Of course, it would be impossible to talk about God of War without mentioning its stellar combat system. Each and every aspect of God of War’s new combat system feels fresh and satisfying, with the Leviathan serving as a great upgrade to Kratos’ arsenal. Here are some of the best Runic Attacks that can be pulled off with this weapon.
Updated on June 11, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: God of War is one of the best modern action-adventure games ever made. The title is full to the brim with content that will keep fans occupied for hours and hours. It’s easily the most ambitious entry in the series, and all bets paid off with this release being one of the most successful PlayStation exclusives. The major overhauls it made to the combat system allowed new players to get into this series without alienating old fans, and everyone with a modern PlayStation console can currently pick up God of War as it is part of PS Plus’s June 2022 line-up.
A big part of what makes God of War’s combat so great are its Runic Attacks, which are a blast to pull off in-game. These cinematic moves can absolutely decimate opponents due to the sheer power of these moves, with the Leviathan Axe having a total of sixteen Runic Attacks that it can employ in battle. All these moves and ranked in accordance of how effective they are.
16 Thiazi’s Talon
How to Find: Found in a Legendary Chest in Alfheim
For a Heavy Runic Attack, Thiazi’s Talon definitely lacks punch when compared to the rest of the options that the player can use. Sure, it might recharge quickly, but the damage output is just too pitiful for players to use it all the way till the late game. It’s only a matter of time until players unlock better and more powerful Runic Attacks to destroy enemies with ease.
For what it’s worth, the quick nature of this attack will definitely help players in fights against the Valkyries. After all, getting locked in an animation and becoming easy pickings for Sigrun and the rest of the Valkyries can be incredibly frustrating; consequently, perhaps it’s a good thing after players have access to Heavy Runic Attacks that aren’t too flashy and allow for quick offensive output.
15 Charge Of The White Bear
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in the Foothills
The Charge of the White Bear is one of the simpler attacks in Kratos’ arsenal. With this Runic Attack, the God of War can mow down enemies his path and get some much-needed breathing room, which is quite welcome given how chaotic a battle in God of War can get.
It might not be the flashiest technique in Kratos’ arsenal, but it’s still pretty effective regardless. It’s a fun attack to play around with before players move on to more powerful alternatives, and watching Kratos fling his enemies like ragdolls reinforces his allure as the God of War.
14 Leviathan’s Wake
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Veithurgard
Another simple Runic Attack in Kratos’ arsenal is the Leviathan’s Wake. It’s a simple yet effective attack to clear out enemies in front of Kratos, the benefit of which should be obvious for fans of the game who understand how tough it can be to clear out large mobs at times. After all, getting crowded in God of War is pretty much akin to a death sentence, especially early on when players have no idea how fragile Kratos really is.
Most people would argue that the utility of Leviathan’s Wake is quite woeful when compared to other attacks of the same caliber. However, the quick cooldown makes up for this attack’s offensive deficiencies. That being said, this is a small benefit that might not make up for the obvious drawbacks of Leviathan’s Wake.
13 Mists Of Helheim
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in the Iron Cove
More often than not, Kratos will be mobbed by numerous enemies in God of War, which is not an ideal situation in the slightest. This makes it important to find and use a powerful AoE attack that can clear out foes around the God of War with ease.
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The Mists of Helheim is an especially useful attack in this context, summoning a mist that inflicts damage over time to enemies in the vicinity. This move isn’t particularly potent when in a one-on-one battle, which is why it’s not the greatest attack around. However, it the context of sheer crowd control, there aren’t many abilities as effective as Mists of Helheim.
12 Njord’s Tempest
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Alfheim. Alternatively, can also be purchased at a shop for 30,000 Hacksilver and 20 Aegir’s Gold
One of the first-ever Runic Attacks that Kratos gets is also one of the most powerful and effective ones. Njord’s Tempest is a reliable Runic Attack that always helps Kratos out of a tight spot without locking him into an overly long animation with no hope of escape at all.
By upgrading this attack, Kratos can spin for longer and hit for greater damage. Players can genuinely use a fully-upgraded Njord’s Tempest for the entirety of the game since it can dish out major damage and punish any enemy who becomes greedy in their quest to hurt the God of War! It’s a great move that shows Kratos’s powerful capabilities with the Leviathan Axe.
11 Tyr’s Revenge
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in The Mountain
Tyr’s Revenge has one of the highest damage potentials of any Runic Attack in the game. However, a big problem with this Runic Attack stems from its static nature, which can turn it into a useless attack in the blink of an eye. However, this is a pretty specific situation, and players who understand the drawbacks of this Runic Attack can adjust their strategy according to make the most of this power.
While this attack might deal a ton of damage if it lands all its blows, chances are that some fast foes will just move out of the way after taking a few hits. This is especially true in fights with high-level Valkyries, who will dart away from this attack after getting hit a few times.
10 Strike Of The Utgard
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Alfheim
At a glance, Strike of the Utgard might seem like one of the more basic and forgettable Runic Attacks. While players can definitely opt for better moves, the true potential of Strike of the Utgard comes when the move is fully upgraded. Of course, this statement applies to almost every Runic Attack in God of War… but there’s just something different about Strike of the Utgard that places it in a class of its own.
Suddenly, Strike of the Utgard doesn’t just give the player some breathing room when getting mobbed by enemies. It also ends up being a massive damage dealer that can be useful against either single or multiple opponents, making it one of the more versatile moves in the game.
9 Fury Of The Ice Troll
How to Find: Inside a Chest in the Volunder Mines
One of the best moves in the game for pure AoE damage, the Fury of the Ice Troll is a must-have for players who struggle while fighting mobs. A single use of this move will allow the player to quickly get some much-needed breathing room during these claustrophobic encounters.
Pairing this move with a great Heavy Runic attack will allow players to become a force to be reckoned with in battle. Just keep in mind that there are better Runic Attacks that players can use to target solitary enemies… although not many of them are as viscerally cool as Fury of the Ice Troll.
8 Hel’s Touch
How to Find: Inside the first Legendary Chest in the game
Given that Hel’s Touch is one of the first powers that Kratos gets in the game and doesn’t even deal any damage, players might feel that this move is only a placeholder until they unlock better Runic Attacks. However, over time, players will soon realize that the best way to deal damage to enemies is by stunning them before absolutely wailing at them.
In that regard, Hel’s Touch ends up being a valuable Runic Attack that can last them all the way to the very end of God of War. It’s effective against most enemies and recharges quickly, meaning that players always have the option of falling back on this Runic Attack if the going gets too tough.
7 The River Of Knives
How to Find: A reward for defeating Jarn For
One of the most powerful techniques in the entire game, The River of Knives fulfills the valuable function of keeping some distance between Kratos and his enemy while still dealing substantial damage. It’s easily one of the most reliable attacks in the entire game due to its high damage output as well.
Players just need to ensure that their enemy is stationary before unleashing this ice attack. As effective as the River of Knives might be, it’s completely useless if the player uses this move without any tact. After all, nothing hurts more in God of War than watching a powerful Runic Attack completely miss its target.
6 Ivaldi’s Anvil
How to Find: A reward for defeating Brenna Daudi in the River Pass
It was only a given that this list would feature multiple slam attacks, and Ivaldi’s Anvil is no exception. A Runic Attack that players get early on in their adventures, Ivaldi’s Anvil ends up being one of the best Runic Attacks due to its quick wind-up and devastating damage.
If that wasn’t good enough as is, this move can be upgraded to unleash a follow-up blast as well. All in all, Ivaldi’s Anvil is a reliable and powerful move that players can use throughout their run due to its simple yet powerful utility.
5 Frost Giant’s Frenzy
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Alfheim
Slam attacks are the bread and butter of Kratos’ repertoire in God of War. In that regard, the Frost Giant’s Frenzy ends up being extremely useful as a brutal AoE move, that can absolutely decimate enemies before they even have time to react!
The best part of this move is that players can multiply the number of slams Kratos does with a few upgrades. This turns Frost Giant’s Frenzy into one of the best moves in the game, with its damage-dealing capabilities perfect for both populated mobs and solo foes.
4 Breath Of Thamur
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Thamur’s Corpse
A move so powerful that it requires way too much grinding to unlock — the Breath of Thamur easily takes the cake as one of the most powerful Runic Attacks in the game. It’s just a shame that the efforts required to unlock this move can be so overbearing that most people won’t even have the opportunity to unlock this move.
However, players who do go through the grind required to unlock Breath of Thamur will find themselves enjoying one of the best AoE moves in the entire game. Players just need to be mindful of the cooldown time for this attack, which can be somewhat excessive.
3 Glaive Storm
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Buri’s Storeroom
An absolutely incredible heavy Runic Attack that decimates mobs with the greatest of ease, the Glaive Storm is arguably one of the coolest attacks in the game. Mobs of enemies can be whittled down with ease after this Runic Attack is unleashed upon them.
Watching the Leviathan fly around the battlefield and destroy any foes in Kratos’ path is quite a blast to witness. Ultimately, a fully-upgraded Glaive Storm can destroy most mobs in the game… although players should still think of different Runic Attacks when fighting other powerful solo foes, such as Valkyries.
2 Blessings Of The Frost
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Thamur’s Corpse
At a glance, Blessings of the Frost might not seem all that special. Given the flashy nature of most other Runic Attacks in the game, the idea of applying a passive buff sounds extremely unimpressive in the game.
However, what makes Blessings of the Frost such a useful attack stems from its massive utility. It’s the perfect passive buff to tackle a whole host of enemies in the game and can stun-lock most foes to oblivion. Coupling this move with another Runic Attack allows for wanton destruction of the highest order.
1 Wrath Of The Frost Ancient
How to Find: Inside a Legendary Chest in Fafnir’s Storeroom
With the correct buffs and upgrades, Wrath of the Frost Ancient can become an extremely powerful move in Kratos’ arsenal. Watching this beam cut through enemies like butter is easily one of the most satisfying moments in God of War.
Of course, players do need to be somewhat careful while using this Runic Attack. A lack of proper positioning and aim can turn Kratos into a sitting duck during this move, which can pretty much guarantee his demise against some of the more powerful foes in the game.
God of War was released on April 20, 2018, and is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
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