With a Spartan father and Ragnarok swiftly approaching, Atreus has been prepared by his father, Kratos, for a war unlike any other. God of War: Ragnarok gives Atreus a lot more versatility and freedom in his combat, with some sections of the game even putting Atreus directly in the control of players, and not just his range of arrows and bow abilities in God of War: Ragnarok.
Atreus has four bow abilities in God of War: Ragnarok, and each of them is distinct in how they can assist both Atreus and Kratos as they navigate their way through the death and destruction of Fimbulwinter, and evade the mighty Thor and the All-Father, Odin.
4 Stinging Barrage
“Fires a powerful shot of several arrows at once that collide with heavy impact." This ability is unlocked at the start of the Old Friends quest. The ability also has Atreus fire several arrows for a staggering amount of damage and stun. Stun is vastly important in God of War: Ragnarok, as it allows players to click the R3 button for a unique combat animation, which will allow Kratos to perform a brutal execution or an increase in damage.
Stinging Barrage can benefit the player in a variety of ways and can be upgraded twice. The first level requires 1,250 XP and the second level needs 3,750 XP. By upgrading Stinging Barrage, players will see an increase in damage and stun, with a decreased cooldown from 70 seconds. Stinging Barrage is good but lacks the same output for damage and stun that some of the other abilities have, meaning Kratos should command the BOY to use something else.
3 Sharpshooter Stare
When players defeat the Bergsra Mother in The Lost Sanctuary, they will receive the Sharpshooter Stare bow ability for Atreus in God of War: Ragnarok. This ability has the official description of “increases the power of each shot”, meaning that there is a great high damage output for each special arrow that is fired by Atreus. This ability also features some stun, which can be beneficial to Kratos thanks to the brutal stun animations in God of War: Ragnarok.
By upgrading Sharpshooter Stare, players will see a massive increase in damage, as each arrow that Atreus fires provide them with more power, meaning more damage. It’s best to use this ability when focusing on a boss or a miniboss or even to allow Atreus to keep an enemy off of Kratos’ back as he deals with the tougher enemies in God of War: Ragnarok. The effective use of Sharpshooter Stare comes from great damage and stun, with upgrade levels at 1,250 XP and 3,750 XP.
2 Falling Sky
Falling Sky may have a cooldown of 100 seconds, but that does not stop it from being a great bow ability. The description of this God of War: Ragnarok’s ability reads, “Fires a cascade of disruptive Sonic Arrows to bombard the area.” This can be greatly effective in combat, as Sonic Arrows are beneficial to Stun damage and also disrupt enemy movements once the Sonic bar is full. With level 2 unlocking for 2,000 XP and level 3 unlocking at 4,500 XP, the Falling Sky ability can be of great use to players that need enemies to back off and chill out like the colds of Fimbulwinter.
Players will be able to find the Falling Sky bow ability after opening a Legendary Chest in Helheim. The specific chest is found easier in Unleashing Hel. By using Falling Sky, players are allowing the battlefield to be a danger zone for enemies, with an increase to Runic and Stun damage thanks to the plethora of arrows that shall be raining down.
1 Splintered Sigil
Splintered Sigil is the bow ability that provides the highest amount of Runic output. The ability reads, “The Sigil Arrow magically splits and hits all enemies.” The benefit of this ability comes from the power of Sigil Arrows, in which players will fire a pink arrow that will deal Runic damage. When the Runic bar is full, enemies will take increased damage to elemental effects, meaning throwing the Leviathan axe at an enemy or the Blades of Chaos unleashes great damage to vicious enemies of Ragnarok.
Players can find the Splintered Sigil bow ability once they venture to Asgard, the dangerous home of the Aesir Gods. From Asgard, players can find a Legendary Chest, which will require them to use Sigil Arrows to burn away the pants that cover it. The upgrades for this bow ability remain at 1,250 XP and 3,750 XP. By hitting all enemies in the vicinity, each enemy will have an increase in their Runic damage potential, thus making Atreus a worthy ally to Kratos as he battles the foes of himself and his son.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.