A Comprehensive Guide to God of War Ragnarök's Armor Sets

The world of God of War Ragnarök is not only filled with captivating narratives and thrilling combat sequences but also with a diverse range of armor sets for Kratos. These armors don't just change Kratos' appearance; they significantly impact gameplay, allowing players to adopt different strategies and styles. In this article, we delve into every armor set ranked from worst to best, exploring their unique advantages and aesthetics.

Survival Set: A Modest Beginning

Kratos starts his journey in Ragnarök clad in the Survival Armor, meant to endure the harsh trials of Fimbulwinter. This set offers balanced stats but lacks the game-changing abilities prominent in other armor sets. While it suits Kratos' rugged aesthetic in the early narrative, its simplistic design and limited capabilities quickly get overshadowed by more advanced options available as the journey progresses.

Despite being upgradable, the Survival Set finds itself lagging behind as players begin to develop their combat styles. Intended perhaps for those who enjoy challenges, it doesn't offer the specialized skills or stats boost that other armors provide, a good reason for players to swap it for better alternatives early on.

Vidar's Set of Might: A Strong Beginning

Vidar's Set of Might begins its journey in God of War Ragnarök with a focus on enhancing combo finishers. This early-game set is perfect for those who favor strength-driven combat, providing Kratos with a temporary boost in power and stagger resistance when performing combo finishers.

However, as the game increases in difficulty, completing combos without interruption becomes a challenge in itself. Additionally, the armor doesn't offer significant standout stats, making it less appealing in the later stages. Nevertheless, its early accessibility and decent buffs make it a solid choice for players focusing initially on strength.

Hunter's Set: Precision and Power

For players who prefer ranged attacks, the Hunter's Set becomes a valuable asset. This armor enhances Kratos’ ranged damage and reduces cooldowns, setting the stage for precision-based combat encounters. Its impact on gameplay becomes evident when engaging from a distance, offering potential for unique strategic approaches.

However, this armor's usefulness diminishes during chaotic combat situations. With increased vulnerability attributable to its weaker defensive stats, this set turns Kratos into a glass cannon, powerful yet easily overwhelmed. Thus, it suits a very specific playstyle that some players may find limiting as the game approaches its climax.

Enlightenment Set: A Glimpse of Power

As an option enhancing elemental abilities, the Enlightenment Set is a solid choice for players who wish to leverage Runic and elemental attacks. Kratos benefits from buffs that make Runic attacks more impactful, merging melee prowess with elemental fury for a balanced combat approach.

This set features a visually pleasing silver-and-burgundy design that catches the eye. However, the full potential becomes evident only when certain elemental abilities have been unlocked through progression, potentially limiting its effectiveness in the game's early stages.

Fortified Husk Set: Learning the Ropes

The Fortified Husk Set presents itself as a defensive powerhouse, encouraging players to master new mechanics such as parrying. By providing substantial boosts to defense and mitigating damage from otherwise unblockable attacks, it proves invaluable in introducing players to the refined combat system.

Depicting images of two serpents intricately upon the chest piece, it shows its visual uniqueness as it levels up. Despite its strengths early on, it cannot keep pace with the more specialized armor sets later in the game; however, it remains a favorite for defensive-minded players.

The Spiritual Set: Balanced Progression

The Spiritual Set brings a balance between melee attacks and Runic abilities, creating a natural flow during combat. Hits from Runic attacks provide bursts of increased melee damage, and melee attacks aid Runic cooldowns, making for a seamless combat experience.

Although functional, the set’s aesthetics and overall appeal might seem lacking when compared to others. It tends to become obsolete as players specialize their stats towards either melee or Runic stats as they advance into the game.

Raven Tears Set: A Defensive Artistry

The Raven Tears Set delivers a unique strategy by incorporating healing advantages into Kratos' combative potential. By increasing recovery through certain attacks, it offers solid functionality for those favoring defensive strategies.

The set’s design is intricate, with a beauty that complements its role. However, the fact that more offensive enhancements are available in other sets keeps the Raven Tears Set from achieving the highest ranks.

Radiance Set: Realm Shifts Unleashed

The Radiance Set stands out with its captivating ability, Realm Shift, which slows down time on last-second dodges. This feature alone makes Kratos a formidable figure against fast enemies, providing a spectacle reminiscent of slow-motion cinematic encounters.

Pursuing each piece involves exploration in the endgame, and although it can be arduous to obtain, the distinct combat dynamic provided by Realm Shift adds a distinctive flair that sets it apart.

Sol's Set of Courage: Commanding Rage

Sol's Set of Courage capitalizes on Kratos’ Rage meter to introduce a robust defensive strategy. Unleashing its potential when suffering potentially fatal damage, it transforms Kratos’ Rage into a lifesaving resource.

Acquiring this set involves crafting after reaching Freyr’s camp and costing 11,000 Hacksilver. Despite its higher crafting requirements, it stands out as a reliable defense in highly volatile combat scenarios, offering a unique gameplay experience based around the Rage mechanic.

Mani's Wisdom Set: Tactical Mastery

Mani’s Wisdom Set thrives on using Runic attacks to exploit elemental weaknesses in enemies. Each weapon transition seamlessly amplifies Kratos' damage output, rewarding strategic weapon swaps and quick adaptation in combat.

Unlockable only by crafting, the set encourages players to integrate weapon swapping into their playstyle, adding another layer of complexity and engagement to battles. Although it takes significant investment, it offers one of the most rewarding combat dynamics available on the battlefield.