Quick Links
2018's God of War has forced its way back into the limelight, as the game traded in its PlayStation-exclusive loyalty badge for a PC release. The PC iteration hit stores on January 14, 2022, and has received a big thumbs up from PC gamers in regards to its technical performance.
PlayStation exclusives releasing on PC is a growing trend, with God of War being a particularly notable port as the game was considered by some to be the very best release of the eighth-generation of home consoles and a legitimate console-seller. The one and only problem with great video games, however, is that they can leave players with a void when completed. Thankfully, God of War has a New Game+ mode, letting players experience the epic 20-hour adventure all over again, with a few new features thrown in for good measure.
Updated July 4, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: God of War has been nothing short of a rampant success ever since its launch in 2018, and the fact that PC players are so hyped about the windows port shows just how popular the IP really is. Controlling Kratos as he travels through the various realms of Midgard in order to give a proper sendoff to his deceased wife makes for a great time, with the story having several twists and turns of its own. With New Game+, players can experience this amazing journey once again. Santa Monica Studios has gone above and beyond when it comes to this mode, with several new additions that make the playthrough feel almost fresh at times. Here's everything that players need to know about this new game mode and how it will affect the player experience.
What Is New Game+ & How Do You Start It?
New Game+ is an unlockable game mode that is common in modern action-adventure games. In most cases, New Game+ lets players start a new campaign but with their upgrades and armor still intact - it's not all good news, however, as most New Game+ modes also ramp up the difficulty. JRPG Chrono Trigger was the first game to implement a mode titled New Game Plus, though other games had incorporated the idea before, most notably The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros.
Like in most cases, New Game+ is available to players in God of War once they beat the game. After completing the campaign, simply head to the main menu and select the New Game+ option beneath Settings. It really is as simple as that, and players can embark on this adventure once again... albeit with a few minor changes.
Does The Difficulty Increase?
Yes, enemies will scale up in difficulty. This isn't the only change that occurs in enemies, however, as many of them will adopt new attack patterns, which not only increases the challenge in a natural way but also helps add a layer of unpredictability and freshness to the second playthrough, something that many New Game+ modes lack.
The mode's difficulty is largely up to the player though, as God of War's New Game+ once again gives players the chance to choose from four different difficulty options. On the Give Me a Challenge and brutally difficult Give Me God of War setting, some enemies will even appear as Elite variants, which will definitely ramp up the challenge quite a bit.
On top of all this, the attack patterns of certain enemies also change. This will force players to think quickly on their feet and figure out various counters for these new moves. This applies to the Valkyries as well, who will definitely be no slouch when players decide to fight them once again in their New Game+ playthrough.
What Carries Over?
Thankfully, players don't have to return to square one when taking on the New Game+ challenge, as almost everything that the player earned will remain with them for the new playthrough. Players will keep their skills, their Hacksilver, their armor, their accessories, and any Runic Attacks that they unlocked. The same applies to purchases and unlocks for Atreus.
As for what doesn't carry over, story items and unlocks like the Blades of Chaos will be removed.
Is There Any New Content?
Along with the aforementioned new attack patterns that enemies will utilize, New Game+ lets players craft more powerful armor than before, while also adding new enchantments, talismans, and even armor sets. Some of these armor sets are upgraded versions of existing ones, while others are brand new and feature abilities that aren't included in the base game.
In order to craft said armor, players will also gain access to brand new resources called Skap Slag which is available only in New Game+. This helps craft Perfect Rarity-Level Gear, which helps create some of the best armor in the game. Various Shield Skins that were only obtainable as pre-order bonuses can also be used in New Game+.
There are some new Timed Realm Tears that can also be encountered in the game, all of which store extremely powerful enemies that make for some really challenging encounters. Players need to be perfect with their combos and abilities to take down these powerful foes.
It's also possible to skip cutscenes in New Game+, though players may want to take the time to re-watch them, as there are a handful of story moments and pieces of dialogue that will only make sense after finishing the game.
God of War is available now on PlayStation 4 and PC.