God Of War Ragnarok: All NG+ Changes [Explained]

God Of War Ragnarok has dropped perhaps one of its biggest updates since release, from newer armor pieces, level cap increases, harder difficulties, new sparring arenas, QOL changes, bug fixes, and more. Players might want to know these changes since the God Of War Ragnarok NG+ game mode has been anticipated for months!

Skipping Cutscenes 

One of the first things that players will be able to notice whenever they enter into the God Of War Ragnarok NG+ mode is that anytime they experience the game from start to finish again, they will be met with a newer look to their cutscenes. 

• As you enter a cutscene, you can see a “Skip Cinematic” option towards the bottom right corner, which was never there when the game was first released. 
• This makes it incredibly easier on the players, especially for players who might not want to sit through the entire cutscenes again since the game starts from the beginning. Therefore, this is a huge QOL upgrade. 

Enemy Powerups 

Another change that players might not or might have noticed is that in the two difficulties “Give Me No Mercy” and “Give Me God Of War,” undoubtedly one of the most menacing difficulties, a new change has been brought. 

• Enemies you have attacked can now power up and essentially increase their power level in Give Me No Mercy, making them all the more menacing to take down.

• Besides, considering the greatest difficulties, every boss and mini-boss in the game now gets a Runic Armor in battle. This causes the opponents to become immune to being staggered from any Runic Attacks for a short while. 

• The mechanic gets triggered anytime players end up spamming their attacks repeatedly, which now prevents players from just staggering bosses in one place and winning easily.

Black Bear Armor 

Now, another major NG+ change in GOWR that players will notice is that whenever they start the game again in the new game mode, they are equipped with an armor set, which happens to be the Black Bear Armor Set. 

• Originally, Kratos can be seen wearing the cloak in the box art and in-game for a short duration before it is taken away from him, but this time, the cloak can be kept. 
• The Cloak Of The Bear Armor enhances the player’s overall immunity duration anytime they are evading. Other than that, it also ends up causing any last-second evades to cast out a volley of the Bifrost shards. 

• The Wraps of the Black Bear has Shadow Strike II, which allows for Kratos’ first melee attack that is carried out immediately after he evades an enemy attack to cause enhanced damage. 

• As for the Belt Of The Black Bear can also have Shadowstrike II, which can repeat the same effects as the one listed above. 

Spartan Armor 

A cooler option players can get is the Spartan Armor, which includes the Sorrow Of Sparta chest armor. 

• The sorrow of Sparta grants players a look whereby Kratos is bare-chested, and it goes as far as to remove the bracers that Kratos would normally wear, highlighting a few of his scars acquired before. 

• The armor doesn’t grant any stat boosts or enhancements and is merely there for players looking for a challenge. 
• Players can get the grip of Sparta, which is a weapon attachment. 

• Since the armor can’t be upgraded further, players can’t transmog it. 
• Attachments like the Grip, Pommel, Hind, and Rond of Sparta can be obtained. 

Ares Armor Set

The Ares Armor Set has also been added and can be purchased using Hacksilver whenever you go to the Blacksmith. 

• The Cuirass of Ares grants the Rage Of Ares, through which players can get a lucky chance whenever they carry out one of their Rage hits, through which they might get a Healthstone drop. Healthstones will also now grant rage.
• Players must craft it by spending 75,500 Hacksilver, which requires 24 Skap Slag. 

• The Gauntlet Of Ares is another part of the God Of War Ragnarok NG+ Gamemode armor set. 

• Last but not least, the War Belt Of Ares has the following stats. 

Zeus Armor 

Another armor set that players can get now in God Of War Ragnarok NG+ is the Zeus Armor. 

• One of its best skills is Glass Ballista, through which players can increase their standard attack’s damage and the amount of damage that Kratos receives. 
• Players can get the set by defeating Gna and completing a few Remnants of Asgard while on the NG+ save slot. 

• The Cuirass of Zeus can be acquired after defeating the Sigrun in Midgard. 

• The Gauntlets can be acquired after murdering the Gondul in Muspelheim. 

• Lastly, the War Belt of Zeus can be obtained after annihilating Hildr in Niflheim. 

New Shield 

Other than this, amongst the Update 4.00 Changes, another change is brought to the player’s attention once they reach Sindri’s House, and they can unlock the Blacksmith.

• A new shield called the Spartan Aspis has been added.
• It is a different form of the Guardian Shield (as said in the text) with a smaller parry window, but its counterattacks are much stronger. 
• Players can purchase it by spending 7500 Hacksilver.

Armor Appearance 

Apart from this, 13 new armor appearances have been placed in the game, a few of which are as follows. 

• Elivagar Armor Appearance is a visual appearance that symbolizes the eleven rivers of creation. It can be crafted by spending 20000 Hacksilver. 

• The Folkvangr Armor Appearance symbolizes the serene meadows of the afterlife and can be crafted for 20000 Hacksilver. 

• The Andvari’s Majestic Armor Appearance has been modeled after Andvari’s signature attire. 
• As for the Lustrous Armor Appearance, it has been inspired by the stars that are in the sky. 

• The Loyalty Armor Appearance has been inspired by the Ghost of Sparta’s favorite color. 

• Jarnsmida’s Noble Armor appearance has been modeled after the Dwarven working-class uniforms. 

• The Twilight Stone Armor Appearance was inspired by one of the reflective stones that are found in Alfheim. 
• The Nott Armor Appearance is a visual armor that represents a cooler night. 

• The golden boar has inspired the Gullinbursti’s Armor Appearance. 

• With the Drake Wrapped Armor Appearance, it was inspired by the drakes that roamed the lands. 
• The Wild Howl was inspired by the beasts that were in the Wildwoods. 

• The Dagr Armor embodies a warmer day. 
• The Dreki Braided was sought out after taking inspiration from the Dreki. 

• The final Berserker Armor can be acquired after murdering the Berserker King after fighting it on NG+ mode. 

Four New Upgrade Levels 

Players who have managed to get their armor to level 9 before switching over to the NG+ slot will be able to see a total of 4 new upgrade levels. 

• The 9., 9.. and 9… and 10 level upgrades have been added so players with their equipment at 9 can enhance them and max them out. 
• Players can get the upgrades and see them for level 9 equipment when they make their way to Sindri’s Place. 
• Players also gain Gilded Coins for items beyond level 9, gold coins needed for powerful enchantments. 

New Burdens 

Players can also find new burdens besides the upgrade levels, including in God Of War Ragnarok All NG+ Changes. 

Enchantments

Now, there are a total of 3 Badge Enchantments listed as follows. 

Apart from this, below listed is the set of engraving enchantments that players can get. 

Niflheim Arena Upgrade 

Apart from the previous upgrades, players will also see an expansion to the Niflheim Arena. 

• Players can now choose between playing as Atreus or Kratos, allowing players to test out Atreus even further. 
• The arena allows players to use newer companions such as Atreus (with Kratos), Brok,  Freya, Ingrid, Sindri, Angrboda, Thrúd, and Thor. 
• Players can also choose between Special enemies too. 

Upgraded Progression Paths 

Alongside this, progression paths have been added: 

• New Skill Mod Plus allows for using XP to upgrade your skill mod tokens already present. 
• Besides, bonus stat gains allow any Nornir chests in the open world to grant Yggdrasil Dew. 
• A Platinum tier has been added, allowing players to carry over their overall progress from their Kill Labors and their Ratatasks and get a platinum tier.

Smaller Changes 

A few other smaller changes that have been made are as follows: 

• Kratos and the opponents in the game have gained an enhanced level cap. 
• Both the Berserker Souls and the Valkyrie Queen Gna have gained adjustments. 
• Hateful and Ormstunga enemies have gotten changes, too. 
• A Black and White Render Mode has been added, which can be accessed once players finish the game. 
• Players can buy as well as sell resources now. 
• UI changes are made where the current difficulty is showcased on your HUD. 
• Characters like Mimir, Raeb, Lunda, and Hildisvini gain newer expressions. 
• Combat and UI bug fixes have been fixed.
• Different chests now also grant increased Hacksilver amounts. 

How To Unlock NG+?

Now, to gain access to the NG+ mode, players need to first go through the entire storyline of God of War Ragnarok from start to finish. 

• Whenever players log in to the game, on their main title screen, they should be able to look at their different main menu options. 

• If the game has been completed before, players will get the prompt to start a new game with their equipment, Hacksilver, and any items originally purchased from their previous save data. 

While you’re here, you might want to check out our God Of War Ragnarok Troll Locations guide since it details where they all might be located! Apart from this, knowing which relics you should invest in is extremely crucial. Therefore, our God Of War Ragnarok Best Relics guide should greatly help!

If players have been wondering where all of the Draugr Holes might be present, our God Of War Ragnarok All Draugr Holes Location guide can help you through it! Heimdall is extremely difficult to fight on your own; get a few tips on defeating it effectively with our God Of War Ragnarok Defeat Heimdall guide!

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