Throughout the God of War series, bloodshed, vengeance, an iconic story, and savage weaponry are expected and beloved by fans for many years. Today we will be focusing on the weaponry aspects of the games. Let us take a look at our picks for the most overpowered weapons in God of War.
For this list, we will be mainly focusing on weapons and not including spells or tools like the Head of Medusa. Weapon enchantments will also not appear on this list, so runes and enhancements are out. Now that the rules are set let us get on why these are the best weapons in God of War.
Updated January 18, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: It’s thanks to God of War that players finally got a taste of what it’s like to kill the very gods themselves. Through the unfathomable wrath of Kratos, players take up arms against the very gods of Olympus themselves to exact revenge. As such, it’s become quite a surprise for fans to see 2018’s God of War to be both a sequel and a reimagining of the series. Now a father, Kratos needs to become a role model for Atreus, his son who is clearly showing signs of his innate godhood. And with the game’s PlayStation 4 release earning it various accolades for its story and gameplay, the game has now finally gotten itself a PC port this 2022. The list has been updated with a few more of God of War's best weapons.
15 Blades Of Athena
While the Blades of Chaos remain as Kratos’s most recognizable and best weapons, the Blades of Athena were perhaps the most recognizable upgrades throughout the franchise. Bestowed by none other than Athena herself, the Blades of Athena served exactly the same function and purpose as the Blades of Chaos. This time around, her own variation had more godly power, as reflected with the engravings that glowed red and the golden aura it gave in Kratos’s possession as the God of War.
Given their godly nature, the Blades of Athena had some sort of divine power when activated by Kratos. Named Divine Reckoning, this is activated when Kratos slams the blades into the ground, causing a tornado to encircle Kratos and blast away anyone who dared come near him.
14 Blade of Artemis
Compared to his signature Blades of Chaos, the Blade of Artemis was a huge and curved blade that fit Kratos’s huge stature. Bestowed to him by Artemis for his fight against Ares, the Blade of Artemis has a characteristically slower yet more brutal approach to combat, unlike the fast and loose Blades of Chaos.
What makes the Blade of Artemis quite a sight to behold is its origins. According to Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, she used the Blade of Artemis to slay a Titan. Its armor-piercing qualities perhaps reflect its innate strength. Should Kratos have planned on using this in his later adventures, the Blade of Artemis would’ve allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the ancient Titans with relative ease.
13 Gauntlet Of Zeus
Despite its gargantuan size, Kratos still managed to wield the Gauntlet of Zeus and use its destructive energies to kill the likes of Persephone. And while Kratos would eventually lose this to its rightful owner, Zeus, shortly after retrieving it from its temple, the Gauntlet of Zeus was still extremely powerful.
At its core, Zeus had Hephaestus forge the Gauntlet as a means of being able to chain the Titans to the depths of Tartarus. Given its gigantic size, it was meant to be wielded by Zeus in his gigantic godly form. When wielded properly, the Gauntlet of Zeus can help its user achieve superhuman feats of strength, as well as summon various kinds of lightning that reflect Zeus’s control over the elements. Kratos was at some point to possess armor that allowed him to wield the Gauntlet at its full power.
12 Army Of Hades
Although not a weapon per se, Army of Hades was a power that Hades himself granted Kratos after the latter had slain Pandora’s Guardian. Various variations of the Army of Hades appear in subsequent games, all manifesting whenever Kratos defeats Hades or an aspect of his power.
Unlike other more destructive godly energies, the Army of Hades was proof of the gods’ insurmountable power as divine beings. When using this power, Kratos uses the army of the dead to do his bidding, allowing him to summon various forces of the undead to fight on his behalf. These begin as ordinary souls that wielded swords, to souls that wielded various weapons such as axes and falchions - a reflection of Kratos’ growing capabilities of calling upon stronger souls from the deeper parts of the Underworld.
11 Blade Of The Gods
Players who roamed around during the first God of War game would see a strange-looking footbridge that connected the Statue of Athena with Suicide Bluffs, particularly because of its shape - a sword. However, this was actually an actual sword, with the blade being made of metal. Named the Blade of the Gods, Kratos actually used the sword in his fight against Ares after Pandora's Box increased his size to that of a god’s.
The Blade of the Gods acted like an actual sword, with Kratos being able to take full advantage of his physique to wield it. This was the sword he used to land the killing blow to Ares and replace him as the God of War, making it quite a memorable weapon capable of slaying the gods.
10 Bow of Apollo
While the Bow of Apollo restriction is to the tool’s category, it holds more power than other weapons that share the utility category. Much like Typhon's Bane from God of War 2, that was a weapon it merely is best for crowd control.
The Bow of Apollo makes this list for its ability to maintain combos better than most weapons. The bow shares its resource bar with other tools allowing it to break attack chains and AOE down foes. It is undoubtedly the least powerful weapon on this list. Yet, its utility of continuing combos and suspending smaller enemies makes it a great help.
9 Artemius Blade
Early on in the first God of War, Athena grants players this purple scimitar-like sword. At first, this weapon is good to use, but most players will drop the weapon after a few moments of using it.
When fully upgraded, this weapon does hold an impressive power, able to down weaker foes in just a few swings. The primary cons of this weapon are its very stale move set. Unlike most weapons that gain new moves when leveling them up, the Artemius blade only grows in power. A simple and powerful weapon, at least it glows red when at full strength, which is the only noticeable difference.
8 Spear of Destiny
The Spear of Destiny brings what the Artemius Blade did not, power, utility, and a massive move set. After defeating a griffin rider with his own spear, Kratos later finds the spear once again on the fallen griffin's corpse. This extending spear made out of purple crystal sweeps over dozens of enemies with ease.
This spear also has an impressive ability to air juggle a target for a good amount of time, or even make crystal explosions. Along with its ability to attack with two sides from its double edge. The Spear of Destiny also returns to God of War Ascension's multiplayer.
7 Nemesis Whip
A gift from the Smith God Hephaestus, these chains with claws bring electrifying combos to those players who master them. The Nemesis Whip has a very similar move set to the Blades of Chaos but much faster and weaker, that off-put some players from using them.
However, in harder difficulties, this weapon's high combo potential is much easier to pull off than a lot of other weaponry. The whip also is useful for dropping orbs during combat due to its stun locks and fast attacks. For less experienced players, they are still great for high combos due to their AOE electric properties. They are always enjoyable to use, but the Blades of Chaos overshadows them.
6 Claws of Hades
Another set of chain weapons from the same game, but the Claws of Hades rival the fan-favorite spots. Unlike the Nemesis Whip, the Claws of Hades are deadlier for a much bigger reason. Imprisoning thousands of souls within them, the chains seem to move around on their own.
The ability to hook around the battlefield or into enemies gives these chains a very different feeling to other chain weapons. Its unique ability to rip the souls out of your enemies and even with further upgrades allow you to summon unique souls. The more power these claws obtain, the more souls you can summon, like a Medusa or a Centaur. If the Claws of Hades were the primary weapon of the God of War Games instead of the Blades of Chaos, they might carry the same cultural impact.
5 Nemean Cestus
After forcefully taking these massive gauntlets from Hercules, Kratos obtains one of the most earth-shattering weapons. There has been no weapon that matches the raw strength of these enormous lion heads. Most of the weapons found in God of War games are primarily ranged, and the Nemean Cestus changes that. Each punch packs an incredible feel to it, shaking the screen with every punch and ground pound caused.
These gauntlets are needed to break Onyx, a stone previously destroyable. However, after discovering they break stone, players quickly realized these weapons also bash every enemy to pieces. Without a doubt, these weapons are in the top fan-favorite weapons and for a brutal reason.
4 Arms of Sparta
In Ghost of Sparta, when returning to Sparta, Kratos obtains the set of weapons he used as Sparta's general. Serving as the game's primary ranged weapon, the spear and shield pair well against one on one fights like the Spear of Destiny.
In a combination of attack and defense, this weapon makes players feel more like a true spartan than ever. With devastating shield bashes and ranged pummeling, this weapon only gets better, and better, the more you upgrade it. Even Kratos grants the weapons to his brother Deimos as a final gift on their last adventure.
3 Blade of Olympus
The Blade of Olympus, the weapon that won the Great War. The blade is gifted to Kratos after ascending to the new God of War by Zeus. Draining his power into the blade, he empowered the blade to an actual godly status of deadly. With the energy inside, it has claimed other gods' lives, including Athena, Kronos, and even Zeus.
Ether as a stand-alone weapon in God of War 2 or tied together with the rage mechanic in God of War 3, this weapon is always overpowered for a reason. With only gods able to wield the weapon, no one knows where it remains currently. Perhaps the blade will return in later games, after having huge plot importance beforehand.
2 Leviathan Axe
In the most recent God of War, Kratos makes the journey up to the land of the Norse gods. With the time between Greece and now, he has obtained the legendary Leviathan Axe. Forged by the dwarf brothers that would create Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, this weapon is devastatingly cold. Unlike other games, the runes you put into this weapon increase its power and other modifications.
Cold enough to freeze enemies sold, and just like Mjolnir, it returns to its owners' hand. This weapon perfectly fits the gameplay of the new God of War with the more up-close and grounded hack and slash style. Developers have confirmed that this weapon is here to stay as the new primary weapon for the series, and its strength and legacy will grow in time.
1 The Blades of Exile
When choosing between the blades of Athena, Chaos, and Exile, it all comes to preference. We have chosen the Blades of Exile for the development that the other two blades have made to perfect the combat and the overall raw power of the third God of War game. The blades have the biggest move set and overall, most impactful gameplay, these weapons represent the best of what the years of God of War have developed into.
The Blades of Exile and the Leviathan Axe both are the best weapons in God of War. However, today the blades currently hold more weight in terms of story and gameplay over a series of five games as the primary weapon. Even still appearing in the most recent God of War as a secondary that shocked longtime fans.
God Of War was originally released in 2018 as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Its official PC version was released on January 14, 2022.