Boss: Ares

Video Walkthrough

The first form of Ares is tough to beat, but wait until you see his second form…

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You possess all of your weapons and current magic powers in this first battle against Ares. Use that to your advantage. You won't have magic powers during the game's final battle so use them to their maximum potential in this fight. Use Rage of the Gods early and launch Army of Hades (hopefully upgraded) to start damaging Ares as soon as the battle begins. Get close and, if you have Athena's Blessing, use Poseidon's Rage to inflict further damage against Ares.

A combination of the moves above should take a hefty chunk out of the God of War. You can block nearly every one of Ares maneuvers. Also, use the right-analog stick to roll out of the way to dodge Ares strikes and attacks. Ares will launch in the air and hurl flaming rocks at your position. Use the right-analog stick to evade the attack. Continue to evade until the bombardment stops. Ares will use his hammer like a flamethrower. Roll as far away as possible to avoid. Use the block button to resist other attacks, such as his overhead hammer blast and various strikes.

With Athena's Blessing, you should still have maximum magic after the Rage of the Gods move so continue to use Army of Hades to keep Ares occupied while you attack with various combinations (Square, Square, Triangle or use Blade of Artemis and its L1 + button combos). After inflicting chunks of damage on Ares, orbs of health and magic emerge from his body. The orbs should keep you relatively healthy and boost your magic so you can cast another Army of Hades or, if Ares' life bar is nearly drained, Poseidon's Rage when you're close enough.

As Ares nears death, the Circle icon appears above his head. Get close and use the Circle button to grab Ares. Once Kratos' has Ares grabbed, mash the Circle button repeatedly. Be careful, however, as soon as you complete the sequence another button icon appears. If you're mashing Circle without paying attention to the screen, you'll have to complete the entire sequence again. Complete the onscreen button sequences to finish off Ares.

Boss: Kratos' Family Sequence

Protect Kratos’ family. Embrace them to transfer health.

In the second battle sequence, Kratos must protect his wife and child…from himself. Dozens and dozens of Kratos clones emerge and attack. You still possess your weapons and magic attacks. If you used Rage of the Gods in the first battle, you may have to wait for it to regenerate. If you used it early enough, it might be ready. Rage of the Gods combined with Athena's Blessing can inflict a lot of pain on the Kratos clones. During Rage of the Gods, Athena's Blessing bestows infinite magic, which means you can cast Army of the Gods and repeated blasts of Poseidon's Rage against a packed group of clones for big damage and combos.

The most important aspect of the battle to keep in mind is that you can transfer Kratos' health to his family. Approach Kratos' family and press the Circle button to embrace them. During the embrace, Kratos' health decreases and Kratos' family's health increases. Monitor the family's health carefully and use the embrace when needed.

The structure begins to crumble around you. Watch your step carefully during the battle. It's possible to fall out of the structure, thus ending the battle rather anti-climatically. Remain close to Kratos' family so you can engage any clone attacking your loved ones. If you exhaust magic, use the Square, Square, Triangle combo and other attacks to bounce the clones away from your family.

Boss: Ares, Part 2

You must fight the God of War one final time to complete the game. This time you have been stripped of your weapons and magic. Instead, you possess a gigantic sword (the one used as a bridge earlier in the game). It's called the Blade of the Gods. You have a few new moves at your disposal: Zeus' Gift (hold L1 + X), Poseidon's Gift (hold L1 + Square), Athena's Gift (hold L1 + Triangle), and Hades' Gift (hold L1 + Circle).

Video Walkthrough

After saving your family, you'll have to take on Ares. Using R1 followed by the square button is also a viable strategy for beating him.

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This battle is different than your prior fights. One of the most important elements in the fight is momentum. The more damage you inflict against Ares, the higher your health bar rises. The more damage Ares inflicts on you, the higher Ares' health bar rises. The battle could end quickly in victory, in defeat, or could go on for several minutes as Kratos and Ares wage war back and forth.

Keep your finger ready on the L1 button, which serves as both the block button and your means of attack with the Blade of the Gods. If you spot Ares disappearing into the ground, roll away. When you spot the four spires appear from the ground, roll away to avoid being crushed. Block Ares attacks and counter quickly with the Blade of the Gods combinations.

After completing a combo Ares, a mini-game starts. Press the Circle button very rapidly to win the face-off. These are extremely vital to a successful victory against Ares. You'll inflict some big damage against him by completing the mini-game (which means your health bar rises as well). Exhaust Ares' health to defeat the God of War and complete the game.

You receive Athena's Blades (replacement for the Blades of Chaos) for defeating the God of War. Use the R2 button on the left side to spot the bloodied sword. Enter the circular portal.

Mount Olympus

Your throne room. Destroy the two statues to unlock a secret.

Ascend the staircase into the structure. Examine the statues of the minotaur and of Ares. You can unlock a secret (one of the Secret Messages in the treasures section) by destroying both statues. Each statue requires a bunch of hits. Just use your Athena's Blades or the Blade of Artemis to damage the statue. Jump and pummel the statue's midsection. Maintain the onslaught until each statue crumbles to receive the message. See the "Treasures" section of this game guide for more details.

Approach and sit on the throne to conquer God of War.