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.
Starting God of War Ragnarok can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
God of War Ragnarok is a action game built around Three weapon rotation and Stun meter and grabs. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe Frost Build | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Blades of Chaos Burn Build | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Draupnir Spear Explosive Build | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Shield Parry Build | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Luck Perk Build | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Blades of Chaos Burn Build. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Luck Perk Build as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn 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.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Three weapon rotation works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to 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.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Blades of Chaos: it's the most accessible early upgrade. 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.
Step 4: Understand 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.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to 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.
Essential Mechanics Explained
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.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. Leaving Spartan Rage on Fury for the whole campaign without ever testing Valor, whose healing shockwave is the single biggest survivability change available
5. 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
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Three weapon rotation and Stun meter and grabs
- Choose Blades of Chaos Burn Build as starting role
- Clear Svartalfheim main content
- Acquire Blades of Chaos or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Alfheim
- 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.
Tips for New Players
- 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.
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 God of War Ragnarok Overview
- God of War Ragnarok Best Builds
- God of War Ragnarok Tier List
- God of War Ragnarok Walkthrough
- 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
Similar Games
If you enjoy God of War Ragnarok, check out these related guides:
- Helldivers 2 Beginner's Guide: action game with similar mechanics
- Black Myth: Wukong Beginner's Guide: action game with similar mechanics
- Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner's Guide: action game with similar mechanics
