How to Find DLC Items in God of War Ragnarok

Hi friend! With the launch of God of War Ragnarök, you may be wondering: how do I find all the DLC items from my pre-order bonuses? Don‘t worry, I‘ve got you covered. As a fellow gaming and tech enthusiast, I‘ll walk you step-by-step through claiming your sweet loot.

First up, let‘s quickly recap:

How to Find DLC Items in God of War Ragnarök

To access bonus DLC gear and equipment from pre-ordering God of War Ragnarök, you first need to redeem any included codes. This unlocks the content to your PlayStation account.

Once in-game, the main way to claim DLC is through the Resources tab at the shop menu. This is unlocked after completing the intro mission and returning home.

Some pre-order armor sets also have an early unlock chest located in the starting area downstairs. Open it to equip these immediately and get a head start.

After acquiring items, head to the Equipment menu to equip them and activate the bonuses. Take time to experiment with different gear combos that match your playstyle.

Now let‘s dig into the details!

An Epic Norse Adventure Awaits

As a fellow gaming enthusiast, I don‘t need to tell you how incredible the God of War series is. The epic storytelling, visceral combat, and jaw-dropping world design make it one of PlayStation‘s best exclusives.

I‘m thrilled Ragnarök will let us adventure through the Nine Realms alongside Kratos and Atreus once more. This father-son duo really grew on me during the last game. Seeing their relationship evolve as they unravel the mystery of Loki‘s fate is at the heart of what makes the story so engaging.

And I don‘t know about you, but I can‘t wait to test myself against towering beasts and godly foes alike. The franchise has always excelled at making you feel the weight and power of Kratos‘ axe and chain blades during combat. Ragnarök looks set to turn the brutality up to 11!

Suffice to say, my hype levels are high. I‘m hoping you‘re also eager to dive in and join the battle against mythic forces that threaten the realms. But before we pick up axe and shield, let‘s get you that DLC loot!

Code Redemption Comes First

When you pre-purchased God of War Ragnarök, either digitally or at retail, you should have received one or more bonus DLC codes. These unlock access to extra in-game content through the PlayStation Store.

Here are the steps to redeem codes and link the DLC to your account:

On your PlayStation dashboard, open the PlayStation Store.
Select the "Redeem Codes" option located at the bottom in the sidebar menu.
Carefully enter your DLC code and hit Continue.
Follow any additional prompts to finish activating the content.

Once successfully redeemed, you should see a confirmation message. The DLC is now tied to your account but still needs to be claimed in the game itself.

If redeeming a physical code card, be extra careful when inputting the code. These 12-16 digit codes are case-sensitive and easy to mistake. I recommend actually taking a picture of the card just to avoid any errors.

For any digital special editions, check your email inbox for thecodes. They should have arrived in the same message as your game download code. If not, try searching for "DLC" or "bonus content" emails from PlayStation.

Early Armor Unlock

Alright, now the fun starts! After redeeming your codes, boot up God of War Ragnarök and get to playing.

Once in-game, you can immediately acquire certain pre-order armors thanks to a simple shortcut. Let‘s grab them now so you can start your journey with style and extra power.

Follow these steps:

Play through the opening mission up until Atreus goes to his room.
Instead of moving forward, backtrack downstairs through your house.
Look for a Shirna‘s Supplies chest next to the Mystic Gateway.
Open the chest to claim the early armor unlocks!

Based on which edition you purchased, the chest should contain the Risen Snow Armor and/or Darkdale Armor sets. You can equip them right away for their bonuses, including:

Risen Snow Armor – Grants Frost damage and melee boosts
Darkdale Armor – Provides balanced stat increases to strength, runic, defense, and vitality.

Scoring this high-level gear before you even finish the tutorial area is awesome. You‘ll crush through early fights and beasts in no time. Take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with equipping different armor pieces too.

Now, this DLC armor won‘t stay overpowered forever. The bonuses are strongest right at the beginning. But they provide a great head start until you locate more artifacts and materials to upgrade your equipment.

In future playthroughs, I actually like to challenge myself by intentionally not grabbing the gear. If you‘re up for it, try fighting The Hunt sidequest boss without the DLC armor to really test your skills.

Either way, snagging this early game gear is quick and painless. But it‘s not the only DLC waiting to be discovered…

Claiming Resources at the In-Game Shop

The main way to retrieve all your pre-order content is through the in-game shop menu. This lets you craft, upgrade, and buy armor and weapons as you progress.

Here‘s how to find and claim DLC items at the shop‘s Resources tab:

Play through the intro mission until you return home and unlock the shop. This takes about 1 hour.
Interact with the crafting table near the swords to bring up the shop interface.
Select either the Armor or Weapons category, then go to the Resources tab.
Scroll down and claim any free DLC items shown here.

This is where the bulk of your bonuses will be waiting, including full armor sets, weapons, shields, and other exclusives. As long as you redeemed the codes properly, they‘ll be free to grab.

I recommend popping back here between major story missions. New DLC stock can sometimes be unlocked as you advance further in Ragnarök‘s narrative. So check often for surprise updates.

In total, some of the sweet pre-order gear you can acquire through the Resources tab includes:

Death‘s Vow Armor – Boosts strength and runic powers
Shining Elven Soul Shield – Improves vitality and resistance
Sacrifice of the Sun spear – Expands Spartan Rage meter
Raven, Bear, and Wolf skins – Alternate forms for Atreus

And much more! The DLC catalog is deep and collecting it all will take some time. But the effort is worth it to fully experience everything exclusive gear has to offer.

Which brings us to the next step…

Equipping Your Bonus Gear

Once you‘ve claimed DLC items from the shop or early game chests, it‘s time to equip them for use against foes.

Access the Equipment menu and select either Weapons or Armor:

For Weapons, pick 1 Large Weapon, 1 Small Weapon, and 1 Shield.
For Armor, choose 1 Chest, 1 Wrist, and 1 Waist armor piece.
Highlight a DLC item and press Square/X to equip it.

Take a moment to admire how badass the gear looks on Kratos and Atreus. These premium sets really add flair to their designs.

Now it‘s time to test them in combat! Pay attention to the bonuses each set provides as you battle draugrs, beasts, and eventually massive bosses. Lean into strengths like high Luck or Runic power boosts.

Don‘t be afraid to mix and match either. While full sets provide the biggest boosts, experimenting with hybrid builds is part of the fun. Plus, enemies have different weaknesses to exploit.

For example, equip the Cursed Buckler Shield when fighting hordes of smaller foes. Its perk increases Stance gains to activate Rampage Fury more often.

But against towering bosses, switch to the Shining Divine Shield for its bonus to Parry impact damage. That can create openings to unleash powerful axe throws and runic attacks.

Customizing your gear is key in God of War‘s intense combat. So embrace the DLC items and use them strategically to overcome any obstacle.

Troubleshooting: What If I Can‘t Find My DLC?

As amazing as the DLC items are, you may occasionally run into some hiccups accessing them. Don‘t panic! Here are some troubleshooting tips if your bonus content isn‘t showing up:

Double check the codes are properly redeemed in the PlayStation Store.
If playing disc, verify the game is fully updated with the latest patch.
Try manually checking for system and game updates.
Restart the game and/or your console to refresh everything.
Ensure you‘re connected online since DLC requires server verification.
For armor, remember to open the correct downstairs chest location.
As a last resort, restore licenses on your PlayStation through the settings.
If issues continue, contact PlayStation support for further investigation.

With some patience and testing, you should be able to resolve most DLC issues. My advice is to take a breath and tackle one solution at a time. Before you know it, Kratos will be decked out in all the pre-order gear you deserve!

It‘s Time to Embrace Your Destiny

My friend, our journey through the Nine Realms awaits. I don‘t know what fates Ragnarök has in store for Kratos and Atreus. But I do know this:

With the DLC items I‘ve equipped and the skills I‘ve honed from past games, I‘m ready to take on this next chapter. To push back against the forces that would do our heroes harm. And most of all, to weave a tale full of heart and soul that does justice to the series.

I hope this guide has prepared you to make the most of your God of War Ragnarök experience and claim every piece of bonus loot. Now steel your nerves and let‘s show the realms what we‘re made of! Glory awaits.

Your friend,

[Your name]