The new Game Plus mode of God of War Ragnarök is now available; Adds new armor, stronger enemies and more

God of War Ragnarök’s New Game+ mode is finally here. In a tweet, developer Santa Monica Studio confirmed their latest big game update, which brings new gear, enchantments, more powerful enemies, and more for your second dip in the Nine Realms. As expected, the mode activates after defeating God of War Ragnarök once on any difficulty setting, providing the benefit of transferring any unlocked gear and skills to a new run. That said, you won’t be able to start the game with access to Sonic and Hex Arrows, as they’re locked behind specific quest lines in the main story.

First, Santa Monica Studio is adding the much-requested black bear cloak from the opening scene of God of War Ragnarök, with its strength and defense-focused stats “with a perk that rewards your last-second escapes. with a volley of Bifröst shards.” Of course, since the game plays out as a single chase shot, the NG+ run will start with you donning the ‘Black Bear Armor.’ Then there’s the ‘Spartan Armor’ for the lionhearted players, who is essentially a shirtless Kratos with no perks or stats – locked to Tier 1 attributes – contributing to more challenging gameplay.The armor can be acquired from the Huldra Brothers Shop in exchange for Hacksilver. Ares and Zeus armors from God of War 2018 are also returning in New Game+ mode, the former has a chance to drop a health stone on hit, while the latter greatly increases melee and runic damage.

Players can also purchase the Spartan Aspis shield which carries a tighter parry window, or play with color combinations for their level 9+ armor. Staying on trend with all other New Game+ modes, Kratos and his enemies will be more powerful with an increased level cap – all weapons earned can now be upgraded to “Plus” versions, resulting in effects more powerful. Such conversions also earn you a golden coin, which can be used to acquire new enchantments from in-game shops. For the uninitiated, enchantments add special perks to any armor set, giving you a advantage in combat. “Burdens” is a new set among them, which lets you equip negative perks for a more masochistic affair in God of War Ragnarök’s NG+ mode. For example, Burden of Evasion will slow Kratos by activating an automatic frost status effect when dodging.

Niflheim’s battle arena has also been expanded, allowing you to play as Kratos or Atreus, and choose any companion character ranging from Freya, Brok, Sindri, Angrboda, Ingrid, Thor, and Thrúd. There is also a black and white render mode, bringing a cinematic twist/filter to God of War Ragnarök, similar to Ghost of Tsushima’s Samurai Cinema mode. “You can find the new mode in the Graphics & Camera settings menu,” adds PlayStation’s blog post announcing the new mode. NG+ mode also allows cutscenes to be skipped, while Nornir chests now provide Yggdrasil Dew to allow stat upgrades that go beyond the limits.

God of War Ragnarök took home six trophies at The Game Awards 2022, including Best Narrative and a Best Performance Nod for Christopher Judge. More recently, it won six more at the BAFTA Games Awards, from a record 14 nominations. The game is also available as a three-hour free trial for PS Plus Deluxe/Premium subscription members, which is enough time to make up your mind and decide to buy it. This is because all progress and trophies carry over to full purchase.

God of War Ragnarök New Game+ is out now on PS4 and PS5.

---