Now that the God of War franchise has found its footing as over-the-shoulder action-adventures, it is interesting to see the iterations made to gameplay since its 2018 installment. God of War Ragnarok takes its predecessor’s foundation and improves upon them greatly in diverse environments, with more options than players had before. Between God of War Ragnarok’s amulet enchantments and relic customization, it can be fairly overwhelming to piece players’ stats and abilities together.
The menu screen features many tabs that players can experiment with, and the fact that God of War Ragnarok introduces an entirely new weapon for Kratos is exciting as well. But the armaments players receive that seemingly do not get as much attention are God of War Ragnarok’s shields, which arguably shake up combat the most out of any other item in the game and offer custom utility.
The Shield in God of War 2018 Did as Much for Combat as the Leviathan Axe
God of War’s Leviathan Axe has received high praise for how satisfyingly weighty it is when cleaving draugr and planting it in an enemy’s collar bone. Likewise, the mechanic of being able to recall the weapon back to Kratos’ grip felt emergent at the time, and the impact of it hurtling back into the player’s possession after each throw is still exhilarating in God of War Ragnarok.
The axe only changes marginally between God of War (2018) and Ragnarok, which is positive due to how well-designed it already was. The retractable shield that debuts in God of War, however, goes through dramatic changes in Ragnarok. In God of War, the shield has its own skill tree of mechanics that players can unlock to give it more attacks in tandem with bare-handed strikes.
The shield can eventually deflect projectiles back at enemies, counterattack with ground slams, and is fairly well-rounded with no drastic alterations. Still, it gave God of War a greater structural overhaul than the axe because it advises players to approach combat with strategic parries and rewarding counterplay, which truly delineates it from the mindless hack-and-slash combat from the God of War franchise’s original Greek mythology games.
God of War Ragnarok’s Shields Give Players an Opportunity to Hone Their Own Style
This shield is ruined at the beginning of God of War Ragnarok, treating players with the freedom to select shields that may better match their own preferred playstyle. Some shields are locked behind narrative progression, but they all offer a unique change that fans can experiment with once they are collected or crafted from the dwarves’ shop.
The Dauntless shield offers high-risk, high-reward parries that deal stun and empower players’ subsequent shield bash. However, the Onslaught Shield grants players a shield rush mechanic that has Kratos charging toward enemies while blocking incoming attacks, and enemies struck from a greater distance are launched. The Guardian Shield is Kratos' original after being repaired, offering a standard shield check; it breaks enemy guards, and parries can be followed up with an R1 or R2 counterattack, representing the unlockable skills from the previous game.
The Shatter Star Shield’s unique mechanic is a punch that knocks enemies backward; holding block charges the shield, though actually blocking attacks depletes the charge, and triggering a shield punch before an enemy attack lands absorbs the attack. Lastly, the Stone Wall Shield introduces the shield slam, launching enemies once fully charged. Attacks that are blocked charge the shield, and guard-break attacks that normally need to be parried can be blocked with the Stone Wall Shield.
On top of these choices, there are also upgradeable shield ronds in God of War Ragnarok that can complement players’ combat options. There is a unique playstyle considered for anyone’s preferences, and this kind of design would be excellent to see in greater detail going forward.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.