God of War 3 Challenge of Olympus Strategy Guide
After completing the Challenge of Olympus in God of War 3, I realized that many of these trials require specific mechanical approaches rather than brute force. I’ve compiled my personal findings and tactical adjustments here to help you clear these challenges efficiently. If you are struggling with a specific trial, these methods reflect the techniques I used to finally secure the completion.
Population Control:
Objective: Don't allow there to be more than 50 enemies at the same time. Kill them before too many spawn.
---This is the most straightforward challenge. I recommend utilizing the Nemean Cestus for its high damage output and wide arc. Focus on aggressive crowd control; as long as you maintain constant pressure, the enemy count will never reach the threshold.
Bare Hands:
Objective: Kill all the enemies without using weapons before time runs out.
---This trial is a test of efficiency. The most effective tactic is to grab smaller enemies (Circle) and use them as projectiles by ramming them into larger foes (Square). Crucially, do not initiate the finishing prompt (Circle) on larger enemies, as the animation sequence consumes too much time. Simply chain the ramming attacks until the target is defeated. Additionally, avoid knocking enemies into the arena walls, as this often results in a kill on the small enemy without dealing significant damage to the larger ones. If you can successfully knock a large enemy off the platform, you will save significant time, though this requires precise positioning.
Get Stoned:
Objective: Allow the Gorgons to turn you to stone 10 times without dying.
---This is arguably the most frustrating challenge due to the RNG of the Gorgon attacks. I found that maintaining distance encourages the Gorgons to use their green petrification beam. If you stay close, they default to melee attacks. When hit, press (L1) to block, but do not execute a counter-attack. Immediately mash the movement inputs to break free from the stone state. While you can use (L1 + command) to freeze other enemies, prioritize survival over combat. On the final two counts, the arena becomes crowded; focus entirely on baiting the beam and breaking free, ignoring the other enemies entirely to avoid being overwhelmed.
El Matador - OLE:
Objective: Don't get gored by the Minotaurs. Don't get piled on by the enemies.
---To handle the charging Minotaurs, position yourself near the edge of the platform. Wait until the Minotaur is mid-charge and roll off the edge. Kratos will hang from the ledge, causing the Minotaur to charge past you and off the platform. Pull yourself up immediately to avoid falling. For the smaller enemies, the (L1 + square) area-of-effect attack is highly effective for crowd control and keeping them off you.
Knockout:
Objective: Score 1000 points by knocking enemies out of the arena.
---Success here depends on your speed in the opening phase. You must defeat or take control of the initial Ogre as quickly as possible. If you are not in control of the Ogre by the 43-second mark, you will likely run out of time. Use the Ogre’s reach to toss smaller enemies out of the arena to rack up points efficiently.
Hades Kids:
Objective: They don't die, they multiply. Get 5 Cyclops to spawn.
---The difficulty spikes when four Cyclops are active. My strategy is to damage two Cyclops simultaneously until they are near death. Kill only one of them; this triggers the spawn of two more. By keeping the remaining damaged Cyclops alive while focusing on the new arrivals, you can manage the spawn count. Once you have multiple damaged targets, finish them off in quick succession to hit the 5-Cyclops requirement. Patience and constant movement are essential here.
Simply Smashing:
Objective: Destroy all the urns before time runs out.
---I found the most consistent combo for urn destruction to be (square, square, triangle). This sequence provides a balanced reach and speed. For tighter clusters, I also found success by pressing square once, rolling to reposition, and repeating. This single-strike approach allows for a wider sweeping motion that can catch 3 to 4 urns in a single pass.
After completing the Challenge of Olympus in God of War 3, I realized that many of these trials require specific mechanical approaches rather than brute force. I’ve compiled my personal findings and tactical adjustments here to help you clear these challenges efficiently. If you are struggling with a specific trial, these methods reflect the techniques I used to finally secure the completion.
Population Control:
Objective: Don't allow there to be more than 50 enemies at the same time. Kill them before too many spawn.
---This is the most straightforward challenge. I recommend utilizing the Nemean Cestus for its high damage output and wide arc. Focus on aggressive crowd control; as long as you maintain constant pressure, the enemy count will never reach the threshold.
Bare Hands:
Objective: Kill all the enemies without using weapons before time runs out.
---This trial is a test of efficiency. The most effective tactic is to grab smaller enemies (Circle) and use them as projectiles by ramming them into larger foes (Square). Crucially, do not initiate the finishing prompt (Circle) on larger enemies, as the animation sequence consumes too much time. Simply chain the ramming attacks until the target is defeated. Additionally, avoid knocking enemies into the arena walls, as this often results in a kill on the small enemy without dealing significant damage to the larger ones. If you can successfully knock a large enemy off the platform, you will save significant time, though this requires precise positioning.
Get Stoned:
Objective: Allow the Gorgons to turn you to stone 10 times without dying.
---This is arguably the most frustrating challenge due to the RNG of the Gorgon attacks. I found that maintaining distance encourages the Gorgons to use their green petrification beam. If you stay close, they default to melee attacks. When hit, press (L1) to block, but do not execute a counter-attack. Immediately mash the movement inputs to break free from the stone state. While you can use (L1 + command) to freeze other enemies, prioritize survival over combat. On the final two counts, the arena becomes crowded; focus entirely on baiting the beam and breaking free, ignoring the other enemies entirely to avoid being overwhelmed.
El Matador - OLE:
Objective: Don't get gored by the Minotaurs. Don't get piled on by the enemies.
---To handle the charging Minotaurs, position yourself near the edge of the platform. Wait until the Minotaur is mid-charge and roll off the edge. Kratos will hang from the ledge, causing the Minotaur to charge past you and off the platform. Pull yourself up immediately to avoid falling. For the smaller enemies, the (L1 + square) area-of-effect attack is highly effective for crowd control and keeping them off you.
Knockout:
Objective: Score 1000 points by knocking enemies out of the arena.
---Success here depends on your speed in the opening phase. You must defeat or take control of the initial Ogre as quickly as possible. If you are not in control of the Ogre by the 43-second mark, you will likely run out of time. Use the Ogre’s reach to toss smaller enemies out of the arena to rack up points efficiently.
Hades Kids:
Objective: They don't die, they multiply. Get 5 Cyclops to spawn.
---The difficulty spikes when four Cyclops are active. My strategy is to damage two Cyclops simultaneously until they are near death. Kill only one of them; this triggers the spawn of two more. By keeping the remaining damaged Cyclops alive while focusing on the new arrivals, you can manage the spawn count. Once you have multiple damaged targets, finish them off in quick succession to hit the 5-Cyclops requirement. Patience and constant movement are essential here.
Simply Smashing:
Objective: Destroy all the urns before time runs out.
---I found the most consistent combo for urn destruction to be (square, square, triangle). This sequence provides a balanced reach and speed. For tighter clusters, I also found success by pressing square once, rolling to reposition, and repeating. This single-strike approach allows for a wider sweeping motion that can catch 3 to 4 urns in a single pass.