Weapons

Kratos's weapons in God of War are the Blades of Chaos, chained to his arms since the Greek games, and in the Norse saga the Leviathan Axe that once belonged to Faye, the Guardian Shield and, in God of War Ragnarok, the Draupnir Spear. In God of War Laufey Faye fights with a sword guarded by Rue, soul magic and the Serpent Bow.

5:50 Kratos's two signature weapons are the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe. The Blades, a pair of swords seared into his flesh by chains wrapped around his arms, have been with him since God of War (2005); the axe arrived in God of War (2018), and in God of War Ragnarok the Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos and Guardian Shield all return with the new Draupnir Spear. The axe was Faye's before it was his: in God of War Laufey, out on May 20, 2027, she wins a new sword's trust as the former owner of the Leviathan Axe.

Quick facts

Blades of Chaos	Kratos's chained blades, since God of War (2005); back in Ragnarok
Leviathan Axe	Faye's axe, Kratos's main weapon from God of War (2018)
Guardian Shield	Kratos's shield in the Norse games
Draupnir Spear	Kratos's third weapon in God of War Ragnarok
Blade of Olympus	God of War II, a God of War III Rage mode, Valhalla
Atreus	A bow in 2018; the Talon Bow in Ragnarok
Faye in Laufey	A sword with Rue's ribbons, soul magic, the Serpent Bow

Sources: GameSpot, Mar 21, 2005; PlayStation; Santa Monica Studio, Mar 22, 2024; PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026 and Sep 28, 2026.

Blades of Chaos

2:40 The Blades are Kratos's oldest weapon and the mark of his pact with Ares, the god who "emblazoned the Blades of Chaos upon Kratos" when he swore to serve him. In the Greek games red orbs buy new combos and upgrades for them. Their name changes from game to game: reviews call them the Blades of Athena in Ghost of Sparta, the Blades of Exile in God of War III and "Athena's Blades" in Betrayal. In God of War: Ascension they are Kratos's only weapon, imbued with the Fire of Ares, the Ice of Poseidon, the Lightning of Zeus and the Soul of Hades. In Ragnarok they return beside the axe with new abilities.

Leviathan Axe

2:41 The Leviathan Axe is Kratos's main weapon in the Norse saga. In PlayStation's lore, the dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri made it "to restore balance to the realms", and it belonged to Faye before her death. Kratos can swing it up close or throw it; it does not come back by itself, so a second button recalls it, striking enemies on the way back, and while it is away he fights with his fists and shield. Fully upgrading it is a trophy 22.8% of Steam players had earned as of Nov 4, 2026. In Ragnarok's last shrine, Kratos is shown still holding the axe as a revered god.

Guardian Shield and other shields

9:12 The Guardian Shield is Kratos's shield in both Norse games, and Ragnarok brings it back with new abilities. Ragnarok adds more shields to find (a trophy for collecting all of them), Shield Ronds to customize them, and in New Game Plus the Spartan Aspis, with a tighter parry window and harder parries. In Valhalla Kratos picks a shield at the start of each run.

On a bright snowy mountainside Kratos braces behind a round wooden shield as pale enemies charge, while Atreus fights nearby. — Kratos raises his round shield against attackers on a snowy slope in an official Steam store screenshot of God of War (2018) Santa Monica Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment

Draupnir Spear

The Draupnir Spear is Kratos's new weapon in God of War Ragnarok and carries into New Game Plus with the rest of his gear. Ragnarok's Jotnar Edition included a Draupnir ring. The 20th anniversary update gave the spear, the axe and the blades Dark Odyssey looks once fully upgraded.

Blade of Olympus

14:13 The Blade of Olympus is introduced at the start of God of War II, against the Colossus of Rhodes, and becomes a Rage mode in God of War III. Santa Monica Studio reinvented it for Valhalla; co-director Bruno Velazquez said Kratos "drained his godly powers into the Blade of Olympus" and used it to release hope.

Greek-era weapons by game

Game	Weapons and magic
God of War (2005)	Blades of Chaos; a huge sword from Artemis; Zeus's lightning; Hades's souls
God of War II (2007)	Blade of Olympus; a slow giant hammer; Medusa's head; earthquake magic
Betrayal (2007)	Athena's Blades, Blade of Artemis, Medusa's Head, Army of Hades
Chains of Olympus (2008)	Blades of Chaos, Gauntlet of Zeus, the Efreet, a sun shield, Light of Dawn, Charon's Wrath
God of War III (2010)	Blades of Exile, Claws of Hades, Nemean Cestus, a lightning chain weapon, a flaming bow, the Head of Helios
Ghost of Sparta (2010)	Blades of Athena with Thera's Bane, the Arms of Sparta spear and shield, Eye of Atlantis, Scourge of Erinys
Ascension (2013)	Blades of Chaos only, with four elements; world weapons such as a javelin and shield

Sources: GameSpot, Mar 21, 2005, and Mar 13, 2007; IGN, Jun 27, 2007, Oct 25, 2010 and Mar 14, 2013; Eurogamer, Mar 11, 2008, and Mar 8, 2010.

Atreus's bows

2:16 In 2018 Atreus fires his bow at a button press, at whatever Kratos targets; his arrows start as a distraction and later stun and hurt bosses. In Ragnarok his Talon Bow gets new attacks and Runic summons, and Sonic and Hex arrows come through the story. See Atreus.

Faye's weapons in God of War Laufey

1:17 Faye fights differently from Kratos, faster and more agile, with a sword in one hand and magic blocking in the other, as the Jun 2, 2026 footage of a pre-release build showed (the clip is IGN's upload of the official combat first look trailer):

The sword and Rue. A powerful sword guarded by Rue, sentient ribbons tied to its hilt that stretch out during strikes to hit distant enemies. Faye wins Rue's trust because she once owned the Leviathan Axe.
Soul magic. She can strike a foe with her golden palm hard enough to detach its soul from its body, then attack the soul or knock it into other enemies.
The Serpent Bow. Revealed on Sep 28, 2026, an enchanted bow with "the shifting form of a serpent", with a precision mode stacking up to five arrows and a close-range hip-fire mode; Game Informer calls it the Serpent's Bow.
Customizing. Her Blade, Scales and Catalyst can be customized, and the Digital Deluxe Edition adds Dark Alchemy versions of all three.

More on Laufey Gameplay and Combat and Phranque and Rue.

Frequently asked questions

What are Kratos's weapons in God of War Ragnarok? In God of War Ragnarok Kratos fights with the Leviathan Axe, the Blades of Chaos, the Guardian Shield and other shields, and the new Draupnir Spear.

Who made the Leviathan Axe in God of War? In PlayStation's God of War lore, the dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri made the Leviathan Axe, and it belonged to Faye before it passed to Kratos.

Does Kratos use the Blades of Chaos in God of War Ragnarok? Yes. The Blades of Chaos return in God of War Ragnarok with new abilities, beside the Leviathan Axe.

What weapons does Faye use in God of War Laufey? In God of War Laufey Faye uses a sword guarded by Rue's ribbons, soul magic from her golden palm and the Serpent Bow, as Santa Monica Studio has shown as of Nov 4, 2026.

Is the Leviathan Axe in God of War Laufey? Santa Monica Studio has not shown Faye using the Leviathan Axe in God of War Laufey as of Nov 4, 2026; it says she wins Rue's trust as the axe's former owner.

Sources

God of War Review, GameSpot, Mar 21, 2005
God of War's Top 5 Epic Moments, Number One: The Death of Ares, PlayStation Blog, Oct 5, 2012
God of War II Review, GameSpot, Mar 13, 2007
God of War: Betrayal Review, IGN, Jun 27, 2007
God of War: Chains of Olympus review, Eurogamer, Mar 11, 2008
God of War III review, Eurogamer, Mar 8, 2010
God of War: Ghost of Sparta Review, IGN, Oct 25, 2010
God of War: Ascension Review, IGN, Mar 14, 2013
God of War, PlayStation
God of War: The Kotaku Review, Kotaku, Apr 12, 2018
God of War achievements, Steam Community
God of War Ragnarök, PlayStation
God of War Ragnarök achievements, Steam Community
God of War Ragnarök New Game Plus is available now, PlayStation Blog, Apr 5, 2023
God of War Ragnarok Collector's And Jotnar Editions Unveiled, Game Informer, Jul 6, 2022
God of War Ragnarok Ending Explained: What Happens to Kratos?, Den of Geek, Nov 11, 2022
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla DLC revealed, coming December 12, PlayStation Blog, Dec 7, 2023
The Blade of Olympus, Reinventing a Classic in God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla, Santa Monica Studio, Mar 22, 2024
Celebrate God of War's 20th anniversary with God of War Ragnarök Dark Odyssey Collection, PlayStation Blog, Mar 14, 2025
First look at God of War Laufey, PlayStation Blog, Jun 2, 2026
God Of War Laufey Stars Kratos' Wife Fighting Through The Afterlife Of The Gods, Game Informer, Jun 2, 2026
God of War Laufey pre-orders available starting September 29, editions detailed, PlayStation Blog, Sep 28, 2026
God of War Ragnarok Review, IGN, Nov 3, 2022 (video)
The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!, GameSpot, Sep 26, 2022 (video)
God of War Review (2018), IGN, Apr 12, 2018 (video)
God of War Ragnarok Review, GameSpot, Nov 3, 2022 (video)
God of War Laufey - Official Combat First Look Trailer, IGN, Jun 3, 2026 (video)

Moments

God of War Ragnarok Review

IGN

5:50 Kratos's two signature weapons are the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe. The Blades, a pair of swords seared into…

The Complete GOD OF WAR Timeline Explained!

GameSpot

2:40 The Blades are Kratos's oldest weapon and the mark of his pact with Ares, the god who "emblazoned the Blades of Chaos…
14:13 The Blade of Olympus is introduced at the start of God of War II, against the Colossus of Rhodes, and becomes a Rage…

God of War Review (2018)

IGN

2:41 The Leviathan Axe is Kratos's main weapon in the Norse saga. In PlayStation's lore, the dwarven brothers Brok and…
2:16 In 2018 Atreus fires his bow at a button press, at whatever Kratos targets; his arrows start as a distraction and…