The first video game of God of War It was released in 2005, which means the franchise will be 20 years old in 2025. And the franchise doesn’t seem to be over just yet, although God of War Ragnarök has made it very clear that the Spartan is tired and wants to end his days in peace.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Besides, the point of this post isn’t to look into the future… but into the past. I recently told you that the Spear of Draupnir from Ragnarök isn’t exactly a new weapon and that it’s inspired by the Weapons of Sparta. That made me remember all the arsenal that Kratos has used throughout his history.
If you haven’t followed all of Kratos’ adventures during his crusade against Olympus, then you’ll be surprised to know that he has possessed more than a dozen weapons, among other objects and magical powers worth noting. He even had the wings of Icarus himself. It’s a very long list, so I want to focus solely on weapons.
El arsenal de Kratos en God of War: de Ascension a Ragnarök
It would be a crime to start with any weapon other than the Blades of Chaos. They are two short swords attached to Kratos’ arms by chains. While they have been his most lethal weapons, they were also a symbol of his servitude to the gods of Olympus. Santa Monica Studio did not go overboard in introducing a very deep drama when Kratos recovers them in God of War of 2018.
These blades have seen more blood than any other in human history, including his first family (Lysandra and Calliope), and they brought with them a curse: Kratos will never be able to get rid of them. They will always haunt him as a constant reminder of his atrocities. The Spartan decided to keep them close (just in case) rather than try to bury them somewhere far away.
The Blades of Chaos have been present in Ascension, Chains of Olympus, God of War the 2005, God of War the 2018 y God of War Ragnarök. And you might rightly think that there are games missing. That’s because Kratos hasn’t always had this version of the swords. There are two other alternatives: Blades of Athena and Blades of Exile, both granted by different versions of Athena and which symbolized the Spartan’s collaboration with the goddess.
Some fans want to believe that Brok and Sindri’s upgrades to the Blades of Chaos have removed or buried some of the magic of the Olympian gods, closing one episode of barbarism and opening another in which Kratos is a different god, more just and compassionate within his limits.
Beyond the Blades of Chaos
The Blades of Chaos are just the beginning. Kratos is a Spartan, and has been trained to master every weapon in existence at the time: swords, spears, heavy weapons like maces and hammers, hand-to-hand combat, and he even knows how to turn a shield into the deadliest weapon. And he has proven it in spades.
In God of War Ascension We were able to use other weapons through execution animations and other specific moments. We saw how Kratos used swords, maces, spears, shields and even slings to defeat his enemies, although they are not used as secondary weapons. This also happens in other video games, although it is anecdotal compared to other weapons.
Santa Monica Studio didn’t make us wait too long to see new weapons. God of War In 2005 we had the Blade of Artemis, a curved broadsword that we obtained in Pandora’s Temple, and the Blade of the Gods, which was the weapon we used to defeat Ares in the final fight of the video game. After defeating the god of war, we obtain the Blades of Athena. Kratos kept this arsenal in God of War: Betrayal.
If we take a look at Kratos’ timeline, the Blade of Artemis was not really his first weapon beyond the Blades of Chaos. We have to go back to God of War: Chains of Olympus to take a look at the Gauntlet of Zeus, a gauntlet forged by Hephaestus to chain Titans in Tartarus and obtained in the Temple of Zeus. Personally, I never found it to be all that fun, though I know fans who loved it.
The Sword of Artemis and the Gauntlet of Zeus disappeared without a trace, as did the Weapons of Sparta. God of War: Ghost of SpartaThey are composed of the spear and the Spartan shield that Kratos used before entering the service of Ares and obtaining the Blades of Chaos. Unlike the previous ones, we know that these weapons ended up in the tomb of his brother, Deimos.
Kratos never recovered the Weapons of Sparta, but Santa Monica Studio rescued them for the new adventure in Nordic lands. The shield is called Aspis of Sparta in God of War from 2018 and you “just” have to beat the adventure on the maximum difficulty, “I want God of War.” No less! On the other hand, the Spartan spear is reincarnated in the Spear of Draupnir from Ragnarök. The Lady of the Forge added the red cloth so there would be no doubt that it was inspired by the original weapon.
Kratos had wielded these weapons many years ago when he was the general of the Spartan army, prior to his service to Ares and the receipt of the Blades of Chaos. The Last Spartan took care of the spear and shield while Kratos was away serving Ares, and gave them to Kratos after visiting the Temple of Ares in Sparta.
Kratos gave the Weapons of Sparta to Deimos for his fight against Thanatos. Following Deimos’ death, Kratos left the spear and shield in his brother’s grave at the top of Suicide Cliffs. Official Wiki of the Weapons of Sparta.
The team at Santa Monica Studio knew that we players loved additional weapons, so they went completely crazy in God of War 2. In addition to the Blades of Athena and the Blade of Olympus, we get two additional weapons that became legendary for their sheer destructive power: the Barbarian King’s Barbarian Hammer and the Dark Rider’s Spear of Destiny. The hammer could summon spirits, and the spear could extend its blow to reach farther.
I had a particularly good time with the Barbarian’s Hammer because it was devastating against groups of enemies and the spirits were a great help during fights. It was slow, but landing the hit meant sending any unfortunate souls who let themselves get hit to the other side. Both disappeared without a trace and have not appeared again in the franchise.
Santa Monica Studio went crazy with weapons once again in God of War 3. It didn’t keep any of the previous ones, but it introduced a few others that were really fun, even some of the best. In addition to the Blades of Athena, Blades of Exile, and Blade of Olympus, four very fun – but not always effective – weapons were introduced: the Bow of Apollo, the Claws of Hades, the Nemean Cestus, and the Whip of Nemesis.
The Nemean Cestus and Nemesis Whip were beloved weapons, but nowhere near as much as the Bow of Apollo and the Claws of Hades. Having a bow was a novelty, so it was a tight squeeze, and the claws were just absurdly unbalanced for anyone with even a modicum of skill. Not only could you take the souls from enemies, but you could also summon mythological monsters to fight for you. I abused the latter a lot as often as I could.
And what happened to these weapons? Well, this time we have a partial explanation. Kratos loses all the items and weapons he collected in God of War 3 during the final fight against Zeus. Everything falls to the ground and we never heard of them again in the video games. The only one that survives until the end is the Blade of Olympus, which is the last weapon we see in the Greek bow and which returned in God of War Ragnarök during the Valhalla DLC.
Finally, God of War 2018 y God of War Ragnarök They introduced the Leviathan Axe and the Guardian Shield, but they brought back the Blades of Chaos, the Weapons of Sparta in the form of the Spear of Draupnir and, as I just mentioned, the Blade of Olympus. Not counting the cursed weapons, Kratos has only recovered two weapons from his vast arsenal. Perhaps in the next installment we will see the return of another one? Or will Santa Monica Studio rather opt for new designs?
Fuente | Main Image
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