While the sets for some of the support characters in God of War Ragnarok are purely cosmetic, the armor worn by Kratos can make a huge difference in combat. Whether due to them passively boosting the titular God of War's stats or providing him with useful combat skills with which to take down his enemies, the best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok are well worth seeking out.
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There are more than twenty different armor sets in total, but some of them are much better than others. It's also worth noting that many of the best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok are unlocked simply by completing the main story, which should come as good news to those who are keen to avoid taking on some of the game's challenging side content.
7 The Survival Set
Though one might not expect the game's very first set of armor to offer much in the long term, the Survival set scales surprisingly well throughout God of War Ragnarok. Granted, it may not have any skills associated with it, but it more than makes up for this with its impressive stat bonuses.
A full set provides a 153 boost to both the Strength and Defense stats as well as 108 to Runic, Vitality, Cooldown, and Luck. The fact that there are no skills to worry about arguably works in the set's favor too, as it means that players can mix and match without having to worry about missing out on bonuses.
How to Get the Survival Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
Players will find the Survival set in their inventory at the very beginning of God of War Ragnarok, meaning that they won't require any ingredients in order to craft it. Fully upgrading it, however, can be quite expensive.
6 The Dragon Scaled Set
Like the Survival set, the Dragon Scaled set is incredibly well-balanced, offering over 200 stat points in both Strength and Defence once it's been fully upgraded. Sadly, it doesn't offer the same passive boosts to Kratos' other stats, though does boast one of the game's best armor skills.
Dragon's Fury buffs both Strength and Defence each time players block or parry an attack, with the bonuses stacking until players take a hit. Dragon's Rebuke, on the other hand, increases shield damage by up to 50% and adds shield damage to successful blocks, making this a great set for those who are good at timing their parries.
How to Craft the Dragon Scaled Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
To get the Dragon Scaled armor set, players will first need to complete Chapter 13 and then head to the Freyr's Camp area of Vanaheim and look for Helka to begin the Scent of Survival quest. After following Helka and completing the favor, players will unlock a new area called The Crater and get the blueprints for the Dragon Scaled armor set. Completing hunts at the crater will provide players with the resources that are needed to craft and upgrade the set.
- Dragon Scaled Breastplate: 1 x Dragon Claw and 2 x Dragon Tooth
- Dragon Scaled Girdle: 10 x Dragon Tooth
- Dragon Scared Bracers: 10 x Dragon Tooth
5 The Fate Breaker Set
The Fate Breaker set is one of the last sets that players will get their hands on during the main story. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise to learn that it is one of the best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok when everything is taken into account.
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As well as granting huge stat bonuses to Strength, Defense, Vitality, and Luck, the Raging Aftermath skill provides various buffs in the moments after players finish using Kratos' Spartan Rage. Combine this with the Raging Fury skill provided by the Wraps and Belt, which increases the rate at which the Rage meter fills, and it is an incredibly effective set to have.
How to Get the Fate Breaker Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
Players will receive the recipe for the Fate Breaker armor set at the beginning of God of War Ragnarok's final story chapter. It's free to craft, though they will need the right resources if they wish to upgrade it to the highest level.
4 Giptumadr's Set
When it comes to Runic builds, Giptumadr's Set is hands-down the best armor in God of War Ragnarok. As well as offering decent stat bonuses to Strength, Defence, Runic, and Luck, its Fortune's Refresh skill has a chance to immediately restore 70% of a Runic Attack or Relic's cooldown immediately after use.
The Fortune's Bounty skill from the gauntlets and waist guard increases the chances of enemies dropping a Healthstone or Ragestone when hit with a Runic Attack, which can come in pretty clutch at times. Given that players will probably have boosted their Luck stat to increase the chances of hitting Fortune's Refresh already, the two skills pair incredibly well.
How to Craft Giptumadr's Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
The recipe for Giptumadr's set becomes available once players have completed God of War Ragnarok's ninth chapter, The World of Fate. After that, players will be able to craft the armor by visiting one of Brok and Sindri's workshops.
- Giptumadr's Breastplate: 8,500 Hacksilver
- Giptumadr's Gauntlets: 6,000 Hacksilver
- Giptumadr's Waist Guard: 6,000 Hacksilver
3 The Hunter's Set
The Hunter's set is another great option for those looking to put together a strong Runic build, though is quite a bit harder to unlock and doesn't actually boost Kratos' Runic stat. It does, however, drastically shorten cooldown times for Runic Attacks and Relics, allowing players to use them far more frequently than they would otherwise be able to.
In addition to its solid stat bonuses, the Hunter's set makes Kratos' ranged attacks considerably more powerful. The Empowered Range skill allows players to increase ranged attack damage for a short duration while Ranged Specialist, which is provided by the set's Gauntlets and Belt, can increase all ranged damage by up to 20%.
How to Craft the Hunter's Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
Sadly, crafting the Hunter's set is incredibly difficult, as getting the necessary ingredients will require God of Warplayers to complete two separate favors (In Plain Sight and Nocturnal Predator). They'll also have to beat the recurring Centaur mini-boss The Untamed Fury five times across multiple locations (The Sinkholes, The Plains, and The Jungle).
- Hunter's Pauldron: 2 x Hunter's Brand
- Hunter's Gauntlets: 1 x Hunter's Brand
- Hunter's Belt: 1 x Hunter's Brand
2 The Steinbjorn Set
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that the primary purpose of an armor set is to protect its wearer from harm. With this in mind, there's a very strong argument to be made for the Steinbjorn set being the best armor in God of War Ragnarok on account of its incredible 394 Defence points once fully upgraded.
Then there's the Plackart's Bloodthirsty Retaliation skill, which sees Kratos' attacks restoring health for a short time after significant damage has been taken. This pairs incredibly well with Spartan Rage and can allow players to completely refill their health bars in a matter of seconds if used correctly. Stunning Retaliation can be useful too, as it has a chance to stun nearby enemies whenever Kratos takes damage.
How to Craft the Steinbjorn Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
In order to get their hands on the Steinbjorn Armor set, players will first need to get the Draupnir spear. After that, they should head for the Lake of Nine in Midgard and destroy the block of ice with the golden cracks in it to the south of the area to get the Mystical Heirloom relic. Once equipped, players should use the heirloom near the special troll statues in The Derelict Outpost in Midgard, the Forbidden Sands in Alfheim, and Noatun's Garden in Vanaheim (x2). Doing so will turn them into tricky troll bosses which will drop the components needed to craft the Steinbjorn set upon their defeat.
- Steinbjorn Plackart: 2 x Slumber Stone
- Steinbjorn Gauntlets: 1 x Slumber Stone
- Steinbjorn Waist Guard: 1 x Slumber Stone
1 Surtr's Scorched Set
Surtr's Scorched set is arguably the best armor in God of War Ragnarok, but it's also one of the most difficult and most time-consuming sets to unlock. It makes up for this somewhat, however, with huge stat bonuses to Strength, Defense, and Vitality, not to mention a couple of incredibly useful skills.
While the Dragon Scaled set is the best for those who value timing, Surtr's Scorched set rewards those who like to go on the offensive. Preemptive Strike grants bonus damage when players interrupt an opponent's attack, while Aggressor's Resolve reduces the damage that players take by up to 40% while also increasing Stagger Resistance while they are attacking,
How to Get Surtr's Scorched Armor Set in God of War Ragnarok
In order to get their hands on Surtr's Scorched armor set, players will first need to find the two halves of the Muspelheim Realm Seed. They can be found in the Modvitnir’s Rig and Dragon Beach areas of Svartalfheim, though the latter can only be accessed after completing Chapter 10 and getting the Draupnir Spear. After that, players will need to head to Muspelheim and take part in Surtr's trials in the Crucible area.
- Surtr's Scorched Cuirass: Complete the Endurance Challenge at the Crucible.
- Surtr's Scorched Arm: Complete the Ring of Fire challenge at the Crucible.
- Surtr's Scorched Girdle: Complete the Boss Rush Challenge at the Crucible.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.