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I remember booting up God of War Ragnarok for the first time, half-expecting to fumble through a completely new combat system. To my relief—and honestly, delight—the game doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It’s more like they took the wheel, polished it, added some spikes, and handed it back with a knowing grin. That familiarity from the 2018 game meant I wasn’t starting from zero. Within minutes, I was swinging the Leviathan Axe and recalling it with that satisfying thwump, just like riding a bike. But here’s the thing: while the core combat feels beautifully familiar, there are enough tweaks and expansions to keep even seasoned players on their toes.

Let’s talk about that “front-row seat to brutality” the close camera angle gives you. In the first game, it made every encounter visceral. You could almost feel the frost from the axe and the heat from the Blades of Chaos. Ragnarok doubles down on that. I remember one early fight in Svartalfheim, where I was surrounded by a pack of Grims—those fiery little nuisances. With the camera pulled in tight, every dodge felt urgent, every parry life-or-death. When I finally unleashed my Rage Spartan, the screen shook, Kratos roared, and for a second, I forgot I was holding a controller. That immersion is ArenaPlus’s secret sauce. It’s not just about winning fights; it’s about feeling every punch, block, and execution.

Now, about those “new additions and expansions”—they’re subtle but game-changing. Take the shield mechanics, for example. In the last game, blocking and parrying were straightforward. Here, you’ve got different shield types that fundamentally alter your playstyle. I spent a good two hours in Niflheim just testing them. The Stonewall Shield lets you tank hits and build up energy for a powerful slam, while the Dauntless Shield rewards well-timed parries with a stun blast. Personally, I’m a Dauntless guy. There’s nothing more satisfying than parrying a heavy attack from an Ormstunga, watching it stagger, and then chaining a runic attack. It’s moments like these where the game’s expanded mechanics shine, giving you more tools to express your combat style.

Then there’s the skill tree. Oh, the glorious, sprawling skill tree. It’s been expanded significantly—I’d estimate around 30% more abilities than the previous game. Some are direct upgrades, like the Leviathan’s Awakening heavy runic attack, which now has a wider AOE. Others are entirely new. Atreus, for instance, has his own combat branches now. I’ve specced him mostly into sonic arrows because watching him disrupt enemy formations while I close in with the blades never gets old. And speaking of the Blades of Chaos, their new “Whiplash” mechanic—holding R2 to build up flame—adds a risk-reward layer I adore. Do I play it safe, or go for that charged strike that might just incinerate three draugr at once?

But let’s get real for a second. All these tools are meaningless if you don’t use them together. That’s where ArenaPlus truly unlocks. Early on, I’d rely too heavily on spamming runic attacks. It worked… until it didn’t. I got wrecked by a Traveler in Midgard because I treated combat like a checklist. The game punishes that. It wants you to blend everything: light and heavy attacks, parries, companion commands, runics, and relics. One of my favorite combos now is using the Huldra Charge relic to freeze a group, switching to blades to set them on fire, and having Atreus clean up with a volley of sigil arrows. The elemental explosion that follows is just… chef’s kiss.

I should mention the loot and gear system, because it’s easy to overlook. In my first playthrough, I didn’t upgrade my wrist armor until about 10 hours in. Big mistake. That small stat bump could’ve saved me from dozens of cheap deaths. The game doesn’t always signpost this stuff, so here’s my advice: check your gear after every major encounter. Forge those upgrades. Socket those enchantments. I’ve found that stacking strength and runic stats works wonders for my aggressive playstyle, but I’ve seen friends succeed with pure defense or cooldown builds. There’s no single “right” way, which is what makes the system so rewarding.

If there’s one tip I wish I’d known day one, it’s this: use the environment. Ragnarok’s arenas aren’t just pretty backdrops. Those glowing yellow rocks? Smash them with your axe for a stun burst. Those red pots hanging from ceilings? Shoot them with Atreus to create fiery hazards. I once won a tough fight against two Ogres just by luring them under a pot and triggering it at the right moment. It felt clever, like I’d outsmarted the game. That’s the beauty of ArenaPlus—it gives you the tools to be creative, to turn the battlefield into your weapon.

Ultimately, mastering ArenaPlus isn’t about memorizing combos or grinding for the best gear. It’s about embracing the flow of combat, that beautiful, brutal dance of death. It’s about feeling the weight of Kratos’s history in every swing and understanding that Atreus isn’t just a sidekick—he’s a force multiplier. The game trusts you to figure this out, to experiment, to fail, and to rise stronger. So go ahead, try that weird build. Parry that attack you normally dodge. Throw your axe at that distant enemy just to see what happens. The battlefield is your playground. Unlock its full potential, and you’ll find that Ragnarok isn’t just a sequel—it’s a masterclass in action combat.