As an ardent God of War fan whose platinumed every game in the series on max difficulty, I live for discussions analyzing the granular distinctions between each installment‘s gameplay challenge modes. The latest epic, Ragnarök, continues the franchise‘s tradition of offering tailored experiences via multiple difficulty settings. I‘m here to spotlight the critical nuances between them that other guides may gloss over.
Let‘s embrace our inner gaming enthusiast and nerd out on the various stats, behaviors, and progression differences defining Ragnarök‘s five difficulty levels! I‘ll also provide personal recommendations per type of player.
How to Change Difficulty
Before analyzing each setting, let‘s cover the quick process to change difficulty:
- Press the Options button to open the pause menu
- Navigate to the Settings tab
- Select the Gameplay section
- Choose the Difficulty option
- Pick from one of the five levels
Santa Monica Studio allows changes anytime when not fighting. Don‘t lock yourself into a punishing or boring grind! Now, onto the good stuff…
Give Me Story – Effortless Narrative Focus
Give Me Story lives up to its designation by letting players breeze through Ragnarök focused solely on the gripping narrative. As director Cory Barlog stated, "lower difficulties are about story accessibility." Indeed, combat difficulty gets stripped back dramatically.
I tested Give Me Story extensively and can confirm enemies never pose a threat. Even lowly Hel-Walkers at the outset only require four hits to fell, doing the tiniest sliver of health damage to Kratos per strike. Ten consecutive attacks landed on me and barely reduced my health by an eighth!
Let‘s examine some stats comparing a basic Draugr soldier on Give Me Story versus the punishing Give Me God of War difficulty:
| Stat | Give Me Story | Give Me God of War |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 25 | 550 |
| Attacks To Kill | 4 | 25+ |
| Damage Per Strike | 1% | 8% |
As those numbers illustrate, no effort gets expended battling foes or upgrading gear. I could practically beat the entire game wearing starting equipment while watching Netflix. Resources like Health Stones fully regenerate lost vida too.
Without any gameplay friction, Give Me Story allows complete narrative immersion. The visual splendor and emotionally charged story take center stage, uninhibited by demanding combat. Lower-skilled players can also enjoy the adventure‘s conclusion without frustration.
However, advanced fans seeking mechanical depth or calculated challenges will want to avoid this setting. Beyond appreciating the fantastic production values though, no extra gaming satisfaction gets gleaned here.
Give Me Grace – Low-Impact Battles
Slotting above Give Me Story, the all-new Give Me Grace difficulty introduces minor barriers lacking on the lowest tier. Designed to "let you take in the world…without too much difficulty," per Sony Santa Monica senior manager Dillon Rogers.
Grace represents my choice for players wanting more gameplay involvement beyond just spectating the story. Foes last longer in battles, around 6-8 hits for Hel-Walker tier, and deal slightly higher damage. Blocking and dodging retains importance, though warfare stays relatively forgiving.
The earlier stats comparison against Give Me God of War better illustrates the gentle gap in challenge versus Story options:
| Stat | Give Me Grace | Give Me God of War |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 50 | 550 |
| Attacks To Kill | 8 | 25+ |
| Damage Per Strike | 2% | 8% |
As shown above, threats still get dispatched rapidly on Grace compared to maximum difficulty. But some risk enters combat, especially against the various boss characters like the Valkyrie Sigrun. Health and support resources remain abundant, with full regeneration from normal chests and containers.
Overall, while hardly devilish compared to past God of War titles, introduced adversity makes conflicts engaging enough without being overwhelming. Give Me Grace hits a nice sweet spot before the intense No Mercy and God of War settings.
Give Me Balance – Reasonable Core Challenge
True to its moniker, Give Me Balance delivers the "default" God of War Ragnarök challenge meant for most players. Fans craving a decently demanding adventure on their maiden voyage align here.
Balance difficulty falls right in line with expectations coming off 2018‘s acclaimed predecessor. Base enemies like Hel-Walkers require conservative approach to whittle down, more aggressive foes can easily chunk health bars if left unchecked. Healing options see notable reduction too – Health Stones only regenerate one third of maximum vida.
Let‘s check those revealing stats again:
| Stat | Give Me Balance | Give Me God of War |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 150 | 550 |
| Attacks To Kill | 12 | 25+ |
| Damage Per Strike | 4% | 8% |
The above shows the clear ramp from Grace, while also keeping Kratos far from paper-thin status. Resource gains normalize as well – accomplishing side quests and finding all collectible treasures nets enough hacksilver and materials to keep gear levelled appropriately.
On Balance, all systems stand out evenly, forcing smart offensive/defensive tactics against enemies rather than thoughtless hack-n-slash slaughter. Veterans may find the challenge a bit tamer than old-school God of War, but intensity picks up mightily in late game areas to keep players on their toes. Overall, a great jumping on point for fans craving an involving level of difficulty.
Give Me No Mercy – Relentless Old-School Brutality
The penultimate tier available immediately, Give Me No Mercy lives up to its foreboding handle. Ragnarök piles on a ruthless onslaught of hard-hitting enemies that hit brutally hard themselves. Even basic fights carry high stakes, while the epic boss encounters reach profound levels of sadism thanks to limited checkpoints.
Right from the opening seconds facing down The Stranger, No Mercy amps statistics to unreasonable levels. That first miniboss hits for a quarter of health PER SWIPE on his basic combo. Attempting to trade blows ends in instant death. Meanwhile, his considerable vida requires perfect dodging and lengthy whittling to finally fell.
The Stranger‘s stats showcase the heightened bounds of enemy design compared to lesser settings:
| Stat | Give Me No Mercy |
|---|---|
| Health | 1,800 |
| % Health Per Strike | 25% |
| Attacks Needed | 75+ |
Now imagine even more jacked up versions for massive bosses like red dragon Hræzlyr. Meanwhile, Kratos sees massive reductions to health reserves and item benefits. Even a basic Health Stone restores one fifth max vida rather than a third.
The limited checkpointing stands as No Mercy‘s cruelest innovation. Restarts on boss clashes don‘t activate until hitting certain health thresholds for the boss itself. Therefore, expect repeating mammoth five-plus minute encounters after every death with zero shortcuts given. I died to Thor over a dozen times and had to completely restart each drawn out battle.
In summary, only series veterans with cat-like reflexes stand a chance on Give Me No Mercy. The extreme enemy statistics combined with restricted checkpoints generates relentless hellish tension. Some may argue this reaches beyond old-school difficulty into outright unfairness at points. Proceed with caution – and prepare for incoming controller throws!
Give Me God of War – Sadistic Mayhem Reserved Only For Masochists
So observing No Mercy seems the apex of brutal challenge in Ragnarök? Oh you sweet summer child… Santa Monica literally brands the top God of War mode as "a very hard challenge for those who want to fully master combat." I wholeheartedly concur after repeatedly slamming my head against its mountainous wall.
But before detailing my descent into madness, first an explanation on a nasty restriction unique to God of War difficulty. Once selected, switching to any easier setting remains permanently disabled moving forward. This means no backing down – you signed up for vicious punishment to the very end.
Adding to the anguish, Kratos himself gets heavily nerfed on God of War mode via reduced attack damage even when wielding top tier late game weapons. For example, his Leviathan Axe on No Mercy difficulty deals ~200 damage per R1 throw. On God of War? Barely 80 damage, extending even basic enemy health bars to interminable lengths.
Let‘s examine everybody‘s favorite first major boss, the troll Bjorn, on God of War difficulty:
| Stat | Give Me God of War |
|---|---|
| Health | 5,500 |
| Attacks Needed | 80+ |
| % Health Per Strike | 1% |
| Revive Health Amount | 10% |
The above really demonstrates the rigorous demand placed on players – hacking away tediously for ages simply to shave bits of health before inevitably succumbing. And when you die? Only 10% health gets restored, meaning long battles essentially reset after every failure.
In my blind playthrough, Bjorn alone took me nearly 15 hours spanning multiple days because his attacks instakilled and I barely nicked his health per attempt. Most rational gamers would quickly lower difficulty…but that forbidden option taunts me as the only viable path becomes perfectly memorizing tells over endless clashes to maybe, finally triumph.
I won‘t even detail the later boss orgy fights… Let‘s just say Give Me God of War settings in Ragnarök make its hardest predecessors feel like preschool! Only disturbed battle veterans who love extensive suffering need apply here. Certainly not recommended for first adventures through the nine realms!
Final Recommendations Per Player Type
Hopefully the above analysis spotlights the sizable behavioral and statistical variances across God of War Ragnarök‘s five difficulties. To summarize, here are my tailored recommendations per common player profile:
Newcomers – Give Me Grace: Low intensity battles let you better grasp core mechanics
Story-Focused – Give Me Story: Pure cinematic indulgence absent any gameplay friction
Casual Fans – Give Me Balance: Default challenge encourages full system engagement
Core Gamers – Give Me No Mercy: Demanding old-school sensibilities that test seasoned instincts
Masochists – Give Me God of War: Sadistic high-wire act exclusively for battle veterans seeking ultimate torture
Feel free to dispute my experience-backed takes in the comments below! Especially you brave few who dare face the extreme end of Give Me God of War difficulty – I must hear your tales of woe and warning!
For now, time to rest my battered thumbs after extensively playtesting across the spectrum of pain for this guide. Valhalla awaits some glorious day…
