TL;DR
- Explore thoroughly after reaching Lake of Nine for essential crafting resources and sidequests
- Master the quick turn mechanic (D-pad down) for survival in tight combat spaces
- Strategically utilize Light and Heavy Runic Attacks with proper cooldown management
- Invest in a focused skill tree path rather than spreading XP too thin
- Always search for Yggdrasil Dew and upgrade armor through challenge realms
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God of War represents a dramatic evolution from previous series installments, presenting PC newcomers with a fundamentally transformed gameplay experience. The complete overhaul affects every core system—combat adopts a strategic over-the-shoulder perspective, progression incorporates deep RPG mechanics, and exploration shifts to semi-open world design. These comprehensive changes can initially overwhelm players accustomed to the classic God of War formula.
The game introduces expansive exploration zones filled with meaningful optional content that significantly impacts your progression. A sophisticated multi-branch skill tree offers diverse combat specializations unlockable through experience points. Embracing its RPG foundations, God of War enables extensive armor crafting and enhancement systems. With these complex interconnected systems, we’ve compiled 11 foundational strategies to accelerate your mastery.
Have additional insights we haven’t covered? Share your expertise in the comments section. Don’t miss our comprehensive God of War review. For additional guidance, consult our progression systems breakdown. Explore our curated gallery featuring the game’s most powerful Legendary armor collections.
As highlighted, this iteration of God of War employs a significantly more open structural design. The initial hours follow a linear path, but upon accessing the Lake of Nine, the game world expands dramatically with optional regions rich with resources. While main story progression remains accessible, dedicating time to thorough exploration yields substantial rewards in Hacksilver currency, crafting materials, and equipment upgrades.
You’ll discover substantial side narratives through dedicated questlines that provide unique storytelling and gameplay incentives. Concurrently, the optional combat encounters during exploration generate additional experience points, unlocking advanced abilities within the skill tree. While God of War’s primary narrative excels, neglecting its supplementary content means missing crucial power progression opportunities. Concealed throughout each realm’s periphery are caches of valuable items and secrets deserving investigation.
During exploration phases, meticulously scrutinize every environmental detail. Numerous treasure chests populate the landscape, containing essential items and upgrade resources. Additionally, whenever you encounter Runic Chests, prioritize unlocking them as they typically contain vital stat-enhancing artifacts like Idunn Apples and Horns of Blood Mead, which permanently boost your health and Spartan Rage capacities. These containers rarely require specific abilities to access, so carefully examine surroundings for environmental puzzles.


God of War’s shoulder perspective camera necessitates tactical positioning when facing multiple adversaries. While evasive rolling handles most dangerous situations, certain combat arenas provide limited maneuvering space. Fortunately, the quick turn ability—activated by pressing the directional pad downward—offers rapid reorientation. This maneuver may initially disorient but proves invaluable when enemies assault from behind. Avoid spamming the input, as accidental double activation returns you to the original vulnerable position.
If the default quick turn configuration feels unintuitive, multiple alternative layouts are available. Access the options menu and select your preferred configuration within the gameplay settings section.
While basic attacks and combos effectively eliminate standard foes, consistently integrate Runic Attacks into your combat rhythm. These potent special abilities equip to your weapons and activate by holding L1 while pressing R1 or R2. Two distinct Runic Attack categories exist: Light and Heavy variants. The game features numerous Runic Attacks to collect, each possessing unique effects, attributes, and cooldown durations. You can enhance their potency through XP investment upgrades.










Action Checklist
- Thoroughly explore Lake of Nine region for crafting materials and sidequests
- Master quick turn mechanic (D-pad down) in confined combat spaces
- Customize Runic Attack loadouts based on enemy types and cooldown management
- Focus skill tree investments on complementary abilities rather than spreading XP thin
- Collect all Yggdrasil Dew drops for permanent stat boosts
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » God Of War (2018) Guide: 11 Tips For Beginners Master God of War's revamped combat, exploration, and RPG systems with essential PC beginner strategies
