There’s around a month to go until the release of God of War Ragnarok, but to set you off on the right foot, here’s a reminder of how to increase health. With big bosses likely coming at you early on in the action, you might just need it if you haven’t quite got your parry and dodge timing perfected just yet.
We’re basing the details on how things went down in God of War, so there are bound to be a few changes in the sequel. However, it should help you to start off on the right footing and you can also check out our Ragnarok tips page linked at the bottom of the page to take you even further.
AdvertisementWe’ve also sifted through all of the trailer that have come out to-date to see if things correlate with the previous game. Details on the exact health system are still slim on the ground, but there’s nothing to indicate that it will be that dissimilar to the previous title in the Norse saga.
Increase health with the Apples of Idunn
Last time around, you could increase your health by collecting Apples of Idunn, which were scattered all over the realms that you could explore. It seems likely that this will be the case again in God of War Ragnarok with the gameplay footage that we’ve seen featuring a fairly average health bar and looking early on in the campaign.
AdvertisementYou can check on the map screen for each area to see how many Nornir chests there are and this will give you a good indication of where you need to spend time searching. You could spot a Nornir chest because there are runes on them and you’ll need to find and hit their equivalents around the chest area.
Each Nornir chest gives you an apple and when you collect three of them you’ll be given a chunk of Max Health added to your bar permanently. In the previous game you could only collect a total of 9 apples, which game you three increases to your health bar.
AdvertisementIt’s obviously possible that God of War Ragnarok has done away with the Apples of Idunn system entirely, so we’ll update things here when the game comes out. However, this seems a little unlikely as it worked quite well in the first game and provided some nice puzzle distractions from the intense combat and story progression.
Find gear to increase Vitality
The second best way to increase your health is to find and upgrade gear that gives you boosts to your Vitality. As you get more Vitality your maximum health also goes up, so it’s a good way to help you through some of the tougher sections of the game.
Gear is located in chests as you explore the nine realms, but you can also get if from big enemy or boss drops. Pick it up, check it out in your weapons and armour tabs and if it increases your Vitality then it’ll do the same to your overall health.
Look out for Pommels, armour, Talismen and enchantments, which call all include stat boosts for Vitality. Some Talismen and Pommels come with perks that can give you a health burst, so this is another way to carry more health around with you. Admittedly, you’ll have to activate it, but it’s still free health, so definitely worth knowing about, especially if you’re taking on Ragnarok with the Give Me God of War level of difficulty.
The other big stat in terms of damage is Defence and again this is tied to the gear that you find and equip. The difference is that Defence reduces all damage taken, so it might not increase your health directly, but it will help you stay in the action for longer.
There are bound to be a few new mechanics in the second and final part of the Norse saga. The shield system looks like it’s had the most change, so this could have some new health mechanics. Equally, Atreus is another option. His armour in the first game could give you random health burst drops, so look out for this in Ragnarok if you’re stuck.
If our health tips help you out, follow us on Twitter to show your support. You can also see more on Ragnarok with the official Santa Monica Studios Twitter page at https://twitter.com/SonySantaMonica.
Rage make your health last longer
In addition to the Apples of Idunn, you can also find Horns of Blood Mead in Nornir chests. Again, there’s a maximum of 9 that you can collect with three giving you a boost, so you’ll get three increases when you’re maxed out.
They work just like the Nornir chests for the apples, and while they don’t increase health, they can help it last for longer. Not only do you get more rage to play with, but Rage is a good way to replenish health, so the more you have of it the more you’ll get to replenish.
Don’t forget to check out our computer games section to keep tabs on the games world, or visit the PlayStation website at https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/games/god-of-war-ragnarok/ for more details on the game.
