God of War Ascension Multiplayer Tips (PlayStation 3)

Kratos’ return to video game domination is just a few weeks away, as God of War: Ascension will bring a fun new single player campaign that will tell a different side of the mighty warrior.  But this will also be the first entry in the series that offers something significantly new – a multiplayer mode.  No, you won’t be destroying folks alongside multiple Kratoses, but instead playing as various characters assigned by Gods to engage in brutal combat, while activating switches on a stage to earn the right to finish off a huge behemoth lurking in the background.

By now, a lot of you have probably played the open multiplayer beta, which has been going for a few weeks now before shutting down a while back, but in case you haven’t, or you need some help in getting started with your versus domination, we’ve got a few tips that will help you on the road to glory.  Granted, you’ll still need the skills to back it up, but it never hurts to get started somewhere, right?

Heed this advice well, because you never know if they’re going to make the difference between life and death…

Use Traps To Your Advantage

Though we’ve only seen one of the stages that will be offered in the multiplayer game (there are rumored to be five, perhaps more), each one will be built with areas that could give you an advantage as far as traps go.  These traps can be anything, particularly with spikes that come out of the floor.  We’re not sure if the final game will have these activated, or if they just pop up at random, but either way, you’ll want to learn their timing and use it to your advantage, whether you’re surrounded by foes or simply leading them on while working your way to another switch on the board.  Figure out their timing and watch them do your dirty work for you.

Watch Out For Special Weapons

Your soldier can already do a good amount of damage on the battlefield, but sometimes a special weapon will make an appearance, and, as you might have learned from other games, having something with more power and range is never a bad thing.  If you see one of these things drop, be sure to grab it quickly before your opponents have a chance – or you could be feeling the after-effects as a result.  It never hurts to have a teammate nearby either, and follow in their wake as they slice enemies in front of you.  It’s not entirely teamwork, but, hey, at least you’re all alive, right?

Stick With Your Team

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in our God of War: Ascension multiplayer sessions, it’s that the tide in battle can turn very quickly – ESPECIALLY if you’re stuck out there on your own.  We can’t tell you how many times we’ve run into a situation where we were trying to pull a weapon out or activate a switch, only to have a group of three people jump on us and finish us off, mainly because our teammates were distracted being somewhere else.  With that, the best advice we can give is to stick closely to your teammates.  Not only will you be much more prepared for sudden skirmishes, but you’ll also be able to conquer points on the map easier, and finally deliver the fatal blow to the enemy lurking in the distance.  No one man is an army – especially since none of them are Kratos here.

Don’t Just Make It About Offense

In multiplayer, you do have a few smooth fighting moves to your credit, as you can chain together a similar combo along the lines of what Kratos does in the single player game.  However, you shouldn’t rely strictly on offense, because an enemy can easily roll out of the way and strike from the side or rear, killing you quickly as a result.  Keep a close finger on the block button to deflect incoming attacks, and don’t be afraid to evade when someone’s coming at you.  Sometimes a strong defense works just as well as a good offense.  And you’ll stay alive longer.

Leveling Up Is Your Friend

Finally, we can’t stress enough how important the upgrade system is in multiplayer.  Here, you’ll have access to a slew of new weapons and armor types, which will make you that much tougher in battle.  And considering you’re not the only player out there looking to work his or her way up in the ranks, you’ll want to check for upgrades every chance you can get.  Also, keep an eye open for bonus goodies, as well as occasional special powers that pop up.  They could be just the ticket to winning a match.

Don’t forget to have fun.  Remember, this isn’t a battle to see who the God of War is – it’s just multiplayer at its most brutally entertaining.

God of War: Ascension arrives for PlayStation 3 on March 12th.