When it came out in March, God of War: Ascension delivered another quality adventure featuring Kratos. However, for the first time in the series, it also came with a multiplayer component where players could rip into each other using random soldiers. This week, Sony Santa Monica added more content with the release of a new co-op weapons and armor pack.
With these weapons, you’re not only able to deal damage in your own way, but you can also team up with a fellow player for over 10 different co-op maneuvers. These include setting up an opponent for a grab while he gets pummeled, launching shields like projectiles at anyone unfortunate enough to be in range or a personal favorite, a combination move where one player spins around with a spear as the other jumps from afar and launches a devastating array of arrows.
Four main weapons are the focus of this pack – the Spear of Achilles, the Hammer of Odysseus, the Sword of Orion and the Sword of Perseus. If you need to get a better idea how each of these weapons work, here’s a breakdown.
Weapons
The Hammer of Odysseus: When your character uses this weapon, his or her speed goes down a bit, as it’s a lot heavier to bear than swords and shields. However, it’s also a lot more powerful, as the hammer does a huge amount of damage to anyone within range.
The Spear of Achilles: A lot of players prefer using the spear, mainly because of its lengthy range and weight. With a spear, you can hit multiple enemies at once while also chaining together lightning quick combos without too many opportunities for a defensive break. However, the spear is the least powerful weapon in the game, due to its size. Use it if you prefer to strike often, rather than heavy or hard.
The Sword of Orion and the Sword of Perseus: The sword is the best overall weapon in terms of balance between strength and range. While it won’t hit anyone from afar like the spear or as heavily as the hammer, it still creates a good amount of destruction. These swords are also quite useful when it comes to stealth attacks, as you can take down an unsuspecting victim more quietly than you would with a hammer.
Group Attacks
These weapons serve a great purpose individually, but we strongly suggest combining these items with a secondary player. Executing group attacks is quite easy. Simply equip one of these weapons, enter a multiplayer match and pull off either your L1-Triangle or L1-Square multi-button attacks. Once an opponent is dizzied, a green halo will appear over his head. Simply call upon your partner to come over and one of the varying co-op attacks will occur, finishing off your adversary with ease.
Keep this in mind: Only one player needs to carry a co-op weapon in order to execute the team attack, though if two players hold them, the attack comes off with even greater force.
Armor
On top of the weapons, you’ll also be able to deck out your warrior in style with the Mythological Heroes Armors, which were previously offered as pre-order bonuses for the game, but are now available for purchase. This armor is based around the heroes whose weapons were introduced in the game – Achilles, Odysseus, Orion and Perseus. Although they don’t offer a boost effect with the weapons, they match up with your weapons and give you a much more intimidating look when it comes to opponent taunts.
Sony Santa Monica hinted at more co-op moves and possibly newer armaments down the road. For now, though, there are a reasonable amount of toys to play with, so don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. This is God of War, after all.
God of War: Ascension is available now for PlayStation 3.
Published: Aug 2, 2013 12:41 am