The God of War series has been spotlighting the divinely strong and revenge-fueled protagonist Kratos for 16 years now. In that time, Kratos has made some less than stellar decisions, and even more odd wardrobe choices.
While the latest entry in the series takes on a more RPG-styled armor system, Kratos has worn an assortment of gear that can be humiliating, respectful, or even surprisingly interesting. Here are some of the best costumes throughout Kratos' many years of adventure.
10 Spud Of War (Chains Of Olympus)
You can't keep a Spud of War down. Kratos donned a potato suit with the skin peeled to mimic his iconic tattoos. The Blades of Chaos that he typically wields are replaced with a pair of potato cutters. The magic of the Spud of War doesn't stop there.
Kratos has unlimited magic when using this costume and takes 25 percent of the damage he would normally take. All you need to do to unlock this is beat the main story in Chains of Olympus. Anyone else craving some fries?
9 Chef Of War (God Of War)
If Left 4 Dead 2 has taught us anything, it is that frying pans are a weapon not to be reckoned with. Give two frying pans to a vengeful demigod and you will have a load of death and destruction following closely behind. The Chef of War gives Kratos a complete makeover that makes him look more like Chef Boyardee than God of War.
His blades are replaced with frying pans and blue and green orb amounts are increased while he wears the suit. Beating the Challenge of the Gods will earn you this tasteful and humorous prize fit for kitchens of the gods.
8 Robotos (Ghost Of Sparta)
If Kratos were covered in cardboard boxes, metal ventilation tubes, and red permanent marker, you'd get Robotos. This Kratos variant makes a special appearance in Ghost of Sparta and can be purchased from the Temple of Zeus for 250,000 red orbs. If he was a real robot, perhaps he would be one of the greats - and potentially even more terrifying.
Robotos does not have many benefits aside from the novel nature of the costume. He has an increased combo timer and receives blue orbs for every enemy that he hits. This comes at the cost of him doing less damage and his magic costing double what it normally would.
7 Dominus (God Of War 3)
Dominus is one of the variants of Kratos that showcase how he might have originally looked in the first game. After some internal debate, the developers opted to forgo Kratos' armor that can be seen in some cutscenes before his time of servitude to Ares.
While the look is a great homage to what could have been, it has in-game benefits that pack a punch. With this costume equipped, Kratos deals 200 percent damage, only receives 50 percent damage, and has a 200 percent increase in all orbs collected.
6 Cod Of War (God Of War 2)
It seems every God of War developer has one or two puns in mind that they bring into each game through a costume. The PSP games and the first two God of War games house the most unique costumes, with Cod of War being one of the greatest offenders.
Our favorite Cod of War is wearing a fish costume and ready to do battle with his fish hooks. Wearing this fishy fit will let Kratos receive a 200 percent increase to all orbs.
5 Fear Kratos (God Of War 3)
It is always nice when games honor each other. Max Payne is a story of a detective, framed for the murder of his wife and child. Wrought with guilt, Max searches for answers and constantly recalls his role in it all. Kratos, at the end of God of War 3, walks through the guilt he still carries from the slaughter of his wife and daughter, orchestrated by Ares. In some meaningful way, both visually and narratively, Kratos and Max Payne share similar stories.
Beating God of War 3 will unlock the Fear Kratos costume, which can be used to receive a 400 percent increase in both damage received and dealt. This will speed up enemy encounters but means Kratos can die after a few hits.
4 Morpheus Armor (God Of War 3)
When you have seen some of the other costumes and the word "Morpheus", you cannot be blamed for thinking Kratos would be in a black leather jacket with some shades and dual katanas as he fights his way through the Matrix. While you might be disappointed that this is just palette-swapped Kratos, this is one of the more intriguing costumes available in the series.
The Morpheus armor is yet another variant of how Kratos could have looked in his original debut in God of War. Instead of those titular red tattoos, imagine blue ones on our favorite rage machine. Orb pickups are doubled in value while wearing this costume. His release was originally was tied to a 7/11 Slurpee cup contest, so bonus points for Slurpees and original designs.
3 Dairy Bastard (God Of War)
The original God of War had incredibly powerful magic abilities, which makes costumes that grant unlimited magic even better. Imagine Kratos was an underpaid college student working to bring business into a dairy shop by wearing a cow costume.
Add on milk jugs as your blades of chaos replacement, double the orb value, and take away half of your physical strength, and you have yourself the Dairy Bastard.
2 Default
There is something simply satisfying about Kratos' default armor throughout the various games. He is almost always physically vulnerable, donning full body armor only when he becomes the God of War and throughout his journey with Atreus. There seems to be a weight and care in each default costume that aids in telling the story, something that is lost when you wear the Cod of War and Dairy Bastard skins. Kratos, even after surviving a redesign, has a solid default look.
While the default offers no benefits, it is the definitive way to play through each game in the series. After that, give the gods of Olympus hell as a skinned potato who can spam magic.
1 God Of War Armor (God Of War 2)
This is Kratos at his best and most powerful. He has seemingly gotten revenge for the murder of his family and ascended to godhood, cementing his place in power with a fashionable set of armor to boot. Wearing this costume doubles all of Kratos' stats, making it one of the stronger options for a second God of War 2 playthrough.
Instead of losing this armor to a giant slap from the Colossus of Rhodes and a subsequent beating from Zeus, you will be able to keep it and finish the game in style.