God of War Ragnarok follows the same formula as its 2018 predecessor to great effect. Aside from the similar style of gameplay, stats have also returned for the sequel. Players can see what their stats are at any given time on the Armor tab of the in-game menu with the option to pull up a page that explains what each stat does.
While Strength and Defense are not abbreviated, the other four stats are. Simply looking at most of the stats, it is pretty clear what most of them are. That said, one stat is abbreviated to RNC and without context it may not make sense to players as to what this stat is and what it does. This guide will explain what RNC means, what it does, and how players can get more of it.
What Does RNC Mean?
RNC is an abbreviation for a stat called Runic. While some stats like Luck are more vague as to what they do, RNC is much more clear in what it does. As described in God of War Ragnarok, Runic increases how much damage Runic Attacks do along with elemental status damage.
Runic Attacks are weapon abilities unique to each weapon that Kratos can wield in the game. There are two different kinds of Runic Attacks, and they are Light Runic Attack and Heavy Runic Attack. Runic improves the damage of both types of Runic Attacks.
Beyond Runic Attacks, Runic also improves elemental status damage. God of War Ragnarok doesn't specify with what this means, but as players acquire skills and abilities they will see that certain damage types from weapons can afflict elemental statuses onto enemies. A good example of this is Burn, which can be caused by the Blades of Chaos. By having a higher amount of Runic, players can do more damage when they apply Burn to enemies.
While there are several kinds of elemental statuses, not all of them do damage. In this case, Runic would not have an effect on them.
How to Get More Runic
Just like with all the other stats in God of War Ragnarok, the main way for players to get more Runic is through upgrading their weapons and armor. Upgrading armor is also how players level up. Each piece of armor for Kratos, regardless of if it is for the chest, wrist, or waist slot, provides bonuses to two or more stats. By having many different sets of craftable armor, God of War Ragnarok players can choose what stats they want to focus on.
Not only that, but armor can be upgraded. By doing this, players will get more of the stat that they want. Aside from armor, there are weapon parts like pommels for both the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos that can provide bonuses to Runic and other stats.
Are There Other Ways to Get Runic?
Aside from armor and weapon pommels, there is another way for God of War Ragnarok players to get more Runic. As players explore the Realms, they will periodically come across a tree branch sticking out of the ground. On this branch is a crystallized dew drop known as Yggdrasil's Dew, and it can be picked up by players. The benefit of Yggdrasil's Dew varies, but one type that players can find increases their Runic permanently by two points.
While this may not seem like much compared to the bonuses provided by weapons and armor, the boosts from Yggdrasil's Dew stack and are permanent. So if players take a break from the main story and explore with Kratos and Atreus, they will be well rewarded for doing so.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.
