Key Takeaway
You need to become good at following the specific rules of each trial to succeed. These challenges revolve around gimmicks more than your combat ability, so learning how those mechanics work is the best way to win.
These N-Sword trials contain some of the most tedious mechanics in God of War Ragnarök. You need to understand how to use these arena tactics to prevail here. Thankfully, there are some tricks that you can use to your advantage.
Table Of Contents
N-Sword Trial #1 – Ring Out Challenge
As the name of this challenge implies, you need to knock enemies out of the arena in order to take them down. Their health regenerates far too quickly for you to kill them by normal means. In this case, knocking a foe out of the arena means slamming them into one of the numerous pits of lava nearby.
Overall, there are Grim, Draugr, Raider, and Einherjar foes of both melee and ranged varieties. Some of them will have shields, so be prepared to disarm them before attacking. What’s more, some of the Grim and Einherjar enemies can be quick on their feet, which makes them tricky to hit. Thankfully, there is no time limit for this trial.
Use Shield Strikes and Unarmed Attacks
For both the faster enemies and those holding a shield, using a shield strike (double-tap L1) will briefly immobilize them. This will drop their guard so that you can follow up with another attack to send them flying backward.
The most efficient attack to do so is to press R2 when unarmed, which makes Kratos unleash a powerful Spartan kick. Line things up so that your target is between you and a lava pit before booting them into the liquid fire.
Get Atreus to Shoot Ranged Enemies
There will be some ranged enemies that are out of reach. You can use the ranged attacks of the Leviathan Axe or Draupnir Spear to hit them, however, Atreus’ arrows are quicker. On a related note, getting Arteus to shoot enemies will also briefly stun them—which can let you line up a Sparta kick more easily.
Although Atreus ranged attacks will be helpful most of the time, they can’t take down the Einherjar threats that spawn on the arena’s outside ledges. To knock these pesky foes into the lava, you need to hit them in their legs with the Leviathan Axe’s ranged attacks.
As a final tip for this trial, remember that there is no timer. You don’t need to rush, so take your time and plan your attacks as much as you need to in order to avoid taking damage.
The rewards for the first of the N-Sword trials are as follows (repeatable):
- Blazing Embers (1)
- Luminous Alloy (3-6)
- Divine Ashes (250)
- Kratos XP (100)
- Atreus XP (100)
- Hacksilver (2500)
N-Sword Trial #2 – Feed the Rift
Here it is—the most annoying out of all the N-Sword trials. In addition to taking down foes while being swarmed by them, you also need to toss orbs that drop from defeated enemies into a rift above the central lava pit of the arena.
While this new mechanic utilizes the same controls as when you throw an explosive rock or the Leviathan Axe, having to aim and throw the orbs accurately and deal with lots of foes at once is undeniably tedious. Getting hit by an attack will also prevent you from throwing the orb in hand for a second, which can lead to failing this trial.
Feed the Rift is split into two parts: the first section where you need to get six orbs into the rift in 60 seconds and the second section where you need to throw 15 points worth of orbs into the rift in 150 seconds. Overall, for both parts of this challenge, you need to average one orb into the rift every 10 seconds or less.
Target Wisps and Stronger Enemies
There is a variety of foes, which includes, Wisps, Hel units, and Draugr units. In the first part of this trial, focus on taking out the Wisps first, as they are the easiest to kill. Every foe in the first part of this trial drops white orbs, which are only worth one point each.
Focusing on the Wisps will let you get white orbs the quickest. Though don’t hold back against other enemies if you think you can take them out swiftly.
In the second part of the trial, stronger foes will begin appearing. Focus on taking these bigger baddies out first, as they drop green orbs (worth two points) and blue orbs (worth three points).
Using stunning tactics would be smart here, as this will let you kill stronger enemies faster. Once their stun bar fills up, use R3 to grab them for an instant kill or to do major damage.
Things to Avoid
There are fast foes who will grab you in this trial. This will prevent you from moving for a few seconds while also damaging you slightly. Since this is a timed trial, you don’t want to lose even a second, so stay on the move! The more you move around, the less likely it is for enemies to grab you.
Also, there are some foes who will explode when they die. Usually, this isn’t much of an issue. However, when you’re waiting to pick up an orb, this explosion can delay and damage you enough to be a bother.
At the end of the second of the N-Sword trials, you get similar rewards as the last time (repeatable):
- Blazing Embers (1)
- Luminous Alloy (3-6)
- Divine Ashes (250)
- Kratos XP (100)
- Atreus XP (100)
- Hacksilver (2500)
N-Sword Trial #3 – Health Steal
As the least gimmicky out of all the N-Sword trials, this one will feel like a breath of fresh air after the Feed the Rift challenge. All you need to do is kill enemies quickly enough to not die. If you haven’t already, check out the suggested build for the Muspelheim challenges.
How to Stay Healthy
There is no timer, however, you won’t heal continuously as you damage foes like this challenge’s description implies.
You only receive health when you kill an enemy, and, even then, it is in the form of a buff called a Health Burst. This buff lasts for two seconds every time that it is applied. Unfortunately, this buff cannot stack, which means that getting double-kills will not grant you more health.
Like with many other combat trials, stun grabs and executions are great to use here. While the animation of a stun grab is happening, you won’t take passive damage from this trial’s mechanics, so be sure to execute as many foes as possible to retain more health.
Also, taking advantage of instant kills like this will help you clear through enemies faster. Atreus can aid you in this regard, so make sure to unleash arrows whenever possible.
Noteworthy Enemies in This Trial
The first nuisance that you encounter in this trial is a Wight. They will appear once you’ve gotten around eight kills. Only one Wight shows up, however, that’s more than enough to hinder your progress. Like with Wisps, you need to first hit a Wight with a runic arrow to make them vulnerable.
Afterward, lay into them with your fiercest melee attacks to dispatch them quickly. Just be careful, as, when it dies, it will let out an energy explosion that can hurt you.
The next threat you need to worry about is the pair of Nokken that show up. They will spawn when you have around 16 kills. While these tiny fiends are around, they will grant other enemies rapid health regeneration. Trace the green trails of smoke to the Nokken and take them out as soon as you can.
Around the time the Nokken enemies show up, some Light Elves will also appear. Some of these fast foes will have segmented health bars and the ability to block. Make sure to use shield strikes by tapping L1 to disarm them before attacking.
Once the last of the N-Sword trials are complete, you will get more rewards that echo the kinds you’ve previously gotten (repeatable):
- Blazing Embers (1)
- Luminous Alloy (3-6)
- Divine Ashes (250)
- Kratos XP (100)
- Atreus XP (100)
- Hacksilver (2500)
