God of War Ragnarok gives Kratos "a whole new suite" of elemental moves

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There are also two new shields: one for quick parries and another for tanky combat

God of War Ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony Santa Monica (courtesy of Game Informer))

A few big details about God of War Ragnarok combat have been unveiled, including the fact that Kratos will have "a whole new suite" of elemental powers as well as two very different shields.

The new information comes courtesy of Game Informer, which also revealed some new screenshots, one of which you can see above. Speaking on the upcoming sequel's combat, lead combat designer Mihir Sheth said they wanted it to feel like Kratos is playing with his food. Yes, really.

"That's an internal philosophy that we've had since back in the day," Sheth said. "Kratos plays with his food. We tried to create systems you want to engage with that are fun, very playful, lots of different routes. And when we looked at the combat in the last game, we were like, 'We can push this further; we can find new toys and ways of playing with enemies and strategies.' That's been the guiding principle more than anything else."

One of those new systems gives Kratos new ice and fire elemental powers, which he'll be able to switch through by pressing triangle. That'll afflict Kratos' axe or Blades of Chaos with "Weapon Signature Moves." One is called Frost Awaken and freezes enemies, and the other is called Whiplash and inflicts fire damage.

We've known there would be different shields in God of War Ragnarok, but now we know how two of them work. The Dauntless Shield is spec'd for fast-paced combat and parrying, which if timed correctly, will let the player use a smash attack that stuns enemies and sends them flying. Meanwhile, the Stonewall Shield is way tankier and can't parry. Instead, it builds up kinetic energy as it absorbs attacks and once fully charged, can be slammed into the ground to send out a pulse that knocks enemies off balance.

There will also be other new shields in Ragnarok, but those are still being kept under wraps. It's also unclear if there will be other primary weapons, but we wouldn't be surprised to learn more leading up to the game's November 9 launch on PS5 and PS4.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.