God of War Sons of Sparta the pit—officially known as The Pit of Agonies—is a demanding endgame roguelike challenge mode where players face escalating waves of enemies, choose custom difficulty modifiers called Agonies, and battle through twenty-one intense floors either solo or in two-player local co-op. Unlocked automatically after completing the main story or via a classic cheat code shortcut, this mode tests your mastery of Kratos’ arsenal while offering unique meta-progression rewards.
How to Unlock The Pit of Agonies
Normally, The Pit of Agonies becomes accessible only after you beat the main story of the game to ensure you are fully familiar with Kratos’ Spartan arms and the various foes you will face. However, if you want to jump straight into the action early, you can input a classic Konami-style sequence on the starting menu.
- Navigate to the main title screen of the game.
- Press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad on your controller.
- Check the main menu to confirm that the new option for The Pit has unlocked.
Playing Solo or in Local Couch Co-op
While you can tackle the depths entirely on your own as Kratos, the developers at Mega Cat Studios introduced a retro gaming staple to the experience: two-player local couch co-op. This setup lets you team up with a friend to control both Kratos and Deimos as you descend into the subterranean trials. Because this feature is strictly offline and local, you will need a second controller and a buddy sitting next to you on the couch to experience multiplayer chaos together.
| Feature Aspect | Solo Play | Local Couch Co-op |
|---|---|---|
| Player Count | 1 Player | 2 Players (Local / Offline) |
| Characters | Kratos | Kratos and Deimos |
| Pacing | Controlled single-player flow | Synchronized team coordination required |
| Setup | Standard single-controller entry | Second controller and local partner required |
Understanding Agonies and Global Modifiers
Each run inside The Pit begins by selecting your starting Agony, a global difficulty modifier that introduces unique hazards and twists your playstyle. As you progress deeper into the floors, you will have opportunities to add more Agonies or increase the intensity of your active choices.
There are nine distinct Agonies available to discover and master:
- Dread: Weakens your spear damage until you land consecutive strikes without taking damage.
- Calamity: Causes defeated enemies to burst into violent, fiery explosions.
- Misery: Prohibits the emergence of Magic Orbs and heavily increases the cost of magic use.
- Despair: Prohibits the emergence of Spirit Orbs and increases the cost of spirit usage.
- Terror: Forces certain enemies to possess unstable magic or spirit armor that cycles quickly.
- Fear: Prohibits Health Orbs and diminishes overall healing potency.
- Torment: Summons healing vessels that must be destroyed to stop enemies from regenerating health.
- Anguish: Inflicts the Burn status effect when you stand still, which can be recovered by staying on the move.
- Pain: Consumes your health over time to massively empower incoming enemy damage.
Floor Progression and Combat Rewards
The Pit consists of 21 rooms and floors where enemies grow increasingly dangerous the further you descend. Key milestones occur on rooms 5, 12, and 21, which feature powerful special boss-style enemies. After clearing a room, a chest spawns to offer a random choice between two gear items—ranging from spear tips and grips to shield rims and gifts of olympus.
Before entering floors 6, 13, and 21, you will visit a special floor where you can select an additional Agony to ramp up the challenge while automatically upgrading all of your active items. You can also visit a Blood Pedestal, which acts as a shop where you trade Blood Orbs for randomly generated gear. Completing a run rewards you with Symbols of Suffering to unlock new Agonies and Ashes of Agony for permanent meta-progression upgrades.
Earning Ashes of Agony for Permanent Upgrades
Surviving the depths of The Pit yields Ashes of Agony, a specialized currency used to purchase permanent upgrades that carry over between your attempts. You can invest these ashes into several categories to streamline future runs:
- Hard Bargain: Discounts the item costs at the Blood Pedestal (max 5 levels).
- Good Fortune: Increases the frequency at which rare gear appears in chests (max 5 levels).
- Blood Money: Makes Blood Orbs much more plentiful during combat encounters (max 5 levels).
- Wilful Retreat: Allows you to exit The Pit while keeping your currently gathered Ashes of Agony (max 1 level).
- Generous Bounty: Makes overall Ashes of Agony yields more abundant (max 5 levels).
- Grace of Agon: Shatters the Grace of Agon to expel health, magic, spirit, and blood orbs (max 3 levels).
- Pitiful Adoration: Increases how frequently the Grace of Agon appears (max 3 levels).
- Well of Benevolence: Refills your Olpe of Wellness using the flowing essence of life (max 3 levels).
FAQ
How do I unlock The Pit of Agonies without finishing the story?
You can bypass the story requirement by entering the button code on the main menu: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad.
Can I play multiplayer in The Pit of Agonies online?
No, the multiplayer functionality in The Pit is restricted to two-player local couch co-op and does not support online matchmaking.
What are Symbols of Suffering used for?
Symbols of Suffering are earned by completing runs with active Agonies, and reaching specific thresholds of these symbols unlocks new Agonies for future attempts.
What happens if I die during a run in The Pit?
Dieing ends your current run and tallies up your performance scores, but you retain your earned Ashes of Agony to spend on permanent upgrades for your next descent.