As an avid God of War fan who has sunk over 200 hours into the latest Ragnarok epic, I‘m constantly experimenting with new armor sets and min-maxing builds. With so much gear to discover across the Nine Realms, it can be daunting to identify the best armor pieces to complement your preferred weapons and style of play.
That‘s why I‘ve put together this extensive guide covering armor sets viable at all stages of your adventure into the Norse realms. I‘ll provide tips from my experience for matching gear to your strengths as a warrior while highlighting must-have armor for specific builds. Let‘s dive in!
Obtaining Armor Sets in God of War Ragnarok
Before evaluating individual sets, it‘s important to understand how to expand your options when seeking new armor:
- Crafting: This should be your #1 stop. Dwarven blacksmiths Brok and Sindri offer the widest array of armor crafting. Fetch them materials from your travels to expand their catalogs.
- Exploration: Venturing off the critical path to loot Legendary Chests, lore markers and other hidden caches earns rare crafting components and armor drops.
- Questing: Certain lengthy side quest chains award exclusive gear unattainable otherwise. They often involve convoluted puzzles or challenging horde battles.
I cannot overstate the value of taking your time to tackle side content, even early on. The unique crafting ingredients and armor rewards help strengthen your build far beyond what the main story provides.
Now let‘s break down excellent armor picks for all stages of the game.
Best God of War Ragnarok Early Game Armor
Facing consistently stronger foes in the first 10 hours while low on resources, these armor sets provide the best utility when you need any advantage:
Stats: Nidavellir’s Finest provides the best all-around offensive and defensive boost for early game survival:
| Nidavellir‘s Finest Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauntlets | 68 | 34 | – | – | 94 |
| Belt | 54 | 95 | – | – | 34 |
| Cuirass | 54 | 95 | – | – | 34 |
Perk: Stunning Restoration regenerates significant health when grabbing stunned enemies. Useful when learning new attack patterns.
Overview: With strength, defense and vitality outpacing most early finds, Nidavellir‘s Finest kept me alive against early game mobs when I was still adjusting to Ragnarok‘s brutal difficulty spike from the previous title. I relied heavily on parrying attacks then grabbing foes during their vulnerable recovery window to activate the armors‘ healing perk. This survivability paired nicely with my preference towards Runic summon builds early on.
Risen Snow Armor Set (Preorder Bonus Gear)
While only available to players who preordered God of War Ragnarok, the Risen Snow set remains one of the game‘s premier early game boosts, providing a jack of all trades stats bump:
| Risen Snow Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girdle | 21 | 85 | 21 | – | – |
| Cuirass | 68 | 85 | 21 | 34 | – |
| Bracers | 34 | 68 | 21 | 34 | – |
Perk: Risen Might – Briefly increases strength after launching an enemy; Risen Stun – Increased stun chance against airborne foes
Overview: Well balanced stats, solid stun bonuses and aerial combat advantage combined for incredible early game potential from Risen Snow. Paired with Hel‘s Touch runic attacks, I effortlessly juggled even shielded foes and activation Risen Might during vulnerable recovery windows for massive damage potential. This armor set almost feels like cheating in the first 5 hours.
Of course, the main limitation is attaining Risen Snow tied to your preorder status. But buying it used or borrowing the code from a friend who preordered provides magnificent early game supremacy if you weren‘t among the early adopters.
Best God of War Ragnarok Mid Game Armor
By the halfway point, enemies really start hitting hard across all Nine Realms. You need either boosted offense to take them down quicker or defensive gear allowing you to withstand deadly blows while waiting for an opening. These are my top mid game armor picks:
Guiding Light Armor Set
Obtained by completing an intricate questline revealign the fate of Týr, the Aesir god of war, Guiding Light provides the hard hitting strength and high Luck needed to crush elite enemies:
| Guiding Light Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuirass | 68 | 77 | 43 | – | – |
| Belt | 77 | 77 | 43 | – | – |
| Bracers | 43 | 77 | 43 | – | – |
Perks: Weapon Blessing occasionally enhances axe on hit; Luck‘s Strike – Chance for explosive axe hit
Overview: I lean towards high risk/high reward Strength builds relying on parries and weapon skills – Guiding Light complements this nicely. Between raw power boosts, extra axe damage shockwaves and Weapon Blessing randomly supercharging your equipped armament‘s stats, fights ended swiftly once I upgraded to this armor set. Guiding Light remains a core piece of my loadout even now 90 hours in against the fiercest optional bosses.
Radiance Armor Set
Recovered by besting a massive Ancient in Alfheim, the Radiance set features excellent runic boosts and unique utility:
| Radiance Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | 68 | 41 | 41 | – | – |
| Pauldrons | 82 | 48 | – | 41 | – |
| Bracers | – | 68 | – | 41 | – |
Perk: Realm Shift slows nearby enemies after a last second dodge
Overview: Adapting to enemy attack patterns and properly evading major blows is critical in God of War Ragnarok, especially when outnumbered or facing bosses. Radiance rewards precise dodging with a temporary slow-mo bubble letting you unleash runic attacks safely.
I opted for Radiance while mastering curses and projectile-based runic skills, using the slowdown bubble to line up and charge secondary fire Mode Shift blasts. This armor perfectly complements such Runic-focused builds. The additional cooldown reduction and slight defense tradeoffs also encourage properly evading rather than tanking hits.
God of War Ragnarok Best Late Game Armor Sets
Approaching the finale in God of War Ragnarok tests your combat prowess against ever stronger foes. Your gear choices become crucial, often determining victory or defeat. I break down ideal end game armor balancing raw stopping power with survival perks below:
Berserker Armor Set
Recovered after defeating the last of the deadly Berserkers plaguing the realms, the Berserker armor remains unmatched offensively:
| Berserker Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracers | 77 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Belt | 41 | 11 | 41 | 11 | 11 |
| Cuirass | 68 | 27 | 41 | 41 | 41 |
Perks:
- Soulless Warrior – Temporary strength and runic power increase during Spartan Rage at the cost of defense
- Heartless Rebuttal – Chance to detonate a soul explosion dealing damage on taking damage/blocking/parrying
- Soulless Attacks – Occasional soul explosion when hitting enemies
Overview: Quite simply the pinnacle of offensive potential, I relied completely on the Berserker armor during the latter quarter stretch of the game. The slight defensive tradeoff is easily offset by the near constant uptime of Soulless Warrior‘s power buff extensions triggered by frequent explosions detonating around you in crowds.
Utilizing Spartan Rage strategically as groups close in then continuing my assault under Soulless Warrior with amplified Strength and Runic made short work of virtually any threat, including the notorious Valkyrie squad. I strongly recommend the Berserker armor for weapon masters and evasion tanks comfortable mitigating damage through player skill over raw armor stats.
Steinbjorn Armor Set
peerless protection and formidable retaliation:
| Steinbjorn Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracers | 85 | 119 | – | – | – |
| Cuirass | 34 | 190 | – | – | – |
| Belt | – | 119 | – | 34 | – |
Perks:
- Great Retaliation – Chance to stun surrounding enemies when taking damage
- Retaliation With Bloodthirst – Attacks temporarily restore HP after taking substantial damage
Overview: Boasting the single highest defense value in God of War Ragnarok, Steinbjorn turns Kratos into an impervious juggernaut capable of withstanding even the most brutal late game attacks while restoring lost health simply by counter attacking.
The straightforward Steinbjorn perks reward a straightforward bulldozing playstyle: ignore dodging completely, soak hits then heal back damage while unleashing rage fueled axe combos and runic attacks. I admit this "braindead berserker" tactic broke up the tension during lengthy gauntlets of elite enemies. Highly recommended for players who enjoy tank builds in RPGs and action games.
Surtr‘s Scorched Armor Set
Attained after passing Surtr‘s grueling Trials of Musphelheim, Surtr‘s armor accentuates fiery offenses:
| Surtr‘s Scorched Set | Power | Defense | Luck | Runic | Vitality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bracers | 94 | 30 | – | 30 | – |
| Belt | 76 | 17 | – | – | 30 |
| Cuirass | 82 | 68 | – | 48 | – |
Perk: Aggressor‘s Resolve – Reduced damage/interrupt when attacked during own attacks; Predatory Strike – bonus damage when striking attacking enemies
Overview: Heavily prioritizing high strength and runic values in addition to substantial vitality, Surtr‘s Scorched set caters to hyper-aggressive attacking against any foe bold enough to swing at you first. I leaned on this armor when tackling Musphelheim‘s grueling arena challenges and optional superbosses rewarding nonstop attacking. By staying on the offensive you constantly activate Aggressor‘s Resolve to ignore interrupts and chunk away at health bars.
The strict offensive focus of Surtr‘s does mean managing your defensive cooldowns and positioning to avoid being surrounded. But for veterans thriving through violence over valour, Surtr‘s Press forward mentality fuels the power fantasy well.
Closing Thoughts on God of War Ragnarok Armor Selection
And there you have it — the definitive early, mid and late game armor recommendations from someone with 200+ hours exploring the Nine Realms. I aimed to provide actionable suggestions for armor to seek out tailoring to your preferred playstyle and investments so far into Strength, Runic, Defense and other attributes.
Armor choice ties everything together from your core weapons and skills to accessories and enchantments. Find sets playing into your strengths while covering any weaknesses holding you back. The pool of viable gear is deep so don‘t be afraid to experiment until you settle on your ideal build to take through the rest of this Norse epic!
Did I miss any of your favorite armor sets? Which ones slot perfectly into your current build? Let me know in the comments and best of luck vanquishing even the toughest optional bosses!
