God of War: Ascension update adds Elite Levels

God of War: Ascension's multiplayer mode is leveling up. Developer Sony Santa Monica detailed the game's 1.04 update on the PlayStation Blog, revealing it will introduce Elite Levels, meaning the game's allegiance level cap will jump from 30 to 40. With the 10 new levels, additional items, relics, and magic abilities will be added for every allegiance.

"For our Champions who have ascended to the highest levels, and for those on their way, now you have a new goal to reach. It will not be an easy journey," Sony said.

Additional information about Elite Levels will be divulged in the future, though Sony did not provide a release window for the update.

In addition to Elite Levels, update 1.04 will introduce Champion Stats to God of War: Ascension. This will allow players to access their accomplishments--kill/death ratio and win percentages--from the main menu.

Update 1.04 will also address bugs and other issues, Sony said, the first of which is related to audio problems. The developer said it is aware of audio drop issues and explained that this was a "critical fix" for the update. Sony is also addressing the shard issue preventing players from attaining the Spear of Destiny in the Barbarian Hammer with the new update.

On top of this, Sony said the God of War: Ascension update 1.04 will optimize matchmaking, so that players can get into matches as quickly as possible. Sony said players should see "marked improvements" in this area on a daily basis.

Lastly, Sony teased that it is "on the cusp" of announcing the first downloadable content for God of War: Ascension. "We've got some brutal new toys coming to assist you on the battlefield," the developer said.

For more on God of War: Ascension, check out GameSpot's review.