In God of War, the Guardian Shield has some of the best skills that Kratos has access to that can be activated after parrying. These skills are excellent for kicking off attacks with other weapons like the Leviathan Axe or Blade of Chaos, and the Guardian Shield is also one of the reasons why Kratos can be so deadly with his fists alone. Thus, it benefits players to know how to parry and how to use the Guardian Shield successfully in combat throughout God of War.
During a playthrough of God of War on the "Give Me God of War" difficulty setting, the Guardian Shield goes from being an optional resource on the easier difficulties to the literal difference between completing quests or failing endlessly. The Give Me God of War difficulty is the toughest setting in the game and improves all enemies' combat efficiency and power. In addition to dealing more damage in God of War, enemies auto-buff themselves at the first sign of trouble on this difficulty setting. The Guardian Shield is unbreakable and thus becomes the most valuable asset in the game.
Fortunately, parrying isn't a skill that needs to be equipped or invested in throughout God of War. To parry, players need to activate the Guardian Shield at the last possible second to knock their enemies back. This leaves all types of enemies for an opening, allowing Kratos to deal some heavy damage with the Leviathan Axe or Blades of Chaos in God of War. However, only attacks marked by the yellowish-orange indicator can be parried, as all heavy attacks marked by the red indicator must be dodged.
The Best Guardian Shield Skills In God of War
Like all other skills in God of War, all Guardian Shield skills need more XP to be unlocked. More XP can be gained by completing main story quests, labors, and finding collectibles. Additionally, more XP can be earned by having a higher Luck stat in God of War. These are the best Guardian Shield skills available in God of War:
- Block Break: Double-tap block to break an enemy's guard.
- Countering Strike: Use a Light Attack after a last-second block to strike an enemy with the Guardian Shield.
- Countering Crush: Use a Heavy Attack after a last-second block to strike an enemy with the Guardian Shield. Overall, this is one of the best skills to upgrade in God of War.
- Countering Blast: Block a projectile at the last second to absorb the damage and send it back to the attacker.
- Guardian Sweep: While barehanded, hold the Light Attack to sweep enemies off their feet for moderate Stun damage.
- Guardian's Justice: While barehanded, hold the Heavy Attack to slam the Guardian Shield to inflict moderate Stun damage.
- Guardian's Judgement: Use the Heavy Attack after performing Guardian's Justice to add a concussive blast that inflicts massive stun damage.
God of War is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and PC.
