Highlights

• The signature Blades of Chaos reign supreme as the most powerful and versatile weapon in the God of War series – a true classic.
• The Leviathan Axe successfully replaced the iconic Blades, offering strong melee attacks and impressive ranged capabilities.
• The variety of unique weapons like the Gauntlet of Zeus and Nemean Cestus add depth and excitement to Kratos' extensive arsenal.

Throughout the vast series that is God of War, we've had many weapons in our arsenal. While some can, unfortunately, be quite forgettable, most weapons offered some situational uses that made them intriguing, and some of them became notorious and iconic, becoming trademarks of the series itself. From the nine realms to the depths of Hades, there are beautiful weapons that Kratos has either created or stolen in his path.

It is time to take a look down memory lane and rejoice with all the said weapons and evaluate them on how useful they actually were throughout the many combat encounters we've had against all sorts of creatures and Gods.

Updated March 8, 2024 by Lucas Olah: Sadly, it's not yet time to talk about new weapons, as that would require a new game in the series. However, Kratos' arsenal is already quite extensive, so we thought it would be good to take a look back and talk about these weapons some more, giving further information about them and reminiscing on the old tales from Greece as well as the newer stories in Midgard, and see how Kratos battled his many, many adversaries.

13 Honorable Mention: The Disposable Weapons

Featuring Swords, Clubs, Shields, Javelins, And Slings

• Game: God Of War: Ascension

Due to being a prequel, this game only offers one main weapon, so it won't break continuity: The Blades of Chaos (which we'll get into much later). Still, to offer variety, you can find many regular weapons and store them temporarily until you decide to use a special attack that discards the weapon. These are all regular weapons, such as a simple sword or a shield, but they do give you some gameplay variety, and you can keep them for a long time. Then, you can pick another one up and repeat such a process.

Some of these are instead ammo-based, such as the sling and the javelin, giving you interesting ranged options to fight against your foes as you progress through the game. This game also offered a variety of weapons in its multiplayer mode, but they are mostly re-iterations of weapons Kratos has had in other games.

12 Blade Of Artemis

It's Weird That Artemis Isn't Offering a Bow Or Something

• Game: God Of War

If you've forgotten about this one, we won't blame you. Introduced in the first game of the series, the Blade of Artemis offered a bigger punch compared to the main weapon at the cost of a shorter range with its attacks. Still, it didn't provide such a variety of attacks and combos, making it not as interesting as the other weapons featured here.

While having two weapons is a nice change of pace, its effectiveness wasn't enough to make it an appealing choice compared to the iconic Blades of Chaos, which is why this weapon isn't often remembered. It's also the first secondary weapon the series has offered, so it's understandable. In the end, It's the kind of new weapon you use a few fights after getting it, only to give up on it and return to the game's main weapon.

11 Gauntlet Of Zeus

Charge Your Punches

• First Appearance: God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

The premise here is similar to the previous entry, but it does a better job. Once again, you have a slower weapon with a shorter range that is also stronger. It even features charged and shockwave attacks, offering risk and reward aspects where you can make yourself vulnerable to hurt your enemies even more than usual.

Overall, it's a better secondary weapon, and its gameplay is a lot more fun compared to the previous one, but the series still has better heavy weapons in their arsenal, as we'll see soon enough. This gauntlet is also featured in Ghost of Sparta, where you can play as Zeus and use it along with the Blade of Olympus.

10 Spear Of Destiny

The First Of Many Spears

• Game: God Of War 2

Kratos has a good history with spears, as you'll see here. It's a powerful and quick weapon that can elongate itself for extra reach. Not to mention the series of energy blasts you can perform to add more to said reach. It even allows you to make energy "bombs" that can explode later for extra damage. It's not as painful as most weapons here, but the speed makes up for it.

And, as briefly mentioned, the weapon elongates itself, meaning it has a surprising reach compared to what you'd imagine from looking at the spear. Some of its attacks can get a nice area around you, but the Blades are still better in this regard. The Spear of Destiny shines when it comes to getting people in front of you, but still a bit far.

9 Barbarian Hammer

Hit Hard And From Afar

• Game: God Of War 2

The Barbarian hammer is another heavy weapon on the list, and a far more enticing one at that. Its range isn't as weak, especially considering the high number of rotating attacks, and you have a series of shockwave attacks that allow you to hit enemies from afar. That already gives it a lot more versatility compared to other weapons in the same category, even if its speed doesn't keep up as well (the weapon can't be good at everything, after all).

As a bonus, you can send out souls that will attack nearby enemies by themselves, dealing some extra damage and giving a very short stun to some enemies when the souls hit them. Still, these souls come with a cost; you use the right analog stick to summon them, meaning you can't dodge.

8 Nemesis Whip

A Shocking Weapon

• Game: God Of War 3

God of War 3 decided to include chains in all of its main weapons. While that makes them not as varied, it makes them easier to adapt. That said, Nemesis Whip offers a good option for crowd control. Its weak and fast attacks have electricity in them, allowing you to hit enemies near your target (as well as your target, obviously).

You can also hold the button down for a continuous strike before moving on to the next attack of your combo. Since God of War 3 matches each weapon with a magic attack, you can use its magic for powerful lightning strikes on near enemies, similar to Chronos' Rage from God Of War 2.

7 Arms Of Sparta

The Classic Spartan Weaponry

• Game: God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta

Arms of Sparta is a powerful spear that comes with a free shield, and it proves itself to be a better spear compared to the previous one. Its attacks even remind us of the new weapon from Ragnarök, showing that Kratos has always had good moves with a spear.

This one also gives you powerful speed and range, with the spear being throwable, but the shield allows you to move while defending yourself and even charge toward enemies, something the regular block action doesn't allow you to do.

6 Claws Of Hades

Use The Dead As Weapons

• Game: God Of War 3

A slower option among the chained weapons from God of War 3, the Claws are still fast enough to be deadly. Its attacks cause quite an impact on your enemies, and you have the power to summon ghosts to execute quick attacks before disappearing, similar to the Barbarian Hammer, but with more soul variety.

These ghosts are based on the enemies you face throughout the game, giving you the sweet pleasure of hitting enemies with their own attacks, which can go from simple charges forward to large-area attacks. You can also create smaller ghosts with your long-distance grapple attack, who are essentially the same ones from the Hammer.

5 Blade Of Olympus

The Titan Slayer

• First Appearance: God Of War 2

In terms of the canon, this might be the most powerful weapon in the series, and the gameplay does justice to it. In fact, you can only use this weapon at the beginning and the ending of God of War 2, unless you're playing the new game plus.

Only during the new game plus can you upgrade the weapon as well, which starts shooting a powerful energy blast forward with each attack you make, turning the weapon deadly at any range. Sadly, the Blade of Olympus got downgraded as Kratos' rage attack in God of War 3 and even God of War: Ragnarök, so it wouldn't break the game with its overpowered strikes, which is the reason this weapon isn't higher on the list.

4 Nemean Cestus

The Ultimate Heavy Striker

• Game: God Of War 3

Practice makes perfect. After many attempts with other secondary weapons, the Nemean Cestus got the perfect balance between strength and speed. It's heavy, and it's fast. Its range is essentially nonexistent at first since they are gauntlets, but some of its attacks feature chains, giving them an extensive reach, and they can also make powerful shock waves similar to the Barbarian Hammer.

These shock waves are also more versatile, allowing you to hit enemies in front of you or around you, depending on the situation, and you can even execute multiple of these strikes in a row with your magic or through combos.

3 Leviathan Axe

The New Beginning

• First Appearance: God Of War 2018

This axe had a difficult task ahead of it. It had to replace one of the most iconic weapons in gaming and become the main weapon of the God of War series. Despite the severity of such an endeavor, the task was successful.

The Leviathan Axe offers amazing combos and runic abilities, being a strong weapon all around. You also have the ability to throw the axe and recall it when needed, giving it a lot of range despite its melee attacks being lacking in this category. A better Mjölnir than Mjölnir, if you ask Kratos.

2 Draupnir Spear

The Ultimate Spear

• Game: God Of War: Ragnarök

After so many spears throughout the series, we've reached the Magnum Opus of spears. Similar to the Arms of Sparta in many ways (shield not included this time, though Kratos has his own anyway), you still have good range and mobility, and the ability to throw it, where the thrown spear turns into an explosive you can detonate whenever you feel like.

It's an easy weapon to fight in melee or range, easily controlling your foes at any distance. It is a good fit for God of War's new gameplay in the Norse Saga. Its biggest downfall is its damage, as it doesn't pack the same punch that the Axe or the Blades do, but as always, the weapon can't be good at everything.

1 Blades Of Chaos

The OGs

• First Appearance: God Of War

Despite all new additions and the fact Kratos isn't fond of these blades, they still hold the number one spot. The Blades of Chaos, of Athena, of Exile, or whatever name the game wants to give them, are the signature weapon of the series for a reason. It gives us powerful combos that can easily hit multiple people at once, and it even helps with grappling from afar and maneuverability across the maps.

And despite the gameplay being completely changed in the Norse Saga, the Blades adapted themselves with ease, showing that they're good weapons for any challenge that may arise (and that the developers know what they're doing). The truth is, Kratos wouldn't have gone as far as he did without them.