PLEASE NOTE: This article contains MAJOR Spoilers for God of War Ragnarok. Proceed at your own risk.God of War Ragnarok is a significant leap forward for the God of War franchise in terms of gameplay. The incredible foundation it had to build from is extrapolated further with many additions and alterations to combat that make it more attuned to players’ preferred playstyles, while also giving them incentive to try different attacks with their assorted armaments. But while their implementation in combat is obviously inherently important, it is also important to consider their contribution to how satisfying environmental puzzles are in God of War Ragnarok.
In the previous God of War, there was a limited amount of utility in puzzles for each of Kratos’ weapons. This was fine, since puzzles and environmental exploration clearly took a backseat to learning combat fundamentals. But now that Santa Monica Studio has its bearings with a new direction for the God of War franchise, it can flesh out these features and mechanics more. Environmental puzzles are a greatly improved feature in God of War Ragnarok, for example, and reinforced with how versatile weapons are when it comes to traversal and environmental interaction.
How the Leviathan Axe Contributes to Puzzles in God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok’s Leviathan Axe is particularly useful when large mechanisms have a gear that can be frozen in place. This is usually done when Kratos can rotate a wheel device that lifts or lowers something, and throwing the axe at the gear will then lock it in place for Kratos to leave the wheel and advance. But God of War Ragnarok also features many water geysers and irrigation channels that players can hurl their axe at too for the same effect, where water halted in one spot may activate another mechanism in the distance. Svartlfheim’s Applecore in God of War Ragnarok is ripe with these sorts of puzzles, putting the axe to great use other than simply cleaving Grims, bergsras, or raiders.
In terms of puzzles, God of War Ragnarok reprises Nornir chests that task players with triggering three runic sigils to unlock them. This often results in players hurling the axe at breakable runes in the distance or bells that must be struck in a timed sequence.
How the Blades of Chaos Contribute to Puzzles in God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok’s Blades of Chaos are particularly useful when there are any environmental structures that can be pulled in a certain direction, or when there is blue-flowered or red-flowered bramble shrouding a passageway, chest, or item. For blue-flowered bramble, players need to simply aim and hurl the blades at them to burn it away. God of War Ragnarok’s red-flowered bramble is more particular, however, since it requires players to have an imbued runic arrow for Freya and Atreus. Once this runic sigil hex has been obtained, players need to switch their companion’s arrow type to and then fire a sigil at the red-flowered bramble.
Players can then aim and launch their blades the same way they would with blue-flowered bramble, and as long as a sigil is there it will burn the bramble away. Runic sigil arrows are also significant for other puzzles as well, such as when Nornir chests need braziers lit that are too far for the blades to reach. Sigil arrows can extend the range that the axe’s frost or the blade’s fire can reach by creating individual runic bubbles that all connect to one another, applying the desired status effect in a chained succession. The blades are also incredibly useful for God of War Ragnarok’s improved traversal mechanics, when environments allow for the player to quickly repel from or leap up a ledge.
How the Draupnir Spear Contributes to Puzzles in God of War Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok’s Draupnir Spear is an entirely new weapon with its own unique skill tree. The spear creates wind-oriented concussive turbulence and siphoning damage in combat, but it also has immediate uses in environmental interaction and puzzles. The spear can manifest multiple other smaller spears through different close-ranged and long-ranged attacks, with impaled spears capable of manual detonation on the player’s command. These spear throws can collapse rock faces through cracks with yellow light emanating out from them, sometimes with multiple points needed to detonate the entire rock face.
Further, players can throw spears into respective wind spouts in God of War Ragnarok for Kratos to traverse along. Tiny runes appear near particular Nornir chests that cannot be destroyed with the axe; these runes must instead all have a spear embedded in them and detonated at once to unlock the chest.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.