No matter how hard he tries, sometimes Kratos just can’t avoid a fight. With the God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC, there’s almost nothing but fighting in this new roguelike mode, which is great for us who want more ways to engage with the game’s brutally satisfying combat.
This mode’s main difference is how you construct your build as you go through each run rather than pick a favorite and master it like in the main game. Aside from your base stats, you will be picking up various Amulet Enhancements and Relics through Glyph chests that give you different buffs and abilities. Many will be familiar if you’ve played the story; however, the challenges you face in Valhalla require different builds than normal.
Here are the best Amulet Enhancements and Relics to rip through all the mobs and monsters ahead.
Best Amulet Enchantments
Greater Regenerating Essence
Health is a constant struggle in God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla. The only way you have to heal naturally is through random health crystal drops and popping your Spartan Rage if you have it. Greater Regenerating Essence, as well as its Regenerating Essence little brother, gives Kratos a nice consistent HP regeneration at all times. You need 170 Vitality to make it work, but it’s more than worth rearranging your gear to trigger it. It ensures that you can enter each new encounter at peak condition and even squeak out some close victories by playing defensively and recovering your health.
Also, if you can find both versions of this Amulet Enhancement, take them both! The effects will stack.
Crest of Desperate Heroics
Even if you have health regeneration going, some enemies will hit way too hard and too fast to counteract. For these times, you need the Crest of Desperate Heroics. This Amulet Enhancement will trigger when your health drops to the red and automatically grants you a temporary invincibility buff, plus a little extra strength. Once it runs out, you also get a little heal to help get you back on track, effectively giving you a second chance without actually dropping and needing to use a Resurrection Stone (assuming you even have one).
Niflheim Virtue
This one is just one of many sets of Amulet Enhancements you can find, so you may prefer others depending on what you like to focus on. Still, we suggest this one for most people. It comes with 3 Defense and 12 Cooldown, which is the best you can get for that latter. Considering how strong your Runic attacks can be (not to mention that it’s just fun to use), having access to them faster can be another “get-out-of-jail-free card” in your deck. If you’re able to get the full set in a run, you also get the additional benefit of a damage buff as long as you’re at 75% or more HP based on your current Defense. Pair that with Greater Regenerating Essence and you’ll be quite the powerhouse.
Best Relics
Glaive of Dodher
Relics can be somewhat situational, but the Glaive of Dodher is one of the few we will take whenever we get the chance. Using this Relic will shoot out three Bifrost projectiles that deal damage and leave the targets weakened so you can follow up with your regular attacks to absolutely melt their health bars. Between the range and debuff it applies, this is useful against mobs and bosses alike.
Gauntlets of Radiance/ Belt of Radiance
Both of these Relics are part of the same set and give the same bonus, so either will do. I love a perfect dodge, and they never feel quite right unless I get a nice time-slowing effect for pulling it off. That’s what this gear set is all about — triggering Realm Shift for one second after a perfectly timed dodge.
Hilt of Hofud
I also love Realm Shift, so why limit myself to only getting one when I dodge? Hilt of Hafud lets you trigger a Realm Shift whenever you need one. Depending on how a fight is going, you can use it to press an advantage or give yourself a chance to back off and reset an encounter. It does have a very long cooldown, so pair it with the Niflheim Virtue if possible.
