God of War Difficulty Levels Explained - Best God of War Difficulty To Play On

Updated:

29 Nov 2022

In God of War, you may choose from four difficulty modes: Give Me a Story, Give Me a Balanced Experience, Give Me a Challenge, or Give Me God of War. Some players may demand additional details before making their choices, despite the fact that in-game descriptions of various difficulty levels do give some information about how the experiences vary from one another. The goal of this guide is to provide players that information, and it does so in great depth for God of War.

Give Me A Story

Give Me a Story is the simplest mode in God of War, and it's recommended for newcomers or anybody who doesn't want to put in too much effort but still wants to enjoy the game's story.

Players will face foes that are less dangerous and less aggressive in this setting than they would be at higher levels.

In addition, Kratos will be more resilient to the effects of negative statuses, while foes will suffer more damage and be stunned more readily.

How It Works:

The God of War foes suffer more damage and absorb less damage on this difficulty setting.
The enemies' hit reflexes are lowered, they are easily stunned, and their aggression is toned down.
The Leviathan's ranged assaults can easily kill any enemy, and Kratos is immune to most status ailments.

Give Me a Balanced Experience

The rest of this guide's adjustments are based on your experience on this difficulty level, which effectively acts as God of War's "normal" difficulty. Because of this, players may choose to set the difficulty to the middle ground option ("Give Me a Balanced Experience") before making any more adjustments.

How It Works:

A player who enjoys a fair challenge while still being able to follow the plot should choose this difficulty level.
Playing through the game's main narrative is the best way to learn the game's combat mechanics and get a feel for the game's tone.
The enemies are a little tougher than they would be in the simplest setting.

Give Me A Challenge

In the following level, things become more challenging as foes get bonuses to their attributes, more aggressiveness, and increased damage thanks to Give Me a Challenge.

In this God of War level, enemies do far more damage and have more resistance, making fighting challenging.

In this setting, Kratos' opponents have a little power edge, which boosts their statistics.

How It Works:

The duration of fight status effects like Permafrost and Immolation are extended by using Give Me a Challenge.
The enemy receives a health boost of 50, a defense bonus of 8, immunity to stun, and a reduction in damage from the Leviathan Axe's and Talon Bow's ranged attacks.
The foes have gained a health boost of 50, and they deal greater general damage and status effect damage.

Give Me God Of War

This is the hardest level in God of War, requiring a lot of skill and fast reactions, and you can't change it mid-game; to play on a different difficulty, you'll have to start a new game.

In this environment, your foes will be far more powerful and have a greater Power Level. Their offense, defense, and resistance are all cranked up to eleven. As soon as an opponent blocks an attack or reacts to a strike, they will be able to launch a counterattack.

All the features of the "Give Me A Challenge" option are present here, plus additional tough dynamics have been added to the mix.

How It Works:

In addition to dealing greater status effects, elite foes receive less damage.
The opponent's defense is strengthened.
Inflicting a status illness on Kratos is significantly more lethal and has a much longer lasting effect.
Melee combat sees a reduction in aiming aid. The pace at which one acquires Rage and passive benefits also drops significantly.
Kratos' invulnerability during evasions is lowered by the frost status effect, Kratos' power is reduced by the poison status effect, Kratos takes more damage from the burn status effect, the Spartan Rage meter fills much more slowly, and health pickups mitigate status effects and remove them entirely.

Conclusion

Choosing the right level of challenge for God of War comes down to how you want to play the game. Story-driven games, on the other hand, are favored by many players who are looking for a medium that effectively combines challenge with power fantasy.

Before determining whether you want to turn up the volume or turn things down, we recommend beginning with Give Me a Balanced Experience and playing for a few hours.