Gameplay details on God of War Ragnarok have been surprisingly scarce up to this point, and with the game releasing in November, fans have been itching for more information. A gameplay trailer for God of War Ragnarok was released back at the PlayStation Showcase in 2021, but after that, the game and developers went quiet about new features or changes to the gameplay. Now, more details have surfaced, and it seems like minor tweaks to existing mechanics from 2018's God of War are the focus of the combat system.
The gameplay for the 2018 reboot of God of War was changed substantially from the original series of games. Instead of focusing on lots of weapons in a zoomed-out camera point of view, players were pulled closer to the action in an over-the-shoulder camera style, similar to games like Resident Evil 4. Weapons were then reduced and designed to be used in specific situations, such as switching to bare hands to increase the stun meter of enemies. In new details regarding the combat in the sequel, God of War Ragnarok will feature the return of the two major weapons from the previous game, the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos, but their functions have been expanded, and new shields will allow players to choose what they need at any circumstance in battle.
According to Lead Combat Designers Mihir Sheth and Denny Yeh, the combat was designed to go further than God of War and expand on what was already present. There will be a new elemental system tied to the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos. Players will be able to infuse ice with the axe, and fire with the blades. These weapons together make up a system called Weapon Signature Moves that are performed with a simple press of the triangle button, which didn't serve a function in the original game besides recalling the thrown Leviathan Axe or switching back to the axe if another weapon was equipped.
New details have also emerged regarding defensive options in God of War Ragnarok. There will be two different shields, one focused on quick parries and movement called the Dauntless Shield, with the other, focused on slower-paced, defensive combat, called the Stonewall Shield. Both these shields will allow players to best decide how they want to play and how to approach combat, similar to how players can approach different combat situations in the Dark Souls series. The developers also confirmed there will be more shields than just those two.
It remains to be seen if there will be new weapons for Kratos and Atreus to wield, but an expansion to 2018 God of War's fantastic combat system seems like the right move for the developers. Now that combat details are slowly trickling out, fans are sure to be wondering what builds can be made in God of War Ragnarok, but that will remain a mystery for now.
God of War Ragnarok is scheduled to release on November 9, 2022, for PS4 and PS5.
Source: Gameinformer