God of War: Ascension Message Board

Sony's Santa Monica Studio commemorates the one-year anniversary of God of War: Ascension's release by giving away its multiplayer DLC for free through next week.

From now through next Tuesday, players can pick up God of War: Ascension's armor and weapon DLC packs free of charge via the PlayStation Network. Sony Santa Monica has also slashed the price of its XP Booster add-ons by 50 percent, in a bid to entice new players to join Ascension's multiplayer component.

Dedicated fans can also earn a PSN voucher code for a unique in-game tattoo and a cape that boosts character health and attack power by posting in this community thread through April 8.

[Image: Sony]

Champions!

This month, we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of God of War: Ascension in such epic fashion that even the gods of Olympus are impressed. At Santa Monica Studio, the players come first in every decision we make. We have supported God of War: Ascension Multiplayer since its release on March 12, 2013, as a result of the unrelenting passion and everlasting “fire” you have poured into the battlefield since Day 1.

Now it’s our turn to truly say Thank You, from the bottom of our hearts, to every Champion who has picked up the controller to experience God of War: Ascension. In celebration of the God of War community and this one-year Ascension milestone, we have a few significant gifts to honor you. Get em all!

All Multi-Player Weapon & Armor DLC is Free

Starting right now, you have 1 week to get every single multiplayer DLC weapon and armor pack for free. Complete your DLC collection!

Play as the Marked One in Multiplayer

Ever dreamed of slaying your enemies as “The Marked One”? (You know who we’re talking about.) This is your one and only chance to get our exclusive anniversary in-game mark. We have also designed a very special Santa Monica Studio cape to make you the ultimate “Marked One” bad-ass, surprise!

Participate in our official forum thread right here to get the mark and the cape, FREE. This is the only time we will ever make it available, ever.

50% off XP Boosters

In conjunction with our FREE DLC event, we have dropped all XP Booster prices by 50%, to help you ascend faster than ever to Ascension status.

This is an anniversary celebration worthy of our champions. It’s our way of saying THANK YOU and we hope to see the Ascension Multiplayer battlefields continue to thrive with your passion.

One last final recognition. The following Power Rankings represent the top players since the game released. These are truly the best of the best, at least as of today. Take ‘em down, Champions!

Keep following us @SonySantaMonica for 24/7 updates, and GodofWar.com for the latest news on our upcoming PS Vita versions of God of War 1 & 2.

The makers of The Walking Dead episodic game series return with their latest efforts in player-driven narrative. Prepare yourself for The Wolf Among Us, a five-episode series that debuts this Tuesday.

Set in the Fables comic universe, The Wolf Among Us tasks you with making critical choices as Bigby Wolf — former monster and now Sheriff of Fabletown, a world where the creatures of myth and lore live very real lives in our world. Your decisions in The Wolf Among Us will shape the story as you work to unravel a brutal murder of a fellow Fable. How will you guide the course of this violent, hard-boiled thriller?

For those of you interested in a new JRPG adventure, Valhalla Knights 3 is also ready to launch, offering a massive quest set in a fantasy prison, where tyrannical minds and warrior criminals vie for control and — in many cases — survival.

And here’s a little bonus: God of War: Ascension is making its way to PlayStation Store as a complete digital download. Bring Kratos back onto the battlefield. It’s a good fit for him.

For a complete list of the games and demos joining the PlayStation family this week, check below. And enjoy the Drop!

New PlayStation Releases This Week Angry Birds Trilogy PS Vita — Digital The gaming phenomenon lives on as Angry Birds Trilogy comes to PS Vita. Face your porcine adversaries in 19 episodes, and enjoy dozens of hours of play with new content and updated visuals. Cabela’s African Adventures PS3 — Digital, Retail Travel to the African wilds for a wild and dangerous hunt. Seek out the Big Five: lion, leopard, white rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, and elephant. Explore an open world and uncover new hunting zones and collectibles. Champion Jockey PS3 — Digital Immerse yourself in the experience of being a jockey. Learn how to use the horse’s reins, shift your character’s body weight, and ride to the finish. Understand each horse’s unique rhythm, stamina, and racing style. God of War: Ascension PS3 — Digital, Retail (Already Available) Kratos, the legend with a blood-soaked past, storms back onto the PS3 in this visually-enthralling prequel. God of War: Ascension is now coming to PlayStation Store as a digital download. Prepare to unleash the burning fury of vengeance. Pacific Rim PS3 — Digital The Kaiju approach! Suit up and roll out in the ultimate war machines, the Jaegers, to battle this terrible threat to all of humanity. Experience the thrill of piloting a Jaeger, as seen in del Toro’s hit film. Skylanders Swap Force PS3 — Retail (Out Today) The renowned Skylanders series continues with Swap Force. Wield the power of new Skylanders that can swap powers by switching out the tops and bottoms of their figurines, and then take them into battle to save the Skylands. Valhalla Knights 3 PS Vita — Digital, Retail A unique JRPG set in a sprawling prison, complete with its own society and government. Enter the prison and participate in group battles, tackling quests and traversing the dangers of a criminal den that will make or break you. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Special Editions PS3 — Digital Climb back into the hotseat and play classic Millionaire for a chance at a digital fortune. This new version of Millionaire comes with both solo and multiplayer challenges. Expand your experience with packs that add hundreds of new questions into the mix. The Wolf Among Us PS3 — Digital Fill the big, bad shoes of Bigby Wolf, and work to uncover the truth behind a brutal murder in Fabletown. Based on the Fables comics, The Wolf Among Us puts the choice in your hands. Shape the story of this hard-boiled thriller as you play. Demos and Betas Atomic Ninjas — Vita Demo
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes — PS3 Demo
Pacific Rim — PS3 Demo
The Wolf Among Us — PS3 Demo

Information above is subject to change without notice.

Sony Sana Monica has finished its DLC efforts for God of War: Ascension, but will continue to assess the need of balance patches "in the weeks or months ahead," a post to the PlayStation Blog has detailed. The post also announced that Ascension will descend on the PlayStation Network on October 15.

The team's most immediate balance efforts will come in an update meant to "tune-up all the Allegiances," the bonds between a player's character and Greek gods that grant them specific powers. The post notes that team will be "monitoring online 24/7" in search of future exploits that need to be addressed.

In honor of the game's digital release, Ascension's DLC will be marked down to "special pricing" and the Ascension soundtrack will be free for all PSN users to download for a limited time. A Double XP Weekend is also planned worldwide from October 18 - 21.

We have a very important update to share with you on behalf of our God of War Development Team. Cue bullet points just ahead!

But wait! Let’s start with a gift. If you have yet to experience Composer Tyler Bates (whose credits include 300) official God of War: Ascension soundtrack, enjoy this free track on us:

Since the release of God of War: Ascension last March, we have supported Multiplayer with a vast amount of DLC — from new weapons and maps, to our brutal 1v1 mode, a fan-driven cape contest, new marks, and more. Even the Gods could not have predicted the level of popularity and impassioned connection to our Multiplayer mode driven by the PlayStation Nation.

As of today, we will not be producing any more DLC content (maps, weapons, armors, marks) for God of War: Ascension Multiplayer, as our primary team resources start to transition to other projects here at Sony Santa Monica. However — this is not the end of support for God of War: Ascension Multiplayer. Here’s what’s going down:

• Upcoming Balance Update – our Designers have plowed through mountains of gameplay feedback and are currently working on balance improvements that will tune-up all the Allegiances. We are aiming for this balance update to release later this month. Rest assured, things like the Ares Olympus Armor -20 (PR) is being heavily diagnosed.
• Dedicated Online Support – we will be monitoring online 24/7 and any new major balance exploits discovered in the weeks or months ahead, we will assess for fixing.
• PSN Digital Release in October – This month, we’ll be releasing the digital download version of God of War: Ascension to the masses that have yet to experience the beginning of Kratos’ journey and our Ascension Multiplayer. The digital version will be released on October 15 for North America, with other regions to follow soon after. Make sure to check www.godofwar.com for updates on the digital release in your region.

• All DLC items will receive special pricing options upon digital version release in their region (NA pricing options released on October 22, 2013).
• The God of War: Ascension Soundtrack will be made available as a free download for all on PSN for a limited time only.
• Double XP Weekend returns October 18 to October 21 worldwide.

Once the God of War: Ascension digital download version lands on PlayStation Store, the chain of balance will be pulled and will activate the above supporting points.

On behalf of the entire God of War development team: Thank you, Champions! Keep the Flames of Olympus burning on the Ascension Multiplayer battlefield!

In conjunction with our talented friends at Section Studios, we are proud to present The Art of God of War: Ascension. At 400 pages, it will redefine what we come to expect from an “art of” book. This is the art book every God of War fan will remember. Click here to buy on Amazon, or learn more at GodOfWar.com.

I sat down with Senior Concept Artist Eric Ryan to discuss his work on one of the Monsters of Ascension, and a bit left on the cutting room floor. All images featured here and hundreds more can be seen in the The Art of God of War: Ascension book.

Click here to see the full gallery

Sony Santa Monica: Tell us a bit about your journey as a concept artist here at Sony Santa Monica and time with God of War.

Eric Ryan: Hey I’m Eric Ryan, Senior Concept Artist at Sony Santa Monica. I came to SCEA with a background in games, TV, and film before beginning on the God of War: Ascension endeavor. I have about 10 years experience in the entertainment industry, primarily in games.

SSM: The process of concept art here at Sony Santa Monica really defines the vision and characters of our games quite literally. Specifically with Tisiphone (the Mental Fury and one of the main protagonists in God of War: Ascension), explain the story how you were approached to design her, and the initial challenges.

ER: Our vision of the franchise has revolved around two words that have been beaten into our minds, “epic” and “brutality”. Applying that to specific characters can be challenging. Tisiphone was designed with the idea that her illusions could become real life threats as well as being the ultimate mind-**** for Kratos. She was difficult because she needed to create environmental illusions as well as act as a mini-boss that could physically harm Kratos in a major way. The bridge we created to marry these two ideas was her Daemon illusion would accomplish both goals. Initially she was going to have bladed wings or possibly use sound to form attacks. There were tons of directions she was going to go, but we chose a route that was much easier to accomplish in the given time frame.

SSM: Is the shape of her helmet (headdress), guarding over her eyes, in any way related to her hallucination/illusion powers or is there a specific meaning behind this design?

ER: Her headdress was going to be more central to her forming illusions and her creature. Its shape is that of an eye and the center of it was going to light up every time she cast some kind of spell or summoned her creature. Now it’s more of a way to make her stand out among the other Furies.

Did you know Tisiphone is older than the Earth itself?

ER:I did not know that she is older than the earth itself. Who is this voice from the heavens asking me Jeopardy questions? Wait was I supposed to answer that in the form of a question?

SSM: The Art of God of War: Ascension Book is massive, at over 400 pages, and you are responsible for quite a large chunk of the art behind the game. If not Tisiphone, what are you most proud of?

ER:Tisiphone was fun to work on especially early on when the “sky was the limit” (I love you Todd :P) but I think my favorite character was the Leviathan, the final fury boss creature originally cast as Charybdis. I think it turned out pretty cool especially with the ink whirlpool. Believe it or not that whirlpool was going to be the size of an island and you were going to have to jump from wrecked ship to wrecked ship to descend into it and before all of this you were going to have to dodge the body and tentacles of a surfacing Charybdis to make it to what is now the Statue of Apollo. Pretty bad-ass, and yes, I shed a small tear when it was cut.

SSM: I’m an aspiring artist and want to work in video games. What are Eric’s Ryans killer tips to ascend into a concept artist position?

Getting into concept art is no small feat… and neither is staying there. One hard lesson I learned long ago is that when you begin your path as an artist, you are always an artist. This comes with the great responsibility of always learning, always taking classes, and always busting your ass. I told a student of mine recently that being good at something requires discipline, and your greatest source of discipline is your passion. If you don’t like what you are doing then you will not be as great at it. Concept art is no exception. That being said, it can be hugely gratifying when you know you have contributed to bringing life and creativity to such a great franchise!

Champions! For the 99.9% of you not enjoying the hysteria at Gamescom, fight in the glory of #GauntletsWeek!

Forged by the gods to obliterate your enemies with thunderous force, the dual-wielding Gauntlets Weapon Class will arrive in God of War: Ascension Multiplayer tomorrow, Aug 20th. These double-fisted weapons will deliver crushing blows to an enemy’s ego and face. Pound your enemies down with six new gauntlets, including Zeus, Ares, Hades, Poseidon, the Gladiator Gauntlets, and the legendary Nemean Cestus from God of War 3.

Keep reading for destructive gauntlet tips, and a FIRST LOOK at our new, massive map: the Archimedes Furnace.

Pure Physical Power

With the new Gauntlets Weapon class, you’ll be an absolute, mechanical beast in the arena. Here are a few gameplay tips to get you going…

• All the gauntlets can charge any of the normal Square attacks, both on the ground and in the air. These attacks have a long range, and can break armor. But they can’t be strung in a continuous combo.
• Take advantage of the Gauntlets of Ares’ hard-hitting, but short, combos by equipping Fury Armor, the Mantle of Ares, and Ares Inferno magic. The gauntlets’ L1 special attacks have the ability to break block, and using them as often as possible will break through most defenses and allow for a short, powerful combo. Use the L1+Square special to reach your objective unimpeded, and set fire to enemies brazen enough to stand in the way.
• The Nemean Cestus are well paired with Zeus or Ares allegiance Armors and Magic. The L1 special attacks allow the Champion to control the space around him, knocking back foes. These are perfect for guarding a flag carrier, or small maps where the opposition can be easily ringed out. The Mantles of Zeus or Ares, in addition to a piece of Artemis Armor, can greatly improve the damage potential of the gauntlets, and equipping magic that continually knocks back enemies will force them to approach from a distance, when the L1+Triangle comes into play once more.

Furnace of Archimedes — First Look

Launching later this week with our 1.11 update: an epic, free new map…

Marked by Archimedes’ colossal tribute to the god Apollo, the Isle of Delos is haunted by madness. Within the belly of this wonder, lies an enormous forge ready to consume any who try to stoke its flames.

Archimedes’ Furnace will feature play with Team Favor of the Gods 4v4, Match of Champions 8-player, and Capture the Flag. This is the map we’re certain you’ve been waiting for.

This map has a Steampunk feel, deadly spike traps, and lots of hot metal. We’ll stop there and let you discover the rest of the mayhem for yourself.

Guess what? We’re not done yet! We’ve got a pretty killer multiplayer surprise included with the 1.11 update that’s going to give you a chance to bring an extreme dose of nostalgia into the arena. Here’s a hint.

Gauntlets drop tomorrow, and there’s a second set of 6 on the way this September. Go forth and conquer, and make sure to follow us on Twitter and visit our site for weekly updates.

The team at Sony Santa Monica has been working on an array of new Weapons, Armors, Maps, and more for your Champions. Today, we’re pleased to unveil a whole new set of Weapons made especially for executing brutal Co-op Moves. With more than 10 possible Co-op moves, these Mythological Heroes Weapons make an excellent addition to any arsenal. The new Co-op Weapons include:

• Spear of Achilles
• Hammer of Odysseus
• Sword of Orion
• Sword of Perseus

We’ve also added Mythological Heroes Armors, previously reserved for those who pre-ordered God of War: Ascension. These include the Armor of Achilles, Odysseus, Orion, and Perseus.

The Mythological Heroes Weapons are available now on the PlayStation Network Store, simply search for “God of War”.

How do I use Co-op Weapons?

These weapons were designed to execute Co-op Moves easily to deliver heavy blows to your opponents. Here’s how they work:

Equip one of the four Co-op Weapons Enter any Multiplayer Mode for God of War: Ascension Execute either your L1 Triangle or L1 Square special attacks Upon special attack execution, a Green Halo will appear over your Champion’s head Have a Teammate tether you when the Green Halo appears to begin the Co-op Move

Only one player has to have a Co-op Weapon equipped to perform a special Co-op Move, but feel free to have as many teammates equipped with them as you like. The more mayhem, the better.

A new way to test out Co-op Weapons is coming soon… Until then, follow @SonySantaMonica on Twitter and stay tuned to www.godofwar.com for updates and more.

God of War: Ascension just received a new 1v1 PvP game mode called "Bout of Honor" via the free 1.09 update. Also included are four new multiplayer maps designed specifically for Bout of Honor, and one extra four-player map, Whirlpool of Alecto. [Thanks, Polygon.]

Champions! Our latest 1.09 update is available now, including the much anticipated new 1v1 mode – Bout of Honor! You can view the full change list at the official site.

Since the dawn of our multiplayer, warriors have cried out to the Gods asking for @SonySantaMonica to create a mode where Champions can pit their skills against each other without distraction. I am here to tell you, combatants, the time has finally come!

In Bout of Honor, two warriors will put their lives and reputations on the line to win the best of seven rounds in this strictly 1v1 mode. Bout of Honor is a true contest of skill with no chests, fountains, or world weapons to aid you. This mode also disables relics and allows for a Champion’s magic to regenerate over time. Beware, my brothers in arms, magic generates slowly over time so use it sparingly. If you are careless you may end up like the Prophet Castor, with your head underneath another warrior’s boot.

Along with this brand new mode come four new maps specifically crafted for Bout of Honor:

• Canyons of Kirra
• Chamber of the Flame
• Landing at Delos
• Streets of Sparta

The developers at Sony Santa Monica have been painstakingly crafting a mode for both fans of fighting games and the legions of Champions playing Ascension’s multiplayer to enjoy. The team has made some balancing tweaks especially for Bout of Honor to ensure matches are fought in a fair and honorable fashion. Infinites have been removed, overpowered weapons tweaked, and damage from 100% combos adjusted.

Lastly, warriors who are not quite ready to rely solely on the strength of their blade but still wish to acquire the Favor of the Gods will enjoy a brand new 4-player map – The Whirlpool of Alecto. A nod to one of the greatest moments in God of War: Ascension’s single player campaign, The Whirlpool of Alecto features a giant leviathan whose sole purpose is to unleash Alecto’s fury in the form of physical pain onto any unsuspecting warrior careless enough to venture into its domain. The level also features elevated terrain sections for knocking over, slamming, and stunning your opponents.

The best part is that these features are all free, right now! Praise be to the Gods for hearing our cries! The team at Sony Santa Monica would like to give a special thanks to the thousands of Champions worldwide supporting the team by playing God of War: Ascension multiplayer.

EVENT ALERT!

We are calling upon all the Champions of PlayStation Nation for feedback on Bout of Honor. Doing so will net you a free digital download of our “Mark of the Gods” pack.

To participate in the PSN Champions Community Event you have two simple and fun tasks:

• Play our new free Mode, Bout of Honor
• Post your feedback on our official message boards in THIS THREAD any time starting today through July 12th. Feedback must be deemed constructive. Spam will not be accepted.

We will record all PSN ID’s on our forums who leave feedback in the sticky thread and award you a digital download code for the “Mark of the Gods” pack the following week via XMB on PSN.

Your feedback is sincerely appreciated, thank you!

Champions, your incredible patience for our upcoming 1v1 “Bout of Honor” mode has not gone unnoticed, and will be fulfilled in short order this month.

This week, bring some Olympus style fireworks to the God of War: Ascension Arena with our Arsenal of the Gods Preview Extravaganza! We are unlocking our entire arsenal of available DLC weapons for a free extended preview in-game.

Right now, jump in to God of War: Ascension Multiplayer and get a brutal hands-on test drive with 11 of our DLC weapons for free, in every Multiplayer mode. Wield the latest Titanic Hammers, Weapons of Judgment, Legendary Spears, the Blades of Artemis and Thanatos, and more. These weapons will be unlocked and ready for you the moment you jump in to customize your Warrior.

This free weapons preview will only last until Sunday, July 7th — get in there!

What you should know: All experience (leveling) gained per weapon will be retained if you purchase the weapon after the event. In other words, any experience you gain for a preview weapon that you did not previously own, if you purchase it after the event, the level and experience of the weapon will start where you left off after the preview event.

The official list of weapons for preview includes:

• Spear of Phobos
• Spear of Hyperion
• Hammer of Atlas
• Hammer of Hephaestus
• Blade of Thanatos
• Blade of Artemis
• Mjolnir Hammer
• Blade of Judgment
• Mercenary Blade
• Champions Hammer
• Champions Blade

For more updates and the latest on our upcoming 1v1 “Bout of Honor” Mode, follow us @SonySantaMonica on Twitter or visit GodofWar.com.

If you were wise enough to purchase a copy of God of War: Ascension, you can now pop that disc into your PS3 and download the demo for The Last of Us. Instructions for installation came with a voucher code inside the Ascension case, so find that flyer and get to downloading! If you’re having trouble finding the flyer, just insert your God of War: Ascension disc into your PS3, select “The Last of Us™ Early Access” on the main menu, and you’ll be taken to the PlayStation Store to download the demo. Once downloaded, simply find it on your XMB and install it to start playing.

The demo features the Outskirts level of The Last of Us, in which Joel and Ellie, along with Tess, will encounter multiple Infected enemies. Runners and Clickers have distinct behaviors and methods of attacking you. You’re going to need to explore the environment and scavenge your surroundings for items and objects that might give you the kind of offensive or defensive advantage that suits your play style.

If you’re already sold, this demo should sate your hunger for the full game until it launches (just over two weeks from now!). If you haven’t read or seen much about The Last of Us, hopefully this demo will pique your curiosity to pre-order The Last of Us today. The Last of Us will be available June 14th, 2013.

God of War: Ascension has two new pieces of multiplayer DLC, with the Typhoon Armor and Mercenary Sword available on the PS Store now for $2.99 each, Multiplayer deities should prepare to feel the wrath of Sony Santa Monica via some new maps, coming "soon."

Champions, with eight glorious weeks of God of War: Ascension Multiplayer now etched into the stones of Olympus, it’s time to look ahead to what the Oracle has seen in our future. It’s also time to see what the community has achieved thus far — see the infographic along the side of this post (click on it for the full, ultra high-resolution image).

Our God of War Development Team here at @SonySantaMonica is working steadfastly on a wide array of additional multiplayer content, including new weapons (plus a powerful fourth weapon class) and armors, large and small maps, and a few other surprises. We’ll have more to share later this month.

Today we are releasing our second wave of Multiplayer DLC – the Primordial Weapons – comprised of the Armor of Typhon and the Mercenary Blade. These will be available to purchase today on PSN (search “God of War”), alongside the “Armors of Anarchy” and “Blades of Darkness” released last week. Pay close attention to the Artemis & Thanatos Blades; they have new moves and FX to augment your playing style.

This trailer will also give you a first look at two of the new, smaller maps that we will be releasing very soon, as a free update to the entire community.

We are also currently offering a free DLC armor: The Chimeran Armor. This armor is best suited for Champions who focus on Elemental attacks, such as Zeus and Poseidon-aligned Warriors.

A warrior would be wise to balance their lower health with an alternate piece of allegiance armor that raises health, or an item that provides temporary protection against attacks, such as the Cloak of Boreas or Aegis of Zeus.

Did you know that in the first two months of Ascension Multiplayer, over 240 million Warriors perished? That’s enough to fill the Coliseum umpteenth times with nothing but fallen combatants. Or that enough flags were captured to fill the Parthenon from top to bottom over 350 times?

We’ve crafted an infographic (look to the right) to display just how epic our first two months of Ascension Multiplayer have been. Let’s get one thing straight: we use the word “epic” quite a bit when it comes to God of War, but we think this infographic defines the word quite literally.

Finally, this Friday beginning at 5:00pm Pacific, on our Twitch page, we will host our first God of War Game w/ Dev Live Stream featuring the infamous “Dev7,” a special advanced preview of some of our upcoming new DLC weaponry, and perhaps a few other things we feel are ready to pull out of our DLC arsenal.

Today's gold-coated, quick-fire deals from Amazon seem to have one thing in common: plenty of moider. A good portion of the deals are for games that get a bit angry and violent; we spot a mouth-frothing line-up that hints at Halo 4, Hitman: Absolution, and Dead Space 3 deals among others. Then there's the not-especially-calm Gears of War: Judgment, which is going for $34.99 until 8AM ET (5AM PT), tempestuously fidgeting as it revs its chainsaw.

At least the all-day deal brings peace and serenity in the form of God of War: Ascension. The latest PS3 whimsy starring the gentle, philanthropic demigod Kratos politely requests $39.99 for its individual services, or $279.99 for its 500GB Garnet Red PS3 bundle, which also includes God of War: Saga and a cuddly Kratos plushie (or at least it should).

Analyst firm Cowen & Company estimates high-profile March launches God of War: Ascension and Gears of War: Judgment both sold far less than their predecessors. The firm projects (via GI.biz) that Ascension sold 360,000 in the US during March and Judgment moved 425,000, down from first-month sales of 1.1 million for God of War 3 and over three million in Gears of War 3's first week of availability.

A much better March for Tomb Raider and BioShock Infinite is predicted. The Crystal Dynamics reboot has amassed 696,000 sales in the US over March, while the firm says BioShock Infinite is near 665,000 in just 10 days.

Cowen & Company predicts NPD data for March will show a decline in software and hardware spend compared to last year, though the firm is hopeful the launches of StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and SimCity will help contribute to a substantial increase in PC game sales.

God of War: Ascension's 1.04 multiplayer update, outlined by Sony Santa Monica designer Vincent Napoli in a new PlayStation Blog post, will bump up the level cap over 30 and through the "Elite Levels," up to 40. These new levels will enable a new item, two relics, and a new ultimate magic spell for the game's four allegiances.

The update will also include a multiplayer stats screen and a number of bug fixes. Audio issues are the biggest priority there, but problems with matchmaking and certain weapon unlocks are also due to be fixed in this update. There's no official release date for the patch yet, but Napoli says it's on the way.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to run their Blades through my poor little champion’s skull every night in God of War: Ascension‘s brutal multiplayer mode. After a long day of work, there is definitely something to be said about gutting and impaling people into the wee hours of the morning!

One of primary reasons we’ve been relatively quiet in the last week regarding support and DLC updates is because we’ve been heads down, working on an update which expands our God of War: Ascension multiplayer experience and addresses some key issues our community has helped us identify and diagnose. There are lots of gameplay developments coming down the pipeline, and today we’ll be sharing some of the stuff that’s moved into our final testing and tuning phase.

Elite Levels – Going Beyond Level 30

One of the biggest enhancements in our upcoming 1.04 update will be increasing the allegiance level cap from 30 to 40. With the addition of 10 levels for every God allegiance, we are introducing a new item, two new relics, and an ultimate magic for every allegiance. For our Champions who have ascended to the highest levels, and for those on their way, now you have a new goal to reach. It will not be an easy journey.

We’ll have more info on Elite Levels and specifics surrounding the new abilities as we lead up to the update’s release at our official site. It was important to us to let you know what’s coming up, and that this is just the beginning. We haven’t stopped working since Ascension’s launch, and we’re more excited than ever to keep improving Multiplayer with new features and gameplay enhancements such as this.

Champion Stats

We want you to show off! You will now be able to access your accomplishments in battles from the main menu.

In addition to displaying your prowess in competitive combat, from death/kill ratios to win percentages, we want to see how you are faring in Trial of the Gods.

Our team hasn’t just been focusing on adding new content; we’re also working tirelessly to address prominent bugs and other issues denoted by the community.

Audio Issues

We are very aware of the audio drop issues many have been experiencing. This was a critical fix for this update, as a powerful and immersive audio mix is a tremendous part of the God of War experience. We apologize again for those impacted — now you’ll be able to better enjoy our sound team’s painstaking efforts.

Matchmaking Optimization

Our work in addressing this and getting players into matches as quick as possible is non-stop. We have already made numerous improvements based on your feedback at our boards and social channels, and have recently bolstered our ranks internally to make further improvements. You should be seeing marked improvements daily; please continue leaving any feedback in our forums.

Shard and Unlock Requirement Fixes

We are addressing the shard issue preventing players from attaining the Spear of Destiny and Barbarian Hammer in version 1.04 (possibly sooner), and have made additional tuning changes, namely on weapon shard drops for some of the rarer weapons, as well as unlock requirements for certain armor pieces, weapon stats, and magics.

We are also on the cusp of our first DLC pack announcements. We’ve got some brutal new toys coming to assist you on the battlefield!

Do well, Champion… Ascend!

A promised patch to adjust the difficulty found during a late game combat sequence in God of War: Ascension has been deployed. Santa Monica Studio Community Strategist Aaron Kaufman posted on the PlayStation Blog to explained the changes introduced by the game's patch.

Found in Chapter 28 of the game's single-player campaign, the 'Trial of Archimedes' pits Kratos against waves of enemies as he ascends a tower toward Ascension's final chapter. The tweak will now provide players across all difficulties with a slew of "green health orbs and a nominal amount of blue magic orbs" after each successive wave, of which there are three.

"In every God of War game, establishing a well-paced difficulty ramp towards the end of the game is paramount to us. Based on player response, the degree of challenge offered here was short of our goal of being perfectly balanced," Kaufman wrote.

The 1.03 patch also adds new, visual multiplayer customization options called "Marks" that players can obtain based on a number of criteria, including selected allegiance. For more details, check the PlayStation Blog.

A promised patch to adjust the difficulty found during a late game combat sequence in God of War: Ascension has been deployed, Santa Monica Studio Community Strategist Aaron Kaufman has revealed on the PlayStation Blog.

Found in Chapter 28 of the game's single-player campaign, the 'Trial of Archimedes' pits Kratos against waves of enemies as he ascends a tower toward Ascension's final chapter. Originally felt to be too difficult, the tweak will now provide players across all difficulties with a slew of "green health orbs and a nominal amount of blue magic orbs" after each successive wave, of which there are three.

"In every God of War game, establishing a well-paced difficulty ramp towards the end of the game is paramount to us. Based on player response, the degree of challenge offered here was short of our goal of being perfectly balanced," Kaufman wrote.

The 1.03 patch also adds new, visual multiplayer customization options called "Marks" that players can obtain based on a number of criteria, including selected allegiance. For more details, check the PlayStation Blog.

Champions! With God of War: Ascension out in the wild for two weeks now, we’re seeing our ever-growing community becoming a legion of champions in multiplayer and thousands conquering Kratos’ latest single-player journey. We’ve been listening to every bit of constructive feedback on our boards, Twitter, Facebook, here on PlayStation.Blog, and around the internet stratosphere. Rest assured that our development team at Sony Santa Monica is committed to supporting you.

FACTOID: Ares is the most popular God allegiance thus far, but also has players with the lowest overall skill rating. Hades is the second most popular, and the highest skill rated players, evil incarnate FTW!

We’re pleased to announce the release of our latest 1.03 update, deploying today. Though this update may be small, it throws an added support line at the Trial of Archimedes, and enhances multiplayer customization with a new appearance feature for your Champion – we call them “Marks”.

We received extensive feedback from the community that the “Trial of Archimedes” section (Chapter 28) near the end of the game was excessively challenging. In every God of War game, establishing a well-paced difficulty ramp towards the end of the game is paramount to us. Based on player response, the degree of challenge offered here was short of our goal of being perfectly balanced.

In the 1.03 update, at the end of each elevator stage (three total), players will now receive a measured amount of green health orbs and a nominal amount of blue magic orbs. This change affects all difficulty levels. We are confident this revision will address feedback regarding “Trial of Archimedes” while still preserving the level of challenge appropriate for this late section of the game.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Good fortunes in your quest to conquer the Trial of Archimedes and complete Kratos’ ascension!

As noted, 1.03 also adds “Marks” for added customization to your Champion in multiplayer, and 8 additional new tints, including “Ash”. Now you have an opportunity to become a “Marked Warrior”. These are the six mark’s we’ve added in this update, with more to come:

• Mark of the Thief, for HADES
• Mark of the Trojan, for ALL
• Mark of the Spartan, for ALL
• Mark of the Legionnaire, for ARES
• Mark of the Mercenary, for ZEUS
• Mark of the Deep, for POSEIDON

Unfortunately, the time necessary to diagnose and explore audio issues cited by many of our fans during their play experiences made a solution in time for inclusion in the 1.03 update unfeasible. Despite this, we are still very aware of these reports, we continue to monitor user experiences in this regard, and we are working as quickly as possible to find a fix. We understand that this issue is of particular frustration for many of you in the community; your patience is greatly appreciated!

This is just the beginning of post-launch support for God of War: Ascension. As stated previously, we have an influx of DLC in the weeks ahead to support your strategic play-style, and an unannounced 4th weapon class. We’re also exploring other new enhancements we can’t disclose just yet, however you can try asking The Oracle (aka @SonySantaMonica) – you never know.

Now do well warrior, ascend! And stay in touch with everything God of War on our official site.

Through March 24, if you buy God of War: Ascension from GameStop.com, you'll get God of War Saga, the PS3 collection with five more God of War games. Don't play them all together, though. You'd probably start seeing everything as a mythological creature to be bisected.

Champions, God of War: Ascension has descended upon the world. The Blades of Chaos are back in full force — maybe you’ve already taken them for a brutal swing this week. Either way, we’re back, and this time, here to support our Champions, the God of War community, in what we hope to be a growing post-launch success – particularly with our new multiplayer. Our team is excited and passionate to provide our multiplayer community with post-launch – balance updates, upcoming weapon & armor DLC packs, and more as the community thrives.

Here are a few links to help prepare you for a long weekend of God of War: Ascension:

• All Ascension Info – Everything You Need To Know
• Multiplayer Strategy – Get Beyond The Basics
• How To Redeem Your Beta Reward
• God of War: The Complete Story

And be sure to stay checked-in to our official site, as we are planning an adrenaline-packed “Game w/ Dev” weekend.

While we are just kicking off the Ascension era, we wanted to encourage everyone to visit our Multiplayer General Forum to engage in upcoming community events, learn and share strategies with fellow Champions, and get the direct word from The Gods, our developers. Perhaps even The Boat Captain himself (he makes special appearances). You can also visit our Community Portal for a direct link to all of our social channels here at Sony Santa Monica.

To celebrate the launch of Ascension, we partnered up with Geek & Sundry (run by the lovely Felicia Day), to establish the Blades of Chaos as the focal point in their new video game weapon series, Arcade Arms. This pilot episode takes an in-depth look at the creation of the blades and the original Spartan weapons that influenced its design. It also features a legit weaponsmith who has to be seen to be believed. Geek & Sundry is also running an Ascension giveaway contest that’s super easy to enter. After you watch the video hit this link to enter.

Additionally, YouTube sensation “Tobuscus” took our live action “From Ashes” trailer and gave it a very literal makeover. Prepare for a “sad moment, happy moment, sad moment, happy moment, angry moment, sad moment, angry moment, happy moment,” and the beat goes on…

God of War Community Happenings

Community legend Spider-Jew has created an Ascension Community Game Night. Beginning this Saturday (and continuing weekly), he will be streaming Multiplayer matches to create an atmosphere of epic moments and a fun time for everyone getting into the craziness. The events will be on his Twitch channel. If you are interested in being on the stream, you can sign up in this thread.

Looking for multiplayer comrades or frenemies? Add your tag to this thread to join others in random bouts.

In need of a guide for those extra pesky areas? Site Gameranx has started a series of complete game video walkthroughs for your viewing pleasure.

Finally, in the lead up to the launch of Ascension, we have seen some of the most incredible fan-art we could ever imagine. Our art team has the highest respect for each of these skilled artists. We recently launched a Fandom section on our official website. If you feel you have something worthy of the gods’ selection, please drop us a line.

One of our personal favorites.

Do well Champions — Ascend!

Chat with fellow PS gamers in our Forums! There’s plenty to talk about, with different sections including:

PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Home
PS Trophy Leaderboard
Whatever you want (aka Off-Topic area)

Win PlayStation games and products Wednesdays on Twitter! Follow @HeyPlayStation on Twitter for more details.

Friday, March 15th

Battle Bowl II Qualifier
POW II TacMap
PlayStation Campus Tour – Portland State University

Saturday, March 16th

Battle Bowl II Qualifier
POW II TacMap
Uncharted 3: Naughty Paws
PlayStation All Stars Saturday Smackdown
Gran Turismo: Saturday Racing

Sunday, March 17th

Battle Bowl II Qualifier
POW II TacMap

One particular section of Sony Santa Monica's God of War: Ascension has players quite miffed: the Trial of Archimedes. It's a long gameplay encounter near the end of the game, with no checkpoints and few health drops.

Game director Todd Papy took to Twitter to say the developer is "looking into patching it" now. "I personally tuned it. I didn't mean for it to be so hard. We are looking into patching it," Pappy wrote in one tweet. In another, he said the patch was likely to arrive "very soon."

God of War: Ascension launched on PS3 this week. In our review, we likened Ascension to "a car riding in the spectacle slipstream of its predecessors, never quite able to surpass them."

An angry, bald Ryan Davis exposes brains, boobs, and a multiplayer mode that might be kind of cool?

#godofwar There's a Trophy in the new PS3 game God of War: Ascension that rewards you for scoring a thousand-hit combo. Imagine the bloody combat artistry required to win this accolade! Imagine using the game's wonderfully-varied arsenal of combat maneuvers. More »

God of War: Now With Multiplayer is what Ascension could have been called. Much like our review, other outlets found the single-player campaign satisfactory. It's in the multiplayer portion of Ascension where opinions begin to differ and scores diverge based on how much importance was placed on this evolution of the franchise.

• Destructoid (90/100): "God of War has never looked or played better than this. Kratos has never been as deep or interesting as this. They've set the bar so high that I have no idea how they'll be able to follow this one up. Sony Santa Monica should be proud. Series fans should be proud."
• Gamespot (80/100): "The single-player is where you should spend your time. No, it doesn't quite reach the audacious and rage-filled moments of God of War: Ascension's predecessors, nor does it move the series forward in any way, but it's skilfully put together, and wonderfully satisfying to play."
• GamesRadar (70/100): "Also somewhat disappointing are the newly added multiplayer features, which are held up by clever level design and strong game modes, but smacked down by uninteresting gameplay. It sounds great in theory, but in practice it turns out there's nothing less fun than being beat up by someone as powerful as Kratos."
• VideoGamer (70/100): "The multiplayer component is as fresh as the single-player is familiar. Ask yourself what you're after from a God of War game: if you desire only to step into the boots of gaming's most brutish, then you may find Ascension wanting. If, however, you're open to the idea of taking on the mantle of another Spartan hero, you'll find it a limb-lopping, head-popping delight. Just don't tell Kratos, eh?"
• Edge (70/100): "Consider our expectations defied: this is the star of the show. While this series' singleplayer template is showing its age, there's plenty in Ascension's multiplayer that deserves to survive the transition to PS4."

#review For the first four and a half hours of the new God of War, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the game was made by malfunctioning robots. More »

PlayStation friends,

God of War: Ascension is out in North America today! It represents the culmination of two and a half years of blood, sweat, and tears on behalf of the God of War team at Santa Monica Studio.

We wanted to create the best looking, best playing, most compelling entry in the series to date, a game that took every aspect of the experience to a new level, that sought to show long-time fans a different side of the iconic Kratos character, and that added something entirely new yet addictively deep to the franchise: multiplayer, which many of you joined us in playing and improving during our Beta weeks ago.

We put a great deal of thought and effort into the multiplayer modes you’ll discover in Ascension, including the recently revealed 2-player cooperative Trial of the Gods. Supporting this new addition to the God of War universe and the community we’re hopeful builds around it for a while to come is of the utmost importance to us.

Looking forward to being among the first to receive access to an exclusive early demo of The Last of Us, included in each retail copy of God of War: Ascension? The new target date upon which that access will be unlocked (via the God of War: Ascension main menu) is May 31st, 2013. Pick up a copy of Ascension so you can be one of the first to check it out!

To that end, we can today confirm a substantial DLC plan, among which will be new armor and weapons sets, new stages to battle in, and much more. All of this will be free for owners of the Ascension Collector’s Edition, since it includes a comprehensive Season Pass (which will not be available outside of the CE).

We’ll have plenty more info in the coming weeks at our official site, www.godofwar.com, as we execute on our extensive schedule… Stay tuned!

Ascension’s multiplayer mode, a series first, is about to go live for players around the world. Finally, we’re excited to reveal the fourth, and last, of the Gods with whom you may ally yourself: Hades.

Of all of the allegiances, Hades’ executioners have the highest versatility and variety of abilities. With the ability to curse, drain life, become invisible, and create large hazards (all in one load-out), the followers of Hades are able to control the flow of battle. Hades is neither the strongest offensively nor defensively, but careful tailoring through armors and weapons, based on the situation to subsidize this, will help push you towards whatever role you want to fill — you will be able to do it all.

It’s been a long journey since 2010. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the game, and meet on the battlefield online.

In the race for spectacle, Sony Santa Monica's God of War franchise is constantly attempting to lap itself. From striking down a god to tearing down giants, it would seem there are few bodies - human, mythical being, god or behemoth - left for Kratos to shatter. In response to the angry protagonist's bloody evolution, Santa Monica has ventured to the only place left for Kratos to wage war: the past.

God of War: Ascension tells the story of Kratos before the events of his all-out war against Ares, the Greek God of War. But the narrative fabric woven throughout the franchise has begun to split, and Ascension's thinly constructed premise does little to enhance its characters in any meaningful way.

Its narrative issues aside, Ascension provides the distinct God of War flair required to eradicate all that stands in Kratos' way. Wielding a familiar set of chained blades, the popular anti-hero fluidly works his murder-pinwheel magic to perfection. The combat system, however, is less complicated than before, abandoning an arsenal of collected weaponry in favor of sticking with Kratos' trusty, sharp sidekicks. It's Kratos at his least materialistic, eschewing the pack-rat mentality of previous entries in favor of simplicity.