God of War didn’t invent powered-up states in hack & slash games, though the series is the reason many of them use L3+R3 to activate them. Each game introduced a different take on this Rage state, whether it was the original game’s Rage of the Gods, GoW2’s improved Rage of the Titans, or GoW3’s fiddlier Rage of Sparta. Then the 2018 God of War game changed everything, from the Norse setting to the new, up-close combat.
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Santa Monica Studio's God of War has produced many great games. Naturally, some of Kratos' bloody PlayStation adventures are better than others.
All Kratos had left in the new game was Spartan Rage, where he’d see red and pummel whatever was in front of him with his fists. It was fun and handy, but could’ve done with some expansion. God of War Ragnarok now lets players pick between 3 different types of Spartan Rage, each with their pros and cons. Players have found different uses for each one, though some are better suited for overall combat than others. So, here is every Spartan Rage, ranked by their general versatility.
4 Legacy
Driven by the Rage of Sparta
- Appears in: Valhalla - Homecoming.
- It allows Kratos to use the Blade of Olympus in combat.
- Doesn't heal Status Ailments on Activation.
Legacy appears in the Chamber of Sacrifice during the Valhalla DLC. As such, it can only be used in the main campaign in New Game+. It also doesn’t come with its own enchantment, unlike the Boons of Valor, Wrath, and Fury. But it does let Kratos use the Blade of Olympus, the giant sword Zeus used to banish the Titans to Tartarus, and the one Kratos used to kill off a few gods and titans himself. It was the basis for his Rage of Sparta in GoW3, so it was fitting to bring it back as a new Rage form here.
The Blade’s slow, sluggish attacks are made up for by its power, as it’s got more base strength than Kratos’ regular weapons. It also lasts the longest out of all the Rages, draining the meter slowly while it’s in use. It’ll also heal Kratos a bit with each successful parry and charged attack; this is good, as this is the only way it’ll grant health as, unlike the other Rages, it won’t grant a life boost on activation, nor dispel status ailments either.
The Blade feels more like Kratos getting a weapon that costs Rage to use, rather than it being a Rage state, and one of limited use. Since it can only be used in NG+ after beating Valhalla, it’ll likely be weaker than Kratos’ upgraded weapons by then, let alone the other Rages. Still, at least it’ll give players something to spend their leftover ingredients and hacksilver on after they’ve finished boosting everything else up.
3 Valor
Saves the Amateurs and Rewards Expertise
- Appears in: Chapter 5 - The Lost Sanctuary.
- Exchanges Rage for Health, and can parry enemy attacks for a bigger health and strength boost.
- Heals Status Ailments on Activation.
Valor appears partway through the game when Vanadis interrupts Kratos’ reunion with Atreus after his journey to Jotunheim. It allows the player to spend some Rage on regaining some health and, if used right before an enemy’s attack is about to strike, will negate the attack’s damage, stagger the enemy, raise more health, and give the player a brief strength buff to their attacks as well. It can come in very handy when Kratos is running low on health, or to avoid harsh punishment if he whiffs an attack.
However, its strength and healing buffs only come in if the player activates it at the right time. If they mess up the timing, they’ll get nothing for their efforts. It also works best with some enchantments, though they can increase the risk as well as the reward. For example, the Boon of Valor increases the strength buff and lets Kratos steal health from his foes for a while, but reduces Valor’s healing ability in exchange.
New players can find use of it as a quick heal during or after skirmishes with groups of enemies. However, only experienced players will get the most out of it thanks to its tight timing-based boosts and risky enchantment.
2 Wrath
A Big Burst of Anger
- Appears in: Chapter 11 - Unleashing Hel.
- Spends Rage on one big attack with Kratos' equipped weapon.
- Heals Status Ailments on Activation, and doubles damage on afflicted enemies with enchantments.
Wrath is the latest Rage to turn up in the base game, turning up after Kratos has to protect Sindri’s house from Hel-Walkers after Atreus causes havoc in Helheim. It’s also the simplest, as it lets Kratos spend Rage on one big advancing attack with his equipped weapon. If Valor was all about careful defense, Wrath is all about blatant offense, increasing the weapon’s effects as well as its damage (e.g. Additional frost with the Leviathan Axe, burning with the Blades of Chaos, etc).
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It'll even refund half of Kratos’ Rage meter if the player misses its attack, and the Boon of Wrath will double its damage on enemies with status ailments. Its activation shockwave will basically absorb their afflictions to make Wrath’s attack stronger. That said, Wrath only really works on one enemy at a time, so it’s not too great in group encounters. Not unless it has one certain foe that’s giving Kratos more trouble than the others, like the Nokkens and their healing songs.
With careful use, it can hack through a boss’ health bar effectively, particularly if the player has some beefed-up weapons. Though since it’s all about offense, it won’t do much for Kratos’ health. The best it can do on that front is remove status ailments like the other Rages. So, if players prefer to get all up in their enemies' faces, Wrath will fit them like a glove.
1 Fury
Bare-Handed Brutality
- Appears in: Chapter 1- Surviving Fimbulwinter.
- It lets the player attack with the Trigger & Bumper buttons in a constant barrage.
- Heals Status Ailments on Activation.
The other Rages tried to reinvent the wheel, yet they couldn’t replace the old, reliable Fury. It’s the base form of Rage Kratos starts off with and, like in GoW 2018, lets Kratos put away his weapons in favor of just beating the heck out of his foes with his fists. Each strike lets him heal a bit of health, and upgrades help decrease the amount of Rage each blow costs, letting it last longer.
It’s the all-rounder option, granting decent health and dealing decent damage to foes, which can be enough on its own. For example, it negates the drawbacks to the Berserker Resurrection Stone (which revives Kratos with more Rage than health), as activating it can let Kratos pummel the opponent enough times to get his health back to green.
It doesn’t require careful timing like Valor and isn’t over with one strong blow like Wrath. Newbies and veterans alike can just switch it on and mash the buttons until it runs out; though they can switch it off part-way if they want to spare some Rage for later. Players can experiment with Valor and Wrath and find the right builds that get the most out of them, but Rage will see players through practically every encounter.
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