. Furthermore, you should prioritise skills such as Countering Strike or Evade Attack to enhance dodging and parrying, and increase your survivability and deal more damage in fast-paced encounters. This type of upgrade helps you handle tougher enemies in the early to mid-game. 

4. Switch between the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos based on enemy type

Each weapon in the game comes with unique strengths to use depending on the situation and the enemy. The Leviathan Axe is best suited for attacking single enemies, whereas the Blades of Chaos are best for groups. Hence, switching or swapping weapons to match enemy weaknesses keeps you in control of the battlefield and makes fights quicker. Furthermore, fist combat fills an enemy’s stun bar quickly, allowing you to pull off finisher moves faster for big damage attacks or even an instakill. A swift switch between all your weapon options helps maximise your impact in the battle. 

5. Choose armor that complements your combat style, not just stats

In God of Warm, armors were designed to provide basic buffs and bonuses for wearing a full set or mixing and matching. Whereas in Ragnarok, armor is designed to enhance specific styles of play with effects that stack and interlock. Hence, you should choose an armour that suits your fighting style, like going for strength-heavy sets that most melee damage and rage gain if you’re an aggressive player. Likewise, if you prefer keeping distance, go with cooldown reduction armor for skill-spammers who rely on runic attacks. 

6. Focus on upgrading armor before replacing it in the early game

In the early stage of Ragnarok, it is more cost-effective to upgrade your existing armour using your money and resources than to switch to new sets constantly. As resources are limited in the early phase, enhancing one reliable set can provide better protection and performance without draining your materials. You should focus on improving a strong set you like rather than chasing every slightly better piece. However, as you will eventually swap your armor set, upgrade your existing armor until mid-game and wait to see what your expanding options offer you.  

7. Pay attention to combat indicators and on-screen arrows

Players should pay close attention to the on-screen arrows and the combat indicators, as they provide crucial warnings about incoming threats that aren’t on screen. A red arrow means they’re attacking, a yellow arrow means an enemy is nearby or approaching, and a purple arrow means a projectile is headed in your direction. The red and purple arrows are quick alerts, and you’ll need to dodge instantly to avoid damage. Likewise, a double arrow also indicates an unblockable attack that you must dodge to avoid taking damage. Knowing this and reacting quickly to these cues helps you avoid hits and maintain control in chaotic fights. 

8. Use the environment in fights — throw rocks, slam enemies into walls

In God of War Ragnarok, certain areas will have objects like pieces of rock, jars that explode, and tree trunks that can be hit, thrown, and used to do high damage to enemies. Using the environment during combat gives you a real tactical advantage and can deal significant damage, stun enemies quickly, and help control crowds more efficiently. This is also a smart way to preserve resources in tougher fights without wasting runic energy or Spartan Rage, all while keeping combat dynamic and fresh. 

9. Don’t skip Nornir chests — they boost your health and rage

Nornir chests are special rune crates that are full of loot and are always worth opening. Mostly, Nornir chests reward you with Horns of Blood Mead that boost your Spartan Rage meter or Idunn Apples that increase your maximum health. Both of the elements are vital for surviving boss battles or tougher enemies. These chests require three objects hidden around the environment to be smashed, lit, moved, and so on. Lastly, skipping these chests can slow down your progression, making Kratos vulnerable as the difficulty level increases.  

10. Side quests aren’t filler — they often unlock game-changing rewards

Side quests or favors offer meaningful lore, powerful upgrades, and essential resources that significantly enhance your gameplay. Completing favors rewards you with rare armour sets, enchantments, or unique abilities that you won’t find along the main story path. Exploring realms like Vanaheim unlocks a hidden jungle area with rare loot and high-level enemies, while Svartalfheim offers environmental puzzles and Dwarven challenges that reward you with powerful crafting materials. Moreover, side quests are one of the fastest ways to gain XP and resources. 

11. Fast travel through mystic gateways to refresh and regroup

Fast travelling through Mystic Gateways is a smart and handy trick to step into a gateway and restore your health, making it ideal for regrouping after big fights or tougher parts of the game. Likewise, you can also return to Sindri’s house and upgrade your gear, craft new items, and tweak your loadout as needed. Fast travel is perfect for refreshing your resources, reducing downtime between boss battles, and resetting cooldowns. It is an efficient and quick way to stay battle-ready without wasting any second.   

12. Visit the Huldra Brothers often for upgrades and new gear

You should visit the Huldra Brothers, Sindri and Brok, regularly as they constantly unlock enchantments, upgrades, and gears with a fairly expansive selection as your journey progresses. Likewise, they have a chest that fills with any rare loot that you missed or was dropped by an enemy. Furthermore, stopping by their workshop after completing side quests or any major story moments reveals powerful new abilities and items to enhance your exploration and combat. Also, visiting them ensures you are fully equipped with the best tools available at all times, making your journey much smoother. 

Tips and tricks to know before starting God of War Ragnarok

Before starting your God of War Ragnarok journey, you should know a few practical tips, like selecting a difficulty level that suits your comfort. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of starting from a lower level if you’re into the story or new to the series. You should take your time and explore every area thoroughly as you progress, as hidden chests, valuable upgrades, and side quests are often hidden from the main path. Likewise, avoid hoarding resources like materials and hacksilver and use them to upgrade gears, weapons, and abilities as you progress to stay battle-ready. 

It is also crucial to pay close attention to tutorials and lore drops as they contain clues to puzzles or helpful combat tips. You should spend XP in skills that complement your early-game playstyle, as some later abilities may not be worth unlocking straight away. Nonetheless, players should be patient and embrace a flexible playstyle with their approach to traversal and combat, experiment with different weapons and tactics, and accept the learning curve. As we know, mastering both exploration and combat takes time, patience, and flexibility allows you to experiment and grow with the game. 

Besides this, if you’re struggling with control schemes, check out 10 Hidden PS5 Controller Tips and Tricks You Didn’t Know About and take advantage of the PS5’s customisable controller options for a more tailored experience. The tips and tricks, and controller settings guide help you optimise controls, tweak visuals, and enable accessibility features for smoother gameplay. 

What are the Extra Tips and Tricks For Better Control of Game?

For better control and comfort in God of War Ragnarok, you should spend time on your controller setup. You can start by remapping buttons since small changes can make big improvements in muscle memory and reaction time, especially if dodging and parrying feel awkward. Enabling features like auto pickup and aim assist streamlines exploration and combat by reducing the need for constant manual inputs. Adjusting camera sensitivity can also help keep up with fast-moving enemies during chaotic encounters. The lock-on feature may assist during larger fights, though it can narrow peripheral awareness. Players can also rely on audio cues like weapon sounds and enemy grunts to block and dodge attacks more effectively. Accessibility settings like mini-boss indicators, high contrast mode, and visual cues can further enhance clarity and response timing in intense battles.

For players seeking a hardware edge, the custom PS5 controller offers remappable back buttons and grip modifications that improve comfort and reaction speed, ideal for mastering high-demand titles like God of War and Ragnarok.