Hobbies And Interests
Orb Collection
Collecting red orbs or "blood" is one of the keys to beating "God of War." In the game, every enemy you face may produce a few red orbs when he dies, which you can collect and use to purchase upgrades for your weapons and spells. It is imperative that you collect as many orbs as possible throughout the game, so you maximize the power of all of your spells and abilities by the end of the game. There are a few ways to increase the amount of orbs you receive. The first involves combos--chains of consecutive hits scored on enemies, which you can rack up as long as you keep hitting those enemies in a short span of time. As your combos get higher and higher, you will be awarded bonus red orbs. Try to maintain long combos whenever possible to get more blood. Another way to get blood is to shatter enemies with the Medusa's Gaze magic item. To do this, use the head to turn an enemy to stone, then attack him with a normal weapon. Also be on the lookout for hidden treasure chests, as they can contain large amounts of red orbs.
What Items to Power Up
As you go along amassing red orbs, you will have to eventually make decisions about which of your items and spells to level up. Leveling up the wrong items can severely limit your combat effectiveness throughout the game. In general, it is a good idea to level up your main weapons--the Blades of Chaos--as quickly as possible. You will use this weapon throughout the game, and each new level of power your purchase will grant new special abilities that will increase your combat effectiveness. Another very important ability is the Poseidon's Rage spell, which creates a large electrical field around Kratos, damaging all nearby enemies. The more you power up Poseidon's Rage, the larger the damage radius and the longer the spell will last. This can be very effective at stunning and killing large groups of enemies at the same time. After these two items, it is a good idea to power up your other spells, like Army of Hades and Medusa's Gaze.
Play Defensively
The first inclination of many players who try "God of War" is to constantly attack enemies without thinking much about strategy. Many enemies in "God of War" are designed to block and counter you if you attempt to overwhelm them with flurries of attacks. Get used to using the block skill to block enemy attacks and combos to create openings to attack. When you fight larger enemies like Cyclops and Minotaurs, keep a safe distance from them at all times, since some of their attacks cannot be blocked. Use the long range of the Blades of Chaos to score a few hits, then back away if the enemies get too close. Whenever you battle Minotaurs, it is a good idea not to deal too much damage to them with your normal weapons, because when they get low on health, a triangle icon will appear above their head, which will enable you to initiate a kill sequence that will always restore some of your health.