God of War is a long and storied series, numbering many more entries than you might be aware of, from full console releases to smaller mobile games. What's incredibly clear, however, is how much the 2018 entry changed the series.

With a long-awaited sequel, many people may find themselves replaying the previous entry and need some help with their builds. There's quite a variety in the Talismans, letting you build a unique playstyle. Some work better in new game plus when all talismans gain three enchantment slots. These are the best overall Talismans that hold up across the game.

Updated on January 20, 2024, by Hilton Webster: Though the Norse saga of God of War may have been capped off with Ragnarok, that hasn't stopped players from going back to replay the first entry in Kratos' Norse adventure. With some distinctly different gameplay features, don't be afraid to refresh yourself on some of the best amulets with our absolutely definitive list.

10 Talisman Of Betrayal

Of the plentiful talismans across the game, the Talisman of Betrayal is a unique one that can get somewhat exceeded in New Game Plus but works pretty solid throughout most of your original playthrough. When activated, it slows down time while aiming and increases the damage of all your ranged attacks, and it gives you precious extra time to get a well-aimed hit and make sure it really hurts.

It can get outclassed by things like the Amulet of Kvasir, which doesn't have a cooldown but is much more beginner-friendly, especially with that ranged damage boost. It can be found at the end of the Fafnir's Hoard questline, given to you by Sindri as a reward.

9 Horn Of Heimdall

Named after the mythological figure themself, the Horn of Heimdall is more of a defensive talisman for those who need a little space between themselves and their enemies. When activated, the Horn triggers a knockback effect, dealing stun damage to enemies, making it even easier to perform Kratos' brutal attacks on them.

It also has a unique passive effect of reducing its own cooldown with successful blocks and parries, making it even easier to use for more defensive players. The Horn of Heimdall is found in the Veithurgard Castle after defeating a fire troll named Daudi Hammar.

8 Golden Talisman Of Protection

Where the original God Of War games were much more about the raw havoc Kratos could unleash, the 2018 entry is a slower experience with Kratos making more precise, calculated movements like parries with his new shield. The Golden Talisman of Protection is great for this. It makes you recover faster after a block and also passively increases your window for parries, making it great for players who want to punish enemies but need extra help.

It also comes with a passive defence boost while blocking, so even those missed parries aren't as punishing. The talisman can be found pretty early on, located in the Stone Falls, reachable through the Lake of the Nine. After a short puzzle, the talisman lies waiting in a chest for you.

7 Talisman Of Unbound Potential

One of the more fun aspects of this God of War is the light and heavy Runic Attacks, special abilities tied to your weapons that vary from shockwaves to projectiles, and plenty more. They're an invaluable tool to also have ready due to their great effects. The Talisman of Unbound Potential lets you instantly refresh all of your Runic Attacks in cooldown while also passively increasing your Runic stat while they are in cooldown.

This talisman is great for players who just want to deal all-out damage all of the time, with only the cooldown of the talisman itself to deal with. Its acquisition is pretty simple too, and all you have to do is hand over the materials and Hacksilver to Brok or Sindri at their shop, and they'll craft it for you.

6 Talisman Of Cursed Power

Throughout the many realms of God of War, Muspelheim and Niflheim stand out as being challenge realms rather than full adventures in their own right. Niflheim, in particular, functions like a roguelite, with a deadly mist spread about that continually damages you. The Talisman of Cursed Power harnesses this, unleashing that same mist on your enemies that dramatically weakens them by lowering all of their stats.

Humorously enough, you have to withstand the mists of Niflheim to get the talisman. You need to acquire 2,000 mist echoes and five Niflheim alloy total to be able to craft the talisman at Brok and Sindri's shops.

5 Aegir's Protection

As mentioned earlier, this God Of War is a bit calmer and stat-based than the pure mayhem of earlier games. Kratos makes heavier, slower attacks that hit like a truck rather than playing around with enemies like toys. As such, Aegir's Protection suits him well. It creates a small defensive zone around Kratos, making his attacks uninterruptible and increasing his defence.

He becomes like a tree, locked in place and immovable. It gets even better, though, as when it's upgraded, it even restores a small amount of health. Aegir's Protection can be found during the Deus Ex Malachite quest, dropped by the Dark Elf Lord by the end of it.

4 Sinmara's Cinders

Kratos has something of an anger management problem, indicated by the slaughtered pantheon he left behind in Greece. It's a major part of the story for him to try to come to terms with this, but that burning rage will never truly subside. Sinmara's Cinders are a testament to this. One of the highest level talismans there is, it summons the flames of Muspelheim, making Kratos' attacks uninterruptible, reducing the damage he takes, and dealing normal and fire damage to surrounding enemies.

It is a true powerhouse of an attack, putting many simpler effects to shame. The talisman itself is crafted rather than found, though it does first need you to acquire 14 smouldering embers from Muspelheim itself before Sindri and Brok can create it.

3 The Charm Of Infinite Storms

On the opposite side of things, Kratos is trying to find a softer side to himself, and the cool winds of the Norse lands are all that can calm him. The Charm of Infinite Storms then is the opposite of Sinmara's Cinders, channeling an intense frosty storm that stops Kratos' attacks from being interrupted, decreases his damage taken, and finally deals frost and normal damage to enemies.

Just like Sinmara's Cinders, it too is a devasting talisman, and with the ability to be upgraded only becomes more powerful. Due to this power, it's found relatively late in the game in Helheim, hidden away in a golden chest.

2 Amulet Of Kvasir

God of War started as a character action game inspired by the likes of Devil May Cry with a little more crowd control thrown in but has gone in a dramatically different direction since. On the other hand, Bayonetta is heavily inspired by Devil May Cry but is much more about movement. So it's funny still that the Amulet of Kvasir lets Kratos have some Witch Time of his own. We've come full circle.

The talisman allows Kratos to slow down time by activating an effect called Realm Shift with well-timed dodges, akin to Bayonetta. Even more, the talisman has no cooldown. As long as you dodge, the effect activates. It can be found fairly early on, hidden away in the Light Elf Sanctuary of Alfheim.

1 Shattered Gauntlet Of Ages

How many fans of Marvel movies would you say are also fans of God of War 2018? Statistically, that number is probably pretty high. This is relevant because the Shattered Gauntlet of Ages is a rather blatant reference to the Infinity Gauntlet and has unique gameplay to boot. At first, it's pretty unimpressive. With random enchantments, it's not much better though it at least deals some damage.

With three of the six unique stones for it, though, it dramatically boosts your stats and fires off a projectile that hunts enemies. It needs to be fully upgraded before slotting in these enchantments, though it's well worth the investment. In terms of finding it, the gauntlet itself is found during the Family Business quest.