As a passionate gamer who has sunk over 200 hours across the entire God of War series – spanning from my PS2 days to the latest jaw-dropping PS5 sequel – I live for upgrading powerful weapons, collecting insane armor sets, and customizing badass looks for our leading man, the Ghost of Sparta himself: Kratos.
Ever since the original teaser for God of War Ragnarök dropped, hype exploded around the new ability to transmog armor – to change the appearance of your equipped gear without altering any stats.
As someone who loves both powering up with hard-hitting ability boosts and fashioning Kratos into the peak god slaying machine, this feature has me more excited than meeting a new Norse beast to take my axe to.
In this guide from a battle-tested fan to new players, I‘ll cover everything you need to transmog Kratos into glorious combat royalty. Let the hunt begin!
My History of Loving God of War‘s Progression Systems
I‘ve been gaming for over 20 years, and few series have sunk their hooks into me like God of War. I still remember booting up my PS2 to play the first epic adventure and finally putting down my controller 8 hours later, awed by the fluid combat, stunning world design, and engrossing storyline.
Over multiple games and console generations, I‘ve continually been drawn back into Kratos‘ dark world to up my weapon mastery, take down bigger bosses, and find the next ornate piece of armor which I can use to strike fear into enemies.
God of War 2018 raised the progression bar with the deeply satisfying loop of discovering materials to enhance gear or unlock new skills for axe and shield combat flows.
As any fan knows, few feelings beat decking Kratos out in some badass new armor drip after you‘ve sliced your way through endless draugrs and mystical beasts guarding the realm tear where said gear lay waiting.
You earn your progression power in God of War, which makes it all the sweeter.
Now with Ragnarök and the new transmog system, the series adds customization on top of an already masterful combat, exploration and gear upgrade loop. A passionate gamer like myself couldn‘t be more hyped!
Let‘s get into the details.
What Is Transmog and How Do You Unlock It?
Transmogrification – or transmog for short – allows you to change the physical appearance of equipped armor while retaining all of its stats and perks. In basic terms, you can make badass-looking armor while keeping the best gear bonuses active. Win-win!
God of War Ragnarök takes this beloved feature from other RPGs and brings it to the Nine Realms for next level customization.
For example, I really enjoy the Strength boost and damage resistance from the Royal Dwarven armor set. But style-wise, chaining metal scale mail and gilded accents aren‘t my vibe for Kratos.
With transmog, I can throw on the Royal Dwarven gear for its perks then change the appearance to something more feral like the gnarled wood and dusty pelts of the Belt of the Fallen Ash armor. More my speed for the gruff Ghost of Sparta!
Now I have best-in-class gear power with armor visuals tailored to my tastes.
But How Do You Unlock It?
When Ragnarök first released, players were confused why they couldn‘t find the advertised transmog feature. It turns out you must make some story progress first.
Without spoiling anything, roughly 20 or more hours into the campaign, you‘ll gain access to the transmog menu via the armor tab in your equipment menu.
I know the anticipation is killer, but that wait time is worth it! Plus, it gives you plenty of early and mid-game hours to grind materials and upgrades for gear you‘ll ultimately want to transmog later…which I cover next.
Trust me, the power to change your style lies ahead, warriors. Now to make sure your options at that magical moment are plentiful!
How To Upgrade and Grind Armor for Transmog Access
In order to unlock an armor set‘s appearance for use via the transmog system, you need to upgrade every piece of that set to maximum Level 9 enhancement.
For example, say you want to be able to apply the visuals of the deadly Muspelheim-inspired Surtr‘s Grip of Flame armor at some point. To transmog into that spiked, burnt metal appearance, you would need to upgrade the full set:
- Surtr‘s Grip of Flame Cuirass
- Surtr‘s Grip of Flame War Belt
- Surtr‘s Grip of Flame Arm Guards
Each piece must hit max Level 9 before that set‘s appearance is selectable at the transmog forge.
What‘s needed to upgrade your armor that high? Two words: Grind…and Prioritization
Like all progression systems in God of War, upgrading armor takes work. You‘ll need lots of the special crafting materials Leather Straps and Metal Alloys which are found via world exploration and defeating specific realm enemies.
You also need boatloads of Hacksilver to purchase each incremental gear level bump past Level 5 or so. The further you upgrade, the higher the coin cost.
My tip? Take down Odin‘s pesky Ravens! Each flying pest drops 1000-2000 Hacksilver when axed down. 70+ to kill in all of the realms. Plus they drop Ability Shards to upgrade Spartan Rage. Win-win all around.
Beyond hacking, slashing and loot hunting for materials, I recommend picking one armor set to focus on first. Bring that one fully to Level 9 so you guarantee its availability in transmog. No need to spread upgrades thinly across multiple sets early on. Prioritize!
Trust me, the effort pays off once you behold the sweet, sweet transmog menu laden with all your custom appearance options. Just take it one armor set milestone at a time and build up that wardrobe.
Now for the best part – gushing over the elite armor in God of War Ragnarök and why you should upgrade them ASAP for transmog potential…
Badass Armor Sets to Grind for Transmog
The team at Santa Monica Studio truly outdid themselves with the armor detail and creative styles you can craft and uncover in Ragnarök.
You have intricate scale mail and gold filigree dwarf armor on one end…and on the other, gnarled roots woven with dusty pelts and masks that unleash your inner feral god slayer.
These visually tell stories; the quality and artistry are absolutely top notch.
As you explore the realms, keep an eye out for these standout armor pieces to set transmog as your upgrade priority:
Royal Dwarven Armor
Intricate scale mail and gold filigree fittings worthy of Spartan royalty. Deck out the God of War in this Drogon-ready regalia.
Belt of the Fallen Ash
Wood, pelts and masks giving Kratos his full feral god energy. Embrace the rogue Spartan chaos driving .
Burly Breastplate
Wood, fur, facade ornament. Instant lumberjack war clout. Kratos goes full Norse woodsman in this getup.
And those only scratch the surface. You have sets which call back to the Blades of Chaos from early games or take on Muspelheim fire and shadows. So many options!
All offer elite stats when fully upgraded. But ultimately, pick armor to grind based on which visual styles connect with your inner warrior.
The key is focusing on upgrading your personal favorites first to unlock those appearance options ASAP. More mix and match potential!
Community Excitement and Reactions to Armor Transmog
Within my PS5 gaming community, excitement exploded the instant Santa Monica Studio hinted at a transmog feature back in September 2022. Fans immediately speculated on what armor visuals could become available.
And the reactions have remained incredibly positive since release. Gamers love gaining more customization and personal flair over a progression path they‘ve invested so much time into.
Here‘s a sampling of community reactions around armor transmog I‘ve gathered from Reddit, gaming forums, and YouTube comments:
"Transmog was the best addition for those who love the stats of their endgame armors but aren‘t the biggest fans of their appearances." – TitanFawks
"The fact that upgrading each armor piece unlocks transmog options is such a great way to reward dedicated players who grind out materials and coins." – Swolthor
"Being able to mix and match the dwarven gold filigree with muspelheim fire armor looks is next level drip." – Kratosss
"Never thought I‘d say lumberjack Kratos is awesome but here we are!" – Fenrir869
As you can see, reactions are overwhelmingly positive to the added creative freedom. Fans love the ability to balance aesthetic preferences with late game stats.
And for gamers like myself who obsess over gear progression paths, transmog gives incredible incentive to hunt down upgrade materials and invest deeply into advancing equipment.
The feature scratchs so many itches! No wonder it has my community abuzz.
Key Takeaways to Transmog Glory
Let‘s recap everything you need to know to transmog Kratos into your own vision of the ultimate god-slaying machine:
- Transmog lets you alter armor appearance while keeping its equipped stats – change looks without changing efficacy!
- You must be 20+ hours into the story campaign before the transmog menu unlocks
- Fully upgrade each armor piece to Level 9 to unlock its appearance options for transmog usage
- Hunt Odin‘s Ravens and explore realms thoroughly to collect upgrade resources quickly
- Prioritize one armor set upgrade path first before tackling multiple
- Mix and match your favorites from badass options like Royal Dwarven, Surtr‘s Grip of Flame and rugged woodsy Fur sets
- Show us your elite armor fashion results!
Now unleash that inner Spartan drip (and wrath)…transmog edition!
If you found this guide helpful on your path to God of War armor glory, stay tuned for my next deep dive on the best talismans to pair with your outfits for maximum power.
Game on!
