God of War (2018) Guide#
God of War (2018) is Santa Monica Studio’s new Norse-mythology chapter: Kratos and his son Atreus set out on a journey to scatter ashes, and the game’s three signatures are the over-the-shoulder camera, the unbroken one-shot camera, and the throw-and-recall rhythm of the Leviathan Axe. This section runs 21 pages, covering the main-story walkthrough, combat mechanics, full collection, and the platinum route.
Game Overview#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game | God of War (2018) |
| Developer | Santa Monica Studio |
| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Release date | April 20, 2018 |
| Platforms | PS4, PS5, PC |
| Type | Action-adventure |
| Perspective | Third-person over-the-shoulder |
| Score | Metacritic: 94/100 |
| Story length | About 20-25 hours for the main story |
| Completion length | About 50-60 hours for full collection |
Getting Started in Order#
If this is your first time touching God of War (2018), read in this order:
- Beginner basics — difficulty options, core controls, and combat mechanics
- Main walkthrough — follow the story through the seventeen main chapters
- Combat system — master the axe and the blades, runic attacks, and stun executions
- Crafting and upgrades — reinforce your gear to raise your level
- Boss guides — take down the main-story and optional powerhouse fights
- Endgame — challenge the Valkyries and the two hidden realms
About This Guide#
This guide is written in Simplified Chinese. Mechanics and figures follow what can be verified in-game, official public materials, and cross-checks against front-line guide sites; numbers that cannot be verified are simply not stated, and each page carries an “information boundary” note. The default baseline is the “Give Me a Balanced Experience” difficulty — apart from enemy behavior differences on “Give Me God of War”, mechanics are identical across all difficulties.
Difficulty Guide#
| Difficulty (official name) | What it is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Give Me a Story | Highest forgiveness, built for an uninterrupted story run | Story-focused players |
| Give Me a Balanced Experience | The official recommendation; most players should start here | Casual players |
| Give Me a Challenge | Stronger enemies, less room for error | Action veterans |
| Give Me God of War | The highest difficulty, with harsher numbers and adjusted enemy behavior | Hardcore players |
Difficulty can be changed at any time from the pause menu and does not affect trophies. On the initial launch version, Give Me God of War locked in after you started the game; later updates removed that restriction on switching down. New Game+ is a separate mode unlocked after clearing the game — it carries equipment over and adds reinforced versions of gear — and is not counted as a separate difficulty tier.
Controls Cheat Sheet#
PS4 Controller#
| Action | Input |
|---|---|
| Light attack / light throw | R1 |
| Heavy attack / heavy throw | R2 |
| Aim | L2 (hold) |
| Recall the axe | Triangle △ |
| Block / parry | L1 |
| Dodge | Cross × |
| Interact | Circle ○ |
| Atreus command / runic summon | Square □ (tap / hold) |
| Spartan Rage | L3 + R3 |
| Execute (stun meter full) | R3 |
| Quick turn | D-pad ↓ |
PC Keyboard and Mouse#
| Action | Input |
|---|---|
| Light attack / light throw | Left mouse button |
| Heavy attack / heavy throw | Right mouse button |
| Aim | Left Ctrl |
| Recall the axe | R |
| Block / parry | Q |
| Dodge | Space |
| Interact | E |
| Atreus command | F |
| Spartan Rage | Left Shift + middle mouse button |
| Lock-on / stun grab | Middle mouse button |
| Map / skills / quests | M / K / J |
Elements and Status Effects#
The game has exactly three combat statuses — the “shock and poison elemental counter charts” circulating online are not a mechanic in this game:
| Status | Source | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze | Leviathan Axe and frost runes | Sustained frost damage plus a movement slow |
| Burn | Blades of Chaos and fire runes | Sustained fire damage |
| Stun | Combos, Atreus’s arrows, and runic attacks | Fill the stun ring, then press R3 to execute |
Collectibles System#
| Collectible | Cap | Core reward |
|---|---|---|
| Odin’s Ravens | 51 | Silver trophy “Allfather Blinded” |
| Artifacts (7 sets) | 45 | Sell for silver; silver trophy “Curator” |
| Norn Chests | 22 | 9 Idunn Apples + 9 Horns of Blood Mead raise health and rage caps |
| Treasure Maps | 12 | Dig up treasure for silver and enchantments; silver trophy “Treasure Hunter” |
| Giant Shrines | 11 | Silver trophy “Truth” |
| Yggdrasil’s Dew | 12 | Permanent stat boosts |
Collectibles do not complete themselves as the story advances; everything can be mopped up after the credits. The Lake of Nine’s water level drops twice over the course of the main story, and some shore landings are only reachable at low water — push the main story first, then clear the collectibles in one focused pass.
Core Gameplay Summary#
| System | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Combat | The action core | Axe throws and recalls, blade combos, and runic skill combinations |
| Exploration | The world’s shape | The Lake of Nine hub connects Midgard to the other realms |
| Collection | Long-term goals | Ravens, artifacts, Norn chests, and seven collectible types in all |
| Crafting | Your growth lever | Dwarf shops, gear upgrades, and talisman pairings |
Progression Framework#
There are no classes or stat-allocation panels in this game: your character level equals your gear level (capped at 9), weapons are upgraded with Frozen Flames and Chaos Flames, and skills are bought with XP with no respec option. Builds come down to how you weigh the six stats — Strength, Runic, Defence, Vitality, Luck, and Cooldown; the build-archetype sub-guide listed under Full Guides below goes deeper.
Common Misconceptions, Cleared Up#
| Misconception | Reality |
|---|---|
| “Ice beats fire, fire beats ice” counter charts | The game only has Freeze and Burn statuses; there are no counter multipliers |
| “Weapons show separate physical and frost/fire stat panels” | No such split exists in game; the circulating stat tables have no official source |
| “Hidden stats like crit and lifesteal” | Only the six stats exist; special effects come from enchantments and talismans |
| “Spend skill points carefully” | Skills are bought with XP and can be purchased at any time — no respec anxiety |
| “Missed boss materials force a restart” | Main-story drops go into the shop’s Lost Items tab, claimable at any time |
Acknowledgments#
Thanks to Santa Monica Studio for building this masterpiece, and to the whole player community for its contributions.
Related Games#
- God of War Ragnarök — the direct sequel that continues Kratos and Atreus’s Norse saga
- The Last of Us Part I — a narrative-driven action-adventure where a parent-child bond carries the story
- The Last of Us Part II — another Sony showcase of cinematic, close-quarters action storytelling
- Sekiro — parry-timed combat that rewards the same precision as God of War’s perfect blocks
- The Witcher 3 — a story-driven open-world action RPG about a gruff warrior and the child he protects
Related Rankings#
Best RPGs · Hardest Bosses · Best Open World Games
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, story analysis, world exploration, the combat system, a character compendium (Kratos, Atreus, the dwarf brothers, Freya, and more), weapons, item collection, boss strategies, an enemy compendium, hidden content (Odin’s Ravens, hidden chambers, and lore artifacts), the platinum trophy route, ending analysis, the Norse worldview, practical tips, an FAQ, collectible galleries, build archetypes, endgame challenges (the Valkyries, Muspelheim, and Niflheim), the main-story walkthrough, and crafting and upgrades — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s God of War (2018) section.
If you read Chinese, the achievements sub-guide there carries the full platinum-route detail behind the summary above.