'God of War' Tips And Tricks: Bell Puzzle Solutions, Boss Fights And More

God of War is enjoying a lot of success on it's launch weekend. Great reviews, good hype and it just so happens to be an amazing game too. But it's not without its challenges and new players might find themselves overwhelmed or confused by some of the trickier aspects of the game. Not to worry, we have a list of tips and tricks for God of War to help with everything from bell puzzles to boss fights to exploration.

God of War Tips And Tricks: Bell Puzzles

Far and away one of the most taxing things you'll come across in god of War are the bell puzzles that lock Nornir chests. Unlike the seal puzzles, which have no time limit, the bell puzzles require you find and ring three rune bells in about seven seconds. Locating all the bells for a particular chest can be frustrating but there are a few things you can do to ease your bell puzzle burden.

Observation is key. Once you find one rune bell it's best to stand in that spot and slowly turn. Remember, these bells have to be rung in a short window of time so usually you make all three throws from one spot. For bells that are out in the open this is just a matter of keeping your eyes open. Other times, bells are hidden behind obstacles and may require you to open a gate or destroy something in the environment. The key to remember is everything has to be within range of Kratos Axe so stay put in the area and keep looking.

There is also some help available, in game and otherwise. Atreus will often point out a bell if you've been looking for awhile. Make sure to listen for him to say something like "Up there!" or "Look father!" and see where he's pointing. There are also a few guides online but nothing comprehensive. This one from tldrgames contains short videos of some of the trickier bell puzzle chests in the game.

God of War Tips And Tricks: Boss Fights

There are a handful of major bosses in God of War with unique attack styles, but many more mini bosses that fall into the same groups: ancients, ogres and trolls. Encountering these foes at the wrong time can bring a swift end to your journey (always make sure you buy a resurrection stone from the blacksmiths) but the good news is once you fight one you more or less have fought them all. Keep an eye out for elemental damage too i.e. use fire attacks (if you have the blades of chaos) on frost enemies and frost attacks on fire enemies. Here's some tips for beating each.

Ancients: These big lugs can't really be meleed to death. Instead you have to wait for them to open up their chest and expose their core then toss the Leviathan Axe into it to cause some damage. This will also cause a piece of their core to pop out, so you have to run in and pick it up with circle, then toss it back at them the next time they open up. Sprinting and dodging are key here. The AoE and missile attacks are easy to avoid, but the beam attack and the mortars can be lethal. The mortar attacks happen two or three times in a row, too, so using sprint to rush in and pick up the core requires a bit of timing.

Ogres: These big ape-like enemies are all about front-facing damage. Don't go toe-to-toe. Instead you want to dodge/roll to the sides and behind them. If you fill the stun bar you hop on their backs and can actually control their sweeping attacks for a bit, so they're good for clearing out groups of smaller enemies. Atreus arrows can help fill the stun meter faster. If you have rage mode save it until the ogre is near it's last third of life and use it for a quick finish.

Trolls: The first miniboss you face is a troll, so you get a crash course in their attack style. It's mostly centered around swinging a big pillar in an overhead smash or a sweeping side attack. Like Ogres, your best bet is to dodge to the sides and back of a troll, get a few hits in and get out. Ranged axe attacks can also be helpful, especially if you're getting low on health. Trolls tend to be slow to cover ground so you can work them from a distance. Basically you want to goad them into attacking, dodge it, then get a few quick hits in while they recover. Atreus arrows can help distract them too, and it's a good way to get them to turn their backs to you.

God of War Tips and Tricks: Lake of Nine Exploration

The Lake of Nine is where you'll spend most of your time in God of War but exploring it isn't as simple as going around as soon as you get there. As your progress through the story you'll lower the water level of the lake twice, and each time expose new things to explore. The real fun doesn't begin until you drop the level at least once, so i'd recommend getting at least that far before you really start wandering.

As you explore you want to keep an out for loot, there's lots of it. Shimmering golden patches appear that can be gathered using circle. I have ~900 Aegir's gold in my current game just from trawling the lake this way. You also want to run over and floating crates or bodies, they can yield hacksilver or common crafting elements. The best thing to watch out for are bright blue, luminescent plants that give permanent stat boosts when collected. These are easy to spot and tend to be located near shorelines.

God of War Tips and Tricks: Miscellaneous Advice

• Resurrection Stones are your friend. Always have one on you.
• Check your XP often and spend it frequently. It's easy to overlook how many points you have but upgrading and acquiring new skills can make your life a lot easier.
• Go against the grain. If you feel the game is pushing you along a particular path go the opposite way. The easiest way to find chests is by going the opposite direction the path seems to go.
• Smash everything. Pottery has hacksilver and rotted planks can hide hidden passages.
• Sidequests are worthwhile. You often gain lots of XP but some of them yield high level armor too.
• Once you unlock both kinds of special arrows for Atreus and the Blades of Chaos there's no environmental barrier you can't solve. Backtrack through some of the earlier locations to see what you missed.

Have any of your own tips and tricks for God of War? Let us know in the comments!