Chapter 1 - Gaia

The opening of the game finds Kratos amidst a swath of enemies on the arm of the enormous Titan, Gaia. If you are unfamiliar with Kratos' attacks, use this opportunity to acquaint yourself with the basics: HEAVY ATTACK and LIGHT ATTACK can be alternated for various combos (check your Moves tab in the pause menu for more on this). Plume of Prometheus is an all-time favorite (SQUARE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE), while you can launch enemies in the air with Olympic Ascension by holding TRIANGLE.

Destroy the enemies, who don't present much of a threat, and continue up the arm. Remove the tree branch obstruction and take out a handful of additional enemy soldiers. Just ahead you'll encounter a large crab-horse-thing that is actually a form the god Poseidon takes.

Boss: Leviathan I

   The Leviathan emits a spout of water that can push Kratos back to the edge of the area and deal a bit of damage as well. To avoid it, simply tap the RIGHT STICK to evade. Meanwhile, try to approach the creature and deal damage to the "chest" area under the horse's head. 

You can attack any part of the creature in this battle that you can reach, but for now you'll just have to run up and use your standard attacks on its main body. After dealing some damage, the arena will flip upside-down.

You must now dodge crab-claw attacks using the JUMP button to dash out of the way. Hit one of the claws or go for the horse head once again between attacks to deal damage.

Soon the battle will flip again, but you'll still be hanging off the edge of the cliff. Attack a nearby claw and dodge the creature's attacks until the battle shifts to solid ground again.

This final segment is much like the first, requiring you to dodge the water attack and get hits in on the central area of the boss. When you get the prompt to finish the fight (a spinning icon with a CIRCLE on it), hit CIRCLE.

What follows is known as a "quick time event" or "context sensitive button presses." Here you must push the buttons shown on screen immediately, or you'll take damage and be force to start the event again. Remember to wait until you see the prompts before you hit the button! Completing the finisher correctly will end the battle.  

Mount Olympus

Chapter 2 - Hades

Falling far below Mount Olympus into Hades, you'll plummet into the River Styx, where the souls of the damned will strip you of much of your power -- including your generous life and magic bars. Swim to the shore slowly. When you arrive on dry ground, your blades and other powers will no longer be at their previous strength, and even your combos will be significantly limited.

When the God of Thunder knocks you down, the best you can do is pull yourself back up! Walk up the walkway and you'll be met by Athena, who does her best Obi-Wan impression in a cutscene. After the cutscene you'll have a "new" weapon, the Blades of Exile. These chained blades are nearly identical to your previous weapon but are greatly underpowered. You'll need to collect Red Experience Orbs to power them up.

Swing across the gap using the grapple point but don't jump onto the far pillar. Instead, drop to the lower platform where you can see two chests. Inside are the very Red Experience Orbs you need. There are many pots and wandering wraiths in Hades you can destroy for Orbs, so keep an eye out and your Blades of Exile handy.

Run around to the other side of the platform to find another chest. This one contains a Gorgon Eye. Collecting three Gorgon Eyes slightly increases your maximum health. Two more to go!

Climb the wall on the front of the column to reach the top and proceed towards the mountainous fortress in the distance. On your right is a Hyperion Gate, but you can't access it now. Fear not: you'll return here later!

Save at the save point and continue down the walkway. As you approach the main gate, you'll be awarded with the Army of Sparta magic. This magic can be used whenever you have your Blades of Exile equipped by pressing R2. It's ideal for clearing out large clumps of small enemies.

Speaking of large clumps of small enemies, you'll have the opportunity to try out your new spell on a few dozen without losing any magic. After you clear out the enemies with a few Army of Sparta blasts, search the area for Orbs and a note on the ground from Peirithous.

Run down the hall to the right and search for a pair of chests with Experience Orbs inside against the back wall as soon as the perspective changes. Open the door at the end of the hall and prepare for a battle.

This room is filled with soldiers and a new type of enemy, a Gorgon. The Gorgon's will grab Kratos, forcing you into a button-mashing minigame to escape. She'll also rear back and emit a beam that turns you to stone. This is extremely dangerous since you can be instantly killed while you remain stone. Try to evade the attack, but if you get hit, quickly rotate the LEFT ANALOG STICK to break free. You can use Army of Sparta to clear out the grunts, but a mixture of light and heavy attacks will result in an instant kill prompt before you know it.

Follow the button sequence and mash methodically at the end to incapacitate the monster. When you do this, all nearby enemies will be paralyzed. Use this opportunity to instantly kill them.

Another Gorgon will appear, but you can dispose of her in a similar manner. Continue through the far door. Drop down into the hole in the hallway floor and search the two chests for Red Experience Orbs.

Continue on down the path ignoring the mess of brambles you see blocking the way. You'll have to come back here with some sort of fire...

Head into the large room and talk to Peirithous. Jump up above him and then onto the platform. It will lower as you jump onto it, so quickly double-jump and float to the ledge along the wall to the left. Here you'll find a cauldron which you can push off the edge of nook it rests on.

Do so and then push the object all the way to the far end of the hall where a Cerberus breaths fire through a set of bars. The Cerberus's breath will ignite the contents of the Cauldron, make a gust of hot air spout upwards.

Kratos' Wings of Icarus can be employed to ride the updraft. You won't want to use this ability quite yet, however. Run back to Peirithous and climb onto the platform again, this time letting it sink to its bottom position. This opens a door above the Cerberus at the far end of the room.

Run quickly to the Cerberus and ride the draft up to the ledge above before the gate closes. Pull the lever to release the hellhound below. This fire-breathing menace can be dealt with by using your regular attacks, but a one or two Army of Sparta attacks will bring it down swiftly. Since there's magic in a chest in the room you've got nothing to lose.

Follow the finisher prompt over its head to wrangle it into submission. You'll gain total control over the Cerberus and you can use X to send fireballs at the appearing soldiers. Once they are dealt with, approach Peirithous.

Fry the brambles -- and Peirithous -- and grab the Bow of Apollo from the charred remains. You can shoot arrows normally with this bow, but charged shots will ignite anything they hit, including the thorny vines blocking your way. Arrows deplete your yellow item meter, but only temporarily. It will refill on its own.

Use Chain attacks on the enemies on the ground and then aim a charged shot up at the archers above. This should ignite them both and kill them -- sweet! Now, look for a patch of brambles high up at the far end of the room. You can ignite these with a charged shot to allow access to a hidden area.

Do so and then pull the cauldron nearby so you can hitch a ride on the hot air current up to the secluded spot. Here you'll find a chest with Red Experience Orbs inside and a chest with a Phoenix Feather. Collect three Phoenix Feathers to increase your magic meter.

Now, back track into the hallway blocked by the spiky vine growth. Charge a shot with the Bow of Apollo and ignite the brambles. Save on the far side and continue to the room at the end with several chests inside.

You can use a charged shot to clear out the vines here and access another chest. This one has a Minotaur Horn inside. You can collect three of these to increase your yellow Item Power meter (we're sensing a theme here). Jump up the short ledge into the hallway on the left.

The flying enemies in the next room can be dealt with efficiently by alternating grab attacks with arrows. We found that emptying arrows into them and then quickly holding L1 and CIRCLE to grab one and beat it to death allowed us to reach some surprisingly high combo numbers. By the time you finish with the grab attack your Item meter is refilled and you can send more arrows. Alternate the attacks until the room is clear.

Jump and float down to the platform along the side of the cliff. Grab the Orbs and then inch along the wall to the right. You'll need to drop down to a hanging position with R1 to continue right. Climb up the far side and then come back to the left as you ascend the handholds.

A secret nook in the cliff side to the far left holds a chest with a Gorgon Eye inside, so be sure not to miss it! To get here you'll need to climb to the top handhold and scoot left, then jump across a waterfall while hanging and proceed to the left.

Head all the way to the right and then onto the ceiling. Drop onto the platform below and then float across to the pillar covered in vines using the Wings of Icarus.

Use the grapple points to get down to the platform below.
 

Judges of the Underworld

In the sprawling area under the giant statues you should search the area for breakable items and chests. The goldmine is along the left side of the area all the way at the bottom of the stairs.

Search this area for a broken stair you can leap across to reach a ledge with two Red orb-filled chests and a chest with a Gorgon Eye! Head to the very center of the area and press R1 at the flashing signal.

Now, head to the bottom of the area and activate the book to begin a short trio of endurance trials:

Defeat all the Lost Souls and the Minions that determine their fate: this should be fairly easy. The Minions, the spindly arms, will grab the Lost Souls that drop into the area and convert them into harder-to-kill creatures. The best you can do to get through this quickly is to use a lot of quick attacks, while grabbing enemies with CIRCLE and pressing TRIANGLE to dispatch them for Health Orbs when you are in need. You can use magic, but you should really try to save it for later. Approach the pedestal again when all the enemies are eliminated.

Kill wandering souls before they are converted into Hades' army: While the souls are easier to kill before they touch the glowing wall, if you let one touch it it's almost helpful. The soldier the soul becomes can be whipped and then grabbed to allow Kratos to charge around (CIRCLE, then SQUARE) taking out the other souls quickly and knocking down the Minotaur. The Minotaur can be dealt with by hitting it with heavy attacks and evading its charges. If you hit it while charging around with a soldier you'll stun it! Use the prompt to finish it off for some bonus health if you need it.

Destroy Everything: Head for the Gorgon immediately, since taking her out will turn the flying enemies to stone. After she's eliminated, use the L1 + CIRCLE combo to grab and attack as many flying creatures as possible. When they are thinned out, take on the Minotaurs by whipping and evading them. You should be relatively familiar with the drill by now.

Stand on the circle in the middle of the area and activate the prompt to receive judgment. Save in the corner and head through the glowing blue portal on the right side. Collect Orbs if you need them from the chests near the portal.

Once at the top of the area, head right and destroy any urns you see. You can get a view of the area from up here by using the prompt. Double-jump and float to the far platform and continue in a counter-clockwise manner around the high walkway.

Soon you'll see two Minotaurs approaching through a passage. You can charge arrows with the Bow of Apollo and target the volatile containers in the tunnel to significantly weaken the Minotaurs.

On the other side of the tunnel, hang a sharp right to find a secret portal. On the other side you'll find a chest with a Minotaur Horn, a note and a switch. You can access the previous area and save beyond the gate by hitting the switch to raise it.

Head back through the portal and continue down the path. Use your Wings of Icarus to reach the chest with Red Orbs inside and continue to the adjacent platform. Activate the prompt at the bronze statue to witness a cutscene.

Double-jump onto the chain above the area and cross the large gap. Slide down the vine-covered wall and read the note at the bottom if you wish. At the apparent dead end, approach the crevice to shimmy around to a new area.

Here you'll encounter a new type of enemy. These glowing soldiers should be confronted directly since they will fire projectiles at you from afar. Once you kill them they explode, so you'll need to evade if you see them crawling towards you on their bellies.

Alternately you can use the explosive container here to destroy them with the help of a fiery arrow. Finally, if you keep grabbing the glowing soldiers eventually you can destroy them without the risk of explosion.

Follow the bridges back and collect Orbs from the pottery. In the large room you come to, stock up on health or magic (there's health above, so magic may be a bette choice) and read the note if you wish.

Charge a shot with the Bow of Apollo and shoot the tangled red vines below the nearby platform. This will create a vent of hot air that you can ride up to the upper level. Disembark the updraft to the right and eliminate the enemies (grab them repeatedly).

Throw the switch and quickly double-jump onto the platform to the left. It will take you up to another area with endlessly appearing explosive containers. Drag one out and use to help dispatch the enemies (shoot it with a burning arrow). Now, push it all the way to the edge of the platform, where the elevator docked before, grab the health out of the chest and hop back down to the switch below.

Throw the switch and ride the elevator up like before. Quickly push the explosive container onto the elevator and ride down with it. More enemies appear at the bottom, so leave the container and dispose of them.

Drag the container to the edge of this platform and push it down onto the firey base of the air current. This will make it more powerful.

Ride the current up to the platform above and grab it from beneath. Crawl around to the top and ride it down. Enter the door it stops in front of. In this room you'll find ample Minions to destroy for Red Experience Orbs and the Mr. Hand Trophy!

One chest here holds more Red Orbs, while the other chest has a Phoenix Feather within. Head back to the current and ride it to the very top of the area.

Follow the hall back and, in the open area, grab the Red Orbs from the chest and then explore the room. Several stone statues will suddenly come to life. You should remain offensive here, using your block/counter attacks (L1) to deflect their slow swings. These enemies are slow and that makes them especially vulnerable. A prompt will soon arise allowing you to take them out permanently and score some Experience Orbs.

More soldiers and stone golems arise after you take out the first several. Once the room is cleared, continue to the left. Float down to the green Health Orb chest below and continue down the linear path to the Forge.

Talk to Hephaestus and then save in a nook to the right after the conversation ends. Pull the switch here to open a door -- but don't head down there yet. To the far left is a massive locked door with the likeness of Hades on it. To the left of the door is an obscured chest. Open it to find a Gorgon Eye. Sweet!

Now backtrack down the ramp in front of Hephaestus. You can enter a door at the bottom of the ramp in front of Hephaestus. On the other side is a circular platform that you can rotate using the crank at the center. Grab this and rotate it counterclockwise so that the opening you used on the left side is position on the right side to allow access to the small cave on the right.

This leads to a dead end with dozens of demonic dogs (use Brutal Kills on them to stock up on Orbs!) and two chests filled with Red Experience Orbs. Head back to the circular structure when you're finished here and rotate the crank counterclockwise once again.

Line up the opening with the brambles in the distance this time. The platform should click into place once you rotate it near to the proper position. Charge an arrow and fire it at the brambles to set them on fire and clear them out.

Run down the ramps outside gathering Orbs from the chest and the pots. After the cutscene at the bottom you'll have access to the Blade of Olympus, a melee attack that lets you slash at enemies with a sword until your Blade Meter runs out (right side of the screen). You can refill this meter by killing enemies. You can press R3 + L3 (click in both ANALOG STICKS) to toggle this special attack on AND off.

Use it now to destroy the soldiers that appear. You can get some fairly decent combos going with the Blade of Olympus. Use grabs to link together sword combos. Once things quiet down you'll be shown the entrance to Hades domain in the distance.

Hop down off the tall platform and open the four chests containing Red Experience Orbs below. Use the grapple points to the left to return to the entrance of Hades.

Save and use your Bow of Apollo to pick off the distant archers before making your way to the main gate. At the gates, aim a charged arrow at the doors to burn down the vines. Doing so will wake up a pair of Cerberuses. Concentrate attacks on one of them and feel free to use magic or the Blade of Olympus to make this battle faster.

Each prompt you get will allow you to sever a single head of the three-headed dog. After removing two heads, the final prompt will allow you to instantly kill the dog (and gain some health for your troubles). Evade the dogs' fire breath and, if they pin you, wiggle the ANALOG STICK quickly to counter the attack.

Enter the door after you destroy the dogs and you'll be confronted by a few smaller enemies. Destroy them and read the note on the ground if you wish. Gather the Health and Experience Orbs and enter the next door.

In this cavernous room with a large tree in the middle, head into the hallway on the right. Destroy the structure in here for Orbs and grab the cart with the pile of stones on it.

Push the pile of stones all the way across the area to the far side of the tree where a giant wheel rests by a gated-off area. Some airborne pests will appear as you do this, so take a moment to shoot them down with arrows. You can also use L1 + CIRCLE to snatch them out of the air. When they are gone, collect the Red Experience Orbs from the nearby chest, then turn the large wheel crank. This will temporarily open a gate on the second level -- to keep this open, you'll need to push the cart with the pile of rocks on it under a notch on the wheel.

With the wheel propped in place by the stones, you may now climb to the second level using the front of the large tree. On the second level, collect the Orbs from the two chests and enter the room on the right.

This area is patrolled by Minotaurs. Use magic to soften them up and heavy attacks to weaken them. You can also grab and kick the small dogs at them to stun them (CIRCLE, TRIANGLE). Finish off the Minotaurs with the prompts for a health boost and continue up the ramps to the higher level.

Before messing with the lever and pedestal in front of the massive statue of Hades, search the area for goodies. On the right side of the statue you'll find two chests with Experience Orbs inside. On the left side there's a ladder you can take into a secret area.

In this area you can destroy the scaffolding for orbs and open another Orb-filled chest. Look to the right to enter a well-hidden area behind the huge statue's head and score a Phoenix Feather in a chest. Run back to the area with the crank and the pedestal.

Turn the crank to bring down the casket holding Persephone. Your goal now is to place the statue's giant arms in the massive cuffs at the side of the level. Approach the pedestal and read it. After that, activate R1 again to slam Persephone into the statue. This won't damage the statue, but it will bring down two ladders on either side of the room.

Destroy the incoming enemies and head to the left first. Climb the ladder and jump into the small room. Take note of the large wheel here, but don't touch it quite yet. Grab the health in the chest and flip the lever on the platform nearby. This will activate an elevator that will return you to the first floor.

Another lever down here will open a the gate and let you return to the propped-up wheel. Grab the pile of rocks on the cart and push it back onto the elevator.

Activate the elevator to bring the cart up to the small room on the second floor. Note that a similar wheel may be propped up by the rock-filled cart nearby in this room. Place the cart near the wheel and head down the ladder.

Turn the crank in front of the massive statue and take the ladder on the left back up. The crank will open the cuffs on either side of the area for a short time, so you must move fast. In the small room, crank the wheel to open the arms of the statue. Push the pile of stones under the crank and the nearby arm will be permanently stuck in place in the cuff.

Return to the crank below and open the cuff again. Hastily make your way up the ladder on the right side this time and you'll find a similar setup. Crank the wheel to open the arms and the right arm should be trapped in the closing cuff.

With both arms open and locked in the cuffs you can approach the pedestal and grab Persephone's coffin again by pressing R1 at the prompt. This time a cutscene will show Kratos breaking into the statue itself. On the far side you'll encounter your biggest foe yet... 

This is a long and arduous battle, and Hades switches up his tactics quite a bit. We'll try to summarize his attack patterns, but an element of randomness does exist in this battle. Hit Hades hard in the opening scene and stay close to him. If he grabs you, follow the R1 + L1 rapid button tapping command to escape with your soul intact.

Stay around Hades' feet and hit him with standard attacks. If you've upgrade the Chains of Exile, try using the Cyclone of Chaos (L1 + SQUARE) to get in quick hits. When he lifts his foot, evade away to avoid the ensuing attack. Keep attacking him at close range and he'll stick to foot pounding almost exclusively as offense which is easy to dodge.

His other attacks employ his glowing Claws of Hades weapon. There are three distinct attacks. The most common is a double slash in which he slams his Claws down across the entire arena twice. You can evade this attack by rolling right or left. Another attack involves one heavy attack near his feet which you may also evade. The final Claw attack involves him sweeping his claws across the ground from right to left four times. You need to simply hop the Claws as they pass under you.

Keeping Hades from using his Claws is a matter of staying under him. Once you damage him a bit he'll retreat to the ceiling and drop creating a shockwave. Jump to avoid this, but make sure you don't stray too far away. When Hades grabs you and tosses you away you'll need to quickly make it back to Hades feet to attack him.

Eventually a prompt appears over his head. Activate it and rapidly press the button shown to rip a piece of Hades' fleshy armor off. At this point the fight takes a strange turn: As Hades draws the chunk of armor back towards him, the arms of Minons appear to grab you. Your goal is to avoid these and attack the chunk before Hades pulls it back.

To accomplish this you'll need to move in with quick chain attacks and possibly use your magic. The minions and chunk will award you with Health Orbs for destroying them, so the more you destroy the better! The Cyclone of Chaos is a great choice for attack here since it hits all nearby enemies.

If you successfully destroy the armor chunk, Hades will institute a widespread attack. Watch the ground carefully as it turns black. One safe spot eventually appears -- a light spot on the darkened ground. Rush to this spot to avoid the attack. If you make it to the spot, you'll be immune to the chains that appear.

After this, the fight will continue much like before with Hades' attacks being somewhat more intense. He'll whip more, but you can still evade in the same manner. Stick close and attack him. He'll also send some ghost skulls at you occasionally. Simply run around the area until they disperse.

After another prompt you'll have to rip out and destroy another chunk of armor. This is followed by another roomful of chains, so scramble to that safe spot!

Face-to-face with Hades once again you can return to your attacks at his feet, but he once again has a few new tricks. One attack he'll start using has him summon chains that shoot out of the ground individually. Run in a wide loop around the area to avoid these. He'll also begin to summon phantom Cerberuses. This attack is short but powerful, and hard to avoid. It seems that running away is the best strategy, but since this is the last round of this type with Hades, consider using your magic to avoid the dogs and deal damage to Hades at the same time. Note: You can also BLOCK the Soul Summon attack effectively.

The final prompt will end this segment of the battle. The next segment has you on the end of Hades' long Claws. Attack him with heavy and light attacks while resisting his pull. If you get pulled into the water, simply mash the button shown to pull yourself out. You can still evade attacks here. When the prompt appears, follow the commands to obtain the Claws of Hades.

You can test out your new weapon on the foes that appear -- they feel fairly similar to the Chains of Exile. The magic associated with this weapon, Soul Summon, allows you to summon the Souls to fight for you. Upgrade it to select from a larger menu of Souls. You can select a Soul by pressing TRIANGLE in the pause menu. Note: You can now upgrade several different weapons using the Red Experience Orbs you collect, but we highly recommend you spend your Orbs on the Chains of Exile first, since many forthcoming battles are made easier with the moves you unlock, like Cyclone of Chaos.

Soon Hades will reappear. This portion of the battle is fairly simple. Hades employs powerful attacks, but you can largely ignore them by using the grapple point that often appears on the left side of the screen. Use the grapple point as soon as it appears to zip around to Hades back.

Just keep attacking him and moving around his back and you'll eventually get the final prompt to kill Hades. Follow the buttons carefully to rip his soul from his body and gain the power of the God of the Underworld.

You can now safely swim in the waters of Styx. Save at the new save point and hop into the river. Immediately swim to the bottom of the water to snag Hades' Helm (Godly Possession 2/10).

Swim downstream through corpse of the god and rise to the surface when you come to the dead end. Here you'll be asked to employ your Soul Summon ability to eliminate the foes that appear. Do so to bring down the barrier blocking the way. Each Soul attack is different in duration and range, so switch things up to see which Souls you prefer.

Continue down the submerged tunnel to another gate. Rise to the surface and pull the lever to continue. At the dead end, surface to find yourself back in Hephaestus's workshop.

After the conversation, save and run down the ramps in front of Hephaestus. You'll need to backtrack a bit here. Before you can turn the crank in the next area you be confronted by several stone statues and dogs. Grab the dogs and kick them at the statues to stun them. Otherwise, be sure to evade their attacks. You'll get bonus Red Experience Orbs for using quick finishers on the statues.

Turn the crank in the center of the area counterclockwise until the opening is lines up with the top of the area. Head down the passage and you'll find yourself back outside. Follow the path down to the statue of Pandora and hop off the ledge just like you did before.

Use the grapple points to get back to the save point. This time, head right towards the glowing blue portal -- this is a Hyperian Gate and it will take you out of Hades now that you have the power of the God of the Underworld. Step into the Gate.

Chapter 3 - Olympia

You'll find Gaia grappling the side of Olympus just up the road. After the cutscene, whip at her wrist until you get a prompt. Use the prompt to cut her off the mountain. Approach the severed hand of the Titan and mash CIRCLE to toss it off the mountain (and receive the Handy Man Trophy!).

The large gate just past the hand won't grant you access until you destroy the enemies that appear. This battle consists of armed soldiers that cannot be grabbed easily. You'll need to significantly weaken them before you can use your grabbing ram attack -- a useful way to deal damage to the large group. Using the Golden Fleece counters/blocks are essential with these enemies. Their jumping attacks are easy to counter with a tap of L1. Use the Blade of Olympus or Army of Sparta magic if things get too hairy.

Pry open the door and follow the path around until you spot a Harpy. You can use Harpies as mobile grapple points. To do so, you'll need to bring them near. A simple (uncharged) arrow will get their attention nicely. Shoot the Harpy and then press L1 + SQUARE to grapple onto it. Guide towards the far side and press X to dismount, killing it. You can float to your destination using the Wings of Icarus.

You'll come to a longer gap after this. Drop into it and gather the Red Orbs from the chest before getting the Harpy's attention. Grapple onto the first Harpy and guide it towards the next. Press X to jump off the first Harpy and hold L1 to grapple the next automatically. Use the two creatures to get to the far side.

On the far side of the second gap there's a ledge you can make out (above and to the right) with several chests on it. To get here you'll have to use a Harpy. Shoot arrows at the nearby Harpy (the second one you used to cross the gap; it should respawn) and coax it towards the ledge you need to reach. Once it's hovering somewhat near the area, grapple it and direct it up and to the right, positioning yourself as near to the high ledge as possible. Press X to jump off and land on the ledge. You can score both a Minotaur Horn AND a Gorgon Eye up here. There's also a chest full of Red Orbs. Sweet!

Follow the path around the corner. Grab some health and magic and save, then leap across the gap to the plaza with several soldiers lying in wait. You can weaken them with arrow shots from afar if you wish. As you fight them a large Centaur will appear.

The Centaur will immediately spear you like before, so be ready to swing the LEFT ANALOG STICK as directed to counter the attack. Army of Sparta is extremely useful in this battle. Damaged soldiers can be used to ram the Centaur for damage as well. Take out the creature with the instant kill prompt once you have the opportunity to.

Be sure to stock up on health here since another battle lies just up the ramp to the left. Approach the ballista weapon and activate the prompt to wind it up. You'll soon be interrupted by a Chimera. This creature has several heads and several methods of attack. At first it will spout venom from its snakehead tail.

Roll out of the way when you see the eyes of the snakehead flash red. If you get sprayed, shake the LEFT ANALOG STICK to recover. After you damage the creature a bit you'll get a prompt. Follow the buttons shown correctly to remove the snakehead. At this point the creature will start spewing fire. Just stay close and use your attacks and evades.

After another prompt the Chimera's goat head will assume control and it will begin to charge you. This is relatively easy to avoid, since the creature paws the ground before charging. Another prompt will soon appear allowing you to terminate the abomination.

Return to where you fought the Centaur and look across the large gap. Several Harpies are swarming on the far side. You know what to do. Shoot at the nearest Harpy and it will approach your position. Grapple onto it and direct it towards another Harpy. Dismount when you near your next target with X, but don't let go of L1. In this manner you'll be able to use the large group of Harpies to cross the gap.

Enemies await on the far side. Use the Golden Fleece to and ram attacks to dispose of them. Enter the door on the right and look for a chest just to the left as you enter the hallway. It contains Red Experience Orbs.

The enemies in this hallway are ideal candidates for a good battering ram attack, so grab a nearby grunt and plow through the soldiers. Repeat this, running up and down the hallway to clear it out.

At the next corner, look to the left to find a chest with more Red Orbs inside. Cross the bridge and climb the ladder on the far side. You actually passed this area on your way down to Hades so it may look familiar!

At the top of the ladder, inch around to the left on the ledge. You can use the prompt to kill the innocent Olympian on your way past the burning windows. Drop to hang by pressing R1 to pass the fire.

Jump over into the destroyed dome. Climb the ledges up to the platform above. Helios lies here seemingly defenseless. Reinforcement soon appears in the form or a an impenetrable shield of soldiers. Luckily, a Cyclops shows up in the nick of time (this would usually count as unlucky event). You can use this Cyclops to clear off the troops around Helios, but first you must best it.

Try to stay around the back of the Cyclops and you'll avoid many of its pounding attacks. It's actually rather weak, and you don't necessarily need to resort to magic, although that makes things easier. Follow the prompts to capture it. You can now control the Cyclops. Use it to scatter the enemies around Helios and attack everything that moves. It's "light" attack is more useful than its heavy attack, and quite deadly.

When it's just you and Helios left, approach the fallen god and a cutscene will occur. Helios's ability to blind you must be countered by using the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to move your hand between your face and the glowing god.

Move it slightly above where you think it should be as you walk towards Helios. When you get to him a series of prompts will allow you to finish him off.

The God of the Sun's head proves to be a valuable asset. You can use the Head of Helios by holding R2 and pressing TRIANGLE. While the head is out it will cast a beam of light that can expose hidden passages and chests.

Look for a shimmery, sparkly spot of air and shine the Head of Helios on it to expose its secrets. the Head itself will sparkle noticeably when you near a secret. Before exploring the area, however, you should search the ground just to the right of Helios for Helios' Shield (Godly Possession 3/10).

Now, look along the right side of the area for a shimmery spot in the air. Aim the Head of Helios at it to expose a chest with a Minotaur Horn inside! Now, pass the Head of Helios along the rock face to the left of Helios' body.

The wall should glow white. "Paint" the wall using the RIGHT STICK and a door should appear out of the whiteness. Enter the door.

In the tunnel you'll encounter a few soldiers. Charge the Head of Helios to let out a blinding flash of light that will not only stun them but temporarily make them glow to light up the passage. While they are stunned you can grab them for a Brutal Kill!

When you emerge into the light again, turn to the left to find a chest with a Gorgon Eye inside. Continue along the ridge and save before entering the dark tunnel ahead. Continue to blind and kill the soldiers you encounter in the inky blackness.

When you come to an open area, use arrows and the Head of Helios to deal with the flying enemies. You can also grapple them with L1 + CIRCLE for an instant kill. There's an apparent dead end on the far left, but the Head of Helios will reveal a door here if you direct it at the wall.

Make your way through the passage and, instead of immediately hopping on the chain / rope, at the end, run off the ledge under it to drop to a secret area. Here you'll find a chest with Red Orbs inside and another chest with a Phoenix Feather.

Climb back up to the left and jump up to grab the chain. As you cross the chain, grab enemies with CIRCLE and toss them into the abyss below. Drop down on the other side and climb the platforms up to another dark cave.

Make your way through the cave until you come to a large gap. You'll need to use the Wings of Icarus to cross this gap, but it would be helpful to have some light so you can see where to land. Charging the Head of Helios provide just this. Charge and release a burst of light to temporarily illuminate your surroundings. Quickly jump and float across the gap to the far side.

When you appear in the light again, approach the bronze statue for a cutscene. Now, look for a Harpy across the way. Fire a shot at it and then grapple onto it. Direct it towards the roof of the ruins in the middle of the chasm. As the Harpy begins to struggle, dismount with X and float to the roof of the ruins.

Head to the far right on top of this strip of ruins and jump towards the wall. Activate the Wings of Icarus and you'll land in a secret area with two chests full of Red Orbs.

Now, hop back onto the ruins and jump onto the path across the way. Run off the left side immediately. You'll find a patch of vines you can climb down here. The secret area below contains a chest with Red Orbs inside. Climb back up and you'll encounter a new enemy, the sickle-wielding Wraiths.

The Wraiths have the unique ability to tunnel under the earth. Your best strategy against these ghouls is to use the L1 + CIRCLE grab to yank them out of the ground, stunning them. You can grab them at any time with this attack, actually, making these difficult enemies much easier. Just keep grabbing them and attacking while they are stunned. They can take a huge amount of damage, but they won't be dealing any damage to you as long as you continually grapple them.

Several more Wraiths appear before you can move on. Ascend the ramps and collect the goodies from the chests and break the wooden structure for some Red Orbs. Pull out the Head of Helios and you'll notice it sparkling quite a bit. The wall here is also covered in a sparkling sheen. Shine the Head of Helios on the area behind the wooden structure to reveal a chest with a Gorgon Eye inside.

An ambush occurs on the bridge with the same enemies. Here you can actually use the L1 + CIRCLE grab to toss the Wraiths off the edge of the bridge -- but you won't get any Experience Orbs for doing so!

After the bridge is clear, fire charged arrows at the explosive containers across the way to eliminate the archers. When the blue barriers drop, continue to the right. Near the two supply chests there's an extremely well-hidden chest. Search the obscured area behind the wooden beams and rocks to the left of the bridge and you'll see an R1 prompt appear. Hold R1 to open a chest you can't even see with a Phoenix Feather inside.

Run up the ramp and save. Before hopping into the large geyser of hot air, search the area for chests. While one chest with Red Orbs is right out in the open on the far side of the room, another is hidden behind a false wall. Look for the sparkling gold dust along the back wall and use the Head of Helios to expose a large rectangular area. Behind it is another chest with Red Orbs inside.

Jump into the center of the area and spread the Wings of Icarus.

As you ascend the Chain of Balance you'll need to dodge scaffolding, falling boulders and other objects. If the reversed Y-axis controls aren't working for you, you can change the control options in the pause menu. You may need to dash out of the way as you ascend the chain to quickly avoid obstacles, so use the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to do so -- remember, it's reversed as well if that's the control scheme you chose.

Line up narrow gaps carefully and otherwise remain against the shaft's walls, moving only to avoid obstacles. You'll soon come upon a Titan. Get ready to hit the correct button when the prompt appears. After this you'll land on a platform.

As the platforms crumble away, hop to the left and then onto the wall. On the wall, dash to the left or right using X to avoid the falling rocks. Climb to the left and drop to the platform below. Continue to the left using the grapple point on the ceiling to swing to safety.

Climb the boards in the shaft constantly dodging the boulders. Move straight up until you are forced to the right. Drop onto the platform with the torch and look for some sparkling dust in the air.

Shine the Head of Helios on the spot to reveal a chest with a Phoenix Feather inside. Use the grapple points to the right to access the hot air shaft again.

This shaft will features much smaller openings than the last. Soon you'll come upon a fully blocked segment. Watch for a piece of this segment to fall out. Avoid the debris and head through the hole. You'll need to do this a few more times. Sometimes the hole is in the center of the disc and sometimes it's on the sides.

Near the top the dodge/evade function is the only way to get past the falling boulders. You'll need to have a quick finger on the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to navigate these. Luckily, this is the end of the line.

As soon as you land on the large cube, search the right side for a cloud of gold dust. Shine the Head of Helios on this area to expose a chest with a Minotaur Horn inside.

Aim a flaming arrow from the Bow of Apollo at the vines on the gears at the edge of the cube and you will begin to move. When the cube comes to a rest, swing on the grapple point and float to the platform hanging in the distance.

From here you can use two more grapple points to find your way to the top of another cube. This one is guarded by enemy soldiers, however. You can take them out quite easily with your grab/charge attacks. This will send the poor suckers flying off the edge of the cube. Things only get hairy when the two Minotaurs show up.

The Minotaurs, unprovoked, will concentrate on severing the chain in the middle of the area, leading to an untimely death for all standing atop the cube. You must prevent this at all costs. Approach the beasts and use Army of Sparta to knock them down, then follow that with an all-out assault. Keep hitting both of them until they are sufficiently distracted and come after you.

Performing a Brutal Kill on these enemies will give you some health, so don't worry about that -- just make sure the chain doesn't get severed. After all the Minotaurs are eliminated, fire flaming arrows across the way at the distant archers.

As more enemies appear, you'll eventually be confronted with a Cerberus. This can be used to your advantage. Whittle its life down to the kill prompt and you'll be able to mount it and turn it against your foes. This is good, because no less than four Minotaurs now appear to hack away at the chain.

Repel the Minotaurs with fireballs from the Cerberus. Try to get a prompt over as many of them as possible before the Cerberus dies. Then you can go around and activate the prompts to finish them off quickly. You may need to use the Blade of Olympus if the Cerberus wasn't effective, but we were able to get through it without wasting any Blade power.

With the massive object stopped, a new foe will appear on the adjacent cube. After the cutscene, open the chest and use the grapple point to climb onto the chain. Ascend the chain and you'll pass a familiar scene ... from the game's prologue. Press away from the chain and jump into the room at the top.

Chapter 4 - The Flame

Approach the flame and you'll trigger a lengthy cutscene. After it's over, take some time to search the area for items and Orbs. First, approach the nook with the large chain passing through it.

The wall to the left of the chain has some sparkly dust hanging around it. Flash the Head of Helios at the wall to expose a secret passage. Inside you'll find three chests full of Red Experience Orbs and a chest with a Gorgon Eye inside as well. You cannot break the blue crystals yet, but remember this location so you can explore it further when you return later.

Now, head to the save point. Just past it is an outside area. Run up the stairs and open the two chests on the edge of the area for more Red Orbs. You can take a look at the scarred earth below at the pedestal.

Now, return to the room with the Flame. Along one wall is a locked door. On either side of this door are three areas with pedestals, six in total. These area are swimming in sparkling dust. Use the Head of Helios to expose pictures on each of the six spots. You can read about the spots as well -- they foretell things to come in your quest for the Flame.

As you read the windows, a cutscene will be triggered. Follow Hermes outside past the save point (save if you need to as well). Jump off the edge after the interaction with the speedy god and float down to his location.

Climb onto the wall to the right and slide down to the bottom.

Press down and press jump to fall past the gap below. Jump to the right and press R1 to grapple the pulley beneath Hermes. As soon as you land, run to the right.

The flames that pursue you here will instantly kill you, so keep moving at all costs. Use the Wings of Icarus to float across the gap and then grab the walkway as it collapses in front of you. Press JUMP to climb the boards quickly -- you need to whip the humans hanging on for dear life so you can pass them.

Navigate the vertical stretch and jump over gaps to reach the top. Climb the wall beneath Hermes and then jump across to the ladder. Slide down the ladder and jump to the right. Inch along the wall above the massive statue and continue to the right in pursuit of Hermes. Float down to the walkway below.

A small amount of weak enemies will show up around the corner. Grab them and execute Brutal Kills and charging attacks. Jump across to the platform hanging below Hermes and activate the R1 prompt to grapple it. When the platform falls away, watch the direction Hermes heads. Pull the lever on the ground and latch onto the massive chain link above.

Wait until the chain link sways towards the walkway to dismount. You need to be as close as possible to make it, even with the help of the Wings of Icarus. The walkway crumbles as you touch down. Use the grapple points to navigate it quickly.

Float down to solid ground and stock up on health if you need to. Hermes finds his way to the opposite side of a gate. Climb the ladder to the left of the gate, then cross the gate by jumping to the right. At the top, run down the long hallway towards the massive catapult.

A lever on the side of the catapult lets you reposition the weapon so it points at Hermes. Pull this all the way to the left and then hop onto the platform. Press R1 to cock the catapult, and get ready to activate a quick button prompt as soon as it fires. Successfully tap the right button and you'll hitch a ride on the projectile as it flies towards Hermes.

After the cutscene, search the right side of the massive statue's head, now severed and lying in the rubble, for Hermes' Coin (Godly Possession 4/10). If you examine the ground you should see a glint of gold in the shadow of the bronze head.

Now, look for a trail of blood leading out of this area. Follow it to the stairwell and float down to the lower area using the Wings of Icarus. Approach Hermes to instigate a fight.

The battle with Hermes can be won pretty much exclusively using the Cyclone of Chaos (L1 + SQUARE). The move is unlocked by upgrading the Blades of Exile, but you should have upgraded your primary weapon several times by now. The Cyclone of Chaos hits Hermes even as he circles you in a dizzying blur.

Just continually activate the attack and you'll sap his life at a steady rate. The only time you'll need to deviate from your L1 + SQUARE regimen is when Hermes attacks your head. The game will slow down and you'll get a prompt to rotate the LEFT ANALOG STICK in a sweeping motion (from top-to-bottom or vice-versa). Follow this motion quickly and precisely to counter Hermes' attack and deal some damage.

Every few dozen hits, Hermes will be knocked down releasing some Health Orbs that make this battle even easier. After he is knocked down a few times, a prompt will appear above his head. Follow the rotation prompt to sever Hermes' leg. Approach him as his crawls away to follow another prompt that will allow you to sever the other leg and dispose of yet another "immortal."

You'll be awarded with the Boots of Hermes. This item can be used to ascend vertical walls and generally defy gravity. You can activate them by holding R2 much like the Bow of Apollo and the Head of Helios -- just press X to dash with the Boots.

Dashing also damages enemies, so try out your new moves on the enemies that appear. Now, look for a path of golden footprints leading up the boards on the side of the area. You can ascend any surface with these marks using the Boots of Hermes. Just move towards the prints and activate the Boots to run straight up the vertical surface.

Head into the open area with several large statues, stopping for the two chests on the way -- one contains health, the other Red Orbs. Move up the ramps and hang a right to find more golden footprints. Run up these to the second level and run horizontally across the large sculpted edifice using the Boots.

On the other side, search the left corner of the porch for a cloud of sparkling dust. Use the Head of Helios to expose a hidden chest. Inside you'll find a Phoenix Feather. Now, look down the hallway. At the apparent dead end you should be able to make out a smattering of golden footprints up the left side of the carving in the wall.

Once outside, run up the obvious prints on the right side of the building. From here you'll need to use the Wings of Icarus to get to the area with the chests a bit below and to the right.

Glide across the gap and mine the chest for orbs. Continue down the path to the left and attack the soldiers in the large open area.

As you do so an armored Cyclops drops into the area. The powerful wrecking ball this Cyclops wields is harder to dodge than you might think. Luckily, the awesome Plume of Prometheus attack (SQUARE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE) can interrupt the Cyclops even as it attempts to attack. Repeatedly use this move to topple the giant with ease.

When two more Cyclopes appear things can get a bit chaotic. Try to focus your Plume of Prometheus attacks on just one. You can use magic if you need to, but keeping the monsters stunned is your best strategy. Once they are destroyed, run all the way to the left to find two chests. One has Red Orbs inside, the other a Minotaur Horn. Enter the large door where you fought the Cyclopes after you are finished gathering loot.

Run clockwise around the large, round room destroying the archers as you pass them. There are four chests to open in this room. The first two you come to contain magic and health, while a pair of chests on the opposite side of the room contain Red Experience Orbs. When you are finished, head down the open hallway.

In the hallway you'll encounter Sirens for the first time. These enemies cannot be attacked until you expose them with the Head of Helios. After you expose a Siren, regular attacks will be sufficient to take her out. When the Siren flies high in the air, use the L1 + CIRCLE grapple attack to pull yourself up to attack her.

The first prompt you get while attacking a Siren will deal damage, while the second (after more attacks) will kill her, leaving you with Magic Orbs and stunning all nearby enemies. More Sirens appear down the hallway, so have your Head of Helios ready to deal with them.

Open the chest for some Red Orbs at the end of the hall before proceeding up the long, winding staircase. At the top, open the gate. You should explore this large room for treasure before attempting to solve the musical puzzle. First, look along the left side of the room to find a chest with Red Orbs inside.

Take the updraft up to the platforms on the left side of the room to score a Phoenix Feather and some Red Orbs across the way.

Now, cross the room and take the air current up to a parallel area. Open the chest here for more Red Orbs and then cross the gap and jump onto the platform high up in the middle of the room.

On this platform are four cranks. Each crank turns a segment of a puzzle below with the representation of a curved sword on it. You must complete the image of the sword, from hilt to tip, by turning the cranks above. Turn the cranks, from LEFT to RIGHT in this order.

* Crank 1 - Turn once to make the hilt appear
* Crank 2 - Do not turn this one
* Crank 3 - Turn 3 times to make horizontal sword blade appear.
* Crank 4 - Turn 3 times to make tip appear.

Successfully completing the image of the sword unlocks the ability to manipulate the puzzle below. Hop down and approach the platform with the familiar-looking colored symbols on it.

Press R1 to start a musical minigame. The shapes that appear correspond to the face buttons on your PS3 controller. Watch carefully and hit the corresponding button as the shapes pass through the gold centerpiece of the device. Sometimes a pair of buttons must be pressed at once. The correct button code, which must be timed properly, is this:

X, X, X, CIRCLE
SQUARE, CIRCLE, SQUARE, X, TRIANGLE
SQUARE, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE + X
SQUARE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE + X, TRIANGLE, TRIANGLE + CIRCLE
TRIANGLE + CIRCLE, X, SQUARE, SQUARE + X, CIRCLE, TRIANGLE, TRIANGLE + CIRCLE

This took us about 20 tries, so don't get discouraged. There are no exploits for this -- play it enough times and hopefully you'll memorize it. Playing the proper sequence unlocks something far below and makes a lever appear nearby. Pull the lever to activate an elevator.

As the elevator plummets downward, shielded enemies will attack. Their shields are completely immune to your current weapons so you'll need to exploit the other enemy that appears to deal with them. Attack the Gorgon and use the instant kill prompt to turn the shielded enemies to stone. Quickly destroy them once they are incapacitated. Another round of shielded enemies and Gorgons will appear before you touch down.

At the bottom, hit the lever on the elevator but do not ride it back up! Instead, search the area beneath it for four chests full of Red Orbs!

Save and then run up the long spiral staircase. Turn the crank at the top to partially release the Flame of Olympus. It turns out the judges in Hades have a tight grasp on it far below.

Head into the door that opens to the left. In the hallway you'll encounter the wraiths with sickles that burrow underground. You can use the same trick you used before to dispose of them quickly: yank them out of the ground with L1 + CIRCLE. Whip them to weaken them and then perform an instant kill by grabbing them with CIRCLE (you won't get a prompt).

Run down the dizzying spiral staircase and pause at the bottom. You may notice a cloud of shimmering dust here. Shine the Head of Helios on the dust to expose a chest with a Gorgon Eye inside! Save and head down the hall. 

The confrontation with Hercules in the Forum is quite varied and will keep you on your toes. Examine the Forum and take note of the sections of wall covered in spikes -- these will become crucial in the upcoming fight. The first leg of the battle involves a large wave of peons while Herc looks on from afar. Grab one of the enemies and use it as a ram to deal fast damage to all nearby foes.

Keep up the slaughter until Hercules hops down. At this point you should focus attacks on the strongman. You should use Army of Sparta to thin out the horde of enemies if you get bogged down at any point in this fight, but try to get Hercules caught in the area of attack as well.

Like in the battle with Hermes, Cyclone of Chaos is an excellent attack here since it hits Hercules and all the nearby enemies. When the enemies thin out a bit, focus heavy attack combos on Herc. He'll soon grab you and charge towards a wall. This is your chance to deal some real damage.

Mash the button shown to overcome Hercules and then use the LEFT ANALOG STICK to direct him into one of the spiked walls across the room. Just run him towards a panel of spikes and he'll be impaled. If you miss you'll have to damage him some more until he charges at you again. Successfully pinning Hercules against the spikes will land you health orbs and also deprive him of a few pieces of armor.

You need to pin Hercules against the spikes using the same technique two more times. He'll now add in some ground-pounding moves that can be evaded or, better yet, you can jump over them and hit him with a Cyclone of Chaos in the air while his defenses are down.

After a second grapple and slam against the spikes Hercules' attacks will have a wider area of effect. Nevertheless you can continue to hop over the shockwaves and attack him. He'll also try to send you flying into spikes with a directed punch. Aside from evading as he winds up, there's not much you can do to avoid his attacks at this point. This is a good time to initiate the Blade of Olympus and just attack Hercules quickly.

When Hercules slams his fists together a blinding flash will stun both him and Kratos. This is your chance to move in and activate the prompt that appears of his head. Follow the prompts to claim Hercules' prized Nemean Cestus.

This turns the fight in your favor rather dramatically. You can use the new weapon to overcome your bro easily, but you should still attempt to avoid his attacks. Occasionally he'll throw you across the room and attempt to hit you with a large chunk of wall. Simply evade in a perpendicular direction to avoid it.

He'll also grip you in a not-so-brotherly bear hug from which you'll have to use a button prompt to escape.

When Hercules tosses you to the back of the arena and picks up the ground, you'll know the fight is almost won. Follow the buttons shown on screen to pull yourself up and then force the large disc of stone down on Hercules. Hit the correct buttons and you'll finish him off with a stomach-churning flurry of punches.

You'll get to keep the Nemean Cestus. These gauntlets can break through blue stone (Onyx) like the shields some enemies bear. Blue stone also blocks some secret areas which you can now access. You'll also have access to a shockwave-producing magic attack called Nemean Roar when the Cesti are equipped. We recommend you upgrade the Nemean Cestus after you finish upgrading the Chains of Exile since some bosses and can only be damaged by this weapon.

Once the battle is won, dive beneath Hercules' floating corpse to find Hercules' Shoulder Guard (Godly Possession 5/10). Test out your Nemean Roar with infinite magic just up the hall a ways. Once the enemies are destroy, the magical barrier will be removed. A barrier of a different sort remains, however: A blue Onyx shield encapsulates a nearby lever.

Beat the stone with the Nemean Cestus to break it. Pull the lever and a squad of shielded enemies appears -- with no Gorgon in sight. Thankfully your Cestus can shatter their defenses. Tear into the armed soldiers with the Nemean Cestus and Nemean roar to decimate their ranks. Finish them off the with Chains of Exile.

Return to the corpse of Hercules down the ramp. Swim out through the gate you opened with the lever. When you surface at the other end of the submerged tube, turn around to score some Red Orbs and a Minotaur Horn in some chests hidden in the dead end.

Chapter 5 - Poseidon's Chambers

Take out the shielded enemies in the next area first, then use CIRCLE to grab the Cerberus Hounds for Brutal Kills. You can also punt them into other enemies -- a skill that comes in hand shortly. Crank the nearby lever until it stops and enter the gate.

Save and take a right. Head straight for the scantily clad Poseidon Princess. After the cutscene, go left through the large door. This room features a puzzle that involves the three glowing Hyperian Gates. Enter the gate on the right and you'll appear on the platform across the room.

This platform is affected by pressure, so you'll need to find something to weigh it down if you want to reach the lower portal. For now, hop to the left and pull the lever on the ledge to open a gate below.

Drop below and open the chests with Red Orbs ignoring the Hounds for now. Instead of killing the Hounds you need to use them to your advantage. Grabbing a dog with CIRCLE allows you to punt it in any direction. Move towards the Hyperian Gate on the right and punt four dogs through it to weigh down the platform across the room.

Once four dogs stand atop the platform thanks to your rough treatment, head through the gate yourself and enter the now-accessible Hyperian Gate via the lowered platform.

On the other side a cutscene will occur. Before leaving the Poseidon Princesses' chamber, search the pillows on the right side for Poseidon's Conch Shell (Godly Possession 6/10). There's also a chest in a nook on the right side with a Gorgon Eye inside. Search the left side of the chamber for a chest with Red Orbs inside and a note.

Exit the chamber via the blue Hyperian Gate and fight off the Hounds terrorizing the princess. When she falls off the edge, approach her to pull her back up with a button prompt. Fight off more dogs and the platform will rise to its former position. Use the prompt above the princess to encourage her to press on.

Back on solid ground you'll encounter a new type of foe. The large statues glow blue with the glint of Onyx, so equip the Nemean Cestus for this battle. If you stay behind these metallic foes and constantly whack them with the Cestus you'll be able to take them out fairly easily. Your weapon will interrupt their attacks and if you stay behind them they'll spend more time rotating than attacking anyway.

Head up the hallway and collect magic and health. Smash through the shields of the enemies you encounter and make sure to "encourage" the princess to keep moving by approaching her and hitting CIRCLE when she lags behind. Lift the gate and enter the chamber with the large wheel again.

You'll have to take out another Onyx-infused statue here. After the room is cleared out, approach the wheel and turn it. Activate the prompt to use the princess to prop open the wheel and continue through the open gates. You'll get the I didn't do it ... but I wish I did! Trophy.

Just past the far gate you'll find another bronze statue of Pandora. After the cutscene, look to the right for some shimmering gold particles in the air. Flash the Head of Helios along the wall to reveal a chest with a Phoenix Feather inside. Exit Poseidon's Chamber to the left.

Approach the crank on the platform ahead and turn it to rotate the platform. Jump to the next platform and turn the crank on this one too. Instead of continuing on, crank the lever once again after the platform comes to a rest.

Jump back towards the palace and enter the large, bronze door.

Save and head up the ramp into Aphrodite's Chamber. Search the left side of the room for two chests with Red Experience Orbs within. Search the right side of the room for a well-hidden chest in a dark recess along the wall. Inside you'll find a Minotaur Horn.

Before approaching the bed, search the rear side of the room just to the left of the candles surrounding the bed. You may spot a glint of light on a platform behind the bed. Double-jump and float over into a secret area behind the bed to score Aphrodite's Garter (Godly Possession 7/10)!

Approach Aphrodite and talk to her. You can engage in a sexual minigame if you choose to do so, or skip it and head through the Hyperian Gate that opens there. You will be rewarded Red Experience Orbs and the Ladies Man Trophy if you successfully complete the game. The game involves button presses and some LEFT ANALOG STICK wiggling and rotating. It culminates with CIRCLE tapping segment in which you much hit the button with increasing rapidity.

After you are finished in Aphrodite's Chamber, head through the gate on the right.

After the lengthy cutscene, run all the way past Hephaestus to the large door that was previously locked.

Chapter 6 - Tartarus

Tartarus

 Grab health if you need it and activate the nearby pedestal to get a good view of Tartarus. On your way down the curving path, look out for a chest on the right side with a Phoenix Feather inside.

At the bottom of the path a Centaur appears with a large group of enemies. Now that your weapons are upgraded you can handle the Centaur with ease. Try to use attacks that affect all enemies around you but focus the brunt of your combos on the Centaur. Finish it off and then use the remaining enemies to rack up a large combo for Experience Orbs. More Orbs lie within a chest along the left wall.

Kill your third Centaur with a Brutal Kill to get the No Guts No Glory Trophy. Head to the collapsed boulders along the right side and jump up to the ledge above from there. It's kind of hard to spot where you're supposed to climb, so look for the treasure chests on the above platform. Climb up to the chests and stock up before moving on.

The two Chimera create a formidable obstacle -- luckily there are explosive containers littered around the area that can deal significant damage to the beasts. Lead the monsters close to these and detonate them with flaming arrows to deal damage. This should help make the first prompt appear.

Sever the snake head from a Chimera and it will then turn to fire attacks. Keep hitting it and you'll eventually get another prompt and the animal's behavior will change once more. This time the Chimera will send a large wave fire at you. Jump over this and get in some hits before it recovers.

Use magic if you need to finish off the nasty creatures. When the room is cleared of enemies you'll be faced with massive puzzle. Your first order of business is to pull the chains on either side of the wall.

Next, grab the cube with the sparkling point on it and push it into the wall. You can now climb up some of the blocks sticking out of the wall on the left. Get as high as you can and a Harpy will appear.

Your goal is a cube platform sticking out of the wall on the far right. To get here you'll not only need to use the Harpy, but you'll need to time your landing so that the cube moving in and out of the wall doesn't push you off as soon as you land. Wait for the cube to begin to move into the wall before you press L1 + CIRCLE to grab the Harpy.

Direct it out and around the wall to the right, pressing X to dismount onto the cube. Quickly jump up and to the left to the next cube and continue to cross the wall to the left and up. Grab the sparkling point on the far left to push another cube into the wall.

You now need to perform a similar maneuver to the one below -- using a Harpy to travel all the way to the cube on the far right. This may take a few tries, but if you fail miserably you can now just climb the repositioned cubes in the center of the structure.

Once you reach the highest cube on the right side, push in the block with the sparkling point on it. Now, double-jump to the highest platform in the middle of the area and activate the switch there. This will open the massive door and allow you to proceed.

Search the left side of the path just past the massive doorway to score a Phoenix Feather in a partially obscured chest. You can save your game just ahead.

Make your way down the switchback path performing ram attacks and Brutal Kills on the enemy soldiers you encounter. Eventually you'll come to a chasm in the path which you can cross using the Wings of Icarus.

As soon as you touch down on the far side, take a sharp right. You'll find a well-obscured nook with a chest. Inside is a Minotaur Horn.

Activate the glowing point nestled in the rocks on the far side of the gap.

After the cutscene, Cronos will attempt to squash you between his fingers. Hit the button shown rapidly to overpower the titan and then quickly equip the Head of Helios. Charge a burst of light by holding R2 + Triangle and release it to blind the titan temporarily allowing you to escape.

As you fall you'll have to hit the buttons shown with precise timing to land safely on the massive hand below. Fend off the enemies and the wrist cuff will shift, allowing you to proceed up the massive arm. As you do the titan will shift and you'll have to climb while swiping at enemies below you.

Climb until you get to the red welt on the massive arm. Whip this to get Cronos' attention. Back on your feet again you can start taking out the enemies to the far left. Roll out of the way of Cronos' breath and it will damage the other enemies around you.

Eventually a colossal hand will clap down in front of you. Whip the exposed middle finger nail to damage it or use Army of Sparta to weaken it significantly. Ignore the other enemies or use Army of Sparta to keep them back and focus damage on the finger nail.

The hand will eventually be retracted and you'll have to avoid the Titan's breath again for a bit. The second time the hand comes down you can deal more damage and hopefully get a prompt. Use the prompt to rip the fingernail off and the titan will change its strategy once again.

This time the large hand will slam down, trapping you between its fingers. Look for a light strip of flesh on the finger to the left. You can jump on this and climb it. Eliminate any enemies on the finger and then equip your Head of Helios once more.

Let fly a blinding flash of light and the titan will reel back, sending you flying. Hit the prompts shown to latch back on to the Cronos' waist. Climb up the soft flesh leaping across any gaps you come to. Grab enemies and toss them into eachotehr to quickly eliminate them.

At the top of the climbable area, head right and make a big double-jump down to the platform. You'll need to activate the Wings of Icarus to get there. Several of the stone statues will appear here. Stay behind them and use powerful attacks to weaken them and then finish them off with the button prompt once it appears.

Approach the circular clasp and pry it open. See that stripe of blue Onyx? That means you should equip your Nemean Cestus. Attack the blue column vigorously and use magic to thin out the encroaching foes.

Soon Cronos will react and you'll end up in the palm of his gargantuan hand. Fend off the enemies as best you can until the titan claps his mighty hands. Get ready to mash the buttons shown to throw off the hand and counter attack.

Head to the right while hanging from the hand. Grab the first few enemies you encounter and try to use them as projectiles to knock off the other enemies. At the edge of the hand, jump off and hit R1 to swing from the grapple point. Use the quick grapple prompts to swing to safety.

Ignore the enemies as you land and run to the right. Jump over the obstacle and use the prompt to grapple up and out of the way of the approaching hand.

Fight off the enemies on the Cronos' shoulder until a skinless Cyclops emerges rather gruesomely from a scar on the shoulder. Keep rolling around the Cyclops using strong attacks on it until a prompt appears. Use magic if you are having trouble toppling it. The button prompt will allow you to assume control of the beast. Use this opportunity to attack the wound on the shoulder.

Once you deal a fair amount of damage, the titan will reel back, forcing you into another series of button presses to save your life -- only to end up in the giant's esophagus! Immediately slide down the wall and jump to the side to avoid the obstructions.

You've got to move quickly down the wall of the titan's throat in order to survive. When you come to the Cyclops hanging on for dear life, whip it and slide on down. When the camera changes perspective to show the reactions of Cronos, watch carefully for the buttons you need to hit to make your gory escape. These include the action to push/click in both ANALOG STICKS at once (R3 + L3)

You'll end up back on one of Cronos' hands again, this time with the Omphalos Stone, the raw material Hephaestus needs to craft a new weapon. Follow the pink, fleshy path up and over the massive interlocked digits. From the top, jump and float to the left. You'll arrive back on the central platform with a column of blue Onyx.

Punch the Onyx with the Nemean Cestus until it bursts. Be ready to hit a button immediately following this. After a few more correct button presses you'll end up on the face of the massive demigod.

Break the blue column of Onyx in front of you and traverse Cronos's face to the left. Once you reach his forehead, wait for a final button prompt to finish of the titan for good.

Chapter 7 - Mazes and Caves

The Forge III

Once you are back on your feet, destroy the wall of blue Onyx in front of you and hop into the hole. You'll end up conveniently back in Hephaestus' workshop. After a long cutscene, approach the newly crafted weapon and take it. Hephaestus will finally turn on you. Press the buttons show to resist his attack.

Look to the right and you'll see a sparkling object. This is a conducter of sorts that you can spark with your new weapon. Whip at it until it crackles with green electricity, killing Hephaestus. Destroy the enemies that appear with your new toy: the Nemesis Whip.

The Nemesis Whip has the ability to arc electric current through multiple enemies cause quick damage and racking up huge combos. The magic associated with this weapon extends its ability to make your combo counter skyrocket. When you activate the Nemesis rage a pulse of current runs through multiple enemies.

Before leaving through the Hyperian Gate, search the far left side of the area (near the blocked doorway previously leading to Tartarus) for the massive Hephaestus' Ring (Godly Possession 8/10).

Save and climb up to the Hyperian Gate (using the Boots of Hermes) to the left of Hephaestus to return to Aphrodite's Chamber.

You can once again engage in the sexual intercourse minigame for another large batch of orbs if you wish. Otherwise, exit Aphrodite's Chamber past the save point.

Once outside you'll be given unlimited magic for a brief period so that you may test out the Nemesis Rage. Just keep hitting R2 to rack up a massive combo.

Hop over to the platform and turn the crank. Use your Wings of Icarus to get to the far platform with an inactive crank system. Whip the gizmo with the Nemesis Whip charge it up and it will rotate allowing you to return to the building.

Grab health if you need it and enter the door ahead.

This puzzling room has five blue Hyperian Gates and a pair of golden ones as well. At the center of the room is a ballista on a platform you can raise or lower using a lever on the left. There are chests around the room containing significant treasures, so take the time to explore a bit.

First, jump onto the platform and turn the ballista so it points to the left. Move around to the back of it and use the prompt to fire a harpoon shot through the blue gate on the left. It will shoot out of the higher gate on the left, cross the room and enter the gate on the lower right. It will then emerge from the upper right gate and finally be stopped above a nook with some chests high up on the left wall.

Hop into the blue gate on the lower right and you'll emerge in a cage at the top right. Here you can open a chest for some Red Orbs. Now you'll need to perform a tricky maneuver to get onto the rope leading left since the bars prevent you from proceeding left.

You'll need to hop out towards the screen, then quickly double-jump towards the rope and float to it using the Wings of Icarus. If you successfully make it to the rope you can continue over to your prizes in the nook on the high left side of the room. Open the chests here for a Minotaur Horn and some Red Orbs.

Now, drop down to the floor and pull the lever on the right side of the room to raise the middle platform. Fire the Ballista once again. This time it will follow the same path but miss the blue gate on the right, sticking in the wall across the room above another nook with a treasure chest along the right wall.

Hop onto the rope and cross it through the gate all the way to the end stuck in the wall. Open the chest here for a Gorgon Eye. The final puzzle in this room unlocks the greatest prize.

While the ballista is elevated, turn it to face the bronze gate. Shoot the gate to bring it down. Behind it is another blue portal. This also opens the path out of the room via a rope leading down, but ignore that for now. Instead, look for a set of golden footprints on the right. These lead into a gold gate on the ceiling.

Use The Boots of Hermes to run up the wall into this portal. Yank the lever here and quickly head back below. A pair of chests will be lowered -- you can now use the Ballista to break the link that holds them up high.

You have to get to the ballista and fire it through the distant blue gate above the rope leading out of the level before the timer runs out.

This will bring the chests to the ground. Inside one of the chests is a Phoenix Feather and inside the second chest is Daedalus' Schematics (Godly Possession 9/10).

With the rope leading through the yellow portal and making a path across the top of the room towards the back wall, you can now score some Red Orb chests before leaving. Enter the lower blue portal on the right and take it up to the top right area behind the bars. Jump out and around to the rope and take it back to find four Red Orb chests.

With the room sufficiently looted you can now head down the rope/pole at the far end of the room. At the bottom of the pole, drop to the ground and run towards the screen. You'll find two secret chests here, one containing Red Orbs and the other a Minotaur Horn. Follow the hallway out to the Labyrinth.

Approach Hera and you'll initiate a lengthy cutscene. After it ends, save and search the area just to the left of the save point for Hera's Chalice (Godly Possession 10/10) on the ground (a short cutscene will show Kratos picking it up). This is the final of the Godly Possessions you need for the Priceless Trophy!

Before following the long passage to the left, explore the area to the right of the save point for some chests. The path splits three ways here. To the right you'll find an apparent dead end. Hold the Head of Helios out here to expose a hidden chest containing either Red Orbs or a Phoenix Feather if you haven't maxed out your magic meter already. Note: After you max out your meters by collecting Gorgon Eyes, Phoenix Feathers and Minotaur Horns, some remaining "bonus" chests for players who missed earlier chests convert to Red Orbs.

The middle area here holds another chest with Red Orbs inside. Take the rightmost passage to find two more Red Orb-filled chests. You'll have to fight through a small group of enemies to reach these. Return to the save point and head left this time.

Defeat the statue and other enemies and then round the corner. Head straight to the dead end of the path (past the chest containing magic) for a chest filled with Red Orbs. Now, look for a path leading to the right. You'll encounter a pack of armored enemies here you can dispatch easily.

Pass the locked gate and enter the hallway. You'll encounter a fierce new enemy here, the half-man half-goat Satyr. The Satyrs can take quite a bit of damage. The Cestus seems to be a good choice for breaking their combos, although counter-attacks are effective as well. You can always use L1 + CIRCLE to grab them and do a good amount of damage.

Defeat them and exit the other end of the hallway. Immediately turn left and look for a secluded alley with a Red Orb-filled chest at the end.

Head past the chest with magic inside and the view will shift to a top-down perspective. Head right to find a secret area with two more chests with Red Orbs inside. There's also some sparkling gold dust here, so whip out the Head of Helios to expose a third chest. This one contains a Gorgon Eye.

Enter the large courtyard and stand on the disc. Putting pressure on this disc not only changes the view of the area but actually reassembles the pieces of the maze itself. You'll need to move a few things around before you can escape, however.

The stairs in the lower left corner of this area rearrange to make a new path when you step on the disc. Open the gate and head up the staircase while the "green view" lasts.

Cross the walkway and open the door on the far right. Drop down into the area below and turn around to find a chest with Red Orbs inside.

A large gap lies ahead. You can easily double-jump and glide over this, but instead of going straight, pilot your Wings of Icarus through the opening on the left to score a Minotaur Horn.

Now, cross the gap. On the far side is a pillar with a section of stairs on the top. This is a crucial piece of the next puzzle. Push it into the area to the left with the large bowl. You can see a grooved path for the pillar to fit into to the right of the bowl.

Rotate the pillar so the stairs are ascending from left to right and push it back into this area so it rests against the waterfall. This will bridge the gap between the waterfall and the large bowl, filling it with water. This is the first of three bowls you must weigh down in some way to open the path out of the maze.

Head south through the now-open gate. After the cutscene you'll be able to use Hera's body as a weight -- just pick the corpse up and drop it with CIRCLE. Ignore her for now and head to the upper left area of the plaza. Here you'll find some dried bushes which you can burn with the Bow of Apollo.

Incinerate the bushes to revel a second bowl. Run back around to the pillar and push it all the way to the left of the first bowl. There is a small path for you to push it right up against the fence. Do so, then head down to the disc on the ground and stand on it. This will cause water to flow into the second bowl, filling it and altering the path above once more.

The third and final bowl moves inconveniently out of the way of the waterfall beside it. Your next goal is to fill this bowl -- but not with water. First, drag the pillar all the way to the bottom right corner of the area. Rotate it so the stairs descend from left to right (turn it 180 degrees).

Push the pillar all the way down the thin path until it stops. This will now complete a nearby set of stairs. Grab Hera's corpse and deposit it somewhere near the base of these stairs.

Run over to the disc on the ground and step on it to switch to the "green view" of the area. Make your way over to the staircase you just assembled and grab Hera. Use the stairs to dump Hera's body into the third bowl, thus completing the path out of the maze.

You'll need something to hold down the disc switch while you make your escape. Grab the pillar and move it to the disc to keep it depressed. Run up the long staircase in the lower left.

Follow the winding upper walkway out of the maze. A swarm of Harpies guards a large gap. Get the attention of one of them with an arrow and then use them to cross the gap. Press L1 + CIRCLE to grab a Harpy and then press X to dismount while keeping L1 pressed to switch Harpies.

You can save on the far side of the gap. Just up the stairs to the left is a shimmering cloud of gold dust. Shine the Head of Helios on this to reveal a special item chest with Red Orbs inside (this will contain a Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your Health meter yet). On the other side of the stairs is a chest with Red Orbs by the save point. Turn the crank at the bottom of the area to open the large door.

In the hallway on the other side of the door you'll encounter lots of Scorpions. These easy enemies can be eliminated with Brutal Kills or just your regular attacks. As the tunnel darkens, be sure to have the Head of Helios handy. Use a charged blast of light to illuminate areas before you fight off the Scorpions.

When you come to a well-lit area with a large wheel, look to the left to find a chest with Red Orbs inside (this may be a Phoenix Feather if you haven't maxed out your magic yet). Crank the wheel to take the elevator down.

Follow the passage out to the massive Caverns where the heart of the Labyrinth lies.

Stock up on health and examine the note on the ledge. Jump and float onto the massive cube in the distance. Two armed Cyclopes appear here. Try to stay behind one of them and use heavy Blades of Exile attacks to make it stumble. Once you defeat one, an unarmored Cyclops will appear.

This unarmored Cyclops is your key to an easy victory. Use Army of Sparta and focus your attacks on it. When a prompt appears over its head, use it to mount the monster. Direct your steed to attack all the nearby Cyclopes -- and there will be a bunch by this point!

Do as much damage as you can, then finish it off with a button mashing sequence. As soon as you land, activate Army of Sparta a few times to defeat the remaining Cyclopes.

When the cube is cleared of enemies, search it for two special item chests. Both chests contain Red Orbs (provided you've maxed out your Gorgon Eyes and Minotaur Horns by following our guide).

Jump over to the save point and stock up on health. Take out the Head of Helios and shine it on the wall to reveal a doorway. Follow the hallway to a large room. Search the left and right sides of the door for chests full of Red Orbs. There's also a note you can read on the ground here.

Hop down and search the right side of the area for a hidden nook with a treasure chest. Inside you'll find Red Orbs (or a Phoenix Feather if you haven't maxed out your magic by now). Look for a lever on the left side of the area. Pull the lever to raise the water level and you'll be able reach a platform with a mysterious "heat lock" and a chest full of more Red Orbs.

Now swim across to the right side and exit the area through the large door. The next area is pitch black and you can easily fall off the edge of the boarded walkway if you aren't careful. Constantly keeping the Head of Helios equipped isn't a bad idea.

Gather the magic and read the note along the left side of the dark area. Use a charged flash to reveal a net you can climb on the rock surface across the way. At the top of this you'll encounter a new enemy: Medusa. These thinner Gorgons can turn you to stone with their green rays. If you're quick the Golden Fleece can deflect the beam -- but you'll need to press the button shown on screen very quickly or you'll be frozen.

Deflecting the green ray will freeze the Medusa making her extremely easy to kill. If you weaken one of these enemies with attacks and get an instant kill prompt you can create a shockwave that freezes all nearby enemies as well.

Continue to the right after toppling the Medusas and jump across the gap to another wooden walkway. Don't take it to the exit just yet. Follow it back into the room (with the Head of Helios equipped) and look for a well-lit lit along the right side of the room.

You'll find two Red Orb-filled chests here in addition to a special item chest with more Red Orbs (this will contain Minotaur Horn if you haven't maxed out your Item Meter yet). Head for the exit now. On the other side of the large door, jump across the gap and follow the path back to the large cavern. Search the right side of the overlook for a chest with Red Orbs inside.

Stock up on health and life and use the pedestal to scope out the Labyrinth if you wish. Use the Wings of Icarus to float down to the cage to the left and then float down to the large cube below.

The massive Scorpion boss gleams with the blue crystal Onyx that is susceptible only to the Nemean Cestus. We highly recommend a fully upgraded Cestus for this fight. As soon as the fight starts the Scorpion will snatch you up in its pincers. Tap R1 + L1 to escape.

As soon as you hit the ground, evade around the side of the Scorpion. Your first targets are the Onyx-covered legs. If you destroy the Onyx shielding on the three legs on one side of the Scorpion it will fall to the ground stunned. An extremely useful attack in this battle is the Nemean Cestus' spin attack called Ferocious Bite (L1 + CIRCLE). Use this to chip away at the Onyx on the legs.

Stand between two legs and jump, then execute Ferocious Bite several times on your way down. This will make it possible to whittle away at the Onyx-encrusted legs very quickly since you can hit more than one at a time. During your attack, ignore the smaller Scorpions on the ground and focus on the boss. Your Ferocious Bite attacks should hit them anyway.

The giant Scorpion won't be able to hit you with many attacks while you are at its side, but you can evade to avoid its stinger-smashing attack. The best defense is a good offense in this battle, though, and the faster you crack the Onyx on the legs the less damage you'll end up taking.

Once you break the crystal off all of the legs on one side of the monster it will collapse. Approach its face and attack it with a Nemean Rage magic attack and a few Ferocious Bites. This will cause a prompt to appear over the head allowing you to do some real damage. Follow the button commands to rip out one of the Scorpion's "teeth."

The Scorpion will scurry away, leaving you to fend off its spawn. Use Brutal Kills (CIRCLE) on the smaller Scorpions to refill your health bar. When the colossal foe reappears, return to your leg-attacking strategy. You still just need to take out an entire row of Onyx-encrusted legs on one side of the Scorpion. It might run away as you attack it this time, so use the opportunity to stock up on health using the smaller critters.

Once you destroy all the crystals on one side, the Scorpion will collapse again. Approach its head and attack it, using Nemean rage once again to damage it significantly. When a prompt appears, follow the buttons shown carefully.

You'll eventually be thrown off the beast and the camera will ship behind you as you fly back towards it. Dodge the ice spikes on your way and be ready to hit another button as soon as you get close to the Scorpion. You can use the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to dodge the ice spikes as you fly.

Finish the Scorpion off with this final button sequence and it will be frozen solid. Attack it to destroy it for good.

Approach the frozen stinger in the corner of the area and attack it to find the Boreas Icestorm! This item can be used to operate the heat switches located throughout the Labyrinth. There's one on the ground in the center of the area, so give it a whirl.

This will create an updraft nearby. Jump into this and hold X to ride it all the way up to the ledge above. Spin the LEFT ANALOG STICK to stay in the air current. Head towards the heat switch and use it -- note that there's some sparkling dust just beyond it on another, higher platform.

After activating the heat switch, turn around and jump onto the platform behind it. Whip out the Head of Helios to reveal a chest with a Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). Now, head towards the glowing grapple point in the distance.

Use the R1 prompts to grapple upwards on the myriad hanging points. When you swing around a point, carefully time your release so you head in the direction of the next point. Float down to the cube at the end of the grapple points and activate the heat switch on the far wall.

Several Medusas along with Minotaurs and shielded soldiers will confront you as the cube shifts position. Use the Medusas to freeze the other enemies -- either deflect their green beam with the Golden Fleece (you have to hit a button shown quickly after deflection) or finish them off with a Brutal Kill. Freezing enemies makes them susceptible to a one-hit kill, making this segment quite simple.

Jump towards the save point in the cave and head inside. In the room you filled with water earlier, swim over to the platform on the left and activate the Heat Switch there. You can now run up the path with your Boots of Hermes -- but don't do this quite yet.

Instead, take a detour down the path to the right like you did earlier. Climb the grate and follow the hall back to find some chests with Red Orbs inside in the elevator shaft. After that, go back into the flooded room and climb the wall above the heat switch with your Boots.

Follow the cave until you come upon Daedalus. Stock up on health and magic here. After the cutscene, don't jump onto the rope above just yet. Turn right and walk down the long ledge to score some Red Orbs in two chests and a Special Item chest as well (which should be filled with Red Orbs provided you've found every Gorgon Eye thus far). Jump onto the rope that leads under the dangling Daedalus and cross it to the hanging platform. Drop onto the platform and use the grapple points to ascend ever higher in the massive cavern.

Activate the heat switch at the top to arrange the massive cubes in their ultimate formation. Climb towards the open hatch and leap into it.

Chapter 8 - The labyrinth

In the first room of the Labyrinth interior, turn left and expose a hidden chest with the Head of Helios. Red Orbs lie inside. Save on the other side of the room and use activate the heat switch with the Boreas Icestorm. Doing so will make several of the statue enemies appear. Equip your Nemean Cestus and attack them, staying behind them and evading their attacks, until a Cerberus appears.

Attack the Cerberus until you get a prompt above its head allowing you to take the reins. Use its fire attacks to destroy the remaining enemies. Enter the next room and look for some shimmering dust to the left of the doorway.

Shine the Head of Helios on the dust to reveal a chest with Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). Activate the heat switch on the ground and the room will burst into deadly action. Ignore the chests for now and look for some scalable wall on the left side.

Wait for the flames to subside and begin to climb, pressing X to move faster on the wall. Grab onto the ceiling and then climb up the face of the moving block above. Jump across the right when the two spiked platforms slam together.

Climb up to the surface and run to the far wall. Climb this and jump backwards onto the spiked platform as it passes under you.

Pull the lever to stop the machinery. Drop below and gather the Red Orbs in the chests (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). Head through the door and down the long hallway.

In the next room, search the right side of the doorway for a chest with Red Orbs inside. A small moveable crate sits in the middle of the room. Pull it to the left, leaving it just to the left of the heat switch. Activate the Heat Switch to turn the entire room.

The crate will end up near another heat switch. A few chests can be found on the large cube in the top left portion of the area. Push the block to the right so it rests beneath the heat switch on the "wall" (was the floor). Use this to get onto the ledges on the right side. From the tallest one you can fly over to the left and grab the edge of the cube. On top you'll find a Red Orb chest and a special item chest with Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Push the crate until it hits the back wall and activate the second heat switch. This should allow the crate to fall near a pressure switch on the ground after the room rights itself. Push it onto the pressure switch to open the way out.

Run up the wall on the far right using the Boots of Hermes and exit via the open gate. Activate the heat switch along the far wall.

This box fills with Minotaurs and soldiers -- which turn out to be the least of your troubles. Every quadrant of the floor is rigged with spikes that randomly thrust upwards. The bad news is that these will instantly kill you; the good news is that they also kill all the enemies. Thus, you can simply outlast the enemies by letting the spikes kill them.

You can even use the head of Helios to stun enemies in place while spikes appear under their feet. Just run around whipping enemies, focusing your attacks on the Minotaurs to slow them down. When spikes appear, jump and float to a safe quadrant. After you kill about three Minotaurs, the entire floor will fill with spikes.

At this point a Harpy will also appear. Press L1 + CIRCLE to grapple onto it and hang safely above the fray. Once the spikes kill the remaining enemies the floor will rotate and you'll find yourself amidst new enemies and another floor of spikes.

In this round you'll face Sirens and occasionally half the floor will fill with deadly spikes. The Sirens can fly above these and should be your primary targets (they can also freeze you in place, which can be very dangerous!). They are very susceptible to grab attacks but don't get caught grappling with them above spikes.

After killing a few Sirens and Minotaurs the floor will once again fill with spikes. A harpy will also appear, allowing you to grapple onto it for safety once again. Finish off the enemies and exit through the open door. Save and jump across the pit to Pandora's cell.

Use your Nemean Cestus to break the lock on the cell. After the long cutscene, approach the door and lift it using the button prompt.

Shine your Head of Helios to the right after leaving the cell to reveal a chest full of Red Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Approach the ledge and press CIRCLE to pick up Pandora. Press R1 to lift her onto the high ledge. Jump up and follow her through the door. On the other side you'll encounter Gorgons once again. These snake/woman hybrids are ideal implements for easily clearing out a room.

Use a Brutal Kill on the Gorgons to turn nearby enemies temporarily to stone and then whack them once for an instant kill. Don't worry about Pandora -- she can't be harmed by your attacks or the enemy creature.

When things quiet down, use the Head of Helios to expose a chest on the left side of the room with red orbs inside.

Approach the back wall and pull the lever all the way to the left. This will allow Pandora to enter a small hole in the cage on the right. As she activates a switch the room will turn and you'll be tasked with saving her from impending doom as a row of blades plummets downwards.

Climb up the fence and tap X for a speed boost. Jump onto the fence above the blades and dash to the left. Jump down on the far side and then slide to the ground. Turn the lever to allow Pandora to escape. You've got to be quick here and you may need to practice a few times before you get it right.

Before going through the door, use the Head of Helios to expose a chest on the left side of the area. Inside you'll find Red Orbs.

The next room holds an even more daunting timed climbing puzzle. Approach the large column on the left and pull it away from its resting point. Climb the fencing and run along the top towards the blue box Pandora is trapped inside.

Leap across to the fence on the wall above the box and jump to the right. On the far right a panel of fence will slide down.

Climb onto the ceiling and dash away from the back wall while hanging. Climb up the front face of the cube and, at the top, activate the heat switch to rotate the room.

Climb quickly away from the back wall using X to dash. If you dawdle you'll be crushed -- the analog controls get a bit confusing here, but pressing down on the LEFT STICK should get you to move the right way. Climb the front face of the platform and run to the far wall beneath the blue box.

Move to the right, jumping the gaps. Wait for the large spiked block to plummet past you on the right and begin to climb up as it rises beneath you.

Climb onto the top of the blue box using the fence and rotate the lever to bring up a heat switch. Activate this to end the sequence. Break into the cube using your weapons and approach Pandora to revive her.

Before leaving the room, search the left side for a sparkling cloud of dust. Use the Head of Helios to expose a chest with Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Save in the long hallway and stock up -- a long battle waits at the far end. The room contains dozens of enemies in seemingly endless waves. You've seen all of these enemies before: Sickle Wraiths, Sirens, Minotaurs and soldiers. But you haven't seen this many of them in one place!

Use Brutal Kills on the Minotaurs to refill your life and break the Sirens' backs refill your magic and stun area enemies. Since shielded enemies make up a big portion of the battle it's not a bad idea to keep the Nemean Cestus equipped. The Nemean Rage magic is great for taking out large groups as well.

This battle is extremely long but at the end you'll have some rewards to look forward to. Two hidden chests lie at either end of the room. Expose them with the Head of Helios and gather the Red Orbs from the one on the left and more orbs from the one on the right (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

You can also read a note from Daedalus in the middle of the room (how did he write that while chained up?). Pull the lever to allow Pandora to enter the cage and then hop onto the roof of the cage and step on the pressure switch to rise to the top of the Labyrinth.

The top of the Labyrinth is a grid of squares. Do not approach Pandora or you'll trigger a cutscene and leave the area! Instead, move forward to the second square (the one right before the save point and turn left. On this adjacent square you can expose a chest with a Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Along the far right side you'll find another chest with Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). It's on the second row you come to after the start point. In the far right corner, at the far end of the rightmost stretch of squares is yet another chest with Red orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

You can now save and approach Pandora at the edge of the Labyrinth. After the cutscene you'll find yourself plummeting back towards Hades again. Once again you need to dodge fireballs, scaffolding and more. Use the RIGHT ANALOG STICK to dodge quickly if you need to. This trip is a bit more harrowing than before, with many tight squeezes. It's hard to see once you get hit as well.

Chapter 9 - The End 

At the bottom a massive Cerberus lies in wait. You'll have to sever each head using the button prompts as they appear. A good way to weaken the three-headed dog and hit the annoying Satyrs that flank it is to use the Army of Sparta magic a few times. Defeat all the enemies to bring down the large gate.

Strangely enough, the chests you found in this area before reappear for your second visit. Hop over to the far left across the broken stairs to score a pair of chests with Red Orbs inside and another chest with even more Red Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Head back up to the middle of the area and pull the lever. This will bring up the chain a bit and open a gate on the right side. Ignore the chain for now and head towards the open gate.

Shine the Head of Helios on the cloud of sparkling dust between the pool of water and the Hyperian Gate to reveal a chest with Red Orbs inside (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Stock up on health and magic and head into the Hyperian gate. Move to the left once you are on the upper level and you'll see a familiar glint of blue on the back of the massive statue's head. Attack this with the Nemean Cestus until it shatters and you'll disable one of the three judges -- and one-third of the Chain of Balance's "security system."

Some enemies will confront you here. Break a Siren's back to send out a shockwave to stun the other. Finish them off with heavy attacks. Head right until you come to a gap in the walkway.

Search for a shimmering spot here and expose it with the head of Helios to score some Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). Jump and float across the gap to the right.

The second patch of blue crystal behind another head is here. Destroy it and take out the enemies that confront you. Continue counterclockwise around the walkway that circles the upper area. The rear side of the third and final head you come to is below the walkway.

Before heading down, search the left side of the final statue for a familiar shimmering cloud. Shine the Head of Helios on this to reveal a chest with even more Red Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters).

Climb down the vines at the dead end and destroy the final clump of blue Onyx crystals on the back of the head below. Climb back up and fend off the shielded enemies and Satyrs with your Nemean Cestus (and Nemean Rage).

As you move clockwise back around the walkway, look for a Hyperian Gate on the left. Enter this to warp back to the bottom area. Read the note hear and open the chest for some Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). Pull the lever to access the massive Chain of Balance once again.

Approach the link of chain and attack the blue section of it with your Nemean Cestus equipped. Destroy the blue weak points in both sides of the chain link and you'll sever the conduit between Olympus and Hades for good.

After the cutscene you'll once again have to navigate the treacherous tube that encapsulates the Chain of Balance. This trip is much shorter than before. Watch for the collapsing walls!

When you land, don't grapple onto the Chain of Balance just yet. Search the area for the three hidden chests you gathered before on top of the cubes. There are three special item chests to grab and they must be revealed with the Head of Helios like before. (If you forgot which cubes the secret chests are on, you can read about them here).

Now, use the grapple point to reach the chain and climb it back up to the Flame of Olympus.

Before heading up the stairs, search this area for some chests -- they've all reappeared in their previous places even if you've collected them earlier in the game. Cross the massive chamber to the nook with the large chain passing through it. If you've been following this walkthrough closely you will have already found the secret area back here. If not, look for the shimmering gold dust lining the wall across from the chain and shine the Head of Helios on it to reveal a hidden area.

In here you'll find a ton of Red Orbs (or a Minotaur Horn/Phoenix Feather/Gorgon Eye if you haven't maxed out your meters). You can also punch out the wall of crystals with your Nemean Cestus to reveal even more Orbs.

Health and magic chests lie along the edges of the large circular room. You can save here or at the top of the stairs.

Look for a final Red Experience Orb-filled chest and then push the crank at the top of the stairs all the way around in a clockwise motion to begin a long cutscene.

This fight often begins with Zeus charging at you. Wiggle the LEFT ANALOG STICK quickly as shown to repel his initial attack. The remainder of this fight takes place on a Street Fighter-esque 2D plane. The King of the Gods has several attacks that you can learn to dodge or counter with some practice.

The most common move is a three-part punch. Zeus will hit you with two punches and then clap his hands and release a burst of electricity. The key to defending against this attack is to counter with the Golden Fleece (L1, followed by SQUARE). You'll have to catch one of the first two swings. If you miss these, begin your Army of Sparta magic or jump to dodge the final clap.

Zeus will often teleport away from you after you hit him a bit. When he does this he may start this three-part punch. You should double-jump over him and hit him from the back. You should be able to hit him freely while he punches in the wrong direction.

Another move of Zeus' that often follows a teleport is an aerial lightning bolt attack. Since he shoots these diagonally downwards you can just run under him as he takes to the air and attack him. This is the most effective way to avoid this powerful barrage.

An attack that's rarer in the first half of the fight has Zeus fly high above and slam into the ground. This is a great time to use Army of Sparta to become invincible and deal damage. Your offensive moves should be heavy moves like Spirit of Hercules (SQUARE, SQUARE, TRIANGLE), Plume of Prometheus (TRIANGLE, TRIANGLE, TRIANGLE) and Tartarus Rage (L1 + TRIANGLE). These moves will knock Zeus to the ground when he isn't blocking, allowing to score easy hits.

Using the knowledge of Zeus' moves and the offensive attacks above you should be well prepared to deal with the angry deity. Try to stay near Zeus all the time, constantly attacking and watching for the telltale signs of his moves to counter or avoid them.

When a prompt appears over his head the battle is halfway over. Successfully follow the prompts to refill your life and enter the final stretch of the battle. This is almost identical to the first but Zeus will add in an electric attack that cruises along the ground like a wave.

You can hop this and hit him on the way down or, better yet, use Army of Sparta to become temporarily immune and deal some damage. Use the Blade of Olympus to significantly shorten this portion of the battle. A second button prompt will appear allowing you to end the fight... but it's not over yet!

After the cutscene, run along the edge of the room to the door leading outside. Save and jump down to confront Zeus again.

This battle is short so feel free to use magic or the Blade of Olympus to make it fast. Zeus will attack using all new moves, most of which are tough to evade so the invincibility Army of Sparta provide for the duration of the attack is quite useful.

If Zeus knocks you into the air, evade away using the Wings of Icarus. Try to counter any punches. This fight ends rather prematurely with the appearance of Gaia.

After a cutscene you'll find yourself in a familiar place. Press against the far wall and inch deeper into the titan's chest. Climb up and over the vines and then slide down and drop into the chamber below.

Approach Gaia's heart and attack the spikes of Onyx around the massive muscle with your Nemean Cestus. Burn away the vines with the Bow of Apollo. Attack the unprotected heart until the cutscene occurs.

Zeus is back and with more new moves than before. The key to this battle is the titan's massive heart which can be mined for Health Orbs. Simply attack it and they will pour out, refilling your health at any time -- and you'll need it in this fight!

Zeus is also aware of Gaia's life-giving properties and will occasionally dash up to the heart to recuperate. When he does this you need to quickly attack him to rip him away from the heart.

The best technique for this fight is stay near the heart almost always, getting attacks in when Zeus comes to you. If you go on the offensive, watch your health bar closely so you can return to recharge. If you stay near the heart and attack it, Zeus won't get a chance to recharge either.

Zeus' strangest new attack is to make several copies of himself. These duplicates eventually begin to crowd the area if you ignore them. Luckily they will also give off Magic Orbs as you destroy them. Magic is an important part of this fight, since Army of Sparta is very efficient in taking out the clones.

Make sure you catch Zeus with your magic attacks as well. You can also fill up your Blade of Olympus meter using these clones and this does a large amount of damage to Zeus.

When Zeus shoots a lightning bolt at you can deflect it back at him by using the Golden Fleece (L1, then SQUARE). You'll need to activate the Fleece right as the bolt hits you to get this to work.

Towards the end of the fight Zeus will begin to hover around the room a bit. Grab him with L1 + CIRCLE and bring him to the ground much like you would a Harpy.

This battle will enter a new sequence once you damage Zeus for a few minutes. Grab him when the prompt appears over his head and you'll enter a grapple that features many different types of button pressing and analog stick wiggling. Each successful button press will allow you to push Zeus towards the massive heart in the background.

When you finally overcome the god, hold R2 + L2 as prompted to plunge your sword through Zeus and into the heart of Gaia, felling them both at once.

After the cutscene, approach the Blade of Olympus and grab it. When Zeus grabs you, rapidly press CIRCLE to escape. Everything will go black and you will end up in a very strange place.

Run straight forward into the darkness and towards the object in the distance once it appears. Keep going until you find a path of blood to follow.

Follow this until you reach a scene from your distant past. After the cutscene, continue down the path of blood and once again into the void. You can barely make out a path forward to follow, but press on through the inky black. Eventually you'll come upon Pandora. Lift her up and she'll tell you that she can guide you and light a fire for your lamp.

Follow the path of blood until you come upon another scene Press R1 to comfort your kin and move on. The path will brighten and a bridge will form before you. Cross it heading towards the light in the distance.

When darkness closes in again you'll come upon fallen Athena. Press R1 to pick her up. After this, follow the blue light to the edge of the cliff and dive in.

Recover your lamp by pressing R1 and then swim around as the audio plays out scenes from your past. Swim towards the point of light in the distance once it appears. Follow the blue flame as it recedes into the dark.

Swim to the shore and approach the box. Open it to return to the realm of the living. Attack Zeus with SQUARE and TRIANGLE from the new first-person perspective.

When Kratos grabs Zeus, repeatedly press CIRCLE until the screen turns crimson. When you can no longer make out your opponent, cease punching.

After the final cutscene with Athena, hold R2 + L2 to strike your finishing blow. Congratulations, you've bested the Gods of Olympus and finished God of War III! Be sure to stick around through the credits to see a final tidbit.