In addition to more challenges, additional improvements have been added to Sony Santa Monica Studio’s cross-gen game.

Check out the details on the PlayStation Blog. New gear, an increased level cap, and new Enchantments have been added to get you back into the story. Our equipment, weapons (including the Draupnir Spear), and skills come with us from our previous save, but we won’t have access to Sonic and Hex arrows at the start. To get these (and use the Draupnir), you must get to a certain point in the story.

The new armor: Armor of the Black Bear (focuses on Kratos’s strength and defense; we get Bifrost Sharks for last-second evades; we start with it on New Game Plus), Spartan Armor (no perks and stats, and limited to level 1, meaning this is armor for challenge seekers, look for it at Huldra Brothers), Ares Armor (from 2018’s God of War; you can even get a Health Stone on hit, more rage and more enormous blast if you stomp it, look for it at Huldra Brothers), Zeus Armor (also from 2018; increases your melee and runes, but in return, Kratos is more fragile; defeating Gna and completing more Remnants of Asgard unlocks it), and a new shield, Spartan Aspis (a smaller parry window but more damage, look for it at Huldra Brothers). The previous 13 armors have been “remixed” with new color combinations and styles. They must be at least level 9 and above; find them at Huldra Brothers. The Berserker armor look can be unlocked by defeating the Berserker King on New Game Plus.

Kratos will be more assertive in New Game Plus, but so will his opponents. Upgrade your level 9 equipment (armor, weapon, weapon components, shield) to a Plus version, giving you additional levels. It provides you with Gilded coins to buy new Enchantments. The shop has been improved, as you can sell and buy materials incrementally. You can use the new Enchantments in your armor (Engravings), shield (Badges), or amulet. For example, Dragon Engraving contains Dragon Scaled Breastplate perk and Dragon’s Fury (the latter gives strength/defense stacking buff). For instance, the Cuirass of Ares, when put into an amulet, combines two powerful breastplates at once. The strongest Enchantments will require specific stats, but you must play and build Kratos well to grab them. Defeating Berserker Souls on New Game Plus will give you additional Enchantments. Don’t forget Burdens (also found at Huldra’s Brothers), which can give you additional challenges by providing negative perks. For example, Burder of Evasion can “freeze” Kratos (Frost effect) after rolling, and it can be even more brutal with Spartan Armor. The Show Difficulty (Difficulty HUD Visualization) interface option displays the current difficulty level and the Burdens used.

Skill Mod tokens can be upgraded with XP to power up your favorite mods, Kill Labors and Ratatask achievements can be transferred to New Game Plus for Platinum Tier rewards, and Nornir chests give you Yggdrasil Dew to clear previous stat limits. The Sparring Arena in Nilfheim adds new options on New Game Plus: while controlling Kratos or Atreus (or the traditional pair together), others can fight alongside you (Freya, Brok, Sindri, Angrboda, Ingrid, Thor, Thrud). On the new difficulty, optional boss fights will be even more devious. Hateful and Ormstunga, the two optional mini-bosses, have new tricks on all difficulty levels. Each boss has runic armor on the Give Me No Mercy and God Of War levels, so runes must be used strategically. You can also turn an opponent into an elite on Give Me No Mercy. Finally, once you’ve played through the game, you can even play God of War: Ragnarok in black and white.

What a robust update.

Source: Gematsu