GOD EATER 3: Complete Guide

A guide to Bandai Namco's hunting action game: how God Arcs, Devour, Burst, Burst Arts and Acceleration Triggers work, which weapons suit which playstyle, how to farm Abandoned God Arcs in the post-game, and what the free "Traversing the Past" updates added.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 2.50 (March 2020), which the producer called the final planned update. Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Devour constantly. Devouring an Aragami puts you into Burst, boosting your stats and powering your Burst Arts. It is the core of combat.
• Burst Arts replace basic moves. Equip Burst Arts on ground, air, and step attacks; they only fire while you are in Burst.
• Use Dive to move. The Dive dash covers ground fast, and a dive attack is a great opener.
• Break parts. Breaking heads, arms, tails and other parts yields extra materials and weakens the Aragami.
• Pick one melee type and learn it deeply before experimenting.
• Equip Acceleration Triggers. These passive abilities give temporary boosts when conditions are met.
• Engage with allies. The Engage System links you with an AI or human partner to share buffs.
• Watch out for Ash Aragami. They can Devour you and enter their own Burst, becoming far more dangerous.
• Upgrade your gear regularly. Materials from missions go straight into new God Arcs and armor.

The Setting in One Paragraph

In the near future, the world has been devastated by the Aragami and by an ash calamity that created the Ashlands. You play an AGE (Adaptive God Eater), a new generation of God Eater able to survive in the ash. Alongside Hugo, Zeke, Keith, Lulu, Claire, Hilda and the mysterious girl Phym, you fight across the Ashlands under the eye of Gleipnir and other factions.

Core Combat Systems

God Arcs

A God Arc combines a melee blade, a gun, and a shield. You can switch between melee and gun forms at any time.

Part | Type | Notes

Melee | Short Blade | Fast, aerial-friendly

Melee | Long Blade | Balanced; Zero Stance combos

Melee | Buster Blade | Heavy charged hits

Melee | Boost Hammer | Rocket-powered hammer

Melee | Charge Spear | Charged thrusts, strong vs. weak points

Melee | Variant Scythe | Long reach, wide sweeps

Melee | Biting Edge (new) | Dual-wield that combines into a glaive

Melee | Heavy Moon (new) | Two-handed moon axe with a transforming blade

Gun | Assault | Rapid fire

Gun | Blast | Heavy shells

Gun | Sniper | Long range, precise

Gun | Ray Gun (new) | Continuous laser

Shield | Buckler, Shield, Tower Shield | Faster block versus stronger guard

Beginner picks: Long Blade or Short Blade for melee, Assault gun for easy ranged support. Heavy Moon and Biting Edge are strong but more technical.

Devour and Burst

• Devour bites an Aragami with your God Arc's predator form. You can Devour on the ground, in the air, after a step, or with a charged Devour.
• Devouring puts you into Burst, a strong buff state.
• Devouring also gives you Aragami Bullets, which you can fire or share with allies to put them into Burst (a Link Burst).
• Keep Burst up as much as possible.

Burst Arts

• Burst Arts are powerful versions of ground, aerial and step attacks.
• They activate when you are in Burst. Leveling them up unlocks stronger versions.
• Many players set a burst art they will actually use in their main combo, rather than the flashiest one.

Acceleration Triggers

• Passive abilities that grant buffs when certain conditions are met.
• Swap them depending on the mission; for example, some trigger when you land combos, others when you Engage.

Engage

• Link with an ally when your Engage gauge is ready to share buffs.
• AI companions each bring different Engage effects. Pick companions whose effects support your playstyle.

Dive

• The Dive is a fast dash that also works as an opener attack. Update 2.00 let you dive in any 360-degree direction to cancel an attack when not locked on.

Ash Aragami and Devour Attacks

Ash Aragami can Devour players and enter Burst Mode, boosting their strength. When they start charging a Devour Attack, get out of the way. If a player is hit, they can be put into a dangerous state; clean up quickly.

Custom Bullets

The bullet editor lets you design custom gun ammo. Since Update 2.30 you can copy custom bullets from other players' avatar cards into your storage. Good custom bullets make gun-focused builds much stronger; if you do not want to learn the editor, borrow proven bullets from other players.

Progression Outline

Stage | What you do

Story missions | Learn the systems, recruit companions, unlock new areas

Upgrading | Use materials from part breaks and rewards to craft God Arcs and armor

Post-story | Extra missions, certification missions, Time Attack and assault missions

Endgame | Farming Abandoned God Arcs with strong skills and high "+" values

Abandoned God Arcs

• Abandoned God Arcs drop from missions and carry random skills.
• Their "+" value boosts their power. The cap on God Arc parts' "+" was raised over time, reaching 60 after completing "Traversing the Past" Episode Ein (Update 2.50).
• Some missions have higher drop rates for +1 or +2 Abandoned God Arcs (such as EX Time Attack, Extra, Certification missions, and the high-difficulty "Crimson Ashland Missions").

Free Updates (2019-2020)

Update | Key additions

1.40 | Time Attack missions, new costumes, weapon and Burst Art balance

1.45 | EX Time Attack missions; higher Abandoned God Arc +1 drops in several Assault missions

2.00 | "Traversing the Past" Episode Claire; new Ashwrought Aragami Barbarius Ira; certification missions 31-34

2.10 | Episodes Hugo and Zeke; Ashwrought Aragami Agni Vajra; "Challenge to the Hounds"

2.30 | Episode Phym; Ashwrought Aragami Melammu Marduk; custom bullet duplication; visual effects option

2.50 | Episode Ein; Ashwrought Aragami Regalia Balmung; certification 47-50; time attack EX23-EX26; Crimson Ashland Missions; "+" cap 60

Update 2.50 (March 2020) was announced by the producer as the final planned update.

Mission Types

• Story missions — the main campaign.
• Assault missions — larger online missions against tough Aragami (for example Operation Ice Blight, Operation Retribution, Operation Black Lion, Operation Apocalypse, Operation Original Sin, Operation Last Twilight).
• Certification missions — challenge missions with strong rewards.
• Time Attack and EX Time Attack — speed challenges with unusual conditions.
• Extra missions — often feature the Ashwrought Aragami from updates.
• Challenge to the Hounds — a high-difficulty special mission line.
• Crimson Ashland Missions — shifting ash anomalies and higher Abandoned God Arc +2 rates.

Hunting Any Aragami: A Repeatable Plan

• Open with a Dive attack or a Devour on the approach so you enter the fight already in Burst.
• Lock on, then scan the body for glowing or already-damaged parts. Focus one breakable part at a time.
• Use the gun on parts you cannot reach, such as wings, tails, and back-mounted cannons.
• Devour whenever the Aragami is down, stunned, or recovering. Charged Devour is safest after a knockdown.
• Keep your shield ready. A well-timed guard beats a panicked roll against wide sweeps.
• Watch for the retreat. Aragami limp away when weakened; chase with Dive to finish them before they feed.
• Revive teammates quickly. Giving health to a downed ally is faster than letting the mission clock run.

Picking Companions

• Every companion has a different fighting style and Engage effect. Rotating them teaches you what each brings.
• Pair a melee-heavy player with a companion that shares Aragami Bullets or heals, and a gun-heavy player with a frontline companion who keeps aggro.
• Update 2.30 added a "Hold on!" and "Come here!" option for Phym at the base, useful for arranging the den.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not Devouring. Burst is your main damage multiplier.
• Ignoring Burst Arts. Equip ones you actually use in your combos.
• Staying in melee all the time. Use your gun for Aragami Bullets and ranged parts.
• Chasing flashy weapons before learning one.
• Getting hit by Devour Attacks from Ash Aragami.
• Skipping armor upgrades. Later Aragami hit hard.
• Forgetting Acceleration Triggers. They are free power.

Advanced Tips

• Share Aragami Bullets with allies to keep the whole team in Burst.
• Charged Devour gives stronger results; use it on staggered or downed Aragami.
• Break parts first on tough targets to limit their attacks.
• Combo Master Burst Plugin was changed in 2.50 to trigger from specific combos (Long Blade Zero Stance combos, and aerial attack into Dive into aerial attack for all weapon types).
• Farm efficiently: once your gear is strong, farm the missions with the best Abandoned God Arc drop rates.
• Borrow custom bullets from strong players' avatar cards.

FAQ

Do I need to play the earlier games first? No. GOD EATER 3 has a new cast and setting.

What is the best starter weapon? Long Blade or Short Blade, paired with an Assault gun.

Is GOD EATER 3 still getting updates? No. Update 2.50 (March 2020) was the final planned update.

What are Abandoned God Arcs? Drop-only weapons with random skills and "+" values; they are the main endgame farm.

Can I play online? Yes, GOD EATER 3 supports online co-op, including larger Assault missions.

What is "Traversing the Past"? A series of free post-game episodes focused on Claire, Hugo, Zeke, Phym and finally Ein.

Sources

• GOD EATER 3 on Steam
• GOD EATER 3 Steam news (updates 1.31 to 2.50)
• God Eater 3 on Wikipedia