God of War: Ragnarok – Combat System, What’s new?

God of War Ragnarok - Combat System, What's new - Cover

In the latest news for God of War: Ragnarok, it seems that the team behind the game has revamped the entire combat system. According to the game’s lead combat designer, players can expect new things and features to the combat system in God of War.

Here is everything new coming to Kratos’ revamped combat system in the upcoming release of God of War: Ragnarok.

The new combat system in God of War: Ragnarok will make more use of the Triangle button

In the previous installment of God of War, they added new elemental attacks for Kratos. However, this feature was not used too much by players as they stuck to the traditional combat in God of War.

But in an interview with Game Informer, the lead combat designer for the game revealed new changes to the combat system. According to Mihir Sheth, they have focused on changing up what the Triangle button does. Furthermore, the button won’t be used just to make Kratos’ axe come back.

God of War Ragnarok - Combat System, What's new - Art
Image Courtesy of Sony Santa Monica

Now, they focused on changing what the Triangle button does. If you were already holding the Leviathan Axe and pressed Triangle, nothing special happened. And if you had the Blades of Chaos equipped, pressing the Triangle button just swapped the weapon to the axe.

“What if you could do something a little bit different with that button?” Sheth asked before proceeding to explain how their team came up with a brand-new combat system for God of War: Ragnarok.

Players can make use of Weapon Signature Moves in the upcoming God of War game

Following Sheth’s changes to the use of the Triangle button, it will now activate these Weapon Signature Moves. The new feature was elaborated further as it allows players to deal elemental damage to their enemies.

Using these Weapon Signature Moves in God of War: Ragnarok allows Kratos to infuse his weapons with elements.

  • For the Leviathan Axe, Kratos can infuse it with ice and attack enemies with the Frost Awaken.
  • As for the Blades of Chaos, it will have the elemental power of fire and can inflict damage on enemies with Whiplash.

Both attacks inflict additional damage to whichever enemy they hit. It seems that the team behind God of War really want to make use of Kratos’ different weapons by infusing them with their own elements.

Sheth also explained that the reason they came up with these changes to the combat system is to provide a more enjoyable experience for players. What they were going for was Kratos “playing with his food” in a sense that players can enjoy defeating enemies with different move sets.

Two new arm shields will be available in the upcoming game

In the report from Game Informer, they also revealed two arm shields called Dauntless and Stonewall. These shields provide a bonus for the player if they manage to use them right.

God of War Ragnarok - Combat System, What's new - Gameplay

  • For Dauntless, successfully parrying at the last second gives players the ability to cast a high damage counter
  • As for Stonewall, this shield fires off a kinetic blast after the player blocks off a certain amount of damage from enemies

These features are not the only changes and improvements to the combat system of God of War. From previous gameplay trailers, we already saw some of the new features coming to the combat system.

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It won’t be long until God of War: Ragnarok releases. Like with previous releases in the franchise, it is going to be a Sony exclusive. God of War: Ragnarok launches on November 2, 2022 for both the PlayStation 4 & 5.

What do you think about these changes to the combat system in God of War? Do you think it will make the game better in terms of enjoyment? Let us know what you’re looking forward to the most about God of War: Ragnarok in the comments below.


If you have other questions about God of War, feel free to share them down in the comments. Until then, stay with us here at Spiel Times for more content.

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SOURCES: Game Informer, Sony Santa Monica 

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