God of War Ragnarok (GoW Ragnarok)

Difficulty Settings Explained and Best Difficulty Level

★ God of War Ragnarok is out now in all regions!
Walkthrough | Bosses | Realms | Items
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★ Locations for all Collectibles found in God of War Ragnarok!
Nornir Chests | Ravens | Idunn Apples | Artifacts

God of War Ragnarok - All Difficulties and Difficulty Differences
God of War Ragnarok offers 5 difficulty levels to suit your play style. Read on to learn the differences between difficulty levels, the best difficulty setting to choose, as well as how to change difficulty!

Difficulty Settings and Differences

List of Difficulty Settings

Difficulty Description
Give Me
Story
"Give Me Story" is for players who want to experience the story with the least focus on combat.
Give Me
Grace
"Give Me Grace" is for players who want story-focused gameplay with some focus on combat.
Give Me
Balance
"Give Me Balance" is for players who want an adventure that's equally focused on story and combat.
Give Me
No Mercy
"Give Me No Mercy" is for those who want a more demanding combat experience.
Give Me
God of War
"Give Me God of War" is for those who want the game as difficult as possible, requiring god-like reflexes and strategy.

"Give Me God of War" is only available from the start of a new game. This difficulty can be reduced mid-game but not reselected.

Difficulty Affects Enemy Aggression

GOWR - Kratos Guarding Against an Enemy
Choosing a higher difficulty level will change how your enemies behave. They'll be more aggressive with their attacks, so much so that players will have to dodge and use their shield a lot more. Enemies are also less affected by stun, and can counterattack almost immediately after suffering a hit from Kratos.

Higher Levels and Stats

God of War Ragnarok - Kratos punching an enemy

At higher difficulties, enemies will have much higher stats and levels than Kratos, with the highest difficulty giving the maximum available level and stats for an enemy. Therefore, you can expect them to take less damage from hits, while dealing even more toward Kratos. This will require players at higher difficulty levels to grind more in order to increase their level, and equip the right gear to match their enemies.

With the Give Me God of War difficulty, enemies can also turn into an Elite version, boosting their capabilities and aggression, with some even having new attack patterns.

Status Effects Are Deadlier and Last Longer

GOWR - Kratos in Spartan Rage
Status Effects inflicted on Kratos are much deadlier, having a boost in their effect depending on the difficulty. Some of these will also affect Kratos much longer than their lower-difficulty variants. On the other hand, enemies will have improved resistance to status effects, making it much harder to inflict a status effect.

Best Difficulty to Choose

Choose Balance For the Intended Difficulty

GOWR - Kratos Overlooking a Landscape

For those players who want to play the game as intended by the developers, choosing to Give Me Balance will let you experience the story with the right amount of balance for the combat experience.

This difficulty is recommended for all types of players, especially if this is your first time playing the game, to gauge if the game is too easy or hard for you as it is the middle point.

No Mercy Difficulty for Veteran Players

GOWR - Kratos facing against a beast
Players who are veterans of the God of War series who want to enjoy a more demanding combat experience should pick the "Give Me No Mercy" difficulty. This difficulty offers more challenges to players without being too frustratingly hard for players to overcome.

Enjoy The Narration in Grace or Story Difficulty

GOWR - Atreus and Kratos About to Fight a Monster
If you're here to play the game just for the story, then choosing either Grace or Story will allow you to experience the game's narrative without having to think about strategies or obtain the best armor set.

While both difficulties essentially allow the players to focus on the story, Grace will give you a little challenge when it comes to combat experience if you find the game too easy, so it provides a good gameplay experience without feeling too easy for casual gamers.

God of War Difficulty for Hardcore Gamers or Second Playthrough

GOWR - Atreus Talking to an NPC
Hardcore players that want to challenge themselves when playing God of War Ragnarok may want to look into the God of War difficulty. This difficulty will have players go through the most rigorous combat experience this game has to offer, requiring god-like reflexes and strategies to overcome the challenges it will throw at the player. If you have already beaten the game and want to go through New Game Plus while avoiding becoming too overpowered, this is a great option!

No Difficulty Trophy

God of War Ragnarok - Trophy List
Players aiming to get the platinum trophy for God of War Ragnarok should note that beating the game at the highest difficulty level will not reward you with a trophy. This means that players won't be forced to play through the game on God of War difficulty to get a trophy and will be free to select whichever difficulty level they are comfortable with.

Trophy Guide and List of Trophies

How to Change Difficulty

Can be Changed Under Gameplay

God of War Ragnarok - Gameplay Settings Screen
If you find the game too difficult or easy for you, you can change what difficulty you set for the game at the start by going through your settings. Under Gameplay > Challenge Level, you can change which difficulty you want for your game.

Give Me God of War Cannot Be Changed Mid Playthrough!

God of War difficulty can only be chosen at the start of the game, and any players who lowered the difficulty from God of War cannot set it back and will have to start the game all over again.

God of War Ragnarok Related Guides

God of War Ragnarok Tips and Tricks Banner.png
Tips and Tricks

All God of War Ragnarok Tips and Tricks Guides

Core Mechanics
Beginner's Guide Combat System Explained
How to Heal and Increase Max Health What Does Killing Bugs Do?
Stats Explained: All Stats and How They Work How to Use Quick Turn
How to Upgrade Equipment How to Raise Your Level
How to Parry How to Fast Travel
Leveling and Grinding
How to Farm Hacksilver How to Farm XP
Graphics & Settings
Difficulty Settings Explained Best Settings for Graphics and Performance
Does God of War Ragnarok Have New Game Plus? How to Skip Cutscenes
Equipment & Skills
How to Transmog Gear
Tier Lists
Best Skills Best Armor Sets
Best Attachments Best Runic Attacks
Best Relics Best Enchantments
Exploration & Collectibles
How to Get Idunn Apples All Horns of Blood Mead Locations
How to Break Cracked Ground and Floors How to Recover Lost Items
Invasive Species: All Crater Hunts Guide How to Fully Repair Amulet of Yggdrasil
Full Gulfa Trophy Guide: All Hafgufas Locations
Story & Progression
How to Get the Secret Ending How to Unlock the Compass
Bugs and Fixes
How to get Unstuck: Old Friends Bug Fix Tavern Glitch: How to Fix the Dwarf Bug

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