The God of War Ragnarök New Game Plus (NG+) update is available now. To make sure you’re ready to jump back into the Nine Realms, we’ve put together everything you need to know below.
Change the way you play
New equipment, an increased level cap, new Enchantments – all this and more is introduced with God of War Ragnarök’s NG+ mode. As soon as you’ve beaten the game, you’ll be able to dive right into a NG+ save to experience the story again with many more gameplay options available from the start.
Your equipment, weapons (including the Draupnir Spear), and skills will carry over from your previous save, so you’ll be able to use your entire arsenal from the beginning of your journey.
Please note that you will not start the game with access to Sonic and Hex arrows. All areas requiring either those arrows or the Draupnir Spear to access will not unlock until you have reached the point in the main questline in which they become available via the story.
New Equipment
Armor of the Black Bear
Rest assured, we’ve been taking note of the requests to add Kratos’ cloak from the opening scene since the launch of God of War Ragnarök.
The Armor of the Black Bear will keep Kratos bundled up against the Fimbulwinter frost even after the sled chase. Its stats focus on Strength and Defense with a perk that rewards your last-second evades with a volley of Bifröst shards.
Your NG+ run will begin with the Armor of the Black Bear already equipped.
Spartan Armor
If you want a serious test of your skills and to take on the toughest challenge you can get in God of War Ragnarök, the Spartan Armor is for you. With no Perk, no Stats, and locked at Power Level 1 – the Spartan Armor lets you take a more… well, spartan approach towards protection.
This set is perfect for those of you who want to strip down your power to the minimum and leave no room for error. If you’re brave enough to face the coming of Ragnarök pecs-first, then give the set a try!
If you’re more into the Spartan General look and less into the challenging gameplay, you can always transmog this armor onto another set to achieve the look without sacrificing protection.
The Spartan Armor can be acquired for Hacksilver at Huldra Brothers’ Shop.
Ares Armor
Returning favorites from God of War 2018’s New Game Plus are the Ares and Zeus armors with new visuals and Perks.
The Ares Armor rewards the lucky with a chance to drop a Health Stone on hit. When you stomp the Health Stone, you also get a rage gain alongside a bigger explosion.
The Ares Armor can be purchased for Hacksilver at Huldra Brothers’ Shop.
Zeus Armor
We saw some big releases in the indie and AAA space with Tchia and Resident Evil 4 this month, with a host of sports titles in between. Which game will have luck on their side and reign supreme for March?
Cast your vote below!
How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year.
What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted.
We are so excited for the release of Meet Your Maker, available today on PS5 and PS4, and included Day 1 with PlayStation Plus memberships as one of April’s Monthly Games.
We launch today with a full arsenal of traps, guards, weapons, Custodians, and more already included for Builders and Raiders to discover and master. This is a game driven by user-generated content, and so for us, the next step is making sure our players are taken care of with a steady stream of new content to keep the possibilities, personalization, and creativity firing on all cylinders.
There’s a lot to look forward to, so let’s celebrate today with some tips and tricks plus everything we’ll be adding to the world of Meet Your Maker in the first three months after launch.
Tips & tricks
We hope you’ll have a blast building incredible Outposts and raiding the insane creations of other Builders. To close things out, we wanted to share a couple of quick tips for both roles to help you get started whether you’re playing solo or with a friend.
Builders:
- Build Step-by-Step: Use a 3-step approach – build the basic structure, add traps and guards, then cosmetics.
- Second Wave: Raiders still have to escape once they’ve grabbed the Genmat. Make getting out just as hard as getting in.
- Anticipate: Think like a Raider as you set traps. How can you lure, herd, and trick them while using their reactions to your advantage?
- Test: Test your own Outposts as a Raider. It’s the best way to know what’s working and what’s not.
Raiders:
- Hardware: Stock up on useful consumables like speed boosts, deployable shields, and even respawn beacons.
- Grapple Hook: This is your best friend. Master it. It gives you incredible mobility for both attacking and escaping.
- Danger Signs: When a trap is tripped you get both a visual and audio cue before it deploys. Train yourself to react quickly.
- Second Wave: Some traps and guards only activate after you grab the Genmat. Trust nothing on your way out.
Three-month content roadmap
Keeping things fresh, ever-changing, and always unexpected is our mission when it comes to adding content to Meet Your Maker.
We also want to make all this content easily accessible to all players, and so a lot of what you’ll see below is either free, or unlockable just by playing the game and earning in-game currency.
Hellscape Deco Pack – free/instant access (April 18)
Arriving a few weeks after launch this Deco Pack will be free and instantly accessible to all players. Deco Packs in Meet Your Maker are essentially themed building materials that add a totally new aesthetic to the game. Hellscape combines organic matter and industrial materials to create eerie, pulsating, and all-around unsettling Outposts that feel alive in the worst possible ways.
New Mods and Augments – free/unlockable with playtime (regular drops)
Over the first several months, we’ll also be dro
PlayStation Store’s Spring Sale begins. For a limited time* you can enjoy deep discounts of up to 80% off across a wide selection of games and add-ons. That includes NBA 2K23, Horizon Forbidden West and Need for Speed Unbound and many, many more.
The sale is so massive, we can’t include everything here. You can browse a select list of games at the bottom of this post. Head to PlayStation Store to discover the full list and your regional discount pricing.
Sale runs over the next four weeks. And it’s so big, we’ve had to split it in two. The sale refresh kicks off on Wednesday, April 12, so be sure to check back in on PlayStation Blog then to find out the next wave of titles joining the promotion.
*PlayStation Store’s Spring Sale runs from Wednesday March 29 until Wednesday April 12. The Sale will be refreshed on Wednesday, April 12.
PlayStation Store’s Raya Deals begins. For a limited time* you can enjoy deep discounts of up to 80% off across a wide selection of games and add-ons. That includes NBA 2K23, Horizon Forbidden West and Need for Speed Unbound and many, many more.
The sale is so massive, we can’t include everything here. Head to PlayStation Store to discover the full list and your regional discount pricing.
Sale runs over the next four weeks. And it’s so big, we’ve had to split it in two. The sale refresh kicks off on Wednesday, April 12, so be sure to check back in on PlayStation Blog then to find out the next wave of titles joining the promotion.
*PlayStation Store’s Raya Deals runs from Wednesday March 29 until Wednesday April 12. The Sale will be refreshed on Wednesday, April 12.
Today we’re happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for April. The Monthly Games lineup of Meet Your Maker, Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Tails of Iron will be available to PlayStation Plus members on Tuesday, April 4 until Monday May 1.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the games in turn.
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Meet Your Maker | PS4, PS5
Meet Your Maker is a post-apocalyptic first-person building-and-raiding game where every level is designed by players. Switch between roles as you mastermind devious Outposts filled with traps and guards, then gear up for methodical fast-paced combat raiding other players’ creations, gaining an edge by choosing the right loadout (melee, ranged, defensive), perks, and consumables to match your challenge or playstyle. Combine your creativity and build with a friend or join forces to raid Outposts as a team of two.
As we strive to make gaming more accessible for all players, today we’re excited to announce that Accessibility Tags are rolling out globally this week on PlayStation Store on the PS5 console.
Accessibility Tags allow game developers to provide detailed insight on accessibility features supported in their games. As you browse various game hubs on PlayStation Store game hubs on PS5, you’ll see a list of accessibility features by pressing the “Triangle” button if the game you select supports Accessibility Tags. These can range from visual and audio accessibility settings to DualSense controller options, difficulty settings, and online communication features like chat transcription.
Clip showing Accessibility Tags in the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut game hub on PS5.
Accessibility Tags will be available for PS5 and PS4 games on PlayStation Store on PS5. If both PS5 and PS4 platform versions are available, you can compare Accessibility Tags for each through a dropdown menu.
With Accessibility Tags, you’ll be able to easily see if the game you want to play features the accessibility options you’re looking for. Here’s a sampling of the more than 50 Accessibility Tags available for game developers to choose from, across six categories:
- Visual accessibility features, such as clear text, large text, color alternatives, audio cues and directional audio indicators.
- Audio features, such as volume controls, mono audio, screen reader and visual cue alternatives.
- Subtitle and caption options, including subtitle size, clear captions, and large captions.
- Control options, including button remapping, thumbstick sensitivity, and ability to play without button holds, rapid button presses or motion control.
- Gameplay options, such as difficulty settings, skippable puzzles, simplified quick time events, and game speed.
- Online communication options, such as text or voice chat transcription and ping communication.
Accessibility Tags on PlayStation Store for PS5 will gradually release for players this week. At launch a variety of games such as Days Gone, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, God of War, God of War Ragnarök, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal will support Accessibility Tags. We are just starting to roll out this feature and are collaborating with a wide range of developers to implement this feature in their game hubs
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a galaxy of fleshed-out worlds that aims to surpass its predecessor in every way. The numerous spectacles I witnessed within my three hours playing Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming sequel ranged from dynamic vistas, diverse communities, and an ecosystem of friendlies and enemies that your in-game actions directly impact. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is not striving to only be a great Star Wars game but an overall excellent game of galactic proportions.
Enhanced combat options
One key to living out any Jedi fantasy is the feeling of complete control over the Force and your weapons, and Survivor does not disappoint. There are now five different combat stances to unlock throughout the game as your primary and secondary:
- Single – The standard balanced “all-rounder” lightsaber option
- Double-bladed – Good for crowd control and keeping enemies at bay
- Dual Wield – Great for high-octane and versatile combat, requires finesse
- Crossguard – Powerful but slow
- Blaster – Great for dealing with enemies at a distance and pestering foes
Yes, you will be able to wield a blaster. Protagonist Cal Kestis can also perform blaster and lightsaber combos, wielding one in each hand to dispatch foes in creative and visually spectacular ways.
The new options provide unique ways to tackle enemies. The crossguard lightsaber acts like a traditional longsword with slow windup times but deals massive damage to anything it comes in contact with, while dual wield allows you to deliver quick and precise strikes while staying agile.
“One thing I think we looked at in the first game is that that power curve came in a little bit too late,” said Stig Asmussen, game director at Respawn. “You didn’t really start feeling like you had [power], which is by design, you’re this raw and incomplete Padawan that hasn’t been trained in years. We wanted the player to feel that. And it’s around 60% into the first game, you start to feel like, ‘hey, I got a lot of powers right now that I can use to manipulate and eventually dominate both combat and the environment.’ And we definitely want that to come in a little bit sooner on this game because Cal is further along on his path.”
Early in the game, you’ll have access to three stances and all of the basic Force abilities Cal acquired in the first game. Along with some new ones, including Force Confusion which allows players to turn enemies against each other briefly, and Tame giving the ability to mount various creatures to navigate the environment for faster traversal or puzzle solving.
The power of PS5
The game looks stunning and has been optimized to take full advantage of what the PS5 has to offer. When flying around the world with the help of a Belter, a new flying mount, it becomes apparent just how massive and detailed the new worlds Cal will explore are, with looming structures in the distance casting vast shadows, enemies on patrol, and glimpses of the unknown on the horizon. All this is rendered in real-time and detailed regardless of distance.
“With the PS5, we’re really digging the haptics and what the controller is bringing, and it’s been a lot of fun to see how that works with push and pull [Force powers],”
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Tetris creators Henk Rogers and Alexey Pajitnov join PlayStation Podcast to chat about bringing the iconic game’s origin story to the silver screen. After diving into the discussion, sit back and watch Tetris now on Apple TV+ with free trials on PS5 and PS4.
Stuff We Talked About
- Tetris (the history)
- Tetris (the movie)
- Tetris (the game)
- Tetris 99
- Tetris Effect
- Tetris in space!
- Tetris
The Cast
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Last week, we asked you to set sail and explore the soulful world of Tchia using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
call_me_xavii shares Tchia wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap sitting by a fire
asensualmanatee shares Tchia sitting on a hill with the sky red with the sunset
photo_station5 shares Tchia on her boat headed towards land with a mountain and the sun in the center background
godhatesash shares a close up look at golden brown cow with white horns
kani3_sun shares Tchia soul-jumped into a cat sitting in a field of grass
FMJLullaby shares Tchia and her father out of focus as their friend arrives on his boat.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Resident Evil 4
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 5, 2023
Next week, what’re ya sharin’? Share action-packed moments exploring and fighting back as Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 4 using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.