GoW1 Tactics/Tips Thread

POST 1

For ENEMIES, Use of Weapons/Magic, Leveling order/preferences, Parts of the game, Challenges, etc

Undead Legion/Archer:

1. I use the [ ] grapple to clear out enemies (Hades Shield God Mode NUR..this is a must)

2. When behind you they and their armored version can grapple.

3. They can be grappled at any time.

4. Infinite Air Grapple applies

5. Infinite Orion's Harppon (O from ground to airborne enemy)

6. They make for excellent weapons against themselves and other enemies.

Undead Shieldman:

1. At the Atlas Handle Challenge I use MAX Lance of the Furies to break all shields at once.

2. Lance of Furies and Plume/Spirit are the only attacks that can break the shield.

3. Grappling their shields will usually push them back (sometimes a glitch allows you to grab them)

4. Attacking their shields provokes attack (you can counter it with triangle for a quick plume if in a tight space)

5. Like all Undead but the Captain, they are to be grappled and used as a weapon with the [ ] grapple.

6. Infinite Air Grapple applies

7. Infinite Orion's Harpoon applies

8. Attacking a downed or spawning Shieldman will make a grapple on one possible regardless of the shield *glitch*

Armored Legion:

1. For fun/orbs I triangle grapple them *they are the only Undead who give orbs this way*

2. Look for their blue flash and scream (this is their normal attack).

3. Like all Undead other than the Captain they can be used as a weapon (once O appears)

4. Infinite Air Grapple Applies

5. Infinite Orion's Harpoon Applies

6. They can grapple

7. Their surprise attack has 3 strikes in it (remember this)

Undead Captain:

1. "Square,Triangle" *to knock them into the air* jump and use an air grapple *if timed right you can just keep doing this* until O appears (repeat). L1+X and Ascension (hold triangle) also work but "square, triangle" is safer and more consistant.

2. At close range they have an unstoppable grapple.

3. They always counter attack after you grapple at them (when O isn't present). Use this to provoke the attack and follow up with a parry *Hades Revenge* (thus clearing the area of enemies and possibly kill them)

4. Medusa's Gaze is suggestable against them when at the sacrificial chamber (L2+/ freezes them quickly). You can provoke the attack with a grapple, then parry (don't hit them) and follow with a gaze attack *petrifying them* and quickly break them.

5. UBER EXPLOIT: during its first O grapple hold triangle to IMMEDIATLY follow up with an unstoppable Ascension to continue the air rape exploit (I love this one!)

Wraith/Armored:

1. grapple, X, air grapple (if threatened) [I prefer attacking in air before the air grapple]

2. grapple, Orion's Harpoon, X, air grapple (**** *after the air grapple they will tunnel attack*

3. They hit twice when they use their tunnel attack.

4. Watch out for their whind up attack (parry to stop it)

5. Infinite Orion's Harpoon Applies

Cerberus/puppy:

1. (if alone) hold triangle or L1+X to knock Cerberus airborne. Attack in air/Grapple till grounded. Before it gets up repeat the uppercut attacks. (can't be stopped once started)

An alternate way to do it is block/parry its attack (the fireballs don't present this opportunity) and use Ascension (hold triangle) to get them airborne.

2. Puppies can be thrown at other enemies as both a break from the fight and an attack. Also their finishing grapple gives health orbs.

3. In case you didn't know..the puppies can usually grow up if you don't kill them soon enough.

4. The Cerberus will birth puppies from their mouths if given the time (in most battles anyway) This can be used as an easy source of health/amusement for the more skilled.

5. Infinite Air Grapple applies (hilarious looking for both)

6. Cerberus have two O points (use the first as a way to dish out more damage then go for the grapple)

7. Extremely vulnerable to "Homerun", "Spike" and "Punt".

8. While Cerberus is on its belly it can be 'ascended' without fail. Take advantage of this.

Armored Cyclopes:

1. Roll to Kratos' right to avoid spike ball.

2. The Plume/Spirit (ground smash), Valor/Cross Swipe and Lance of Furies stun them momentarily. THIS APPLIES TO ALL CYCLOPES.

3. (lvl2+ BoC) Double jump into face and use combos (Ex: L1+X/[ ])until just before the Cyclopes' downward swing where you'll use Hermes Stomp (R1 in air) to dive through him then immediatly roll (Right Analog) to saftey. THIS APPLIES TO ALL CYCLOPES.

4. O finisher gives good orbs.

Club Cyclopes:

1. After grapples it will use the stomp to smash attack.

2. They don't have a real finishing grapple (3 small ones that wields orbs each time) .Their Final O grapple does offer the Brutal Kill bonus.

3. It has a club flail attack (like a dog wagging its tail) that last a while..just back off and release a few plumes to its face or concentrate on other enemies.

Spiked Cyclopes:

1. Roll to Kratos' left to avoid attacks.

2. O finisher gives good orbs. They do not offer a Brutal Kill bonus for some reason.

Harpy:

1. To avoid the Harpy bomb either outlast/outrun it or wait to the icon is on you and immediatly roll. Other means of stopping it are more difficult (Ex: Air grapple/Attack)

2. Harpies are known for their famous Infinite Orb Glitch (I don't use it so you'll have to learn this trick from YouTube videos or keltin on the GoW forums).

3. "square, triangle" to Orion's Harpoon works great.

4. Their ground grapple wields no orbs.

5. Using Medusa's Gaze on them wields many orbs from them getting "Ruined"..sometimes they are too close to the ground and just give a smaller bonus upon getting crushed.

6. Infinite Air Grapple applies

7. Infinite Orion's Harpoon applies

8. *GREAT for the Harpy Converyor belt fight* Rolling deters ANY attempt at the Harpy Bomb..they won't even ATTEMPT it..so I stay at the farthest belt from the box so I have plenty of "groove space" and roll, plume, roll, "square, triangle" to Orion's Harpoon, roll...I wasn't hit ONCE on my latest God Mode NUR fighting them (thanks to having no children to distract me *Eternal knows who I am talking about and hates him even more than I* )

You can also of course use the platforms *that shoot fire" while on the belts as a wall that prevents you from moving towards "the crushers" while allowing for stable attack...this is a well known tactic though (I'm just putting it here for the sake of archiving it)

Axe Minotaur/Hammer Minotaur/Spiked Minotaur:

1. "Square, Triangle" to knock in air (Axe/Hammer can be hit with Ascension and L1+X often enough). The Spiked Minotaur is more difficult to get airborn since Ascension and Apollo's Ascension don't work well enough on them. I suggest multiple attempts at "square, triangle" intermediated by blocks (for buffering and guarding purposes) and if the chance presents itself a basic triangle attack (once airborne don't hesitate to "pwn" them)

2. WHENEVER a Minotaur is airborne even if only barely jump and grapple (you can repeat the air grapple for infinites).

3. When it starts blocking it will quickly follow up with an attack so be ready for it or relent long enough for its guard to go back down (and try again).

4. The Hammer Shockwave can be avoided easily by getting in close proximity to the offending Minotuar and blocking/parrying. *the wave itself being unblockable*

5. O finisher for health orbs with no EXP.

6. The Spiked Minotaur has a bull charge attack and its counter/parry will set you up for damage so be on guard for its blocks.

7. Orion's Harpoon will only bounce them once.

8. Artemis usually fails to block Spike Minotaur attacks.

9. "Homerun" usually knocks the Spike Minotaur in the opposite direction you aimed while "Punt" and "Spike" stay true.

Centaur:

1. Use Ascension, "Square, Triangle" or L1+X to get airborne.

2. Infinite Air Grapple applies until O appears (like Sirins and Cerberus they have two)

TIP from Soulxxx: Just before finishing the first O grapple you can hold triangle (Ascension) and bring the Centaur back into the air to continue raping - Good Job Soul

3. Their Shockwave (with yell and weapon spin to warn) is long reaching and does a spectacular amount of damage *unblockable and difficult to avoid without a well timed jump/roll.

4. When they block, they will counter with 2 hits.

5. They can fire their bows between 1 and 3 times per spree.

6. Their 2 hit combo can be augmented (made stronger) when filled with energy

7. During the Hades' Sacrifice Challenge use the blood pool as a way to halt their attacks/movement all together (regroup and break them)

NOTE: The stones surrounding the pool have the same effect. With proper use of Medusa's Gaze you can make 6 of the 8 sacrifices with only one bar of magic on a NUR.

8. If you aren't fighting them under God Mode No Update Run conditions by all means "MAGIC" them to death (AoH, PR, MG..all work well enough)

Gorgon/Medusa:

1. Use favored method to knock into air where they can be air grappled for infinite.

NOTE: Medusa cannot be infinite grappled in air or with Orion's Harpoon.

2. Roll (Right Analog) to work off some of their gaze and avoid any further build up.

3. The Super Plume (Spirit) and Lance of Furies interupts their gaze.

4. Any time they evade your attack they will counter.

5. Their O minigame will always yield magic but no EXP.

6. If confronted by groups of them and you can't just "MAGIC" them away..simply focus on getting one airborne and air grapple it until O appears (like most beasts..performing that mini-game will fill your Rage of the Gods) All forms of grapples grant you immunity from their gaze (basic strikes are another matter)

~END POST 1

POST 2

Siren:

1. Though difficult, use methods I've mentioned to get them airborne then proceed to air grapple infinite them.

2. Their O finisher wields magic orbs.

3. Infinite Orion's Harpoon applies.

4. They have 2 O stages (the first gives health and the second gives magic)

5. Their charge attack makes three homing versions of their basic energy balls.

6.  They have an unblockable suction attack (attacking them during this or rolling away will escape damage)

7.  They sometimes use a psychic attack that stuns you for a while if left unchecked (kill them) *it is unblockable once performed*

8. They are extremely vulnerable when petrified by Medusa's Gaze however the shake out of it in nearly a second.

Satyr:

1. Can be grappled at anytime and O finisher looks cool.

2. Their animation for getting off their back is an attack.

3. Hitting them while airborne will make them flip backwards (if near a cliff they will fall) to saftey.  Use this to your advantage.

4. While in taunt stance they will counter your attack quickly unless it knocks them away or airborne. (LotF, Plume/Spirt, Valor, Ascension, Apollo's Ascension, etc.)

5. Lance of the Furies doesn't usually hit them and will be countered.

NOTE: When they are on the flat of their back it will hit with full effect.

6. I prefer using "Square, Triangle" to Orion's Harpoon and repeat..when they don't get bounced I just ground grapple them (taking them back down) and try again...Sometimes persuing them in the air with a grapple followed by the aforementioned strategy.

7.  When fighting more than one I'll try and knock them off a cliff..if that isn't an option I'll take one down and switch back and forth with the other.  Keeping one on its back while fighting the other.

8.  I also knock both airborne and "gaze them" for a quick fix.

9.  When NOT on a NUR I just use AoH (that really clobbers them)

10. They can get away from PR (not always) and sometimes reflect Zues' Fury when not charged. 

11. "Homerun" and "Spike" do not work very well on them if at all.  "Punt" works GREAT.

Hydra Boss Fight - 2:

1. Rolling towards the Big Hydra Head during its Center Platform bite at the last second avoids damage.

2. Have full magic for the 2 little Hydra heads (reserve the magic chest)

3. If you fight a small hydra head on its far side it will shield you from getting sucked towards the other.

4. Use Streams of Poseidon's Rage on little heads (should be able to at least kill 1 Hydra head).  Get Magic Chest and kill the other (with some luck and efficient casting you can kill the first and deal some damage to the other...then return to kill it *after using the chest* and have full Magic for THE Hydra)

5. Super Plume/Spirit/Plume/Ground Smash..whatever you wish to call it..use it on THE Hydra when it is clamped on the platform *after bite* for health/magic orbs.

6. Exploit 1: Whenever it bites in the middle you can attack causing THE Hydra to get stuck in a loop like so: *He bites and you've avoided damage* "Square, Triangle" [  ] [  ] [  ] [  ]...until just before using Spirit or Valor INSTEAD use Poseidon's Rage and IMMEDIATELY upon its end repeat (infinte loop) 

---Exploit 2: Whenever it Roars ATTACK!  Just be right in its face and double jump right before its roar effect activates using airborne attacks (10 hits isn't hard to score off him here) 

---Exploit 3: Poseidon's Rage..instead of using the first Exploit instead double jump as it bites and meet it with a PR followed by either another or a quick airborne assualt THEN another PR...this can EASILY be linked with the first Exploit from here if necessary.

7. Use head pound mini-game to get back magic orbs.

Boss Minotaur:

1. Each Minigame will 1/2 fill your RotG!!!

2. After the 2nd Lever pull IMMEDIATLY go for the 3rd and if done quickly enough you'll skip the armor stripping phase by hitting him with a projectile annihilating it entirely.

3. When battling him on the platform stick to the area nearest the Minotaur between his chest and left arm.  If in the right place, he will continue an animation that isn't an attack for some reason.  On the ground he can still attack you if you use his left side but block them is easy.

4. Physical Combat with him isn't advised when on the ground unless you are planning on spamming Poseidon's Rage OR you really know his attack patterns.  It REALLY isn't a good idea to fight him when his armor is gone (during a God Mode NUR) on the ground.

5. He gains a bunch of rediculous new moves after his armor is gone (while fighting him at ground level) that will decimate you if you don't know the animation and foil to his attack.

Ares1:

1. RotG and Army of Hades are good against him (though they obscure your vision)

2. When he uses "Hammer time", wait to the last second and roll backwards to avoid both the attack and shockwave (plus the extra swing) through clipping.

3. His talk to charging punch attack hits more than once so hold the block until he stops pressing into you.  The same goes for his flamethrower.

4. Roll to evade his meteors.

5. When O appears you may continue attacking him to get more health/magic orbs (Watch out for his attack following recovery) if you should need them...which you will in God Mode.

6.  Whenever he uses his full tentacle attack (all at once) you should block and quickly follow up with an aerial Cyclone of Chaos or Falling Helios for health/magic orbs (it isn't wise to use them outside of this window of opportunity)

7.  Lance of the Furies is crap here (like most of the specials)

8. When Ares goes to hurl fireballs at you use a single [  ] attack from Zeus' Fury to bring him down (lvl1 is all that is needed here)

9. Artemis' R1 attack works well with buffer canceling.  Be careful though.  His 'all at once' tentacle spike attack has two versions.  One that is slow and another that is fast.  With Artemis out his fast version can hit you with the hunching animation, knock you off balance and slaughter you with the full hit.  You won't be able to evade or block if you get repelled but a quick cast of PR will save you from the damage.

NUR tips:

placeholder

Clones:

1. The ground grapple on them wields magic.

2. Their grapple will almost always ruin your chances for victory.

3. Hold O while hugging your family (depending on how long you need to) to regain RotG and transfer your health to them.

---Begin God Mode Strategy---

GodModeGOD's Guide to beating the clones

 Requirements:

-Have FULL Magic/Health (TIP: When the O is present on Ares and you need more health/magic just keep using combos on him *be careful about his recovery hammerstrikes)

-lvl5 Blades of Chaos (BoC), lvl3 Poseidon's Rage (PR) and lvl3 Army of Hades (AoH)

-RotG (TIP: Use RotG on Ares early in the battle since after the minigame the RotG meter fills to MAX anyway...you'll need it)

---I don't advise a first time God Mode attempter to have less than this setup.

1.  Grab the 1st clone to your right *just for fun* (TIP: grabbing them takes time but it auto-kills and gives magic orbs)

2.  Wait for the Clones to get close to your family and close half the distance between you and them.

3.  When the Clones have taken just over 3/4 of your family's health it is time to unleash the AoH and run between them, immediately double jumping into the air above/between them and unleash 2 PR *while tapping O like a madman* (of course you should be in the air doing the tapping and you WILL be practically out of Magic by this point).

4.  Before the 2nd PR ends unleash the RotG and release 1-3 more PR *it depends so check the AoH icon between blasts*, then a AoH, then a stream of PR until your RotG has ended.

5.  Quickly heal your family to fill your RotG meter to between 1/2 and 3/4 full.  *During the process of annihilating the clones with Magic you should have accumulated enough to cast another AoH since you DON'T use up Magic at Lvl5 BoC in RotG mode.

6.  Let your family sustain damage and quickly cast AoH.

7.  Heal your family and as soon as your RotG meter fills activate RotG and cast AoH *if it has resolved*, and double jump into the air unleashing 3-4 PR followed by another AoH with a stream of PR to end this fight *if for whatever reason this hasn't ended the fight..simply crush the remaining 1-3 clones however you feel best*

Since StuckGamer and HandVSEye haven't done videos of a God Mode Clone Battle I'll leave you this link of a player using a similiar strategy to mine:

ballofsnow's God Mode Run (download part 20 *normal quality will due..but insane quality requires a top notch computer so it would be a wasted download if you don't have one*)

---End Strategy---

---Begin Normal NUR Strategy---

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---End Strategy---

Ares2:

1. When he teleports to the Athena Statue (to use his Pillar attack), wait till just before he goes under ground and start charging the L1+O attack (Hades' Gift) until it releases (4 hits) then quickly roll to avoid his swing *especially the pillars*

2. His minigame is a great way to get him damaged and stunned for attack.  After his stun he will always teleport.

3. The R1 attack (hits 5 times) is great against him.  I usually follow up quickly with L1+X (Zeus' Gift) resulting in the minigame.

4. His Palm Blast is unblockable.

5. Getting Damaged will transfer health to Ares and vice versa.

6. Roars are openings.

I encourage discussion over each others tactics.  I'll be updating this post later with my own strategies depending on scenario/difficulty. 

~END POST 2

Got too long so I had to break the cluster up into two

i saw this one guy on the videos he showed how he beat ares on god mode and when he fought the clones he attacked with the blades of chaos and the when his familys life was low he turned rage of the gods on and kept using posiodens rage but he had unlimeted magic and when rage of the gods was over he used army of hades and hugged his family then he justed rinsed and reapeted i'll provide a link if you want.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/profile/video_player.php?id=JXcwlTSt5b0JszY

i saw this one guy on the videos he showed how he beat ares on god mode and when he fought the clones he attacked with the blades of chaos and the when his familys life was low he turned rage of the gods on and kept using posiodens rage but he had unlimeted magic and when rage of the gods was over he used army of hades and hugged his family then he justed rinsed and reapeted i'll provide a link if you want.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/profile/video_player.php?id=JXcwlTSt5b0JszY

Qwark678

I can't say he used the best strategy or that I was truely impressed (since he wasn't up to par with ballofsnow)...but I can say the link was useful *it showed the failed grapple versus Ares that I had trouble recounting by memory*

~If you want to see what a God Mode expert's run through God Mode looks like you should refer to the Ultimate Index (look for ballofsnow's God Mode Run...you'll be wanting part 20 from his archive)

---Until Brett gets back from vacation and finishes God Mode I won't be able to make use of the technology I have recently come in possession of *I'll finally be able to show that I am no meere braggart*

No...my brother-in-law Brett Swanstrom who is in Mexico..who has my game at his house *not being played*

~Any tactics for us *which are almost never useful to post unless they were developed in   God Mode* DevilMayCry85?

Challenge of the Gods

Challenge 1

Knock 8 enemies off the platform before

time runs out.

1. If a group of Undead Shieldman are near the edge you can use a shieldless undead (use the Plume or Lance of the Furies to "make it so") with a grapple to [  ] *be sure to only throw away from the center or you run the risk of it dieing ON the plaform..thus failure*

2. Grapple attempts on the Shieldman will "push" them (and you) back. (a skilled player can use Hermes Rush to charge them after each "push" but I suggest meerly running and "pushing")

3. You can use the exploit mentioned in the "Undead Shieldman" section to toss them into each other.  Be careful not to let one land ON the platform.

4. You can use the Artemis R1 attack to push the Undead Shieldman back.  Use L1 between attacks to erase the buffer and make the attacks more constant. *credit to Evan*

Best time: w/o RotG 37 seconds remaining

Challenge 2

Kill all ARCHERS and UNDEAD SOLDIERS

Before time runs out.

1. Don't waste RotG on this challenge.

2. There are 4 large platforms w/ 2 small ones linking one to another (square formation).

3. I prefer to attack in a counter-clockwise patter (preference)..meaning I go straight instead of to the left.  No real reason except I prefer killing all off the shieldman first.  It would likely be easier for a first timer to beat it going the opposite way.

4. Don't bother killing harpies...(unless you have the time to spare for some lulz)

5. On any platform with an Undead Shieldman I start with a LotF (no charge needed) to break their shield and use them (grapple to [  ] ) as a weapon against their allies (if they fall off I just kill w/o them).  Alternately you can use the 'shield hax' exploit to nullify their shields.

6. I suggest using 1 cast of AoH just to hasten the death of any random large platform full of enemies.  Especially the one on the bottow left with no Undead Shieldman.

7. The jumps between each plaform only require a good jump (Icarus Lift/Double Jump isn't necessary)...I use Hermes Rush to quickly killing the Undead Archers on each small platform.

Best Time: w/o RotG 49 seconds remaining

Challenge 3

Break all the pots before

Time runs out.

1. LotF takes out a lot of them at once (obviously).

2. Hermes' Rush/Fury can be used fairly well for this challenge though Hermes' Stomp cannot.

3. Hermes rush between 2 basic, well aimed [  ] attacks works VERY WELL.  Repeat FTW.

Best Time: w/o RotG 8 seconds remaining

Challenge 4

Kill 4 Minotaurs but none of

The Undead Soldiers.

1. Single the Minotaur's out by getting them in the air and using the Infinite Air Grapple.

2. Achilles' Flip (roll+X), Ascension, "Square to Triangle", "Dissension" and Apollo's Ascension work well and are generally discriminating damage dealers.

3. You don't want to accidentally kill any Undead Legion (FAIL) so Spirit/Might/Plume/Valor, LotF and other such attacks aren't exactly good here (they generalize the damage too much).  I find it insulting that they offer us Level 1 AoH for this challenge...as if that attack would just politely focus on the Mintaurs

4. "Homerun", "Punt" and "Spike" can all be used to great effect here.

Best Time: w/o RotG Beaten in 22 seconds

Challenge 5

Shoot all of the Undead Soldiers!

Do not shoot the Human Soldiers!

1. Timing *feel free to suggest your own method..I don't like explaining this one*

Best Time: w/o RotG Beaten in 42 seconds

Challenge 6

Reach the Center of the end platform

Before time runs out.

1. There are 8 small, moving platforms you must cross while under fire (Undead Archers).  There is an archer on the 2nd, 4th and 6th platform.  4 on the large platform after the 8th.

2. This one is timed and you MUST be in the center of the end platform to finish.

3. There is no need to battle any archers (though it is fun)

Best Time: w/o RotG 17 seconds remaining

Challenge 7

Rule 1: Kill all enemies

Rule 2: Do not get hit

1. I like using Hermes Fury to Valor *Hermes' Valor* (R1 R1 [  ]) and Hades Revenge [  ] (parry to Valor/Cross Swipe).  

2. LotF and Might (super sweep ender for Might of Hercules) are decent here.

3. I prefer killing all of the Armored Legion first..

4. Watch out for the Minotaur's Shockwave and its counter attack (after blocking).

5. Remember that the grapple for Undead leaves you open to attack until you choose which finisher to use on it.

6. Hammer Minotaurs cannot block the Super Plume/Spirit.  Use this to set them up any way you like.

7. You can focus on killing all the Armored Legions first than safely use Medusa's Gaze to petrify and shatter the Minotaurs if you want to play it safe.

Best Time: w/o RotG 78 seconds remaining

Challenge 8

Kill all the enemies.

1. I suggest using RotG (Tempest of the Fates FTW) at the very beggining to hasten the battle (you can get it back by the end of the challenge with perfection or during Challenge 9 with a masters touch).

2. The finishing grapple for Gorgons gives a break in the action, relief from their Gaze and a RotG bonus PER successfuly toggle (meaning each one...not just upon completion).

3. The Gorgon's gaze can be used to "petrify" the Undead.

4. LotF works GREAT here.

5. Combos (the ones with names) give RotG bonuses.

TIP: Combos only end after a half a second inactivity on the ground..unless you keep rolling

6. Rolling releaves you of Gorgon Gaze...if you didn't know that already I'll be amazed.

NOTE: A normal / starter would be slow but when done immediately after a roll it is FAST

7. You can always grapple an Armored Legion and toss it at a crowd for kicks.

8. Crowd control moves work well here.

9. Being in the air isn't a great idea if you aren't careful.  Achilles' Flip *keeps you close enough to the ground that you won't have time to freeze* and Plume can sometimes interupt a Gorgon "gazing" at you.  Spirit ALWAYS interupts their gaze. 

10. If you are airborne with an enemy and being "gazed" at...meerly infinite air grapple your foe whilst biding time (you can't be frozon while grappling..even in the air).

11. Get a Gorgon airborne and Infinite Air Grapple it until O appears then do the mini-game.

12. Gorgons can take about 7 air grapples before O appears and Undead die on the third.

13. If caught in the air during an attack like Ascension or Apollo's Ascension quickly attempt a Hermes' Stomp (R1) to get to the ground and immediately roll (the rolls cancels the buffer for the landing and shakes off the gaze)

Best Time: w/ RotG Beaten in 7:12 minutes - w/o RotG Beaten in 7:26 minutes

Challenge 9

Kill 4 Cyclops before the time runs out.

1. Use Icarus Lift (double jump) to get right on the Cyclops and repeatedly use Cyclone of Chaos (L1+[  ]) or Falling Helios (L1+triangle) for lots of hits (good for building up RotG and avoiding the Satyrs).

TIP: When in the air doing the previously mentioned and the Cyclops' starts to attack, use Hermes' Stomp (R1) to dive down quickly then immediately roll away *just in case*

2. Don't bother with the Satyrs.

3. Watch out for the Cyclops' Sweep to Smash attack (the smash can knock you off the side).

4. If the grapple option appears on the Cyclops, I advise you use it for a break in the action, RotG bonuses and for lulz

5. Since you aren't likely going to fail this challenge you could just keep doing the mini-game on a Cyclops (fail at the start since only the initial grapple gives a RotG boost) to refill your RotGs easy (finish the grapple for Health orbs should you need them for some reason)

6. Might/Spirit/Valor of Hercules all do great damage to Cyclops (especially Might).  Using the roll to / buffer exploit you can get a fast Spirit off ( /  /  /  ). 

Best Time: w/o RotG 103 seconds remaining

Challenge 10

Kill enemies to make Platform rise.  Reach

The Top Platform to beat the challenge.

1. RotG is GREAT HERE.  Though it should be reserved until you get to the middle of the fight.  R1 R1 during RotG is incredible against Satyrs but sometimes misses the puppies.   

2. The puppies are basically there for easy kills, a weapon against Satyrs, a break in the action *via grapples*, irritation and health orbs *finishing grapple*

3. The Satyrs are the real threat since LotF doesn't work reliably on them *great on the puppies* and they are stab happy here (impale to toss your a** over the side..everyone loves that one).  A GREAT time to use the LotF is when a Satyr is on its back and Release the attack *the air version is safer* just before its "spring into action" animation/attack and it will get blown away along with all puppies near by (If there is another Satyr around it will attack you right after wards).

4. If you get a Satyr airborn with you, don't hesitate to hit him in the air (they like to do back flips to escape damage) so he will flip off the side like an idiot.

5. When in their taunt pose the Satyrs are most dangerous here since an attack from ANYONE will provoke their sudden onslaught so get a posing Satyr airborn if possible and annihilate it.

6. Use Achilles Flip and rolls when too close to getting pushed off.  The Achilles Flip sets up Satyrs quite well (you can do a variety of things to them but I suggest LotF for the center or air attacks if they are near the side)

7. I like to get the Satyrs on one side and stay on the other..the grab a puppy (throwing it at them to interupt their attacks and briefly stun them), roll at them and preform the Achilles Flip ending with an aerial Lance of the Furies (I usually only do this if the Satyrs are going over the edge so I don't get killed for forgetting the power of a Satyr).

8. Apollo's Ascension and Apollo's Offensive are surprisingly effective here.

Best Time: w/ RotG Beaten in 59 seconds - w/o RotG Beaten in 1:15 minutes

Artemis - "Homerun Effect"

The "Homerun" effect is where an enemy is sent rocketing up and away from Kratos.  It is unique in that it can knock enemies over invisible walls (Hell Satyr fight)..the types are:

Punt *like American Football*

1. Use a bounce effect and follow up with L1+/  *while they are still in air*

-This works great on all enemies that can be bounced

-The effect AoH produces also presents an opening for this version to be used 

-Excellent in general

TIP: trying to move while performing L1+/  cancels the buffer between Ascension uses making its abuse easier/quicker

Homerun*baseball obviously*

2. Launch an enemy with an "Ascension" attack and follow up with a L1+/ hit.

-This works on all enemies that can be launched except Satyrs

-Excellent against Cerberus

Spike *like volleyball* NOTE: not a true "Homerun" technique but close

3. Launch and pursue skyward, (L1+/  *hold /  or press X* ) quickly following up with / .

-Works on all enemies that can be launched *it isn't as reliable for Satyrs but it does work*

-Excellent against Minotaurs

Comprehensive Demonstration

Further reading

A "bounce effect" can be described as anything similiar to how Plume/Spirit affect enemies.  

A "launched"/airborne enemy is not the same (Ascension)

The "O" ender to Artemis combos creates the perfect bounce.  Its buffer prevents further basic attacks but can be canceled with a roll or L1+face button attack.  Since the [  ], X and O versions aren't terribly useful I'll suggest they are left alone *for beginners*.  Ascension of Artemis (L1+/  ) is the best of its special attacks.  R1 being the best basic attack as it can be stopped at anytime *to block/evade/attack*, hits up to 5 times on a single enemy and a press of [  ], /  or O will end with a ender similar to its special attacks..the downside being that its O ender is as slow as the L1+O attack though it functions like the basic O ender. 

Examples of how to achieve this ender with Artemis.

O [  ] O

[  ] O O

O O O

R1, O

Artemis has blocking issues..where the Blades of Chaos can block/parry LATE, Artemis tends to FAIL at registering blocks often (especially noticable against Ares).  To make up for this you must get good with evasion (rolling) or learn to anticipate every move made against you in advance and block well ahead of time.

When Artemis is "on", you cannot naturally switch to the BoC in air...but the technique that fuses the Blades with Artemis allows for aerial weapons switching at the price of a little Magic..

The transition/transformation animation made for pulling Artemis out is the reason that the fusion is possible..it is also the reason that combos between it and BoC is not fun or very effective.  It simply takes too long.

A simple infinite for Artemis:

O/ O/  *swings twice from here on* O/  ...

Some decent combos:

[  ] O [  ]

[  ] / O [  ]

[  ] / O/  [  ]

[  ] [  ] [  ] O [  ]

O/ O [  ]

O [  ] /  [  ]

O [  ] [  ] O [  ]

O O [  ]

The best *default* aerial combo with Artemis is simply:

[  ] [  ] O with the option of ending with a follow up /  

Special Attacks

Wrath of Artemis L1+X

-can be canceled with a press of L2 *requires you to have Magic*

-Not very good

Revenge of Artemis L1+[  ]

-can be canceled with a press of L2 *requires you to have Magic*

-A decent attack damaging all nearby enemies

Ascension of Artemis L1+/  

-can't be canceled once activated but using its ability to "pursue" can be used to evade

-Easily the most useful special attack for Artemis and a favorite of GodModeGOD's..

Retribution of Artemis L1+O

-can't be canceled once activated

-Strong attack that can hit up to 3 times a strike per enemy with the possibility of grappling the enemy *if health is low enough*..not too good..not too bad

~Feel free to contribute/debate

It is nice to see this topic revived...thank you Evan.

~I'll show some of my favorite tactics/tips for the Hydra around 10pm

It is nice to see this topic revived...thank you Evan.

~I'll show some of my favorite tactics/tips for the Hydra around 10pm

the-creeper

Updated Clones and Hydra...

~I'll consider doing the same for Ares and the Boss Minotaur later

Updated Clones and Hydra...

~I'll consider doing the same for Ares and the Boss Minotaur later

the-creeper

Why not grace us with more of your Tactics/Tips Evan?  You have beaten God Mode too..I assume you have some pointers to add.

~Perhaps a strategy or two

Well, I haven't inputed here much, so I'll post something. Strategy for defeating Minatour Boss. First, stay in the far corner near where you can shoot the huge arrow. Now, when the Minatour tries starts to hit the ground (which will cause lava to come from the floor) jump up, and use the Lance of the Furies. Now, lather, rinse, and repeat.

When the boss runs into the back and goes into the fetal position, start the Minatour riding mini-game. When you finish, go as quick as you can to where you were just at, and hit him with a flaming arrow. Now, just keep going over and over until you win. (Even on God mode, this Boss is actually really easy.)

Edited for the WIN

Not bad solidusScott..any boss strategies you would like to share? (useful on God Mode)

curlfro..When did you fight the Minotaur Boss on God Mode..I could have sworn you said you wouldn't play it becuase you don't like frustration.  Also, that cheap tactic wouldn't cut it in a contest with me..I'd decimate that Minotaur long before anyone using that strategy could even peel off his armor (It is low and time consuming)

~I could easily give a way to bypass the Harpy Conveyor Belt battle...but I'd rather people actaully FIGHT on God Mode and not prance around skipping battles like the aren't worth the time

For the sake of sharing...I've hand you vortex72's discovery..THIS is how you can avoid that horrible battle (I refuse to use it). 

This is probably most useful on god mode because of its difficulty but i didn't try it on other difficulties. As soon as you come into the room with the alternating conveyor belts and rolling pin things and flame shooting platforms with archers and harpies STOP!! Instead of walking straight through the little gate thing slowly walk to the right (or left i didn't try it) and keep as close to the south wall as possible. While walking right you should be moving opposite the conveyor belt's direction. Keep as close to the rolling pin thing without getting crushed or else you lose a decent amount of health. As soon as you get as far as you can go staying close to the pin jump on the flame shooting platform. Now you should be able to jump onto the second conveyor belt. Now you can go straight through to Pandora's box without fighting anything. The idea is to not go ANYWHERE near the middle of the first conveyor belt. Just stay on the sides. If you had trouble understanding this just email me at demonscar90@aol.com 

~There you have it...Could have shared this the first day I got here but I didn't want any God Mode runners to get any fancy ideas..

Not bad solidusScott..any boss strategies you would like to share? (useful on God Mode)

curlfro..When did you fight the Minotaur Boss on God Mode..I could have sworn you said you wouldn't play it becuase you don't like frustration.  Also, that cheap tactic wouldn't cut it in a contest with me..I'd decimate that Minotaur long before anyone using that strategy could even peel off his armor (It is low and time consuming)

~I could easily give a way to bypass the Harpy Conveyor Belt battle...but I'd rather people actaully FIGHT on God Mode and not prance around skipping battles like the aren't worth the time

For the sake of sharing...I've hand you vortex72's discovery..THIS is how you can avoid that horrible battle (I refuse to use it). 

This is probably most useful on god mode because of its difficulty but i didn't try it on other difficulties. As soon as you come into the room with the alternating conveyor belts and rolling pin things and flame shooting platforms with archers and harpies STOP!! Instead of walking straight through the little gate thing slowly walk to the right (or left i didn't try it) and keep as close to the south wall as possible. While walking right you should be moving opposite the conveyor belt's direction. Keep as close to the rolling pin thing without getting crushed or else you lose a decent amount of health. As soon as you get as far as you can go staying close to the pin jump on the flame shooting platform. Now you should be able to jump onto the second conveyor belt. Now you can go straight through to Pandora's box without fighting anything. The idea is to not go ANYWHERE near the middle of the first conveyor belt. Just stay on the sides. If you had trouble understanding this just email me at demonscar90@aol.com 

~There you have it...Could have shared this the first day I got here but I didn't want any God Mode runners to get any fancy ideas..

the-creeper

Do any of you read my entire posts?..or is that why I often say things and so few recall it...I just gave you guys a way to completely undermine a critical battle...to completely negate it and I didn't even get a bat of the eye!..

Don't do Spartan (Hard) it is a waste of time..it won't prepare you any better than normal...Make the leap to God Mode.

~I went from Easy to God Mode and I did fine (Just ask for assistance when you need it or employ some of the tactics/tips/strategies/exploits of your unions members)

lol, one of my "other" tatics,is to when you play listen to Pantera "Walk." it wont help much with your general skills but you can block things out like Ares taunts and plus it makes you feel more like a badass while playing.
solidusScott

Pantera is a band.the-creeper

THREAD REVIVAL *clear*

~I do this FTW and GREAT JUSTICE (also Soul)

Post moved up by GMG.

A few comments:

Sirens;

6. just attacking the won't work I think. you have to do it with a finisher (Plume... etc) though I never tried attacking them when they do that I just evade until they're done.

Satyrs;

1. you forget to mention that that O doesn't appear and you have to guess for yourself when it will happen. very cool finisher though.

8. Gaze as in medusa's gaze? waste of magic, I think.

(and let me add one)

11. Air grappling them won't do any good since it's a one time slam to the ground grapple. and it doesn't even feel powerful, you don't hear enough bones breaking.

Boss Minotaur;

2. EXPLOIT! and no matter how fast you pull that lever, the guy still gets to hit you, so don't do it if you have little health.

3. EXPLOIT!! (you could have just said "shoulder") just stand between the cannon and the block that starts the staircase and take a little right. that the Ideal place.

Ares1;

4. or if you feel lazy from doing all that and have enough magic just throw one lightning at him and he'll go back down.

Ares2;

2. but you gotta know when it's a minigame and when it's just blocking your attacks... basically you have to hit him a few times and see him get hit and do "ohh, ahh" and twitch, then he'll start blocking the attacks - don't fret - keep attacking until you get to the sword clash (the minigame) and repeatedly press O.

if you hit him and he starts with blocks - NOT GOOD. evade.

4. but evadable... the hard part is, you don't know when it's a palm blast (I call it hand fart) and when it's a normal attack, so what I do is: as he runs towards me (after he's done the pillars thing or I evaded backwards, etc.) I wait for him to come close enough for him to start the attack, then I just evade left or right (whichever of them is most open to you, cause if it's a normal attack it could hit you if you're too close).

anyway, nice post GMG. very informative. I must admit I learned something too... :)

oh and I'd like to add some stuff to the Ares2 battle -

-when he roars after he's done some of his moves, ATTACK! that's the best time to attack, but not AFTER he roars, more like in the MIDDLE of his roar... then most likely you'll get to the minigame. (see 2 in Ares2)

-He can summon three souls from hades to attack you, just block 'em but beware cause usually after that he hand farts. (see 4 in Ares2).

Done.

A few comments:

Sirens;

6. just attacking the won't work I think. you have to do it with a finisher (Plume... etc) though I never tried attacking them when they do that I just evade until they're done.

Soulxxx

You think?  Well I know it worked for me on this NUR..and I doubt it is a glitch. 

Satyrs;

1. you forget to mention that that O doesn't appear and you have to guess for yourself when it will happen. very cool finisher though.

8. Gaze as in medusa's gaze? waste of magic, I think.

(and let me add one)

11. Air grappling them won't do any good since it's a one time slam to the ground grapple. and it doesn't even feel powerful, you don't hear enough bones breaking.

Soulxxx

1. I admit to omitting some details...at least I know you are reading them carefully enough as to spot necessary information to edit in.

8. You have failed to diversify your weapons then?  Here I thought you would have already found a use for EVERYTHING...even Artemis as useless as that weapon is..The Gaze works wonders for EXP gathering (w/o relying on a glitch) and makes quick work of most (it isn't very good against groups at lvl1 but great for making short work of a tall order..meaning high endurance pest: Satyrs, Cyclops *not all go down quick enough to make it useful though* and Cerberus  --- I'd of thought you would have utilized such advantages...but I guess your more stuck in the straight and narrow aspects of combat than I...so sayeth the style whore

11.  Hearing and feeling has nothing to do with it...Didn't you even realize how easy combat with 2 satyrs can be if you just get one down and then the other and back and forth..I call this management of a threat (twas how I made it through that Hell Saytr battle so easily..besides thinking of all possible advantages to use on them)  ---Such as having 2 magic and health chests to work with since I efficiently dealt with my opposition centered around those spike pillars that everyone simply can't get enough of

 

Boss Minotaur;

2. EXPLOIT! and no matter how fast you pull that lever, the guy still gets to hit you, so don't do it if you have little health.

3. EXPLOIT!! (you could have just said "shoulder") just stand between the cannon and the block that starts the staircase and take a little right. that the Ideal place.

Soulxxx

2. You are too slow than friend...pull that lever quick enough and tap X rapidly after the animation for pulling begins and watch as you do a bunny hop at the last second (Honestly..too slow?  That will be the day...)

3. I assume you found "the sweet spot" then...well what do you think of this little blind spot in his field of attack Soul?  I put it to good use and deliver some pain with Artemis (no need to waste RotG against a harmless foe amirite?...of course that only applies to non-NUR battles)

Ares1;

4. or if you feel lazy from doing all that and have enough magic just throw one lightning at him and he'll go back down.

Soulxxx

What?  Nothing to say about my clone strategy? (I'm proud of the fact that I didn't need to ask for assistance with making a winning strategy to beat them...that just so happened to parrallel the strategies of the best amongst GoW masters)

4. O RLY?

Ares2;

2. but you gotta know when it's a minigame and when it's just blocking your attacks... basically you have to hit him a few times and see him get hit and do "ohh, ahh" and twitch, then he'll start blocking the attacks - don't fret - keep attacking until you get to the sword clash (the minigame) and repeatedly press O.

if you hit him and he starts with blocks - NOT GOOD. evade.

4. but evadable... the hard part is, you don't know when it's a palm blast (I call it hand fart) and when it's a normal attack, so what I do is: as he runs towards me (after he's done the pillars thing or I evaded backwards, etc.) I wait for him to come close enough for him to start the attack, then I just evade left or right (whichever of them is most open to you, cause if it's a normal attack it could hit you if you're too close).

Soulxxx

2. True enough but then again..I know when the time is right.  The R1 to L1+X combo almost never fails to get the mini-game I desire..then I follow up with R1 to [  ] before beating him to the Athena Statue to hit another L1+O (I never really found a use for Poseidon's Gift or Athena's Gift to be honest...they just don't seem to have any useful mechanics to work with)

4. I should have elaborated but chose not to (making long posts takes it out of you amirite?).  I would have gone back to it eventually.  When I fight him I have no intention of letting him life long enough to use those devastating attacks.  I rarely see them anymore.

anyway, nice post GMG. very informative. I must admit I learned something too... :)

oh and I'd like to add some stuff to the Ares2 battle -

-when he roars after he's done some of his moves, ATTACK! that's the best time to attack, but not AFTER he roars, more like in the MIDDLE of his roar... then most likely you'll get to the minigame. (see 2 in Ares2)

-He can summon three souls from hades to attack you, just block 'em but beware cause usually after that he hand farts. (see 4 in Ares2).

Done.

Soulxxx

It is always nice to get feed back and converse over "battle politics"...a pleasure even.

~I'll edit those posts some time in the future...Who knows..maybe curlfro will make you an officer and you can do it yourself (organizing this mess)

The Clones are easy in god mode! (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say) the reason why I haven't commented on that is because that's my strategy too... (call me a liar, but that's what I do with a little tweaks) I gotta say that I got it from ballofsnow's speed run, though.Soulxxx

Creating that strategy with ZERO outside influence is still my greatest achievement (with the God Mode NUR in second)

~Giving me something to throw at any GoW master (very few were able to actual develope the strategy on their own *in its entirety with out any influence* )

---Makes my dookie twinkle (if you know what I mean)

The first time I beat god mode was like Oct~Nov 2005 I think. and I did it by myself! no influence. and with no strategy at all. I used the magic randomally and everything. it was a great feeling, and an achievement. ofcourse I did it after thousands of tries.Soulxxx

My first time through God Mode...that would be about 2 weeks after the game came out.

~Like you might have guessed..I too had no influence in my initial run..but going in guns a blazing didn't suit me...I had to study each enemy for weaknesses to exploit and use for a more stylish/consistant beating

---That clone fight was an eye opener...Really stomped me hard yet had me coming back for more (nothing less than absolute victory will do)..I remember beating God Mode at my cousin/best friend's house (Elliott wanted nothing to do with the clone fight)...When we got to the throne room of the God of War I mentioned that the statues strangely kept track of the number of LotF that hit them and he decided to give beating them 100 times a try...of course he stopped paying attention and 1 broke (Ares)...so I took it upon myself to visit some pain upon the Boss Minotaur's hide once more (perhaps out of spite since he pwned me so hard the first time I encountered him)..sure enough the secret number came up and then I sat in the throne unlocking the other (along with the 2 secret videos)  -- A night made of WIN

just noticed something... the undead shieldsman can be grappled anytime once you break their shields.Soulxxx

...I thought you already knew of this weakness..

As for my cousin being my best friend...who can you rely on more than someone you have known your entire life AND they are bound to you by family?  Sweet indeed.

~I haven't forgotten the back story on how many times you have played the various difficulties...but what I don't recall is how many times you have beaten the Challenge of the Gods..

Have you fought them on God Mode yet Qwark?  I can't remember if you beat it or not.

~Any strategies from those who have conquered God Mode and/or CotG?

the-creeper

[QUOTE="the-creeper"]

Have you fought them on God Mode yet Qwark?  I can't remember if you beat it or not.

~Any strategies from those who have conquered God Mode and/or CotG?

ozzy_osbourne

Qwark=ozzy (amusing)

I hope you'll make the jump to God Mode soon enough (before GoWII releases)..a God Mode NUR would raise you to master class.

Soul: 4 times..I guess you don't have as much fun with it as I do or just find it too redundant

I often revist it (I don't know the exact number but I'm certain I've done it more than 20 times)

The first time I played GoW (Easy) was with Eternal..he handled puzzles and I handled boss combat..we took turns up until the Upper parts of Pandora's Temple (where I did most of the playing). 

Elliott was present at the time I defeated God Mode for my first time (I started from my save point before Ares).  I had him play through Normal first then tossed him into God Mode combat against Ares (for lulz).  The rest I already went through.

~I'm not really good for sharing game time to be honest

---Do you plan on doing another NUR anytime soon Soul?

It must be hax amirite?

~Time to rap the night up

---Have fun with Challenge 8 and 10 for me will you..those are fan favorites (With enough time put into CotG even 10 becomes just too easy *w/ proper preparations for battle made of course* )

---Oh and I just got a call from some child trying to prank me about how he had just killed "someone" and "didn't know what to do"...I would normally bait them on just to freak them out but this time I felt it best to close the matter promptly (it is 5 in the f*cking morning)

Have fun with Challenge 8 and 10 for me will you..those are fan favorites the-creeper

[QUOTE="the-creeper"]Have fun with Challenge 8 and 10 for me will you..those are fan favorites evanescfan

There is no way that was aimed at me or Soul (we both have beaten CotG more than a few times).

~I rape Challenge 8...I hasten the battle with the RotG I had been saving and let loose right away *tempest of the fates* then grapple kill MANY gorgons for RotG bonuses, then tear everyone a new a**hole!  By time I get the Challenge 10 I have full RotG again and show the Satyrs some love

---Combining efficiency with strategy spells TOTALULZ (victory)

I think I'll add a section about CotG later tonight...of course that means I'll want your take on them too Soul

oh, NUR AND CotG? great, you want my blood too? (I'll do it, just not now...) you know, I have a strange feeling looking at that last post I made in this thread, because one of my best friend's mom passed away last night (I recieved the message only about 5 minutes after that post)... I feel awful it makes me sick now. (this is not a source of lulz GMG or anyone else)Soulxxx

Everything is a source of lulz..it is a logical fallacy to think otherwise..However I am a compassionate god so I shall say nothing further on that matter...as for Evan.

Then you are prolonging a repetitive battle needlessly and not employing the knowledge you have been given. (How do you expect to beat the NUR without exploiting the weaknesses of your enemies?)  I should love to hear a daily report/update concerning your NUR.

~Now get to playing

[QUOTE="Soulxxx"]oh, NUR AND CotG? great, you want my blood too? (I'll do it, just not now...) you know, I have a strange feeling looking at that last post I made in this thread, because one of my best friend's mom passed away last night (I recieved the message only about 5 minutes after that post)... I feel awful it makes me sick now. (this is not a source of lulz GMG or anyone else)the-creeper

Everything is a source of lulz..it is a logical fallacy to think otherwise..However I am a compassionate god so I shall say nothing further on that matter...as for Evan.

Then you are prolonging a repetitive battle needlessly and not employing the knowledge you have been given. (How do you expect to beat the NUR without exploiting the weaknesses of your enemies?)  I should love to hear a daily report/update concerning your NUR.

~Now get to playing