Santa Monica Studio's Ragnarok reached PC on 19 September 2024 with the free Valhalla add-on included in the package. Kratos and Atreus travel all Nine Realms during Fimbulwinter, and the Draupnir Spear, forged at Surtr's fire in Muspelheim, joins the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos as a genuine third weapon rather than a gadget. There are 35 Nornir Chests scattered across the game and 30 of them are enough to cap health and rage, which leaves room to skip the worst puzzles.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best characters, weapons worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Three weapon rotation
The Leviathan Axe applies Frost, the Blades of Chaos apply Burn, and the Draupnir Spear plants explosive charges you detonate on command. Enemy armour and resistances are designed to push you off whichever weapon feels comfortable, so the combat expects constant swapping rather than a single main weapon.
Stun meter and grabs
Every enemy carries a health bar plus a separate stun meter beneath it. Filling the stun meter opens a grab finisher that kills outright, and blunt impacts like shield bashes and heavy axe strikes build it far faster than fast light attacks do.
Shield loadouts
Five shields play completely differently. The Guardian Shield is the balanced default handed over by Brok and Sindri, the Dauntless Shield rewards tight parries by boosting the next shield bash, and the Stone Wall Shield absorbs incoming damage then releases it as a slam. The Shatter Star Shield sits in a Legendary Chest in Vanaheim's Abandoned Village and the Onslaught Shield drops immediately after the Garm fight in Helheim.
Armour stats and Enchantments
Chest, wrist and waist pieces distribute six stats: Strength, Runic, Defence, Vitality, Cooldown and Luck. Amulet Enchantments stack on top of armour perks, and a Luck heavy set triggers perk procs often enough that it becomes a build in its own right rather than a filler stat.
Spartan Rage modes
Rage comes in three forms swapped at any workbench. Fury is the original berserk punching, Valor trades damage for a healing shockwave that also breaks a combo you are trapped in, and Wrath is a short high damage burst. Valor is the standard pick on Give Me God of War because healing is otherwise rationed.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our God of War Ragnarok combat guide.
Characters Overview
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe Frost Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Blades of Chaos Burn Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Draupnir Spear Explosive Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Shield Parry Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Luck Perk Build | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our God of War Ragnarok builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Weapons Guide
| Weapon | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe | The throwing axe that applies Frost, slows enemies and detonates when the Frost meter fills. | Group control, ranged pressure, and slowing large enemies before committing to melee. |
| Blades of Chaos | Chained blades applying Burn, with the widest sweeps and the fastest damage output. | Damage races, packed groups, and any fight where staying inside the enemy's reach is safe. |
| Draupnir Spear | Forged at Surtr's fire in Muspelheim and thrown in stacks that detonate together. | Armoured Einherjar in Asgard, shielded enemies, and Berserker fights where reach matters. |
| Dauntless Shield | The parry focused shield, with a wide timing window and a bash that grows stronger after a clean parry. | Players who prefer to parry than dodge, and the Berserker Gravestone fights where openings are narrow. |
| Talon Bow | Atreus's bow, used directly during the sections where you play as him and called in as support arrows while playing as Kratos. | The Atreus playable chapters and interrupting casters during Kratos fights. |
Leviathan Axe: The throwing axe that applies Frost, slows enemies and detonates when the Frost meter fills. It has the best crowd control of the three weapons and is the safest option against anything that hits hard at close range.
Blades of Chaos: Chained blades applying Burn, with the widest sweeps and the fastest damage output. The Immolation state that follows a full Burn meter adds fire damage to everything that lands afterward, including Runic attacks.
Draupnir Spear: Forged at Surtr's fire in Muspelheim and thrown in stacks that detonate together. It has the longest reach in Kratos's kit and its charges strip armour faster than either of the older weapons.
Dauntless Shield: The parry focused shield, with a wide timing window and a bash that grows stronger after a clean parry. It is the shield that changes how you play rather than the one that adds a number.
Talon Bow: Atreus's bow, used directly during the sections where you play as him and called in as support arrows while playing as Kratos. Sonic and Sigil arrows both stagger enemies and set up Kratos's heavier attacks.
Full breakdowns in our God of War Ragnarok weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Svartalfheim | Gear level 1 to 3 | Nidavellir shops, early Nornir Chests, the Applecore route, Brok and Sindri's forge upgrades |
| Alfheim | Gear level 2 to 4 | The Barrens Berserker Gravestone, Legendary Chests in the Forbidden Sands, Light and Dark Elf gear |
| Vanaheim | Gear level 3 to 5, with the Crater at 7 and above | Shatter Star Shield in the Abandoned Village, the Crater side content, Nidhogg, multiple Berserker Gravestones |
| Helheim | Gear level 4 to 6 | Onslaught Shield after the Garm fight, Hel Tears, King Hrolf Kraki's gravestone and the Hilt of Skofnung |
| Asgard | Gear level 5 to 7 | Heimdall's fight, Asgardian armour sets, late story Legendary Chests |
Svartalfheim: The dwarven mining region and the first large open area, built around Nidavellir, the Bay of Bounty and a set of rigs connected by boat. Water levels change with the tide, which opens and closes routes as the story moves.
Alfheim: The elf home split between the Light and Dark Elves, with The Barrens desert sitting between the Temple and the Forbidden Sands. It is far larger here than it was in the 2018 game and holds a heavy share of the optional content.
Vanaheim: The largest area in the game, green and overgrown, with Freyr's Camp as its hub and the Crater opening up as a post story region. The Sinkholes and Noatun's Garden hold some of the best optional fights.
Helheim: Cold, grey and built around the Garm storyline. It is more linear than Vanaheim and it holds one of the game's better boss fights, along with the shield that most aggressive builds end up wearing.
Asgard: Odin's seat, visited under a truce that nobody is honouring, with heavily armoured Einherjar guarding every hall. The story chapters here are tightly scripted, which makes them the point where a weak build finally fails.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Nornir Chests are the only permanent health and rage increases, and there are 35 of them. Thirty is enough to cap both bars, so the five most annoying puzzles can be skipped without penalty.
- Swap Spartan Rage at any workbench, for free, as often as you like. Valor for its healing shockwave carries hard runs, Wrath suits boss damage windows, and Fury suits crowds, so treat it as a per fight choice.
- Upgrade one armour set to its maximum rather than spreading resources across three. Enemy scaling in Ragnarok tracks your gear level, so half upgraded gear across three sets leaves you underlevelled everywhere.
- Blunt damage builds the stun meter far faster than blade damage. Shield bashes, the axe's heavy attacks and the spear's shaft strikes open grab finishers that skip the rest of an enemy's health bar entirely.
- The 48 Odin's Ravens are not just a checklist. Turning them in at Ratatoskr rewards materials and Enchantments that are difficult to obtain any other way, and they cluster near main story paths.
- Berserker Gravestones are the hardest optional content in the game and they are meant to be revisited. Come back at gear level 7 or higher for King Hrolf Kraki, who rewards the Hilt of Skofnung relic.
- The Draupnir Spear's charges detonate all at once, so stacking six into a single armoured target and triggering them removes more armour than any sustained melee combo will.
- Read enemy attack rings before choosing a response. Yellow rings can be parried or blocked, red rings must be dodged, and getting that wrong is what makes Give Me God of War feel unfair rather than hard.
- The Crater in Vanaheim opens as a post story area with some of the best gear in the base game. It is worth clearing before starting Valhalla, since it feeds directly into that content.
- Muspelheim and Niflheim are both optional and both worth doing. Muspelheim hosts the Crucible combat challenges, and clearing them supplies the materials the highest armour tiers need.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sticking to the Leviathan Axe because it feels familiar from the 2018 game, then hitting Asgard's armoured Einherjar with no Draupnir Spear skills invested.
- Ignoring the stun meter and grinding enemy health bars down with light attacks, when a grab finisher after a shield bash would have ended the fight in half the time.
- Spreading upgrade resources across several armour sets so no set reaches its full stat block, which leaves your gear level lagging behind the region you are in.
- Leaving Spartan Rage on Fury for the whole campaign without ever testing Valor, whose healing shockwave is the single biggest survivability change available.
- Attempting Berserker Gravestones at the gear level of the surrounding area, when most of them are tuned several levels above the story content around them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to play God of War 2018 first?
Yes, in practical terms. Ragnarok opens on Fimbulwinter with the consequences of Baldur's death already in motion, and the relationships between Kratos, Atreus, Freya and Mimir only make sense with the first game behind you.
Is Valhalla included in the PC version?
Yes. The free Valhalla add-on ships with the PC release. It is a roguelite mode set after the campaign, built around repeated runs through the Crucible with carried over progression.
How many Nornir Chests do I need to open?
Thirty of the 35 in the game. Six Idunn Apples fill one health increase and six Horns of Blood Mead fill one rage increase, and 30 chests supply enough of both to cap each bar.
Which shield should I use?
The Dauntless Shield if you intend to parry, the Stone Wall Shield if you would rather absorb and slam, and the Guardian Shield while you are still deciding. The Shatter Star and Onslaught shields both suit aggressive builds and arrive later.
Can I explore all Nine Realms?
Yes. Ragnarok opens every one of the Nine Realms, including Asgard and Vanaheim, which the 2018 game kept closed. Muspelheim and Niflheim are optional side areas rather than story locations.
More God of War Ragnarok Guides
- God of War Ragnarok Best Builds
- God of War Ragnarok Tier List
- God of War Ragnarok Walkthrough
- God of War Ragnarok Beginner's Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Tips & Tricks
- God of War Ragnarok Weapons Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Combat Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Boss Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Maps & Locations
- God of War Ragnarok Crafting Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Classes & Characters
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