God of War 2

The Temple of Euryale

Stand in front of the Gorgon face door and reflect the Gorgon gaze as it starts to flow from the eyes to stone the door. You'll need to tap the O button this time while reflecting the gaze. Attack the door to destroy it then walk down the stairs inside and open the door at the bottom. Quickly destroy the stone statues that start to shake in the next room before the Cursed Legionnaires inside break out of the stone and attack. Open the --GREEN CHEST-- in the middle of the room if you need a health boost. More Legionnaires will attack once you move down the right hall. The Golden Fleece's deflecting works very well for these type of enemies. Deflect their lunging attack then hit [] to counter with a Revenge attack that will knock them all off of you. Beware their counter slices as they get up from a knockdown (these attacks can also be deflected).

Slide down the ladder, or just fall down and a cutscene will show several Cursed Legionnaires break out of their stone state below and a Hades Minotaur will join them. If you are good at timing the deflection from the Golden Fleece followed by a [] attack then that will pulverize this whole room of enemies. Deflecting a Cursed Legionnaire's lunge attack is not that hard. I suggest using Rage of the Titans here or Cronos' Rage if you can't get the deflection timing down. Defeat the Legionnaires first then go for the Minotaur. A second Minotaur will follow after the first has been defeated. Open the --REPLENISHER CHEST-- to the side if needed then enter the corridor through the doorway on the right wall.

Open the --RED CHEST-- in the alcove. A cutscene will play once you near the lift in the back. Push the handle in a clockwise rotation to lower the lift. Defeat the Fire Nymphs and throw one toward the snake symbol on the wall to reveal a hidden alcove with an --UNMARKED CHEST-- containing a ++PHOENIX FEATHER (12/?)++.

The soldier in the cutscene took the handle so you can't very well use the lift on the other side, but you can rig it so that you can reach the ledge up above it. Raising the lift that you were just on will lower the other lift, so get back on the lift you just jumped off of and raise it to the point where Kratos can just barely walk under the framework at the top. Fall back outside and turn around to see a hidden alcove on the side of the lift that you just fell from with an --UNMARKED CHEST-- inside containing a ++GORGON EYE++ (19/?). Get on top of the lift with no handle and then jump up the ledges on the side of the wall above it.

Lowlands Vista

Upon reaching the top, a Legionnaire Commander will attack. These enemies block a bunch and will actually keep their distance as you attack. Watch fore his counterattack while he blocks and keep in mind that he has quite a long combo attack, so be ready to block quite a bit whenever he starts to attack. Keep in mind that you need to press a button during the finishing blow this time after activating it, unlike the first God of War. Walk toward the save point in the back and open the --GREEN CHEST-- if needed. Approach the broken ladder off to the side and climb up the rough wall above it - the top piece will fall off. Open the --BLUE CHEST-- near the pillars if needed as you listen to Euryale's threats coming from a nearby room.

Climb the rough wall off to the left then transition to the ceiling. Climb across the ceiling and watch for the saw blades as you climb by them. It's still much better than rotating pillars with blades though, I might add. The only real semi-hard part is the final three saw blades. Wait for an open spot between the two that move diagonally then climb into the middle triangle and move past the final blade when it passes to one side. If a blade hits, it will automatically kill Kratos, but you will start near the climbable wall at the beginning of this part.

Drop to the platform below and open the --GREEN CHEST-- if needed. Rotate the lever under the snake head clockwise to make the spiked masher on the right side pull back. Once the masher is pulled back as far as it will go, you will need to race into the opening of the caged area to the right side and move quickly down that tunnel as the masher starts to move toward you. Quickly pull the switch off to the side once you reach the middle portion of the tunnel to move the pillars on the outside that opens a path to the floor below. Run to the far end and quickly press R1 then tap the O button to lift the exit gate and get out of their before it compacts you - it gets extremely close before the gate opens. Just to let you know, the checkpoint for this area will start you back on the ledge below the saw blades next to the switch if you die in the compacter.

Go back and save your game before falling down into the room where the opening now is. Approach the book next to the stone figure (yes, you can break him) and examine the book.

Fun Fact: If you don't break the stone figure before examining the book then Euryale will shatter him in the following cutscene.

BOSS: EURYALE

Attacks (Phase #1):

Gaze: Euryale tilts her head back as it starts to glow red then unleashes her stone gaze upon Kratos.
How to avoid: Roll or deflect.

Horizontal Tail Swing: Euryale stands on her tail then quickly swings it at Kratos.
How to avoid: Block, roll, or deflect.

Tail Swing Combo: Euryale lies on her stomach and swings her tail horizontally then performs an overhead tail smash.
How to avoid: Block (first swing only), roll, or deflect (first swing only).

Headbutt: Euryale quickly headbutts Kratos.
How to avoid: Block, roll, or deflect.

For starters, all of Euryale's attacks can blocked except for her overhead tail swing and her gaze. Whenever she lies on her stomach and swings her tail, always be prepared to roll to the side to dodge the overhead swing that is coming next. You really need to learn the proper timing for her gaze so you can deflect it. You'll need to tap the O button during the deflection. Deflecting her gaze will give you blue orbs and sometimes a green orb.

Attack her with [] attacks and Plume of Prometheus, but always be ready to guard or deflect as she prepares an attack. Both Cronos' Rage and Typhon's Bane serve as good magic attacks for this battle and you can always replenish your gauge by deflecting her gaze. Cronos' Rage is really good for overwhelming her once you lay out three orbs. It will actually cancel her attacks.

Attacks (Phase #2):

Gaze Shockwave: Euryale charges a gaze by staring at the floor and eventually unleashes a shockwave that will turn Kratos to stone.
How to avoid: Double jump over the shockwave.

Gaze Projectiles: Euryale sends out a few projectiles that will turn Kratos into stone (after two hits).
How to avoid: Roll or deflect.

Euryale Splash: Euryale leaps into the air and lands in the center of the room creating a shockwave upon impact.
How to avoid: Jump or roll.

Tail Smack: Euryale slaps Kratos with her tail twice while on the pillar.
How to avoid: Block, roll, or deflect.

Eventually she will crawl to one of the back pillars and start a whole new set of attacks. It is important that you double jump to avoid her gaze shockwave since a single jump will only turn Kratos to stone and make him shatter when he falls. The gaze projectile will stone you after two hits in a row, and you must jump or perform a very well timed roll to avoid her splash. The only blockable move during this phase is her close range tail smack. Attack her from the ground (hit the pillar - no need to jump) while she is on a pillar and use whatever magic you have left until a O button icon appears above her. Press the O button then perform a clockwise rotation with the left analog to make her come crashing down off of the pillar. She will get on the other pillar in the back afterwards, so you will need to wear her down again and drag her off the pillar once again.

Attacks (Phase #3)

Fists Pound: Euryale raises up on her tail and smacks the ground with a big punch then performs a smaller punch.
How to avoid: Block (second punch only), roll, or deflect (second punch only).

Gaze Projectiles: Euryale releases gaze projectiles that will turn Kratos to stone (after two hits in a row).
How to avoid: Roll or deflect.

When both pillar are destroyed she will continue the fight on the ground and become very aggressive. She will start a new move where she will try to pound you with her fist. Only the second hit of this move is blockable so avoid the first by rolling. She will only shoot gaze projectiles instead of performing her gaze, but the gaze projectiles can be deflected for some extra blue orbs during this phase - she shoots four at a time, and you will have time to deflect two if you deflect the first one for double the orb pickup! She will still perform her normal tail combos and slaps so be on the lookout for them. Hit her sparingly during this phase with [] attacks and rely mainly on magic and Rage of the Titans. Once the O button icon appears let 'er rip, literally!

Titan Mode

Euryale isn't too much of a problem on Titan mode, but you MUST learn how to avoid her attacks. See the description above for Spartan mode to see how to avoid each. All of her physical attacks are blockable except for the overhead tail smash and Euryale splash (from the pillars). Use very little magic on her throughout the battle, and do not use Rage of the Titans at all.

The main deadly phase is when she jumps to the ground after the two pillars are gone. At this time, activate Rage of the Titans and lay out three Cronos' Rage orbs then hit her with endless /\ attacks until the O button icon appears. This will annihilate her very quickly, so watch for their O button icon then get ready to finish her off. Rage of the Titans will make Kratos to where he only take half damage from her ground pounds, so you don't need to worry about dodging them at this point.

Kratos will gain the **HEAD OF EURYALE** after the epic battle. Now, you must turn five enemies to stone and shatter them in order to leave this area. Hold up the Head of Euryale (L2) and use [] to slowly turn the Sentries to stone then shatter them with one of Kratos' weapons. The gate in the back of the area will rise once the deed is fulfilled. Make use of the save point before going outside.

Walk through the doorway and the camera will show you what looks to be one gigantic puzzle. It isn't that bad though. If you jump into the water, you can find some pots to break for some red orbs - use the speed boost (Charge R1) to break them.

COLUMN 1: Rotate the lever by the doorway clockwise to raise the column next to it. This will send the grapple point on the column high into the air. You may have noticed the Fate Statue with the flashing green stone off to the side. Hop over to the switch on the gray platform. Pull the switch to open the gate at the bottom of the pool then slow time with the Amulet of the Fates (Hold L1 then press R1) and quickly swim through the gate before time resumes.

COLUMN 2: You'll notice a switch to the right as you swim through the gate. Pull the switch to keep the gate open permanently. Swim to the surface then jump on top of the middle platform and rotate the lever clockwise to raise the next column into the air. Jump back down into the water and find the switch next to the big iron gate below. Pull the switch and quickly swim through the first gate that opens then charge R1 and perform a charged swim under the second gate directly ahead. If the second gate closes too quickly then swim down the right tunnel and make your way back to the switch for another try.

(Column 3 will be accessed after the others)

COLUMN 4: Swim to the top and stand on the middle platform. Break the cracked wall to the left to reveal an --UNMARKED CHEST-- with a ++GORGON EYE (20/?)++ inside. Rotate the lever clockwise to raise the third column into the air. Swim over to the gate on the right side at the bottom of the pool and perform a charged swim right through the gate to break it and get to the other side.

COLUMN 5: Break the pots at the bottom of the pool for some extra red orbs then swim to the surface and jump up to the middle platform. Rotate the lever to make the fourth column rise into the air. Pull the switch off to the side to open the gate above - it stays open.

Walk down the hall through the doorway to the side. Ignore the path to the right at the moment and climb the ladder. Walk toward the camera angle and open the --2 RED CHESTS-- against the back wall. Step on the big pressure switch in behind the two bird statues - this will make the wall open to reveal a ladder below just in case you fall from here. As you can see, the Fate Statue with the flashing green stone is in the background as you step toward the ledge and this will allow you to slow time from this ledge. Go back down the ladder and enter the corridor to the right that I said to ignore earlier.

Fun Fact: A quicker way down is to swing on the first column then jump to the next and swing to the lower room of the area where the third column should be.

You'll notice that the room has a lever and Fate Statue with a flashing green stone. This column will not stay up once raised, so you will need to slow time in order to get back to the top of the ladder before it lowers. As you begin to rotate the lever the first time, a Juggernaut enemy will spawn from the ground. These enemies look hard, but they have one fatal flaw - they're slow as hell. All of their attacks are blockable so you don't even have to roll away from them while they attack. Keep in mind they will sometimes add a second overhead attack to the first morning star overhead attack. Just wait for the Juggernaut to attack and counter with combos while he recovers. Both the Hammer and the Athena's Blades work well for this enemy. Even though this enemy may appear easy, he will become harder later in the game.

Fireball Fiends and two more Juggernauts will appear once the first Juggernaut has been dealt with. Use Cronos' Rage to keep the Fireball Fiends occupied. The Head of Euryale works well for stoning the Juggernauts if they become too troublesome with the group. Stone them and break them with a few hits - Plume of Prometheus' final hit will always break a stoned enemy.

COLUMN 3 (Final): Rotate the lever clockwise then quickly slow time with the Amulet of the Fates. Climb the ladder and stand on the ledge, but wait for time to resume if it hasn't yet. Once time resumes, slow time once again with the Amulet of the Fates.

Grapple to the first column and swing then grapple to the second column. Swing and grapple to the third column. The third column is the one that is timed so just make it past this column and there is no need to rush after that. Swing and jump to the fourth column. Be sure to time the jump well when leaping to the fifth column since the middle wall will be in the way. Keep swinging on the fifth column once you grapple to it and look toward the alcove to the right. Time your swing and jump to that alcove to find a --RED CHEST-- along with an --UNMARKED CHEST-- that contains a ++PHOENIX FEATHER (13/?)++. Walk back to the ledge facing the column and press R1 to easily latch back on to the column then swing toward the open gate up ahead.

Open the --GREEN CHEST-- if needed then move down the corridor ahead. Walk over to the switch in the back and pull it. The doorway will seal off from behind. Hounds will fall down from the ceiling, and the floor will start to rise. Well, damn. Quickly start to fight the Hounds off with your Athena's Blades - use [] swings or Plume of Prometheus. You need to finish all of these enemies before the platform reaches the ceiling. If not, then you will likely die. Using kicks with the grab button works well, but if you accidentally grab a weak Hound and start the kill sequence then that will delay you quite a bit in your bloodshed.

When the platform reaches the top, it looks as if it is all over for Kratos but he quickly grabs the ceiling and you must tap the O button in order to push the platform back down. The gate in the back will start to open slightly with each platform push. Two more Hounds fall from the ceiling and attack. Quickly fight them off - use Cronos' Rage if it comes down to it. Just in case one is still alive with full life when Kratos is about to be compacted, kick the Hound away quickly then start the Action Sequence to push the platform back down. Having a Hound alive when you start the animation doesn't always end in instant death, but it can if the Hound attacks during the Action Sequence. After pushing the platform down three times, the gates will open just enough for Kratos to squeeze through them.

Fun Fact: Stand and listen as the platform moves up to here the squeals of the remaining Hounds as they get compacted.

Destroy the wooden framework and containers along the wall for some extra orbs then fight off the few Harpies that attack. Carefully move across the small wooden beams up ahead. Jump to the small ledge on the right wall and climb across to the other side. Jump and climb up the rope to the left to find a --RED CHEST-- and an --UNMARKED CHEST-- containing a ++PHOENIX FEATHER (14/?)++ in the hidden area at the top. Climb back down the rope and open the --REPLENISHER CHEST-- to the side if needed. Walk toward the rock pile in the back of the cave.

BOSS: ROCK MINOTAUR

Attacks:

Ground Pound: The Rock Minotaur hits the ground with both hands then aggressively pounds the ground in front of him.
How to avoid: Roll or move away.

Lariat: The Rock Minotaur holds out its arms and spins in place.
How to avoid: Roll or move away.

Rock Throw: The Rock Minotaur picks up a boulder and tosses it.
How to avoid: Roll.

This Rock Minotaur fights the exact same as the last one, only this time Harpies will attack along with him. The Harpies are actually helpful in a way. Whenever the Rock Minotaur prepares to throw a rock, grab a Harpy and Kratos will be invincible to the rock throw during the wing tearing animation. Keep in mind that you can guard against their dive bomb attacks. This battle is going to take a bit more patience than the last battle since the area is small and the Minotaur will not step out from in between the two rock piles on the right and left side.

Hit him sparingly with [] attacks from Athena's Blades and be sure to roll away when he starts to pound the ground or perform his lariat. The ground pound is easily the most annoying move in this battle since rolling backward once is sometimes not enough to escape the attack. Try to stay right next to him while attacking so he uses the lariat instead of the ground pound. He will perform a ground pound while you're at midrange from him. When he does a ground pound, do not try to attack directly after the move; instead, move back and wait for him to perform a boulder throw then roll directly toward him to escape the boulder as he throws it and this will position you in front of him without taking damage. He should perform a lariat for his next attack to which you can easily roll back once to escape. Keep up a pattern of attacking and rolling away from the lariat followed by rolling back toward him and attacking. He will fall shortly with this method. Make sure that you roll toward him when the lariat FULLY stops to avoid taking damage. Use any of your magic except for the Head of Euryale (don't even...) for some extra damage. If you have Rage of the Titans built up then by all means use it!

Continue further into the cave and you'll come upon what appears to have been a big slaughter. Skeletons will attack as you reach the end of the slaughter trail. Stone them with the Head of Euryale and shatter them for some very easy kills. The Head of Euryale works extremely well for Skeletons - remember that. Run up the circular stairway and pull the switch at the top then continue up the stairway to return to Destiny's Atrium.

Destiny's Atrium

The first thing you should do now is save your game then head back into the forest. Remember those chest that were in the background right before the cutscene played where the Barbarian drug Kratos away? Well, after entering the Bog of the Forgotten area, you will notice a --RED CHEST-- and a --MEGA RED CHEST--. These Mega Chest are hidden throughout the game and will grant Kratos certain powerups. This one will boost his red orb count by about 5000!

Return to Destiny's March and approach the stone face that is shooting the fireballs that you skipped over earlier. Use the Golden Fleece to deflect a fireball by tapping L1 right before one of them hits you in order to blow open the wall and reveal a new path. Hug the right wall and move along the right ledge to get by the gap. You'll likely notice the --GREEN CHEST-- and --BLUE CHEST-- hidden behind the cave formation up ahead. Slide down the ladder and move down the tunnel below.

Two Archers will aim at Kratos as you come upon the outside area. Tear through them and a Legionnaire Commander along with more Archers will spawn from the ground up ahead. Take care of the Archers first since the Legionnaire Commander will only stand and guard most of the time anyway. Destroy the first three with your blades and use Typhon's Bane to shoot the remaining two on the platform up ahead.

Use the grapple point to swing to the platform where the set of two Archers were. Climb up the rough wall on the left side of the platform upon landing to find a --RED CHEST-- and an --UNMARKED CHEST-- containing a ++GORGON EYE (21/?)++ at the top. Use the next few grapple points to swing past the waterfalls up ahead. A Legionnaire Commander and two Archers will appear on the other side of the waterfalls. Defeat the two Archers first as usual and open the --GREEN CHEST-- if needed.