As an avid God of War fan with hundreds of hours across the franchise, maximizing Kratos‘s power has become my obsession. Like many players, I‘ve painstakingly scoured every corner of the Nine Realms in search of the precious Glowing Embers needed to upgrade his arsenal. Take it from me: the path to getting these rare embers requires skill, perseverance, and a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears.
Why Glowing Embers Matter
Upgrading your axe, blades, shields and relics completely transforms combat in God of War Ragnarok. The effects are far more impactful than simply increasing numbers – specialized pommels, grips and talismans unlock new combos, skills, runic abilities and greatly expand your tactical options.
For example, take the Surtr Grip of Flame attachment for the Blades of Chaos. At base level, it adds a modest 15 fire damage per hit. But fully upgrading it to level 8 amplifies this effect dramatically, causing each strike to erupt in a 90 damage explosion over a wide radius. Equipping high-level gear lets you blithely shred through foes that once seemed unbeatable.
Maxing your loadout also enables unique builds tailored to your preferred playstyle. I live for finding those insane damage-multiplying combinations that turn Kratos into an unstoppable norse god. Maybe you prefer tanking hits while dishing out crippling frost attacks. Or staying at range raining down a never-ending supply of Shock arrows. Specialized gear opened up all these possibilities for me and completing the most punishing content.
But this power comes at a steep price – the invaluable Glowing Embers needed to reach these heights. Let me tell you about the trials and tribulations I endured to collect them all.
Muspelheim‘s Crucible: My Personal Nightmare
Like most towering gaming challenges, merely accessing the source of Glowing Embers requires feat of strength. You must collect two halves of an enchanted Muspelheim seed to unlock the fiery realm. Finding these seeds bookended two of the most harrowing battles in my early adventures.
The first seed half sent me on a white-knuckle climb up the sheer faces of Modvitner‘s Rig in Svartalfheim while under constant attack from airborne foes. I can‘t tell you how many times I nearly lost my grip and plummeted to my death.
Yet that paled in comparison to the heart-pounding showdown with the Light Elf Lord blocking access to the second seed. This mystical warrior effortlessly countered my every axe throw, then ruthlessly pursued me across Dragon Beach while bombarding me with projectiles at every turn. Only after dying eight excruciating times did I finally decipher his attack patterns and claim a hard-earned victory.
But braving these challenges unlocked Muspelheim‘s Crucible – my personal nightmare gauntlet stuffed with hordes of fiery enemies in arena fights. Surviving even the early trials here tested my mastery of every combat mechanic as I leapt between bladed pits, shielded myself from scorching waves and fought mounting exhaustion.
Then the grueling endurance test of the final Champion trials pushed me to the absolute limits. I‘ll never forget the furious three-hour slog battling the curveball onslaughts of Shield Breaker and Onslaught modes. Every mistake meant a heartbreaking failure watching Kratos flattened by enemies pouring in from all directions. But clenching my teeth through the pain eventually resulted in the sweet, sweet Embers I craved.
The Thrill of the Hunt: Valkyrie and Berserker Runs
While Muspelheim hosts the most plentiful supply, I became obsessed with chasing the faint chance of Glowing Embers from powerful open world foes. I started relentlessly tracking down travelers in Svartalfheim mines, then graduated to full-blown attempts to solo Valkyrie battles after beefing up my skills.
At first, facing down the likes of Gna, Rota and Olrun sent me into panicked evasive maneuvers trying to avoid their devastating unblockable streaks. But through each failed journey to Valhalla, I learned to spot their attack windups and openings to strike back. Nothing compares to the exhilaration of toppling one of these immortal warriors after so many bitter defeats!
Of course, victory doesn‘t guarantee the prize you seek. In dozens of wins now, I‘ve only been blessed by lady luck with Glowing Embers on 2 occasions from Valkyrie kills. The drop rates on these are less than 5%. Here are the numbers on rare enemy ember drop chances in my experience:
| Enemy | Ember Drop Rate |
|---|---|
| Travelers | 20% |
| Valkyries | <5% |
| Draugr Berserkers | ~15% |
So realistically, repeatedly grinding Muspelheim remains the most efficient use of your gaming time. But I just can‘t resist the challenge and thrill of the hunt for surprise glowing ember jackpots!
The Fruits of My Labor: OP Kratos Builds
After pouring literal blood, sweat and tears into amassing a stockpile of 40+ glowing embers, I eagerly set to work upgrading my arsenal. This rare crafting material lets you power up weapons, shields, relics and armor to staggering new heights:
| Gear Piece | Max Upgrade Level | Embers Required | Damage/Armor Gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe | 10 | 33 | +831 |
| Surtr Grip | 8 | 15 | +90 fire damage explosion |
| Blightbringer Amulet | 9 | 27 per level | +52 strength |
| Mist Armor | 9 | 81 total | + 57 defense |
I first pushed Surtr‘s Grip and Sinmara‘s Cinders to level 8, boosting my blade combos with explosive elemental mayhem. Then I pumped a huge chunk into capping off the Sterling Mark shield for tremendous resistance gains under 50% health.
The results were immediately jaw-dropping. Enemies that once threatened to overwhelm me evaporated with satisfying speed under my souped up onslaught. My confidence soared right along with my power level! I had finally earned my place as the God Butcher.
That emotional payoff proved well worth the torturous effort. I tackled realm tears, ancient berserkers and desth threats without breaking a sweat. With my glowing ember odyssey now complete, I heartily recommend all warriors undertake this quest to ascend to mythic heights!
So in closing, never stop chasing every last ember that lands at Kratos‘s feet. Ultimate power awaits!
