Sony's new God of War is finally out now on PlayStation 4. Early reviews came online last week--and critics across the board seemed to love the game. The action-adventure game is a reboot of sorts for Sony's long-running franchise. It mixes things up significantly with major changes to combat and a story that shows a softer side of Kratos who now has a son (and a beard). Ahead of launch, GameSpot spoke with game director Cory Barlog and lead level designer Rob Davis about the new God of War, and they told us about why they changed the combat, the difficulty of making Kratos relatable, and how the game almost didn't have Atreus in it. In a Very Important And Completely Serious Development, we also asked about why Kratos smashes health orbs with his feet instead of picking them up.
So how are you guys feeling right now after so many years of working on it? Just being right on the edge of launch? [We interviewed Barlog and Davis last week, just hours before the review embargo lifted]
Barlog: It is absolutely like the night before Christmas. I didn't sleep at all last night. I'm excited. I remain so proud of what we've done, so proud of the team and sort of the shift our entire studio has made. I feel strongly that this is the best thing that we've ever done. But, I would be lying if I didn't say I'm still afraid of the review embargo lifting, I mean, it's a very exposed time as a creative, right? It's like are they going to swipe right or swipe left? I feel that's literally what our feeling is, we're standing up in front of the class naked and we're being judged. But, I wouldn't want to do that with any other team. I feel incredibly confident because of the team that we have. [Suffice it to say, Barlog is happy with the reviews.]
How do you think about that dynamic between sticking to your guns and being confident in what you've made, versus responding to players if they want something to be changed? How reactionary do you expect to be once this game comes out?
Barlog: It's kind of that weird double-edged sword, right? There is certain stuff that we learn, especially even when you're just doing play tests, to know what is subjective, what is objective, right? That sense of there are certain decisions that we're going to make simply because, creatively, we believe this is a great decision. The realization of that decision is sometimes, like, 'Oh, we should have gone a little bit to the left, not a little bit to the right.' Those are great pieces of feedback, this is why we play test constantly, because then we wanna be able to make all those choices and mistakes before we get it out to the public.
But, there is that final arbiter of once it goes out to everybody; that's when things that we could have been blind to become a big deal. For me, I'm cognizant of it but the creative guns that we've stuck to, we're not going to alter any of that. The things during playtesting like people wanted the classic controls, they wanna be able to map things with Square and Triangle. For us, that was just not a good way to play, but we listened to people and said, 'You know what? Let's put it in.' It's not a terrible thing, the UI to be able to have the immersive mode, which is what I wanted initially, now it's like, no UI whatsoever.
But now, giving the players a choice it's like, you can control all of it. You can put on and off whatever you want in this experience. That kind of stuff I think is fantastic, that is what communication of the community is for.
Yeah. Now, I've played it about an hour, so far, and I've gotten past that first boss fight, which I thought was fantastic.
Barlog: Oh, good. Good, good, good.
The opening of the game ... in the past you've gone with these huge, bombastic scenes with Kratos fighting a larger-than-life character. But this time it's different. Why?
"I wanted people to be surprised, and pleasantly surprised" -- Barlog on God of War's opening sequence.
Barlog: [We wanted to] circumvent the expectation. So, [it was] very deliberate in the beginning that I was talking to people and saying, 'I don't want scale to be the crutch' and it's like, 'Oh, look we've put a big guy there and you take it for granted.' Any sort of resonance would be interactive, I want it to feel like you don't expect what's gonna happen, to happen. So, that feeling of when the Superman new experience begins and two strong characters duke it out, it feels more real, if that makes sense?
Yeah, absolutely.
Barlog: We always have the Indiana Jones, James Bond opener, but I still wanted that, the soul of that. I wanted people to be surprised, and pleasantly surprised, right? Like you were saying, I think the circumventing of their expectations, which, by Ascension we kind of were not able to do that. Ascension has an amazing opener, but it was like, 'Oh, well we've seen big openers before. That's really cool but I sort of expected it. I'm expecting you to do that, so it didn't really surprise me.'
The opening battle plays out in multiple stages. Can talk about that design decision to make the combat flow that way?
Rob Davis: I mean a part of it is teaching the player without realizing that they're being taught something, right? And part of it is giving you practice, as well. So, any time you can get the player to learn stuff in a way that's actually fun, rather than just pushing them through more of a boring tutorial, that's always gonna resonate in your brain a lot longer and you're gonna be excited to use it again.
So, design and functionality-wise, I think the combat and boss team did such a good job, because you come out of that experience really knowing a lot about Kratos' combat and how to block, how to use rage, how to throw the ax. You get a lot of practice time with all those things, but as a player, you come out of it thinking, 'Whoa, that was a real God of War-style big whole opening.' And, what you don't realize, is that we've played a little bit of a magic trick on you to learn all this stuff.
Barlog: And also the sense that when you walk away from it, there's a stronger emotional connection to it, as well. Keeping things reduced allowed us to actually have that what's at stake, right? Atreus actually being a trigger, so that, as you're going through it, you see that, 'Oh wow, even in this blurry haze, Kratos was rough with his kid, but he's also super protective that when any sort of protection of a threat against him comes, that's when he rages out,' right?
That actually is shorter, that boss fight, than it was originally designed. So, we cut about 30 to 35% out of it, simply because pacing-wise, we were like, 'Alright, well we want that turnover, we want that what's gonna happen next and that feeling of, Wow, this thing is massive. So, that became a little too massive, which is great, I think part of the magic of working with this team, is everybody's just so creative throwing all these great ideas in there that we end up in that ideal situation, which is, you know it's done when there's nothing left to remove, right? There'll be so much cool stuff in there, you just keep removing something and making it tighter and tighter and now and it's like, 'Look, I can't take anything else away otherwise it'll collapse.' Perfect, we've got it.
I'm curious why you wanted to change the combat so significantly in this game.
Barlog: I think because we had made seven games with that combat system, and I kept looking around at how incredibly talented our systems and how my team was and going, 'Alright, I need them to take on the challenge that we had on God of War 1.' That challenge of nobody really knows what the system was...was just kind of a--I don't wanna say a mess, because that would make it seem like it was derogatory--just more like they hadn't found their sea legs in combat and working with [the team] we kind of fleshed out what is sort of the core Kratos, right? The L1 special, Square, Square, Triangle--I animated Square, Square, Triangle the first week I was there. So, and then that L1 and Square spinning special, that was the second week I was there.
I didn't wanna change it for the sake of changing it, I wanted to reflect how all of us have grown up and how all of us ... What we play is different, because God of War is a reflection of what we play, right?
You know, Resident Evil 4 came out in the middle of [God of War 2], right? And that game affected me so dramatically. And then, Resident Evil 7 comes out, and it show creators with, I think, a very strong vision and a really good team, can make these bold decisions, and actually have the audience follow them. Even if there was distance in the beginning, right? It's the, every time James Bond changes, right, they're like, 'Oh, Daniel Craig, who is this guy?'
Every time Facebook changes their layout.
Barlog: Exactly.
Every time Twitter changes their layout.
Barlog: It is that natural resistance.
Yeah.
Davis: There's an old game design saying that the camera is genre, right? So, put the camera on top, make it more of like a mobile or a Diablo game, right?
Barlog: I love that; that's great.
Davis: You know, maybe more of a navigation game or something like that. Once you put the camera, like as deep as [the developers did], you're now in like more of an intimate, visceral perspective, right? Then, you've gotta start looking through everything in the lens of what does it mean to have it up close and we started talking about, 'Well, there's a lot more observation in this game.' So for the exploration and stuff, and you'll see them all as you keep playing. A lot of it comes from the perspective of, what does it feel like to have cursor on the screen and a camera that is really focused behind the player. So, wherever possible, we try to design with that in mind, and there's so much you can do with it. That sort of keeps it feeling familiar.
Davis: And, I think that's what Resident Evil 4 had when you could drop the pendants down, you would think to yourself, 'I really wanna get this, because I don't wanna waste at all.' So, their combination of poised camera exploration and scavenging was critical. In our case, it's all about recalling that axe.
Barlog: We fought a lot in the beginning over the camera distance. I wanted it close and the systems and combat team wanted it more farther away, something you would see in Arkham or the Assassin's Creed games and that back and forth battle finally led to [lead gameplay designer Jason McDonald] telling us to go away, spending a weekend playing around with it and said, 'I'll tell you what my recommendation is, just leave me alone because I'm so annoyed with you right now.' And, I didn't leave him alone, I annoyed him even more over the weekend.
"We fought a lot in the beginning" -- Barlog on changing the camera
But, on Monday, he kind of sat everybody down with a presentation and just said, 'First of all, you're gonna laugh, because I ended up closer than any of us wanted.' He was like, 'You want it here, I want it here, I ended up here,' and he's like, 'Let me tell you why I think I can make this work.' And, I started weeping inside, I was like, 'You're so great, I love this.' But, I win and then, everybody wins, tell everybody.
But, it was so well thought out. And there's a time when you can say, 'I want this,' and the [developers are] like, 'Fine, I'll just figure it out.' And, there's a time when they have an ah-ha and they go, "Oh, I really want to do this." The best stuff we ever do is when people say, 'I really wanna so this and I'm gonna take it two steps further.' And, that is the magic of working with Sony altogether, Santa Monica was great.
Davis: Think it was the right way to go, because you throw the axe a lot in this game and there's a lot you can do with the axe. And, I don't think players would enjoy it quite so much if it was looming all the way out and all the way back in.
In the limited amount of time that I've played so far, just the ax has that feeling of weight to if so when it gets recalled ... And, the camera being where it is, it feels like that's where you are, you're feeling the entire thing.
Barlog: That level of creativity and agency for the player, was something that we had talked about early on, but they didn't really know how we were gonna achieve it. On the previous God of War games we kind of had very fixed things that you would do, and you had some creativity, but the creativity was boxed in, right? And, that's not to say anything was bad about them, it was just how we chose to do it.
In this one, we really wanted to open it up in a sense that all of us could play the game very differently but we're using the same tools. And, the expansion comes from one of the upgrade choices that you're making, what are the moments and moment choices that you're making that make watching you play and watching you play so dramatically different. You can see when one of our really good combat-related testers would record some of the videos that we have teased, right? Because, he's just amazing, he uses every move, he just looks great doing it, and then you would see another person who just picked up the controller, and you're like, 'Wow, that's a completely different game, right?' Because they're making different choices, so I think that, to me, is one of the biggest victories we've had in this game, that sense that there truly is a creative choice you're making.
Also, how do you make a God of War relatable? In the bit that I've played so far, you can tell that he's firm but understanding, with Atreus, but I'm just curious about the motivation for making him a person with feelings.
Barlog: I think so many people have leveled the criticism of, 'He's just one note,' but I knew, alright, look I want to try this apple, this idea of, again, circumventing the expectations of what you have for this. When I was at Lucasfilm, I read some of the scripts that they had done for a TV show they were gonna do, and a very well known Star Wars character, whom I did not like, was written in a way that I felt sympathetic to him, and I was very taken aback by it. One, because it was a written form of it and it was so powerful and I was like, I had really decided who this character was going into it, but then reading it and seeing how he was jilted and how he was manipulated and how sort of exposed his heart, if you will, to this other character and she stomped on it, multiple times, right? Kratos is a little bit of that sense of everybody thinks they know who he is, right? But, nobody is just one thing, right? And, it's not really good to be one thing.
And, I thought, alright, creatively, the best challenge I could ever take on is to actually make people reach the end of this game and go, 'I either feel bad, I feel connected, or I felt like that moment was specifically related to me, or I have gone through that same thing.' If I could achieve that, with a character that everybody thought, 'Whatever, he's just a guy that, in a cinematic, goes to kill people,' now that's an amazing thing.
And, I had just had my son, at the start of this game and I was kind of looking at it like 'Oh, wow, how much of myself do I wanna show here,' right? How much of my faults, right, do I want the mask and cover up and how many of the dumb things that I've done in my life do I wanna prevent him from doing? And, it's like, wow, that's Kratos, that's Kratos to a T, he has made the worst decision in his life, but be able to actually, earnestly, be a parent, right?
Say that he was a soldier off to war, come home every once in a while, then go back off to war, he wasn't really there because he was fairly ambitious in his military campaign. Now, it's kind of like, put him in a situation where he has no choice but to deal with it, right? And, in this game, he'd been trying to avoid it, even though he wants to figure this out, he'd been avoiding it for so long, the beginning of this game is all about forcing him into that situation. Honestly, for me, that's the most perfect dramatic ground to play in.
So, I'm incredibly excited to see where the story goes in that department, so please don't tell me anything else.
Barlog: I'm not gonna tell you anything, no spoilers.
Davis: To be honest, I was gonna say, but I think I'll leave it alone.
Barlog: I mean, the challenge also being thrown to every department, right, was this is thematically where we want to go. I wanna see us challenge ourselves in every part of the game, so that as you're doing exploration, as you're doing puzzles, it is all about the collaboration between the two and it's all about trying to develop their characters even in the lull moments. But, to their credit, the level design people have done amazing things that integrated not only the axe, but also this continually growing father and son relationship.
Davis: You might think, 'Oh, well Kratos is like the biggest badass there is,' so there's all these setups we can do with Kratos, but actually like having Atreus be an expert in Norse language and mythology is awesome because you can do a whole other set of design based on what Atreus is an expert in, that Kratos is sort of not, right? And then you get a bit of an odd couple relationship, right? You know, Buzz Lightyear's good at one thing, Woody's good at another thing, right? So, that's the foundation of a sort of odd couple.
And then, you got the fact that they're both in a strange land, so then you can do a third setup where neither of them really understand what's going on and then you get cool storytelling, level design, and puzzles and exploration intersecting because they're discussing the thing they have to work out together. They end up kind of with things Kratos is really an expert in, things the son is kind of an expert in, and things neither of them are an expert in. And then, when you can write to that, goal to that, design to that, that's where I think you have a new peanut butter and chocolate between Kratos and Atreus, but it didn't exist before.
I read that you were pressured to maybe cut Atreus from the game or at least significantly scale back his role. Could the game have worked without him?
Barlog: It could have, it would have been very different; the early phase when they told me, 'Man, this might be too hard, too expensive, we're already looking at so many challenges, it's maybe too much.' When I went back and said, 'Alright, fine, if it was not with Atreus, what would it be?' And, it would have been a very, very different game, right? The comparison I made was, 'Alright, it's gonna be All Is Lost with Robert Redford, it's gonna be one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent,' and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won't understand anything anybody's saying. And, I think that threat was enough for them to go, 'Okay, we'll take on Atreus.' So, it was kind of the creative director, passive aggressive, 'Oh, yeah? Well, we'll take all the toys away.'
I know a while ago, you were announced as working on a Mad Max game with George Miller. Is there anything you learned on that project that you took to God of War?
Barlog: Yeah, so nobody ever got to see the things that really excited me and George about that. Some of it definitely inspired what we were doing here, there was such a different thing. But, I think none of them really one to one had a knowledge of transfer over, but it's the developing the relationships on the road, the ideas and characters, figuring each other out as you go, was something that I started to explore in our draft of Max.
And then, it's just unfortunate the way that sometimes games go that they ended up going in a different direction, and George and I ended up not working on that one with them, but the learnings I got from that definitely made it possible, I think, to do this. Like I think if I had attempted this game, I'm not even certain if I would have attempted it, had I not worked with George. That is the impact he has.
I feel like prior to working with him, it would be like reading a book without your glasses and you have terrible vision, so you see the words, but they're blurry. Working with him, and starting to understand why drama occurs, why conflict feeds into the development of all the characters, that kind of put glasses on me to help me understand like, 'Wow, I really don't understand drama,' right? And, even now, I feel like I'm on the road and I'm on a journey that I'm about a quarter of the way through. So, I have a huge learning ahead of me but I started off on that, because I was pushed, I think, by working with so many amazing new ideas, he is surrounded by incredibly talented people who literally just throw gems out like nobody's business. And, I'm just like, 'Seriously? Are you not picking any of this stuff up, anybody? I'm gonna horde all of it, right?' So, yeah, it was amazing.
Why does Kratos smash everything to pick it up? Why doesn't he reach down and pick things up? Why does he have to crush it under his foot?
Barlog: [Turns to Davis] You wanna talk about that one?
I'm just curious.
Davis: I think, if I recall correctly, the animation went in of Kratos punching the chest and internally, we actually call it a punch chest. And, then Cory said, 'This game will never ship with Kratos punching that chest. I hate the punches, I hate the punches.' And, then something happened over time when he just warmed up to it, and it's so fun and snappy and it's so quick to do, and you know, it's that image of old Kratos that I think, once we saw everything in there, originally, it felt like Kratos was trying too hard to be brooding and what Kratos ... But, once you get everything back together, it was actually cool. It was cool to see Kratos doing a bit of his old stuff, especially when you're early in the game.
And the stomp?
Barlog: The systems guys were really hoping at some point I would change my mind, and not have you pick up loot, they were just like, 'I don't wanna go around and pick up loot.' I'm like, 'Seriously? The orbs were the past, and that's cool, but in this one, there's something satisfying about collecting your rewards from a heard earned fight,' right? And, the compromise that I made with them is that they said, 'Well, look, picking up health is super annoying.' They gave me a great example, put me in a fight that was really hard and I kept getting hit when I was ... And, I was like, 'Alright, I get it, that's good point. What are we gonna do?' And they're like, coincidentally, they load something up really quick and they're like, they did a stomp with a crystal and I was like, 'Okay, I get it, I can dig it.'
But, yeah, the punch chest was one of those things where it was so well known for Kratos that I wanted to make sure we didn't overdo that and then end up having him just hit everything because he was just known for that, but like Rob said, I think it fit in the tapestry because he didn't do it for everything. It became the one focal point and then the stomp just became, to me, a great gameplay decision, that they had a great [idea] and said, 'Look, we need speed and pace so that while you're in a fight, you can quickly go over, eat your health, and then get back into the fight.'
The opening track to God of War begins with dark, pounding percussion and a deep, male choir chanting a series of ominous notes. It's a repeating motif that perfectly speaks to the Kratos we've known for decades, a brutal god-slaying monster. But there's another motif that accompanies it, a more uplifting series of horns and strings that seem almost hopeful. It hints at a calmer Kratos, though still prudent and stoic--it's the side of him that we see executed so superbly in this new game in his interactions with his son, Atreus. But the hook of the deep ominous chants remains, like the Ghost of Sparta that still haunts Kratos, and it's a sound that will continue to haunt you throughout God of War.
The idea of somehow instantly hooking an audience with a note or sound that stays with them long afterward has always stuck with Bear McCreary, and was a key factor in creating the soaring and emotional score for God Of War. It was a concept passed down by his mentor of almost ten years, Elmer Bernstein, the legendary composer of The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Ghostbusters, among others. "I always strive to find a sound or instrument that can hook the audience instantly and in this, God of War is arguably an embarrassment of riches. Between the Nordic instruments, choirs, vocal soloists, percussion and the huge orchestra, there are many different sounds fighting for your attention. However, I must say that I think the 3-note low male choir phrase that begins the main theme are probably 'the thing' that will hook people the fastest. When I first played the theme for Santa Monica Studio and Cory (Barlog, creative director), they remarked instantly on that sound. Something about it evokes Kratos instantly. I felt very fortunate to have stumbled on to such an effective idea, so early in the creative process."
But that early acknowledgment is no surprise considering the experience behind the composer who wrote it. McCreary's career has already reached legendary status with his immediately recognizable work on The Walking Dead (including THAT theme music) and Battlestar Galactica. He won an Emmy Award for his work on Da Vinci's Demons and the Cloverfield movie franchise is now safely in his hands. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Black Sails, Outlander and Black Mirror all combine to make McCreary not only one of the most prolific composers working today, but one that has creeped into your subconscious without your knowledge. For a composer, that's a success.
Carving out an identity in music is not an easy task, so McCreary puts the tools into each job by looking at storytelling and character. "I always strive to find a musical approach that inherently draws inspiration from the story it is supporting. In the case of God of War, I strove to use Nordic folk instrumentation, languages, voices and musical modes to help transport the audience. I was inspired to write for instruments such as the Nyckelharpa and Hardanger Fiddle, because the process of exploring their strengths and weaknesses inevitably led me to discover new forms of musical expression."
Making your own way in the world but knowing the importance of a parental bond is one of the key themes of this new rebirth of God Of War. After being first contacted by Santa Monica Studio in 2014, McCreary's work on the game evolved over a period of years and throughout that time, he had a very personal influence to draw from which paralleled the journey of Kratos. "I had just become a father when I first was hired and my parental experience in the intervening four years has changed my life forever. This life experience was a huge influence on my work for God of War, perhaps in ways buried too deep in my subconscious for me to even be aware of. Practically every musical decision I made for the score was influenced by the relationship between Kratos and Atreus. Parental themes are rarely explored in video games, which helps set this story apart."
From the blind, one-dimensional rage that inhabited the young ghost of Sparta back in the PlayStation 2 days, 2018 has turned him on his head to develop layers of personality, empathy and depth in a character that had arguably reached his natural conclusion on the PlayStation 3. For McCreary, this revolutionary new direction played into the title track he wrote (and performed at E3 2016) and helped give him a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve with the overall score. "When I wrote that theme I was trying to communicate vital and often conflicting, information about Kratos. He is still the same character from the classic games. He retains that rage and power, simmering beneath his stern exterior. That's where the bombastic brass, pounding percussion and deep, male vocals helped. But more importantly, I wanted to communicate that he is older, wiser and calmer now. There are more layers to his storyline. Put simply, he is just a more mature character now. So to communicate that, I included his theme harmonic and melodic components that are quite beautiful, occasionally even soaring. The combination of visceral, powerful instrumentation with lyrical, soaring melodies and chord progressions is something I hope resonates with audiences."
In addition to the pounding bombast and deep choir voices that are typically associated with God Of War, McCreary also wrote numerous somber pieces that look to the past of the franchise while also giving Kratos and his son moments of wistful and perhaps mournful connection. Tracks like 'Echoes Of An Old Life', 'The Healing' and 'Memories Of Mother' have a quiet introspection to them that would have seemed ludicrous for this character when he was spending his time cutting off heads and enjoying quicktime-event sex scenes back in 2007.
There's a distinct sense of growth and self-reflection here, both with McCreary's work and the God Of War franchise itself. A lot of that has come about simply because of the four year lifespan of the music. "The score has evolved immeasurably," says McCreary, "and in some ways that evolution represents a move back towards a sound that is more consistent with the older games of the franchise. My first stab at a theme for God of War was a lonely, melancholy tune for female voices and Nyckelharpa. I was inspired by the new story arc for Kratos, and his relationship with his son. It was heartbreaking!"
"Ultimately, we realized it was simply too sad and subdued to function as the primary theme for Kratos, and for the game, so I put it away. That original theme I composed still ended up in the game, however, becoming the primary theme for Kratos and his Atreus, representing their family storyline specifically. The theme is featured prominently on the soundtrack album in the cue 'Memories of Mother' and ultimately heard in the game almost as much as the main theme."
Travelling to Iceland to record choir voices, McCreary felt an incredible sense of belonging to the Nordic influence of the game. He spent time walking around local glaciers and waterfalls to feel the mythological history of the area. Using Swedish and Norwegian instruments that date back to the 14th century helped push the score to a place that McCreary felt it couldn't have reached otherwise.
If that wasn't enough, the collaboration with Faroese throat singer and musician Eivør Pálsdóttir lent a further level of authenticity on many of the tracks and opened new avenues of collaboration for the composer. "Eivør was a fantastic creative partner, and she brought a whole new level of personality to the music. I was thrilled with the vast dynamic and emotional range her singing voice provided. High, ethereal angelic tones to deep, guttural, percussive bursts. I learned a lot about collaboration on this project. A game score this immense is vastly more complex from a logistical standpoint than a typical film score. Teams of music editors, producers and engineers worked on this score for nearly a year after primary recording was completed in order to integrate it into the game in an impactful way."
McCreary still enjoys this process in his own work to some extent. "I enjoy listening to my previous work, though I don't do it very often. I like to take a moment to recognize how much I've grown as a composer. I'm always looking forward but it's fun to sometimes listen back to older scores and recognize a job well done. The score to Capcom's Dark Void is still one of my greatest melodic achievements, and I am flooded with emotion when I hear it again."
The transformation of Kratos from angry, one-trick god to stern yet responsible father coupled with a parental bond being the key story theme for an entire game is remarkable. In tandem, Bear McCreary's personal connection to this journey over almost half a decade of his career has delivered a collection of emotionally thunderous music which soars through the rebirth of this franchise with confidence and grandeur without forgetting to hook the audience from the beginning. With three simple notes.
By Anonymous on Apr 21, 2018 08:30 pm With the release of God of War on PS4, Pete, Mike, and Jean-Luc discuss the changes made to the long running franchise, and how they work extremely well.
God of War is a phenomenal game that everyone should play, no question. And if you're in this article, it's probably safe to say that you're interested in playing it, if you haven't already started. But if you want to really get the most out of its stunning world and its fantastic and definitely not boring combat, then you should really consider playing in Immersive mode.
You'll find an option in the game's setting menu that lets you toggle the game's HUD between Normal and Immersive mode, which removes most of the game's pop-ups, meters, compass, and icons. God of War's HUD is already quite minimal, which is great, but after finishing and playing the latter half of the game in Immersive mode, let me tell you: this is the way to experience God of War.
The idea of no HUD is always a little daunting, for sure. But don't be scared! I wrote this article to assure you that it's totally viable, explain how you can parse information you need, and tell you why the things you're missing out on aren't a big deal.
First of all, why do it, and what are the benefits of not getting every single little detail of information? On a superficial level, God of War is a very, very good looking game. Immersive mode makes sure the entirety of your screen can be used to appreciate the beauty of the environments, character models, and get the full impact of the game's truly impressive camera work with that one, long, 40-hour steadycam shot.
On a more substantial level, being able to pay full attention to the environment without any distractions will help you with your exploration. You'll pay more attention to the details in the environment and you'll almost be guaranteed to never miss a collectible. You'll more easily notice the shine of purposely obscured items, and distinctly hear the tinkling of Odin's ravens. No alternate paths will go unnoticed, and no stray pot or wooden item will go un-smashed, because you're looking so keenly at the world, instead of the icon on a compass.
But most importantly, the Immersive mode will make you better at combat. In action games, it's a common, and completely logical, tendency to always keep one eye on either your health meter, your enemy's health meter, enemy location indicators, your skill cooldowns, whatever. But that's one eye that's not actually watching the fight.
Immersive mode lets you focus completely on using all of your skill to be the best fighter you can be. Hit every parry, dodge every attack, take advantage of every opening. If you're like me, and you know you have a full bar of health, you'll sometimes get a little sloppier because you know Kratos can take a few hits. But why not perform at your absolute best all the damn time? You need to set a good example for Atreus, after all. Is that enemy you're taking on a purple enemy who's supposed to be overpowered for you? Who knows, who cares? If you can beat it, then what does it matter? Free yourself from self-doubt!
Now, I do recommend that on your first playthrough you should definitely spend the early hours with the default HUD just so you can get a basic feel of how combat operates, especially how the stun mechanic works. But by the time you get to the Lake of Nine and the game opens up, you should be good to go Immersive.
However, if you're STILL a little scared to go on a grand adventure without all of this info, there's one thing I've been keeping from you: God of War also has a Custom HUD option which lets you toggle certain elements of the HUD on or off. But best of all, it allows you to assign some HUD options to the PS4's touchpad, meaning you can turn everything off, but take a brief look anything you want to with a gentle tap of the touchpad. So if you're finding Immersive mode hard to get used to at the beginning, give the touchpad stuff a try. Bet you forgot that function was even there!
Okay, so how do you actually manage all the information you need for combat without seeing bars or indicators? Well, God of War has a bunch of in-world cues that make Immersive mode accessible and tell you literally everything you need to know. They're all pretty obvious, but let's run through them for peace of mind.
Watch for enemy attack rings! If an enemy is attacking you, and there's an expanding golden ring coming from them, it means you can and should parry this attack by blocking at the last minute. If there's an expanding red ring, it means it's an unblockable attack, and you should dodge the hell out of there or get Atreus to interrupt it. The game teaches you both of these things.
If you've been wailing on an enemy with light attacks or your bare fists, and see the pulsing red circle around them, it means you can execute your takedown move. Not being able to see how much stun you're dealing to an enemy might seem like a disadvantage, especially against Revenants, who have a rapid stun recovery. But just keep in mind that if you're looking to stun someone, you need to maintain focus on them and keep the pressure up regardless, otherwise you'll never get there.
If the screen has a glowing red vignette, it means you're low on health. That's a pretty standard thing. But Atreus will also tell you as much just in case it wasn't obvious enough. If Kratos is blue and icy, it means you've been affected by frost, and your attack speed will be slowed. Poison and shock effects are also pretty obvious--you'll see the distinct colors on Kratos. You don't need to see a little icon to know you're poisoned!
You also don't need the enemy indicator ring to know when you're being blindsided, just listen carefully to Atreus, because he'll tell you when you're being attacked, and from where. When he says "Watch out behind you!", or "Fire from your right!" it's a good idea to act on that advice immediately.
You see what I mean? All of that knowledge is pretty straightforward and pre-existing. They're all things you'll be accustomed to by the time you internalize the combat system. I'm sure you have a bunch of questions and concerns, such as: How do you know when you need to heal? Well naturally, it's a good idea to save green gems for until you really need them, and you know that when Atreus is yelling at you and your screen is turning red, you need to find some health gems to stomp on, pronto.
Now, remember when I talked about Immersive mode giving you way more awareness in combat? You'll likely be avoiding more hits overall, which means you'll likely have more spare health gems lying around, and as you play more you should organically get an idea of roughly how many blows you can take before hitting the red zone. Health then becomes more of a gut feeling thing. For example, if I enter a fight and am aware I've taken three or four hits from some Draugr, I can be pretty sure that grabbing one of those green gems will bring me back up to max health. Once the fight is over, you'll naturally want to clean up all the pickups on the battlefield, which should put you in perfect shape for the next battle. You can check your health with the touchpad just to be sure.
Things a little clearer for cooldowns on your runic weapon and talisman skills, as well as Atreus' abilities. When an ability comes off cooldown and is ready to use, there'll be a handy chime from either the left or right of the screen, where the meters would normally be. Atreus will say "I'm set! Or "Tell me when!" when his arrows are ready after using them all up. That said, it's good to keep in mind roughly how long the cooldown on your chosen abilities are (anywhere from 30-90 seconds) and keep rough track when you use it. Personally, I found myself having a lot more fun with them in Immersive because I would see myself identifying the perfect situation to use a skill before activating it (rather than noticing that it was available to use, thinking "I should use that", and then kinda wasting it and missing out on a better opportunity moments later).
The tricky one, depending on your play style, is knowing when Spartan Rage is ready to go. I typically only used Spartan Rage during boss fights or particularly large mobs, so I rarely found myself in a bad situation with it. But if you like to use it as soon as you can, as much as you can, you might want to use the custom Touchpad HUD to periodically check on the meters.
Finally your compass. God of War's open areas are not so convoluted that you're going to need to constantly follow an objective marker to get where you need to go. Glancing at your world map in the main menu, making a note of your orientation and where your next main or side objective might be, and set off in that general direction, allowing the natural pathways and your perception of major landmarks to guide you usually enough to get you where you need to be.
Okay, so how about all that sweet loot you're going to find along your journey? In Immersive mode, most of the white highlights you pick up off the ground, and the stuff you find in chests, coffins, and on the water won't activate a popup. But seriously, don't sweat. It's probably either just some hacksilver, a small XP boost, or crafting materials. None of these are things you need to worry about immediately!
And let's face it--every time you come upon a weapon stall, you're going to check in and see if you can craft or upgrade any new gear anyway. If you have the prerequisite hacksilver and crafting materials, great! And if you don't, well, see you next time! With Immersive mode, you'll likely be a lot more aware of hidden paths and pickups along the way, so it's not like you're going to miss a whole mess of stuff that's going to stop you from upgrading something, because you wouldn't have been able to anyway.
Now, if you find significant items like new Runic Attacks, uncommon, legendary, or epic gear, legendary materials, Iounn Apples, or Mead Horns, a big pop-up will come up regardless, because that's stuff that you might find useful immediately. Lore popups and new bestiary entries are pretty straightforward--You can safely assume that once you stumble upon a lore stone for Atreus to decipher, or encounter an enemy you haven't seen before, there'll be a fresh passage of text waiting for you to read in the main menu.
Unfortunately for those of you who are super into lore, Both the loot and lore popups are things that can't be toggled individually in the custom HUD screen, and can't be assigned to the touchpad menu. You're either all in or all out. So this might have to be a personal decision based on how badly you want to read the lore immediately, and seeing a popup saying you picked up 5 hacksilver every time you smash a pot.
So that's a lot of words and time spent to assure you that, yes, playing God of War in Immersive mode can be a completely practical and good option. Again, it's something that I implore you to do because it'll give you a greater appreciation of just how well designed its environments are for exploring, how deep and exciting combat can be, and just how stunning every facet of this game is. I wish I had done it earlier. Turn on Immersive mode in God of War. It's the best way to play.
We're giving away a God of War Limited Edition 1TB PS4 Pro, grey DualShock 4 Controller, and copy of the game!
This special bundle features a fully customized Leviathan Grey 1TB PS4 Pro console inspired by Kratos' Axe, a matching DualShock 4 wireless controller with insignia, and a copy of God of War Day One Edition.
Entry is open to United Kingdom residents only, since the prize is shipping from the UK. Competition ends Monday, April 30 at 7:00 PM BST. One (1) winner will be chosen.
Enter below (the additional entries are OPTIONAL to increase your chances of winning):
Throughout God of War's many realms lie hidden chambers sequestering powerful Valkyries. These cursed warriors offer some of the toughest fights in the entire game and grant you access to impressive-looking armor. You won't be able to fight them until you acquire the tip of a certain giant's chisel, but once you have that key item it's time to start thinking seriously about hunting Valkyries down.
Below, we will show you the exact location of each Valkyrie fight, and provide general tips on how to take them down and protect yourself from their attacks. For more on God of War, check out GameSpot's God of War review. For more guides, check out our progression system explainer and our feature detailing 11 tips you should know before starting.
Every Valkyrie Location
With four fights to discover, Midgard contains more Valkyries than any other realm in the game, but you can also find them in Alfheim, Helheim, Muspelheim, and Niflheim. The eight images below display their exact locations in each realm.
While you shouldn't have too much of an issue coming across these locations throughout the course of following the story, Muspelheim in particular is a bit deceiving at first. To get to the Valkyrie, you actually need to complete every trial and work your way to the top of the mountain, which wraps around--hence why it looks like it's near the entrance, even though it isn't.
General Tips
God of War doesn't present a clear order in which to fight the Valkyries, and not all Valkyries are created equal. That said there are a few key strategies you can take into battle that should help you regardless of the Valkyrie in question.
Whether or not you ultimately need it, be sure to take a resurrection stone into battle. Valkyries are punishing and in some cases are able to wipe you out with little warning. Having a stone in hand ensures that you get a second chance, and you'll be glad you thought ahead if you ever get knocked just before finishing off their last bit of health.
You should also prepare yourself for a bit of trial and error. Valkyries are highly mobile and capable of attacking in many different ways from near or far. It can take a few fights before you begin to recognize their attack patterns and learn how to avoid taking damage. Always go in knowing that you're better off being patient and waiting for an obvious moment of opportunity, versus risking progress on a moment of over-confidence.
The best tip you should always keep in mind: Whenever you see a Valkyrie leap into the air and telegraph an unblockable attack with a red ring of light, have Atreus fire an arrow to knock them to the ground. In most cases the attack they would otherwise activate is an arena-wide flash of energy that's impossible to dodge.
It's also smart to closely manage your runic attack cooldowns, and consider using the Talisman of Unbound Potential, which you can use to refill your meters in an instant. Simple combos will do damage to Valkyries but there's nothing quite like a powerful, magic-infused axe blow when you get the chance. Avoid spamming attacks and make the most of the opportunities that arise.
What's My Prize?
Some say victory is a reward unto itself, but this is a video game we're talking about. For every Valkyrie you defeat, you are guaranteed to get Epic-grade items in return, including plenty of enchantments and armor. Armor in particular is very desirable as each piece usually comes with powerful perks that may prove especially useful while trekking through Niflheim or Muspelheim.
What's Next?
After you defeat all eight Valkyries, well, you get to fight one more. Each Valkyrie you kill leaves a head behind that you can return to the council of Valkyries. The location of the council is pinpointed on your map--just to the left of the oarsmen--after you kill your first Valkyrie.
Returning the eight heads creates a tear that can be used to initiate a fight with the Queen of the Valkyries. She has far more health than any of the others, and even has a few new attacks to catch you off guard. The best advice for beating her is to just be patient. Don't rush, and do your best to survive. It's a long fight. Good luck.
God of War's combat is fairly limited at first, but once you start acquiring more Skills, battles become more complex. Enemies only get tougher as the game goes on, so it helps that there are ways to defend yourself.
During the first five to six hours of your adventure, you don't earn a lot of XP. With so little to go around, you'll have to prioritize which combat skills to unlock. There's not a lot of wiggle room early on, so it's important to start thinking about which skills best suit your playstyle. But don't fret, you're not forced to unlock certain skills over others the whole way through; you'll eventually nab enough XP to unlock every ability on the skill tree. Until then, choose your skills wisely.
To help you get an idea over what skills are worth unlocking, we've gathered what we believe to be some of the best early on. But what skills do you like the most? Let us know in the comments below. For more guides, check out our progression system explainer and our feature detailing 11 tips you should know before starting. And be sure to read our God of War review.
Pride of the Frost
Pride of the Frost should be one of the first Skills you unlock on account of it allowing you to perform an area-of-effect finisher after the third attack from a standard Leviathan Axe combo. If you're ever attacking a single enemy, and then a couple of its friends suddenly enter the fray, try transitioning your combo into the Pride of the Frost for a powerful dose of crowd-control.
Block Break
Block Break should be the next Skill you unlock. It's the go-to attack against shielded enemies, as it instantly renders them open to attack. You can also use it to stagger enemies; though, it won't damage them.
Executioner's Cleave
Executioner's Cleave is a bit slow on the windup, but it's a devastating heavy attack well worth unlocking early on. It inflicts high damage and is a good way to punctuate a combo--as long as you have an open window of opportunity to land it. But what makes the attack so satisfying to use is just how brutal it is; Kratos literally drives his axe into the unfortunate soul and rips straight through them. If an enemy is on the floor, stunned, or choked by Atreus, be sure to perform an Executioner's Cleave. You'll be glad you did.
Guardian Sweep
Guardian Shield attacks are generally some of the most expensive at first--but they're well worth saving up for. A good first move to unlock is the Guardian Sweep, an attack that allows you to trip an enemy onto the floor. It can be a fantastic way to set up devastating combo finishers. For example, try linking a basic melee combo into a Guardian Sweep, and then call your Leviathan Axe to perform an Executioner's Cleave. Make sure to unlock Guardian Sweep sooner rather than later, as it's a great way to expand your options when using the Guardian Shield.
Countering Strike
If you're a Dark Souls fan, chances are that Countering Strike will instantly appeal to you. A well-placed parry and punish against an enemy is always the most fulfilling feeling you can get in an action game. It takes time to master, but it's well worth the effort. And even if you're not that great at parry timing, you'll at least have access to the punishing shield bash you can inflict upon an enemy on the off-chance that you accidentally pull it off.
Whirling Storm
When enemies are keeping their distance from you, Whirling Storm is a handy attack that'll help you close the distance. Performed from a forward dodge, Whirling Storm is in no way a high-damage dealer, but it's a great way to start a combo due to its quick start-up time.
Guardian Justice
Guardian Justice is a great way to deal a ton of stun damage. Its wind-up speed isn't the quickest, but when you unlock its next-tier level skill, Guardian's Judgement, this move becomes the go-to finisher for any Guardian Shield combo. And if you're lucky, the attack can even launch enemies flying into nearby pits. Splendid.
Raging Ultimatum
Spartan Rage is an incredibly powerful tool that allows you wallop on enemies. However, it doesn't offer much in the way of crowd-control (at first, anyway). Raging Ultimatum is a great way to change that by offering you the ability to slam down a wave of energy with Kratos' strong attack.
Freezing Burst
Freezing Burst enhances the power Leviathan Axe, allowing you to charge up before throwing your trusty weapon. This skill comes highly recommended, as it not only increases the damage dealt but also inflicts frost damage.
Haymaker Crush
Haymaker Crush is a fantastic melee skill that allows you to instantly close the distance on an enemy. It also inflicts a guaranteed knockback on small-to-medium sized enemies, providing you a window of opportunity for a follow-up combo.
Talon Bow Expert Combat: Teamwork, Acrobatics, and Ferocity
Teamwork, Acrobatics, and Ferocity are essential Skills to acquire for Atreus. They each allow him to assist you in different ways. For example, Ferocity gives Atreus the ability to inflict high stun damage attacks against incoming enemies, while Acrobatics allows him to combo off your launcher attack. Prioritize unlocking these skills, as they're not only useful, but cost relatively little XP.
God of War on PS4 is a quite a different game from past entries in the series. It completely revamps combat, progression, and exploration with a bevy of new features and mechanics. As a result, when you first start the game's campaign, some of these new elements may seem disorienting and unfamiliar.
It might surprise you to know that the game actually lets you spend time exploring a relatively open area packed with optional activities. There's even a multi-branch skill tree containing an array of different attacks you can unlock with XP. Speaking of XP, God of War embraces RPG-like progression, allowing you the option to craft and upgrade armor. With so many new systems at work, we've gathered 11 tips to better help you play the game.
Have any useful tips that you don't see listed here? Let us know in the comments below. Be sure to read out God of War review. And for more guides, check out our progression explainer. You can also check out our gallery showcasing the game's coolest Legendary armor sets.
Take Time To Explore Optional Areas
As stated, this latest God of War is far more open in structure. It starts out linear, but once you reach the Lake of Nine, the game allows you to explore optional areas and search for more resources. While you're free to continue the story at any time, try to take time to explore, as doing so will net you extra Hacksilver, crafting resources, and equipment.
You can even find sidequests that yield their own unique stories and in-game rewards. All the while, the optional battles you engage in along the way will earn you more XP, giving you access to more abilities on the skill tree. God of War's main story may be fantastic, but don't ignore its side content. Hidden along the sidelines of every realm is a treasure trove of items and secrets well worth discovering.
Go Explore, But Explore Thoroughly
When you're out exploring, make sure to investigate every nook and cranny of the environment. There's always a ton of treasure chests around that are chock-full of items and resources. In addition, if you ever find any Runic Chests, take the time to open them up, as they usually contain valuable performance enhancing items, like Idunn Apples and Horns of Blood Mead, which increase your maximum health and Spartan Rage meters. You'll rarely ever have to worry about runic chests or hidden treasure being ability locked, so be sure to search the environment closely for the solution.
Don't Forget About Quick Turn
Due to God of War's over the shoulder camera, you'll often need to back off when surrounded by a group of enemies in combat. While you can roll out of most sticky situations, there are times when you'll be fighting in areas that don't afford a lot of wiggle room. Thankfully, there's a quick turn ability, which is performed by pressing down on the directional pad. It's a quick maneuver that might be a tad disorienting, but it can be a lifesaver when an enemy is about to hit you from the rear. Just try not to mash it, as you'll likely quick-turn twice on accident, putting you back right where you started and completely open to a direct attack.
If the default quick turn button isn't to your liking, it's possible to switch to other configurations. Simply access the options menu and choose the configuration that best suits you in the gameplay section under settings.
Use And Customize Your Runic Abilities
While you might be inclined to utilize the default attacks and combos available to you to dispatch foes, don't forget to use your Runic Attacks. These powerful special moves can be equipped to your weapons and are triggered by holding L1 and pressing R1 or R2. There are two types of Runic Attacks: Light and Heavy. The game features a variety of different Runic Attacks to equip, each sporting their own unique effects, attributes, and cooldowns. You can even upgrade them with XP to enhance their power.
They're effective all their own, but a well-placed Runic Attack can make a powerful combo even more devastating and quickly turn the tide of any tough encounter, giving you an upper hand when your chances of survival seem low. You accumulate a wealth of Runic Attacks throughout your journey. Diversify your runic attack roster and experiment with them to see which ones best suit your playstyle.
Choose Your Skills Wisely
During the first five to six hours of your adventure, you don't earn a lot of XP. With so little to go around, you'll have to prioritize which combat skills you want to unlock. Combat skills, like Grinding Storm and Guardian Sweep, are great choices if you often find yourself feeling overwhelmed by enemy groups. On the other hand, if you'd rather focus on high damage output over time, then prioritize unlocking skills under the Rage Combat tab.
There's not a lot of wiggle room early on, so it's important to start thinking about which skills best suit your playstyle. But don't fret, you're not forced to unlock certain skills over others the whole way through; you'll eventually nab enough XP to unlock every ability on the skill tree. Until then, choose your skills wisely.
Get Creative With Combat
As you'll see from the Skill tree, there's an abundance of maneuvers you can utilize in combat--almost too much at first. But don't let that overwhelm you; these attacks can be used in a wide range of situations and strung together into a variety of powerful combos.
To be more effective in a fight, it helps to study what's available to you. After acquiring a new skill, take time to understand its properties, like how long it takes to perform, how it affects enemies upon hitting them, and if it can be combined with other attacks in your repertoire. And once you've gained an understanding of how an attack works, consider which Runic Attacks would best compliment the combos you're looking to create.
God of War leaves you a ton of room to be creative, so don't feel like you need to fight enemies a single way. If you like being flashy in a fight, be flashy. If you prefer being more calculated with your attacks, you're welcome to do that too. There's rarely a wrong approach. As long as you understand the basics of guarding and dodging, you're free to be as inventive as you like.
Make Atreus a Main Part Of Your Combat Repertoire
Atreus may not seem the most formidable ally at first: his arrows don't do much damage and he doesn't do much to assist you. However, as you progress, Atreus begins to pick up on new melee techniques and weapons, which make him invaluable in combat. For instance, he eventually starts jumping on enemies to choke them, providing you a window to punish them with a deadly combo. While maneuvers like this are helpful, the most effective weapon in Atreus' arsenal are his Light and Shock arrows, which inflict powerful status ailments. We recommend using Shock Arrows during most combat situations, as they can immobilize enemies for a brief duration.
If you find yourself low on health and cornered by a group of tough enemies, Atreus can also be incredibly useful in drawing aggro away from you, giving you ample time to recalculate your attack strategy or search for nearby health items. He can even interrupt enemies out of powerful attack animations, sparing you from having to dodge or block them. And if that wasn't enough, he eventually gets access to Runic Summons, which are incredibly useful for crowd control.
Pick a Playstyle And Stick With It
God of War allows you a surprising amount of flexibility to customize and tailor Kratos's stats to your playstyle. With an array of armor and enchantments available, you can shape Kratos to fit into a variety of different class archetypes. For example, it's possible to stat into the traditional tank class route by min-maxing strength and defense; you can even become a battle mage by enhancing Runic attack strength and cooldown timers. Take time to think about what statistics you value the most in combat, and stick with it, as the sooner you can funnel your crafting resources into a specific playstyle, the better.
Make Sure Re-equip Your Enchantments
In your journey, you'll eventually purchase or discover a new armor set to replace your old one. It can be easy getting caught up in the excitement of equipping a new set--so much so that you might forget to re-equip all of the Enchantments from your old armor onto your new one. Unless you're a fan of playing at a disadvantage, don't make this mistake.
Grab Yggdrasil Dew
As you explore realms on your boat, you'll notice half-arched trees scattered throughout the environment that yield a glowing item known as Yggdrasil Dew. This special collectable grants an instant bonus to one of Kratos' stats, like strength, defense, or vitality. If you see these distinct looking trees anywhere in your travels, make it a priority to collect the Yggdrasil Dew attached to them. They're well worth your time.
Complete Muspelheim And Niflheim Challenges To Nab Legendary Gear
Later on, you'll discover the realms known as Muspelheim And Niflheim, which are completely optional. Without spoiling what you do in each realm, we highly encourage you to visit them and complete the challenges within. Completing them can net you special crafting resources used to make some of the best armor in the game.
By Anonymous on Apr 21, 2018 07:00 am With Avengers: Infinity War just around the corner, we put together a wish list of what we'd like to see in the MCU's biggest film yet.
By Anonymous on Apr 21, 2018 04:30 am The Super Troopers are back with a sequel, 17 years after the original film was released! Mike and Dave review Super Troopers 2, just in time for 4/20.
With the Spring Blossom Fest in the rear view mirror, a major new update for Monster Hunter World has arrived. PS4 and Xbox One players can now take on a new Elder Dragon, Kulve Taroth, and that means there's new gear to get your hands on. Here's how to get the newly added armor and weapons (which are known as Relics).
In order to take on Kulve Taroth, you'll need to be at least Hunter Rank 16. While exploring the world, you'll begin to find new tracks, which belong to Kulve. Find enough, and you can take part in a new type of limited-time quest called a Siege. Everyone in a single game session--up to 16 players--can join together to deal with Kulve. These players are split into groups of four to gather tracks and attack the Elder Dragon, specifically with the aim of breaking off parts. Breaking parts and gathering tracks add to a progress meter for the Siege. The more progress, the better the rewards; Capcom specifically encourages players to try this in a multiplayer session.
As per usual when fighting a monster, this will unlock two new High Rank armor sets at the smithy: Kulve Taroth α and Kulve Taroth β. (There's also a matching Palico armor set and weapon.) Crafting them primarily requires materials you'll obtain through this fight, though you'll also need gems from other Elder Dragons, too. Here are the skills you'll earn by equipping each piece:
Helm: Free Element/Ammo Up and Agitator
Chest: Stun Res and Crit Boost
Arms: Free Element/Ammo Up and Power Prolonger
Waist: Free Element/Ammo Up and Handicraft
Boots: Wide Range and Peak Performance
While the armor and Palico gear side of all this is very simple, weapons are much different. They're handled unlike anything else in the game to date, as you'll receive them as drops at the end of a Siege. The quality depends on your Reward Level, which is dictated by the contributions made by you and your teammates (though you'll receive more from your squadmates). These are referred to as Relics and have randomized stats but otherwise operate as standard weapons, using the models for existing ones.
This first instance of the Kulve Taroth Siege is available from now until May 3 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET (1 AM BST / 10 AM AEST on May 4). The Siege was added as part of a broader 3.0 update, which you can read about in the full 3.0 patch notes.
We've known for some time that Blizzard planned some kind of overhaul for Hanzo, Overwatch's bow-wielding hero. Now, we know exactly what it has in store for the character, as these changes have been implemented on the PC version's Public Test Realm, alongside the new Rialto map and other changes.
Most significantly, Hanzo's old Scatter Arrow ability--the one that shot a bunch of arrows that would ricochet off of surfaces--is gone. It's been replaced by Storm Arrows, which allows him to "rapidly fire up to six arrows that deal reduced damage but are always fired at full power." He also gains the ability to leap horizontally with Lunge (by pressing the jump key/button while in mid-air), and the projectile speed of his basic attacks has been increased from 85 to 100. Finally, Sonic Arrow--which reveals enemies near its impact--can now be used more often but is less effective: Its cooldown drops to 12 seconds from 20, but its duration is only six seconds (down from 10) and its radius is seven meters (down from 10).
"The goal of these Hanzo changes is to allow him to have new options and maintain his high damage output, while removing the frustration of fighting against the old Scatter Arrow," Blizzard explained in the full patch notes. "Hanzo is now much more mobile with his new Lunge ability, and with the combination of the bow projectile speed increase and the new Storm Arrows ability he can now deal his high damage more consistently than ever before."
While Hanzo's changes are by far the most extensive, he's not the only character with some balance tweaks in this update. Lucio's Wall Ride has been reworked; Blizzard said it's a "huge improvement," and it's now less likely to be interrupted if you're sticking to the same surface. He can also go around corners using it without leaving the wall, and it's possible to jump away from a wall and then return to it. Additionally, Soundwave no longer consumes ammo when used.
Brigitte, the game's newest hero, has had her Shield Bash's cone angle reduced from 90 to 60. Blizzard said this should prevent some frustration when using it (or being hit by it), as "the ability is more accurate to its visual representation." Junkrat sees some minor adjustments; his default attack's projectile size has been decreased (to 0.2 from 0.3), as has the movement speed of RIP-Tire (to 12 from 13).
Genji sees a bit of a nerf involving his Deflect ability; its hitbox size has been reduced. This sounds as if it's specifically meant to avoid deflecting projectiles that are further away from him than it should. Finally, Tracer's Pulse Bomb max damage has been decreased from 400 to 300, making it "less powerful as a tank-destroyer, while keeping it lethal against most other heroes."
This PTR update also makes some other bug fixes and tweaks. This is all live on the PTR right now, which you can access through Blizzard Battle.net if you own the PC version. There's no word on when these changes will make their way to the live game, although bear in mind that these specific changes could always be tweaked further.
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon players will soon have a chance to add another free pair of Legendaries to their teams. Beginning this weekend, The Pokemon Company is giving away Entei and Raikou as part of its ongoing Year of Legendary Pokemon celebration, but they'll only be available for a very limited time.
To claim the Legendaries, fans in the US will need to travel to a specific retailer and pick up a download code for the Pokemon. This time, the free code will be available at the electronics section of participating Target stores across the country from April 22-29. Players in Europe, meanwhile, can download the Legendaries via an online Mystery Gift from the games' main menu until April 25.
The code is redeemable in any seventh generation Pokemon title, although the Legendary you receive depends on which game you're playing. Those with Sun or Ultra Sun will get the Fire-type Entei, while Moon and Ultra Moon players will receive the Electric-type Raikou.
If you redeem the code in either of the Ultra games, the Pokemon will come equipped with a rare Gold Bottle Cap, which can be exchanged to max out a Pokemon's IVs in Hyper Training. The Legendaries also know different moves depending on the version. You can see their movesets in each game below.
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Entei -- Level 100
Sacred Fire
Stone Edge
Iron Head
Flame Charge
Pokemon Sun
Entei -- Level 60
Stomp
Bite
Swagger
Lava Plume
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Raikou -- Level 100
Thunderbolt
Volt Switch
Extrasensory
Calm Mind
Pokemon Moon
Raikou -- Level 60
Reflect
Crunch
Thunder Fang
Discharge
To redeem the download code, first select Mystery Gift from the games' main menu, then choose the option to receive your gift via a code/password. Input the code you picked up and your Legendary Pokemon will be downloaded. You will then have to retrieve it from the deliveryman, who will be waiting inside any of the games' Pokemon Centers. You'll need to have an empty slot in your party to claim the Legendary.
Capcom is shutting down services for its recent mobile game, Puzzle Fighter. The publisher announced that it will remove the puzzle game from app stores on July 1, while the option to spend money on in-app purchases will be disabled on April 23.
Servers for Puzzle Fighter will continue to operate for a few more weeks after the title is de-listed, but they will be shut down on July 31, after which point the game will no longer be playable. In the meantime, Capcom is offering 10,000 gems--Puzzle Fighter's in-game currency--to all players as a thank-you gift.
The company is also releasing Puzzle Fighter's upcoming characters and stages for free. Two new characters, Regina and Dr. Wily, will be added to the game later today, April 20, while Ada Wong and a pair of stages--Darminor and Uroboros Laboratory--arrive on April 23.
Puzzle Fighter officially launched for iOS and Android devices in November 2017. It was developed by Capcom Vancouver, the studio best known for the Dead Rising series. According to the publisher, the zombie series factored into the decision to shut down Puzzle Fighter.
"As the studio is dedicating its focus to our flagship Dead Rising franchise, we have decided to sunset Puzzle Fighter," Capcom explained in a post on the Capcom Unity blog. "We appreciate the fans who have supported Puzzle Fighter until this point. We thank you for playing the game and hope to ensure your remaining time with Puzzle Fighter is an enjoyable one."
Earlier this year, Capcom Vancouver was hit by a wave of layoffs that impacted "approximately 30% of the studio." Capcom hasn't formally announced a new Dead Rising game, but most recent release in the series, Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package, launched for PS4 in December and packaged 2016's Dead Rising 4 with all of its DLC and new bonus content.
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