HUD

1. Witch Compass

You’ll obtain this early in your journey, after meeting the Witch of the Forest. This is a very helpful tool that will aid you in your navigation by displaying the general direction as well as the icons for the Journey (main quest) and Favors (side quests) and your distance to them.

2. Enemy attack flashes

You have to take note of the color of the flash just about an enemy is about to attack. This will help determine which ones you can block or those you need to avoid. Ordinary attacks can be blocked without getting staggered. Yellow flashes such as what’s shown in the screenshot above can be parried but can stagger Kratos when blocked. Red flashes must be avoided at all costs.

3. Enemy Health Bar and Stun Meter

This displays the enemy’s health bar. Depleting the HP will Kill the enemy while filling up the thinner stun meter under the HP bar will allow Kratos to destroy an enemy with a powerful finisher move by pressing R3 as shown below. Kratos cannot be interrupted or hurt while doing the finisher move.

4. Threat Indicator

This displays an incoming attack from a single or multiple enemies behind. White indicates that there’s an enemy approaching, red indicates attacking enemies, and purple indicates there’s an incoming ranged attack. Avoid getting attacked from behind by reacting quickly to the threat indicators.

5. Light Runit Attack (L1+R1)

This displays if a Light Runic attack is already available for use or when it’s in cooldown. Once fully available, the icon will light up. You can only use Runic attacks if you have a weapon equipped. Runic attacks can be obtained from chests. Rare and more powerful ones can be obtained from legendary chests. Kratos is not invulnerable when using Runic Attacks! He can be damaged and interrupted so time your attacks well.

6. Talisman Ability

Talismans are special equipment that gives Kratos additional stats and/or abilities. If the equipped talisman has a passive effect, the icon will not light up. For Talismans will activated abilities such as the one below, press L1+Circle to activate.

7. Heavy Runic Attack (L1+R1)

This displays if a Heavy Runic attack is already available for use or when it’s in cooldown. Once fully available, the icon will light up. You can only use Runic attacks if you have a weapon equipped. Runic attacks can be obtained from chests. Rare and more powerful ones can be obtained from legendary chests. Kratos is not invulnerable when using Runic Attacks! He can be damaged and interrupted so time your attacks well.

8. Equipped Weapon

Displays the weapon you currently have equipped. Kratos only has two weapons, the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos. He can also perform bare-handed attacks if he unequips his weapon (or throws his Leviathan Axe and haven’t recalled it yet) Kratos can still use his shield even while bare-handed.

9. Health Bar

Kratos’ health bar can be extended three more times by finding Idunn Apples from Legendary Chests. You have to collect 3 in order to increase your max HP. There’s a total of 9 apples scattered in the game. Since you can’t use consumable items in the game, you have to rely on green crystal pickups that you find along the way.

10. Spartan Rage (L3+R3)

This meter will allow Kratos to use Spartan Rage, a temporary mode that will give him an immense boost of strength, attack, defense, and HP regeneration. You gain rage after defeating enemies but you gain more by killing them with finishers. You can also pick up red crystals along the way. You can increase the Spartan Rage gauge by finding Horn of Blood Meads. You have to collect 3 in order to increase the gauge. There’s a total of 9 of them scattered all throughout the World.

11. Atreus’ Runic Summon

Similar to Kratos’ Runic attacks, there’s a cooldown after activation. This can be activated by pressing and holding the Square Button. There are six Runic Summons available for Atreus but you can only equip one at a time.

12. Arrow Count

Displays Atreus’ current arrow count. Once depleted or used, give him a few seconds to replenish the count completely.

13. Notifications

Whenever there are new entries to your codex, obtain new information or what not, they will usually show up in this part of the screen. It’s recommended to read these notifications as regularly as you can to be updated of your progress, new information you learned, and items obtained.