God of War Ragnarok was one of the most anticipated AAA titles for 2022, and it did not disappoint. And in our God of War Ragnarok Skills tier list, we will cover one of the most in-depth and interesting features in GOWR, the skills. The skills in question are restricted to our main character, Kratos, and will not cover the skills used by his companions.
A few things to remember about the list is that it is a subjective ranking, so you may not agree with some of the rankings I make. The skills are extremely diverse, and the usability varies from player to player. The criteria on which the skills are ranked are usability, cost, and overall effectiveness when it comes to the average player.
Key Points
- We have a total of 51 skills on our list
- They have been ranked based on their usability, cost, and overall effectiveness.
- The best skills for Kratos are along the lines of Permafrost and Glacial Rake.
- Among the worst skills, we have Whirlwind Sweep and Impaling Thrust.
Summary
Before diving further into our article, you can use the table below to take a quick look at the Skills rankings.
| S Rank | A Rank | B Rank | C Rank | D Rank | F Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazing Explosion | Freezing Throw | Axe Throw | Frozen Ascent | Returning Whirlwind | Whirlwind Sweep |
| Extinguish Flames | Vengeful Sickle | Evasive Storm | Returning Storm | Scorched Sweep | Impaling Thrust |
| Permafrost | Rushing Chaos | Serpents Snare | Frost Rush | Spinning Chaos | |
| Glacial Rake | Hyperion Grapple | Frozen Spike | Whirling Storm | Chaos Slam | |
| Chaotic Rampage | Immolation | Flame Whiplash | Whirlwind Throw | Spear Drill | |
| Vaporize Frost | Frost Awaken | Hyperion Pull | Scorched Earth | General's Advance | |
| Forzen Lance | Draupnir's Call | Blazing Surge | Rising Chaos | ||
| Glacial Permafrost | Spear Throw | General's Deception | |||
| Leviathans Fury | Gale Force | Draupnir's Wail | |||
| Pride of Frost | Hoplite Lunge | ||||
| Furious Immolation | Elemental Siphon | ||||
| Evasive Embers | Spear Arsenal | ||||
| Plume of Chaos | Violent Maelstrom | ||||
| Maelstrom |
Each entry will be discussed in more depth in the article below.
S Tier
S Tier.The first rank of our God of War Ragnarok Skills tier list is the best of them all. In the S tier, we will discuss the absolute best skills in the entire game.
These are extremely useful early on in the game and give a notable edge in the late game, and these skills are only for Kratos’ skill tree. So without further delay, let’s have a look at what these entries are.
Extinguish Flames
The first skill we will discuss in the S rank is Extinguish Flames. It is a skill for Kratos’ Leviathon Axe, and it is one of the best ones that you can get early on in the game simply because of the attack damage boost it gives you against burning enemies. Burning enemies are one of the most common types in the game, which is why the skill is so useful. If that all was not enough for you to get this skill, it also costs only 250 exp making it one of the cheapest skills in the game.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 250 XP |
Permafrost
Permafrost is another skill for the Leviathon Axe that boosts the damage you do with Kratos. The skill relies on Frost damage which resonates extremely well with the Leviathon Axe. The catch with the skill is that the better you evade hits, the more damage you do. Lastly, Permafrost also boosts your Luck and your Runic stats as an added bonus.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 500 XP |
Glacial Rake
Glacial Rake is one of those abilities that is a must-have. Not using it is similar to using a bat to beat zombies when you have 300 rocket launchers. Using Glacial Rake, you can send out a plethora of small ice shards toward the enemies, dealing frost damage to those that get hit. Furthermore, the skill does well in every single ranking criterion as well. It has great crowd control, great damage, mediocre cost, and is extremely useful in a number of situations.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Vaporize Frost
Vaporize Frost is another must-have ability if your weapon of choice is the Chaos Blades. Using the skill, you deal more elemental damage to enemies with bonus damage against frosted enemies. One of the most lethal combos makes use of this ability. If you use the Leviathan Axe to Frost and the Chaos Blades to vaporize them, you will deal significant damage.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 250 XP |
Chaotic Rampage
Next up among the S Tier Skills is Chaotic Ramage. Chaotic Rampage is a skill for the Chaos Blades that allows you to release a barrage of attacks on a single enemy which deals serious damage. The crucial thing about the skill is that it has no cooldown, so you can repeatedly use it forever. It does have an additional level, Chaotic Rampage II, that adds more attacks to the skill. All in all, it is one of the deadliest Chaos Blades Skill Kratos can unlock.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 3000 XP |
Blazing Explosion
The last S Tier skill that we will discuss is Blazing Explosion. It is a skill for Kratos’ spear that’s pretty straightforward. It allows you to perform a lunge and let out an explosion that deals AoE damage around you. When it comes to dealing with hordes of enemies at once, it is one of the best options you have. The damage type is fire, so enemies vulnerable to fire will also take bonus damage.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 750 XP |
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A Tier
A Tier.In the A tier, you will find some of the less powerful, but still great, skills you can get for one of Kratos’ weapons. They may lack the S-tier skills’ usability, but they are still viable in most situations.
These are not ideal, but they are still impressive in combat. Now let’s take a look at what these skills are.
Vengeful Sickle
First up on the A tier is Vengeful Sickle. It is a skill for the Leviathan Axe that allows Kratos to charge and slash multiple enemies in a given range. It is quite a useful sickle when facing multiple enemies. The cost of this skill is quite high, which does make it a better skill for the late game.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Freezing Throw
Freezing Throw is another skill that you can equip for the Leviathan Axe. It is one of the simpler and more specific skills for Kratos. You hold heavy attack and charge Kratos’ axe and release towards an enemy. It deals AoE damage that can potentially freeze weaker enemies for a short period. It is an especially good skill for combos.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Immolation
Immolation is one of the best skills that you can use against stronger enemies. It allows you to increase your attack stat as well as inflict more burn with each attack you perform without taking any damage. It is definitely for the players who are more adept at combat but even then, it remains to be one of the most lethal skills. The only reason the skill is not among the S-tier skills is its difficulty level.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Hyperion Grapple
Hyperion Grapple is next in the A tier of our God of War Ragnarok Skills list. It is a ranged ability that the Chaos Blades utilize. The Hyperion Grapple skill allows you to lunge toward enemies and stun them momentarily. It is often used in combo with Hyperion Grapple for the most efficient effect. Furthermore, it only costs 750 exp, which is very cheap for an ability that stuns.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Maelstrom
Maelstrom is the next skill that we will discuss. It is for the Draupnir Spear, as Immolation is for the Chaos Blades. It powers up the melee power of the spear with each attack you deal without taking any damage. Additionally, the ability also gives bonuses to the Luck and Runic runes while it is active.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Rushing Chaos
Next up in the A rank of our God of War Ragnarok skills tier list is Rushing Chaos. It is a skill for Kraots’ Chaos Blades that mostly helps you with mobility, and it allows you to perform a lunge toward an enemy and then unleash a barrage of attacks. You can use it to deal serious damage to an enemy or to evade hits from enemies when fighting against a horde. It is fairly useful but lacks damage making it an A-tier skill rather than an S-tier one.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 500 XP |
Forst Awaken (Spoiler Warning)
The Hyperion Grapple is one of the most expensive skills that are currently in the game. It covers the Leviathan Axe in ice for some time that deals first damage as well as double damage to anything it hits. It is one of the most lethal skills as well. However, it has one weakness: it won’t work particularly well against frosted enemies. A brief showcase of its potential was shown in the Kratos vs. Thor fight.
Glacial Permafrost
Glacial Permafrost is one of the best skills for the Leviathan Axe that we will cover in the list. It would be a solid S-tier skill if not for its expensive experience cost. The Glacial Permaforst significantly enhances the Leviathan Axe’s damage for its duration. Additionally, it also imbues the axe with far-reaching waves of Frost after each hit.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Leviathan’s Fury
Leviathan’s Fury is not particularly a strong skill overall, but it is one of the most useful ones in the game. It is a skill for the Leviathan Axe and allows Kratos to perform a huge leap in any direction. Furthermore, it releases a short burst of Forst AoE damage wherever it lands. It definitely a must-have skill if mobility is important in your fight style.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | N/A |
Evasive Embers
Evasive Embers is a skill for the Blades of Chaos that is one of the best evasive skills in the game. It allows you to quickly get out of troublesome situations by sending out a burst of waves that apply burn to the area ahead of it. The damage is increased for enemies standing right in front of Kratos, which makes it quite good for offensive maneuvers.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Plume of Chaos
The Plume of Chaos is one of the most expensive skills as well as one of the most difficult skills to perform in the game. Additionally, it is quite expensive as well, costing 4000 experience points. The skill is purely for late-game combat, which is why it is in the A tier despite all its criteria. You need to use it at the end of your light attack combo, which allows you to deal massive fire damage to all that come in contact with it. Last but not least, the skill also throws enemies that survive the burn into the air for more damage.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 4000 XP |
Furious Immolation
Furious Immolation is a skill for the Chaos Blades that is one of the most crucial skills to have for the weapon. When under the effect of the Immolation skill, you can press Block and Ability to activate the skill. It greatly increases all the melee attacks of the Chaos Blades and imbues it with fire, creating a small explosion on each hit. Furthermore, the skill also builds up additional Rage for a short period of time.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Pride of Frost
Next up is another skill for the Leviathan Axe. It increases the duration and damage of the light combo attacks by adding frost damage as well as lethal slams. To perform it, you need to use your attacks in a specific order that does increase its difficulty a bit, but that loss is covered by how much damage it does. Pride of Frost is especially good against bosses or strong enemies.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 4000 XP |
Frozen Lance
Frozen Lance is the last A-tier skill we will discuss in our God of War skills list. It is utilized by the Leviathan Axe, which is one of the most lethal skills you can obtain in the game. While having Frost Awaken, if you use a heavy attack, you throw your axe with extreme force, which deals massive damage. In addition, it knocks the enemy backward, breaking any guard they may have. Its only con is its high experience cost.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1000 XP |
B Tier
B Tier.With the Frozen Lance, we conclude our A tier and move to the B tier. In the current category, we will discuss the skills that have an average performance compared to the rest of the GOW skills. These are not the best, but nowhere near the worst either.
They vary a lot in terms of cost, usability, and damage but manage to equalize at around the average performance threshold. These skills are listed as follows.
Axe Throw
The first skill that we will look at in the B tier is quite a basic one for the Leviathan Axe. It allows you to throw your axe forward, dealing basic damage. In addition to that, it may cause a more severe reaction when aimed at the head or the legs of the enemy.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | N/A |
Frozen Spike
The Frozen Spike is a skill for the Leviathan Axe that requires the Frost Awaken ability to be activated. Once activated, you can use a light attack to throw your axe and create a small burst of Frost on impact. It is another basic skill that is quite useful on the Leviathan Axe.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | N/A |
Hyperion Pull
The Hyperion Pull is a commonly built utility skill that some players love to use for an aggressive combat style. By performing a light attack, you impale the enemy you are aiming at and pull them toward you. If the enemy you are aiming at is airborne, the ability instantly slams them to the ground. Furthermore, the ability also launches weaker enemies once pulled in for additional damage.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | N/A |
Spear Throw
Next up in the B tier of our skills tiers list is a pretty basic and straightforward skill for the Draupnir Spear. It is a ranged skill that has no cost and can be used in a number of ways. It is definitely a skill for damage, but the utility it offers is great. You aim and use a light attack to throw your spear, which impales (if possible) the surface or entity it comes in contact with. These spears can be detonated if you possess the “Draupnir’s Call” skill.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | N/A |
Galeforce
Up next among the skills that you can obtain as Kratos is Galeforce. Galeforce is also a skill for the Draupnir Spear that allows you to fire a blast of wind that knocks back enemies. Additionally, if you have siphoned any elements prior to using it, those elements will be used to increase the potency of the blast.
Hoplite Lunge
The Hoplite Lunge is a mobility skill that allows for quick movements as well as great traversal during combat. To use the skill, you must perform a light attack while sprinting that will allow you to lunge forward, closing the gap between you and an enemy.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 3000 XP |
Elemental Siphon
Elemental Siphon is a unique but moderately powerful skill you can obtain for the Draupnir Spear. It is quite cheap as well and allows you to combine it with other skills for lethal combos. You can hold a heavy attack to absorb the power from the enemy into your spear, which does elemental damage on each hit. The spear can still be thrown as well as detonated and still result in extra elemental damage.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 3000 XP |
Violent Maelstrom
Violent Maelstorm is a different variant of the Maelstorm skill we discussed in the A Tier. It is lower down because the variant requires the original skill to be at max effect first. Once at that point, you can use the block and ability buttons to consume all the charge of the ability. Doing this will increase the melee damage even more with a higher potency of stun and impact effects.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Spear Arsenal
Spear Arsenal is one of the most basic skills for the Draupnir Spear. It is quite expensive but can be useful in the hands of a master of the weapon. Additionally, it is a very late-game skill that allows you to increase the maximum number of spears that you can prime for detonation. The skill proves to be quite useful in some situations, making it a perfectly average skill for our God of War Ragnarok skills tier list.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 4000 XP |
Evasive Storm
Evasive Storm is also a skill for the Leviathan axe that is quite a basic move. It allows Kratos to throw his axe like a boomerang, dealing damage to everything it comes in contact with. A plus point for the skill is that it’s quite cheap, but still, there are better skills for the same cost.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 500 XP |
Draupnir’s Call
Draupnir’s Call is one of the first skills that we will discuss for the Draupnir Spear. The skill is quite tricky to place because it has no cost but doesn’t offer the most in terms of damage as well. At best, it is a utility skill for Kratos’ spear. It allows you to perform a slam attack with the spear that detonates all embedded spears into elemental wind explosions.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 3000 XP |
Flame Whiplash
Flame Whiplash is a decently useful skill to have on the Chaos Blades. It can be upgraded several times, increasing its damage and potency with each level. Flame Whiplash imbues the Chaos Blades with fire that allows you to deal elemental fire damage to enemies.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 5000 XP |
Serpent’s Snare
Finally, the last B-tier skill we will look at is the Serpent’s Snare. It is not as basic as the other B Tier skills but still has the same impact. It is for the Leviathan Axe and allows you to throw the enemy dealing massive damage. Candidly, it also deals AoE frost damage when weaker enemies are thrown.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 1000 XP |
C Tier
C Tier.Next up on the God of War Ragnarok Tier List is the C rank. Here, we will go over some of the skills that perform a little below average.
Some of these skills are fairly decent, but they either cost a little too much or have a devastatingly high difficulty level. These skills are discussed as follows.
Frozen Ascent
The first skill that we will discuss in the C rank is Frozen Ascent. It is a skill for the Leviathan Axe that costs 750 experience for a fairly basic attack. Additionally, it also requires the Frost awaken skill to be used. Frozen Ascent is a heavy attack that unleashes an upwards slash using a chilling wave that launches enemies up and applies Frost. The only good way to use the skill is either to escape from enemies.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Returning Storm
Returning Storm is a slightly more dramatic Frozen Ascent. It does not require the frost-awaken ability, but it does require you to be barehanded. You can use this skill to recall the Leviathan Axe and immediately perform a slam attack that deals AOE frost damage. Furthermore, it also knocks back all the enemies it hits. The skill is decent in terms of damage, but the catch is that it costs 2000 experience making it extremely expensive for a pretty basic combo.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 2000 XP |
Frost Rush
Frost Rush is quite a simple ability that is similar to a lot of the B-tier skills. Unfortunately, using the skill alone will put you in more trouble than you may have bargained for. Frost Rush simply allows you to perform a basic leaping attack in the direction of an enemy. It does not have a cost, but it’s definitely not worth using over some of the other leaping skills we have discussed.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | N/A |
General’s Deception
Next up is another skill for the Draupnir Spear is the General’s Deception. Utilizing the skill is quite difficult because of how time-sensitive its activation is. To perform it, you need to activate it while evading to throw a gust of wind toward the enemies, which can potentially knock them down or back. It’s a particularly high-level skill but does come at a mediocre price of 750 experience points.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Draupnir’s Wail
Draupnir’s Wail is a somewhat average skill for the Draupnir Spear, costing 1000 experience points. It is mostly a power-up for the spear rather than a directly damaging ability. It results in the slams made with the spear being stronger in magnitude as well as increasing the potency of the explosions made by the embedded spears.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1000 XP |
Scorched Earth
Next up is another skill for the Chaos Blades. You are required to have Flame Whiplash ability in order for the skill to work, and you can perform a heavy attack when under the effect of Flame Whiplash, which allows you to smash your blades down and create a heavy elemental explosion. It’s in the C Tier because of its low cost of 750 experience points with an additional 1500 experience points for level two. The level-one variant does decent damage but using this skill without the level-up is more of a liability than a perk.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 1500 XP |
Blazing Surge
Blazing Surge is a pretty decent skill for the Chaos Blades. The skill is quite useful in most situations but is pathetic when it comes to damage. It is a heavy attack that is used to impale an enemy and send a fiery pulse through them afterward, and it deals elemental fire damage making it quite useful against frost enemies.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | N/A |
Whirling Storm
Whirling Storm is a skill for the Leviathan Axe that is another pretty basic mobility skill. It allows Kratos to perform a spinning double-attack while moving forward. It is barely a C-tier skill thanks to its low cost because otherwise, it is one of the worst melee skills in the game.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 500 XP |
Whirlwind Throw
The last skill that we will discuss in the C ranks is the Whirlwind Throw, which is one of the more complicated skills we will be looking at. It allows you to switch stances momentarily, at which point you can use a heavy attack twice or you can even perform a ranged attack that launches enemies upwards. Usually, the skill would be good, but you rarely find the need to launch enemies away. Additionally, it is quite a heavy investment as it costs 2000 experience to unlock.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 2000 XP |
D Tier
D Tier.In the D tier, we will look at some of the near-useless skills that you can obtain in God of War. They aren’t the worst but definitely nowhere near the good or average skills. They are rarely ever used or have an absurd cost to them.
Opting for these skills is almost never a good idea unless you have a very specific playstyle that absolutely requires them. These skills are listed as follows.
Returning Whirlwind
The first skill we will discuss in the D Tier is Returning Whirlwind. It is a skill for the Leviathan axe that is very similar to Returning Storm. Instead of performing a leaping attack like in Returning Storm, Kratos instead perform a spinning attack. The skill also requires you to be barehanded for it to work.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 1000 XP |
Scorched Sweep
Next up in the D tier skill is Scorshed Sweep. It is a skill for the Chaos Blades that requires the Flame Whiplash skill to be in effect. Acute light attack with Flame Whiplash activated, you can slash enemies and inflict a short burn on them. If Flame Whiplash is fully charged, the skill adds an additional fire wave from where the ground was struck.
| Type | Technique |
| Cost | 2000 XP |
Spear Drill
Next among the D Tier skills is a skill for the Draupnir Spear. It simply allows you to throw a charged spinning spear that continuously hits enemies. The skill can also potentially knock down enemies it comes in contact with, but it costs a whopping 3000 experience at level 6, which is not at all worth it.
| Type | Ranged |
| Cost | 3000 XP |
General’s Advance
General’s Advance is a skill for the Draupnir Spear, which is quite useless, especially at its level. General’s Advance is a melee skill for the spear that assists you while evading. It allows you to bash an enemy with the blunt side of the spear. If the strike connects, another attack is performed with an agile downward strike.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 750 XP |
Chaos Slam
Chaos Slam is a skill for the Blades of Chaos. It is also a fairly simple skill that rarely finds useful opportunities. Chaos Slam is a heavy attack that allows you to perform a leap followed by a strong slam attack that knocks weaker enemies into the air. It is not the best skill when it comes to damage, but it definitely looks very cool.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | N/A |
Rising Chaos
Rising Chaos is a skill that is extremely similar to the skill we just discussed, Chaos Slam. It, too, knocks enemies up into the air, but it is not nearly as dramatic as the former. Furthermore, Chaos Slam only works for weaker enemies, while Rising Chaos works on most enemies.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | N/A |
Spinning Chaos
The last skill we will look at in the D Tier of our God of War Skills Tier List is Spinning Chaos. It is a skill for the Chaos Blades that is rarely useful. Spinning Chaos is a light attack that allows you to perform a leaping spin attack that knocks falling enemies back into the air. Additionally, it costs 750 experience points which is quite a high price for a skill of this stature.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 750 XP |
F Tier
F Tier.Finally, the last rank we will discuss in our list is the F tier. Here, we will have a look at the worst possible skills in the entire game.
These skills are a liability more often than not. Additionally, some of these skills are ridiculously expensive as well. All in all, it would be best to avoid these skills because of how bad they are. They are listed as follows.
Whirlwind Sweep
The first skill that we are going to discuss in our F tier is the Whirlwind Sweep. It is a skill for the Leviathan Axe that costs 1000 experience points. It is one of the worst skills in the game because it makes you change your stance. After the changed stance, it allows you to perform a sweeping combo that does average damage and can be easily countered by a basic attack. Its cost is extremely high for a skill that does that little damage as well.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 1000 XP |
Impaling Thrust
The last and final skill that we are going to discuss in the article is Impaling Thrust. It is a skill for the Draupnir Spear that is quite a pathetic skill, especially if you consider it quite expensive. It costs 1000 experience points and performs one basic attack. You have to hold a heavy attack to impale a spear into an enemy in succession, with each spear for every level. These spears can be detonated with Draupnir’s Call as well.
| Type | Melee |
| Cost | 4000 XP |
Patch Notes V. 03.00
With the update 3.02, the following changes have been made to the skills.
- Fixed a case where the Hyperion Pull would not pull Nightmare enemies.
- Fixed a rare case where attacks performed while using Valor of Fury could miss smaller targets.
Finally, we have reached the end of our God of War Skills Tier List. The list was quite a task, considering all the players’ different playstyles during combat. I tried my best to perform a generalized analysis on the basis of the average player. However, there is a possibility that you may not completely agree with my assessments.
So, if you have anything you wish to add to the article, please feel free to do so in the comments. Lastly, if there is anything else you wish to tell the readers, leave those tips down below as well.