Santa Monica finally released a trailer for the upcoming God of War Ragnarök game, and it delivered an action-packed showcase of God of War Ragnarök's story, new realms, various new enemy types, and gameplay changes for Kratos’ Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos. While not too much was detailed about the Leviathan Axe, the Blades of Chaos were shown using a few new mechanics not available in God of War.

Unfortunately, at least by the looks of the trailer, the upgrades for the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos that made the weapons shine with sharpened edges and pristine gold inlay are gone. This gives the weapons a grimier, worn-out look, which isn’t too surprising given that the game seems to take place a year or more after the previous title, so Kratos may not have maintained them as well as he might have. Santa Monica could theoretically do some sort of save file transfer for those who played God of War to give them their shinier weapons back, but it's likely their looks will change again as players upgrade them at Brok or Sindri’s shop.

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Some of the moves for the Blades of Chaos may seem familiar to fans. Kratos can be seen winding up a Blade of Chaos as he swings the chain for increased damage. The sprint attack also looks to be the same, where Kratos slams his opponent into the ground with a massive swing. Kratos also uses the Blades of Chaos to perform a quick stab. The Hyperion Grapple Runic Attack can also be seen; however, this move could change depending on how Santa Monica incorporated the new mechanics.

God Of War Ragnarök New Mechanics For The Blades Of Chaos

God of War 4 Blades of Chaos

One new way to use the Blades of Chaos is the brand-new grapple technique. This looks to allow Kratos to quickly zip himself to certain points around the world, and could turn out to be quite useful during fights. Not only will Kratos seemingly be able to get closer to archers standing on perches, but it may let players zip to a point and take a short break during a fight to survey the area. With these new grapple mechanics, the Hyperion Grapple might not take up a Runic Attack slot. Being able to zip up to a ledge can also be incorporated into one of the other new techniques.

After grappling at an enemy using the Hyperion Grapple ability and knocking it over the edge, Kratos is shown leaping from the ledge and creates a shockwave by slamming his Blades of Chaos into the ground. In God of War, players couldn’t jump or ground-slam, so the enhanced mobility and being to slam down of groups of enemies will be a welcomed change to combat. This ground slam may be upgradable to deal damage in a wider range and could possibly even be used with the Leviathan Axe, not just the Blades of Chaos.

A new Runic Attack was the final upgrade showcased, or it was possibly a special takedown cinematic. This move has Kratos grabbing an opponent and flinging them into the air before hurling a Blade into them and then yanking the enemy down into the ground, causing an explosive wave of fire. While it's most likely a new Runic Attack to obtain, Santa Monica Studio could possibly be looking to make new weapon-dependent takedown animations.

God of War Ragnarök is shaping up to be a massive adventure across the nine realms, especially since it’ll be the last installment in the Norse series for Kratos. With various new worlds, creatures, and characters looking to make appearances, there’s a lot to look forward to.

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