GOW Ragnarok: Best Atreus Skills [Tried & Tested]

God of War Ragnarok introduces a variety of skills for Atreus in the form of skill trees. There are 3 skill trees for Atreus in GOW Ragnarok, each of which adds a unique layer and feel to the gameplay. However, like most skill trees in other games, you often need to choose which skill you unlock first.

Best Atreus Skills Compared

Investing in Atreus’ skills in God of War can greatly enhance both combat and the overall gameplay. Out of 28 skills, here are some of my favorite Atreus skills in God Of War Ragnarok:

Instinct Skills

The Instinct Skills boost Atreus’ attack and combo potential when you’re playing as Kratos. Some Instinct skills also have a separate ability when you play as Atreus. These skills encourage you to use Atreus as a supporting character more often, relying on his toolset and abilities to help you take down enemies and create a strong synergy between him and Kratos.

1. Watchful Protector

In the early game, where you only play as Kratos, I must say, the Watchful Protector is a priority skill to get. This ability allows Atreus to draw enemy aggression towards himself when Kratos is surrounded by hordes of enemies, giving him time to heal.

Reducing aggro towards you is a huge benefit, and that benefit given to you for 750 XP is a steal, making this one of the best skills for Atreus in God of War Ragnarok. Watchful Protector can get you out of tons of trapped situations where you feel like you’re cornered. With Atreus sharing enemy aggression, you can use that to your advantage and take out enemies one by one.

2. Dive into Battle

Once you start playing Atreus, I suggest you to unlock this skill early, as this has 2 abilities. When you’re playing as Kratos, completing a father-and-son combo triggers a prompt, allowing Atreus to use a powerful rope-grapple finisher. On the other hand, playing as Atreus, you’ll be able to grapple onto enemies and strike them down, applying the status effect of your current Runic arrow onto them.

Dive into Battle is a great example of a unique skill that changes its ability according to the situation while maintaining its effectiveness. You can use it in combat regardless of who you’re playing as, and the power itself is also incredibly strong.

Archery Skills

The Archery skills primarily enhance Atreus’ ranged combat. You can use these both when you play as him or Kratos. This is due to their main goal being to extend Atreus’ combos and combo damage via arrows which can be done regardless of who you’re controlling. Most Archery skills will only strengthen either Sigil arrows or Sonic arrows, so I’ll look at those skills that generally improve your skillset. 

1. Focus Shot

Focus Shot is a strong beginner skill in God of War Ragnarok that lets you charge up your arrows before shooting them, increasing the damage and knockback of every arrow you charge. This skill also deals bonus damage upon successful headshots.

Focus Shot adds another layer of options, where you can choose how effective and quick you want your arrows to be depending on the situation. As such, I consider this skill to be extremely useful since this slight upgrade provides incredible value if you’re reliant on the arrows. And if you’re a good shot, then you’ll surely welcome the additional damage this gives when playing as Atreus.

2. Dextrous Shot

Dextrous Shot is another essential skill that massively raises Atreus’ damage output. This skill deals additional damage with repeated headshots. While the effectiveness of Dextrous Shot is variable when you play as Kratos, it plays a significant role in Atreus’ sections in the game.

With careful aim, you’ll be able to take out stronger enemies easily. Therefore, if you have strong accuracy, I recommend you to make this skill your optimal choice.

Aggression Skills

Aggression Skills are somewhat similar to Instinct, where damage and melee combat take priority. When you play as Kratos, every skill under Aggression has a different ability compared to when you play as Atreus. Hence, I’ll look at the best skills that are great under both circumstances.

1. Bludgeoning Strikes

Bludgeoning Strikes is a stun-focused skill. As Kratos, Atreus can trip enemies to do a beatdown which applies heavy stun damage during combat. Additionally, when you’re playing Atreus, you can hold the Light attack to trip and strike an enemy and apply heavier stun by continuing to hold the Light attack.

This skill carries a lot of stopping power that takes advantage of the tripping mechanic. I must say, it’s ideal to use the skill on larger arenas where further stunning the enemy gives you more breathing room so you can clear out the rest of the arena while the stun effect wears off.

2. Archer’s Reversal

The Archer’s Reversal focuses on stunning the enemy, just like Bludgeoning Strikes, but grants Atreus a very special ability in the process – Parry. The parry mechanic with Atreus works similarly to Kratos with his shields. If you time your blocks well, you get a parry and earn additional stun.

In my suggetion Archer’s Reversal is a must-have skill since a rewarding mechanic like parrying will pretty much become essential after a steep climb in difficulty towards the end game. Having this also means you won’t be forced to have stun-heavy relics like Motsognir’s Call and instead have relics that improve other attributes.

Other Honorable Mentions

Here are some other options to consider while choosing the best skill for Atreus in God of War Ragnarok.

• Cunning Eagle Eye: Part of instinct skill tree, slows down time after a successful parry.
• Hex Debilitation: Empowers Atreus’ Sigil Arrows, causing enemies affected by them to become more vulnerable to Stun.
• Deceptive Eagle Eye: Useful against bigger and tougher enemies, slows down time after a last-second evade.

My Take On The Best Atreus Skills

When playing as Kratos, Atreus’ archery skills are going to be the most helpful, especially the Arrow Surplus Skill, which increases the total number of Runic Arrows. The aggression should get second priority as these not only make him stronger as a companion but also powerful as a playable character during certain sections.

Archer’s Reversal and Warrior’s Reveal are two extremely useful skills that were really helpful in the majority of Atreus Sections. I cannot stress enough that parrying and counter-attacking after a successful parry is essential to beating these end–game enemies as Atreus, which is where these skills come in.

Summary

In God of War Ragnarok, Atreus’ abilities have a massive impact on the game itself. Whenever I’m playing as Kratos or Atreus, his abilities are crucial in many situations. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that you focus on his abilities just as much as Kratos since major portions of the game focus heavily on Atreus’ combat.

That wraps up my complete guide on the best skills for Atreus in God of War Ragnarok. Be sure to check out my guide to getting Muspelheim seeds in God of War Ragnarok, where you can test out your newly unlocked skills.

You can also consider reading up on my guide on all Draugr Hole locations as another way to put your skills to work. If you instead want to get even stronger and more capable, you could also check out this guide on the best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok and how to get them.