Though his arsenal isn’t as extensive as Kratos, Atreus has several upgrades in God of War Ragnarok. Along with three different bows, he also has unique abilities and upgrades that come into play during certain sections.
First, let’s look at the different bows and what they do.
- Talon Bow – Available at the start. Grants Hunter’s Insight, where melee attacks and bow shots deal increased stun damage.
- Jotnar Bow – Acquired in Jotunheim during “The Lost Sanctuary.” Grants Warrior’s Instinct which causes Runic Arrows to deal increased status damage.
- Aesir Bow – Acquired in Asgard during “The Runaway.” Grants Ranger’s Resolve, which reduces the cooldowns on bow abilities and Runic Summons.
Next up are the various bow abilities that Atreus can equip:
- Stinging Barrage – Available at the beginning, it fires a barrage of arrows.
- Sharpshooter Stare – Unlocked by defeating the Bergsra Mother in “The Lost Sanctuary,” it increases the power of each arrow shot.
- Splintered Sigil – Unlocked in Asgard from opening a Legendary Chest during “The Runaway.” It causes Sigil Arrows to split and hit all enemies.
- Falling Sky – Unlocked in Helheim from a Legendary Chest in “Unleashing Hel.” It fires Sonic Arrows that rain down in an area.
Companions can equip Accessories which augment their abilities in unique ways. Let’s take a look at all of them here.
- Sonic Aftershock – Unlocked after speaking to Freya in “Old Friends.” Causes melee attacks against Sonic-afflicted enemies greatly increase stun damage.
- Rune-Engraved Release – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in Alfheim in “Groa’s Secret.” It causes the first Runic Arrow in a full quiver to deal a lot more damage.
- Sonic Attunement – Obtained in “The Lost Sanctuary” when collecting roots. Greatly increases status caused by Sonic Arrows.
- Runic Potency – It’s available to craft at the start of “The Reckoning” from the Huldra Brother’s workshop. It significantly increases the status from Runic Arrows when Runic Summons are on cooldown.
- Runestone Refinement – Available to craft at the start of “The Reckoning” from the Huldra Brother’s workshop. Grants a refund of three Runic Arrows after using a health or Rage stone while greatly reducing Runic Summon cooldown.
- Sigil Amplification – Available to craft in “The Reckoning” from the Huldra Brother’s workshop when returning to Freyr’s Camp. Significantly increases status inflicted by Sigil Arrows.
- Runic Recharge – Unlocked in Asgard during “The Runaway” from the wardrobe. Restores all Runic Arrows after killing an enemy with a Runic Arrow.
- Runic Capacity – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in Asgard during “Into the Fire.” Refills all Runic Arrows and empowers them temporarily when using Runic Summons.
- Reckless Empowerment – Available to craft at the Huldra Brothers’ workshop when starting “The Word of Fate.” It greatly increases all damage dealt when Runic Arrows are completely depleted.
- Sigil Punishment – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in The Lost Treasury at the Lake of Nine during “The Word of Fate.” It causes enemies afflicted by hex to take bonus damage from melee attacks.
- Nocked Proficiency – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in Niflheim after “The Realms at War” is completed, it fires an additional arrow after every third Runic Arrow.
While Atreus has bows, Freya can use Swords. She only has two – Thrungva and Mardoll – so let’s go over them quickly here.
- Thrungva – Available after “The Reckoning” is complete. Grants Weighted Blade, which causes melee attacks to inflict stun on enemies.
- Mardoll – Obtained as a reward after completing the “Freya’s Missing Peace” Favor. Grants Asgardian Edge, causing melee attacks to inflict Bifrost and strike faster.
We’ve gone over all of the different weapons that Kratos can equip and their various attachments and upgrades. But what about shields? There are five shields in the game, which include:
- Guardian Shield – Available at the beginning, but in a broken state. Talk to Brok when starting “The Word of Fate” to obtain the repaired version. Along with shield-checking enemies to break their guard, it can also parry and perform special counterattacks. At max level, it increases Defense by 130.
- Dauntless Shield – Unlocked from the Huldra Brothers’ workshop. Grants Shield Bash, which deals high stun damage when pressing L1 twice. Parrying stuns an enemy and empowers the next Shield Bash, with perfect parries increasing the latter’s potency. At max level, it grants 130 Defense and 26 Cooldown.
- Stone Wall Shield – Unlocked from the Huldra Brothers’ workshop. Blocking attacks charges it When fully charged, pressing L1 twice executes Shield Slam which can launch enemies. Also capable of blocking attacks that can guard break. It increases Defense by 130 and Vitality by 26 at the max level.
- Shatter Star Shield – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in Vanaheim during “The Reckoning.” Blocking charges the shield, and pressing L1 twice uses Shield Punch, which can knock enemies back. Shield Punch’s power is increased when fully charged, though blocking an attack will reduce some of the charge. If you use Shield Punch before an enemy’s attack lands, you can absorb it and gain a charged burst. At max level, it increases Defense by 130 and Runic by 26.
- Onslaught Shield – Obtained from a Legendary Chest in Helheim in “Reunion.” Grants Shield Rush where pressing L1 twice causes Kratos to charge into enemies and block attacks. When used from further away, it can launch enemies on hit. At max level, it increases Defense by 130 and Runic by 26.
Finally, let’s look at all of the shield attachments, their locations and upgrades:
- Rond of Volition – Unlocked at the start. When fully upgraded, it increases Defense by 29, Runic by 17, Vitality by 17, Cooldown by 17 and Luck by 17.
- Rond of Aggravation – Found in a Legendary Chest in Svartalfheim in “The Quest for Tyr.” Grants Riposte Rage Burst, where parries have a high Luck chance to grant Rage Burst. At max level, it increases Defense by 29, Vitality by 23, and Luck by 23.
- Rond of Expedition – Unlocked in Alfheim during “Groa’s Secret.” Grants Riposte Refresh, where interrupting Blue ring attacks or parrying grants a Blessing of Cooldown. Increases Defense by 29 and Cooldown by 34 when fully upgraded.
- Rond of Affliction – Found in a Legendary Chest in Alfheim in “Groa’s Secret,” but requires completing the “Secret of the Sands” Favor. Grants Strike of Affliction where a damage elemental explosion is caused when using Shield Strikes against enemies affected by statuses. At max level, it increases Defense by 29, Runic by 23 and Cooldown by 23.
- Rond of Restoration – Discovered in a Legendary Chest in Vanaheim during “The Reckoning.” Grants Restoring Shield, where taking damage provides a Luck chance for gaining Defense and the next Sheld Strike to grant health on hit. The lower one’s health, the higher the chance of it triggering. When fully upgraded, it increases Defense by 29 and Vitality by 34.
- Rond of Deflection – In “The Word of Fate,” it can be crafted at the Huldra Brothers’ workshop. Grants Agile Deflection for increasing the timing window for parries. Increases Defense by 29 when fully upgraded.
- Rond of Purification – Found in a Legendary Chest in Midgard during “The Word of Fate.” Grants Contagion Discharge, where Shield Strikes cleanse Frost, Burn, Poison, or Bifrost, and deal the same damage type to enemies. Increases Strength by 34 and Defense by 29 when maxed out.
- Rond of the Nine Realms – Unlocked by completing the Favor “For Vanaheim” in Vanaheim. Grants Riposte Realm Shift, where parrying has a low Luck chance to cause a Realm Shift. When fully upgraded, it increases Defense by 29 and Luck by 34.
- Rond of Disruption – Unlocked in Vanaheim by completing the Favor “A Stag for All Seasons.” Grants Elemental Storm, where interrupting Blue ring attacks or parrying has a low Luck chance to generate an Elemental Storm. At max level, it increases Defense by 29, Runic by 23 and Luck by 23.
- Rond of Absorption – Available at Sindri’s House after completing “Unlocking the Mask.” Grants Defender’s Momentum, where blocking or parrying increases the Permafrost, Immolation, and Maelstrom gauges. Increases Defense by 29 and Runic by 34 when fully upgraded.
- Rond of Fortification – Unlocked from the Wishing Well in Vanaheim after throwing Crystalline Shards. Grants Fortification. After blocking for several seconds, it creates a high Stun explosion on the next block or Shield Strike. Increases Defense by 63 when maxed out.
- Rond of Obliteration – Unlocked by completing the Favor “Defend Your Valor” and defeating Gna in Muspelheim. Grants Shards of the Valkyrie. Blocking for several seconds will charge the shield. Press L1+L3 afterwards to fire a volley of Valkyrie shards.
God of War Ragnarok is available for PS4 and PS5. For more details, check out our review here.