GOW Ragnarok: Best Blades Of Chaos Handles [Expert Picks]
Learn the best options for Blades of Chaos handles with my expert guide that you can equip and use in combat!
Fact Checked By Irfan Ansari
God of War Ragnarok brings back the original Blades of Chaos weapon for you to equip once more! Like each weapon in the game, it can’t perform at peak performance and requires attachments that can boost its overall performance. Therefore, my God of War Ragnarok Best Blades of Chaos Handles guide will showcase the best options!
In God of War Ragnarok, the Blades of Chaos can be equipped with various handles that offer Strength boosts and unique perks: Here are our top picks:
- Cursed Empress Handles: Chance to increase damage and Runic Attack based on Luck stat. Obtained after clearing a Draugr Hole in Svartfalheim.
- Deadly Obsidian Handles: Chance to recover Spartan Rage from kills, based on Luck stat. Found in a Legendary Chest in Aurvangar Wetlands.
- Pommels of Brutal Might: Temporarily boost strength after executing a finisher with a full enemy stun meter. Purchased from Sindri.
- Luminous Recovery Handles: Chance to restore Runic Attack cooldown after Flame Whiplash, based on Luck. Found in a Legendary Chest in Nidavellir.
- Pommels of the Undying Spark: Enhance Burn effect damage over time. Obtained from a chest in Jarnsmida Pitmines.
- Hardened War Handles: Increase damage of Hyperion Pull/Grapple attacks. Found in a Legendary Chest in the Forbidden Sands.
- Pommels of Agile Deceit: Boost damage and burn effects for Spinning Chaos and Evasive Embers. Purchased from Sindri.
- Pommels of the True Flame: Increase Runic Attack damage when Immolation gauge is full. Purchased from Sindri in Musphelheim.
- Radiant War Handles: Allow projectile deflection while holding or mashing triangle. Purchased from Sindri.
- Author’s Note: After going through God of War Ragnarok for several weeks on PlayStation, I feel confident going into the topic with thorough experience.
Here’s a quick comparison between some of the Best Blades of Chaos Handles in God of War Ragnarok:
| Name | Best For | Stats | Upgrade Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursed Empress Handles | The Best Handles For Strength Boost | 4 Strength 5 Luck | None |
| Deadly Obsidian Handles | The Best Handles For Rage Accumulation | 4 Strength | None |
| Pommels Of Brutal Might | The Best Handles For Grabbing Foes | 11 Strength 13 Defense | 2400 hacksilver |
| Luminous Recovery Handles | The Best Handles For Reducing Cooldown | 6 Strength 3 Runic | None |
| Pommels Of The Undying Spark | The Best Handles For DoT Dmg | 20 Strength 9 Defense 9 Vitality | None |
| Hardened War Handles | The Best Handles For Ranged Builds | 11 Strength | 2400 hacksilver |
| Pommels Of Agile Deceit | The Best Handles For Evasive Skills | 14 Strength 18 Runic 14 Cooldown | 1000 divine ashes |
| Pommels Of The True Flame | The Best Handles For Runic Attack Buff | 4 Strength 3 Cooldown | 600 hacksilver |
| Radiant Warden Handles | The Best Handles For Deflecting | 14 Strength 14 Luck 18 Cooldown | None |
1. Cursed Empress Handles
| Levels | Strength | Luck | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 2 | 4 | 5 | None |
| Lvl 3 | 8 | 12 | 800 hacksilver, 6 rawhide |
| Lvl 4 | 11 | 13 | 2400 hacksilver, 2 Stonewood |
| Lvl 5 | 15 | 15 | 40000 hacksilver, 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 18 | 22 | 6000 hacksilver, 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 22 | 26 | 6000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 25 | 30 | 12000 hacksilver, 4 sovereign coals |
| Max Lvl | 29 | 34 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Cursed Empress Handles provides decent boost to strength and runic attacks, thus very viable for DPS builds.
The Cursed Empress Handles will come at a base level of 2, and its base stats will provide you with 4 strengths and 5 luck. The handle itself will come with a perk called Power of the Empress, which grants the ability to gain a low luck chance whereby you can increase your overall strength and runic, and the stack can be maxed out a total of 3 times.
You need to defeat “The Hateful,” which will be present in Svartalfheim to get their hands on the cursed empress handles.
- Provides a buff to Str and Runic attacks.
- Can be triggered on every Blades attack.
- Need to defeat a boss to obtain.
- Low chance of passive trigger.
2. Deadly Obsidian Handles
| Levels | Strength | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 1 | 4 | None |
| Lvl 2 | 8 | 400 hacksilver, 3 rawhide |
| Lvl 3 | 12 | 800 hacksilver, 6 rawhide |
| Lvl 4 | 18 | 2400 hacksilver, 2 Stonewood |
| Lvl 5 | 26 | 4000 hacksilver, 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 36 | 6000 hacksilver, 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 47 | 9000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 55 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, and 3 petrified bones |
| Lvl 9 | 63 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, and 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Deadly Obsidian Handles are best to use in Rage builds as they provide a Rage boost on every hit, making clearing groups easier.
Deadly obsidian handles will have a level one at a base level, providing you with 4 strength. As for its perk, it comes with the Slayer’s Rage Burst perk, which gives you a low luck chance whereby you will be able to get a rage burst on any Blades’ hit. The handles are hidden inside a legendary chest that will be present in Svartalfheim in the Aurvanger Wetlands.
- Provides Rage burst on every hit.
- Rage can be used to clear multiple enemies instantly.
- Low luck chance, requires upgrades.
- Possesses only one stat of Str.
3. Pommels Of Brutal Might
| Levels | Strength | Defense | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 4 | 11 | 13 | 2400 hacksilver |
| Lvl 5 | 15 | 17 | 4000 hacksilver, 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 18 | 22 | 6000 hacksilver |
| Lvl 7 | 22 | 26 | 9000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 25 | 30 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, and 3 petrified bones |
| Max Lvl | 29 | 34 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, and 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Pommels of Brutal Might makes grabbing and punishing enemies more deadlier as it provides a Str boost by doing so.
The next handles I would like to discuss will be the Pommels of Brutal Might, which will come at base level 4 and are described to be for those who excel in close-quarters combat and continue to seek to end fights quickly and efficiently. It will provide you with 11 strengths and 13 defenses at the base.
It also comes with a perk known as Seized Strength, which allows you to use Stun Grabbing skill on an opponent to get a gift of strength. You can easily head to Sindri’s place to craft it, which will cost 2400 hacksilver.
- Gives a Strength boost every time after grabbing an enemy.
- Also has decent innate Def stat.
- Stats increase through levels is pretty low.
- Many elites and bosses cannot be grabbed.
4. Luminous Recovery Handles
| Levels | Strength | Cooldown | Luck | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 6 | 14 | 18 | 14 | None |
| Lvl 7 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 9000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 12000 hacksilver, 4 sovereign coals |
| Max Lvl | 23 | 29 | 23 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Luminous Recovery Handles can reduce Runic attacks’ cooldown, thus essential for Runic attack builds.
Moving onto the next handles, I have the Luminous Recovery Handles, which come at a base level of 6 and provides you with a base strength of 14, 18 cooldowns, and 14 luck. They come equipped with a perk called Whiplash Refresh, which allows all flame whiplash hits to have a moderate luck chance to give you a blessing of cooldown.
You can get your hands on the handles through a legendary chest that will be on a ledge in the NIdavelier southeastern area from the mystic gateway.
- Can reduce cooldown of your abilities.
- Also possesses various stats along with Luck.
- The passive depends on Flame Whiplash attacks.
- Fully charging Flame Whiplash is required for maximum output.
5. Pommels Of The Undying Spark
| Levels | Strength | Runic | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 2 | 6 | 3 | None |
| Lvl 3 | 12 | 6 | 800 hacksilver, 6 rawhide |
| Lvl 4 | 18 | 9 | 2400 hacksilver, 2 Stonewood |
| Lvl 5 | 23 | 12 | 4000 hacksilver, 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 29 | 14 | 6000 hacksilver, 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 34 | 17 | 9000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 40 | 20 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, and 3 petrified bones |
| Lvl 9 | 46 | 23 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, and 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Pommels of The Undying Spark increases the burning effect’s damage, allowing you to get away from enemies while they burn to death.
Next up, I have the Pommels of The Undying Spark, which will be another solid choice for attachments you can go for, and it will provide 6 strength and 3 runic and come at a base level of 2.
When it comes to the perk, you will get the Scorching Burn perk, increasing the overall damage that the burn status can cause opponents. You can get the pommels by finding them in a chest that is present in the Jarnsmida Pitmines area.
- Increases burn dmg, can be inflicted with almost every attack.
- Adds extra passive dmg on top of standard attacks.
- Burning effect can wear off quickly.
- Has relatively low Runic stat throughout upgrades.
6. Hardened War Handles
| Levels | Strength | Defense | Vitality | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 5 | 20 | 9 | 9 | None |
| Lvl 6 | 25 | 11 | 11 | 6000 hacksilver, and 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 30 | 13 | 13 | 9000 hacksilver, and 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 35 | 15 | 15 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, and 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 9 | 40 | 17 | 17 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, and 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Hardened War Handles buffs Hyperion abilities, increasing their stun and dmg making this handle the best choice for ranged builds.
Another solid option that you can go for will be the Hardened War Handles, which provides 20 strength, 9 defense, and 9 vitality at base level 5 and come with the Banishing Blade perk, which allows the Hyperion Grapple and Hyperion Pull skills to carry out more damage.
You can find the Hardened War Handles in a legendary chest that will be present in the Forbidden Sands near the Berserker Gravestone.
- Grants dmg and stun boost to Hyperion skills.
- Best to carry in a ranged build.
- Only gives a boost to Hyperion skills.
- Has comparatively low Vitality and Def stat.
7. Pommels Of Agile Deceit
| Levels | Strength | Vitality | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 4 | 11 | 13 | 2400 hacksilver |
| Lvl 5 | 15 | 17 | 4000 hacksilver, 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 18 | 22 | 6000 hacksilver, 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 22 | 26 | 9000 hacksilver, 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 25 | 30 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, 3 petrified bones |
| Max Lvl | 29 | 34 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Pommels of Agile Deceit makes evading and punishing attacks more effective, as it increases their dmg and burn application.
Another solid option that you can go for will be the Pommels of Agile Deceit, which will come at base level 4 and will provide 11 strength as well as 13 vitality.
The perk is called Blade Dance, which allows you to have their Spinning Chaos and Evasive Embers evade skills to cause more damage and inflict more burn on opponents on the battlefield. You can get the Pommels of Agile Deceit by crafting it at Sidnri’s workshop for 2400 hacksilver.
- Lets you evade attacks while also damaging foes.
- Further buffs Spinning Chaos skill for more dmg and burn.
- The buff is specific only for two skills.
- Upgrade materials are difficult to get.
8. Pommels Of The True Flame
| Levels | Strength | Runic | Cooldown | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 6 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 1000 divine ashes |
| Lvl 7 | 17 | 22 | 17 | 750 divine ashes |
| Lvl 8 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 2 glowing embers, 1250 divine ashes |
| Lvl 9 | 23 | 29 | 23 | 20 whispering slabs, 3 glowing embers, 1750 divine ashes |
- Why I Chose This: Pommels of The True Flame increases your Runic Attacks’ potential while Immolation is active.
Next up I have the Pommels of The True Flame, it will come at base level 6 and provides 14 strengths, 18 runic, and 14 cooldowns. It will come assisted with a perk called Runic Immolation that increases the overall damage that the Blade’s runic attacks cause whenever the immolation’s skill gauge has been fully charged. You can gain the true flame’s pommels after reaching level 6 on their blades of chaos.
- Runic attacks gain a buff while Immolation is charged.
- Immolation can further increase all the Blades attacks’ dmg.
- Requires to fully charge the Immolation first.
- Immolation’s effect immediately ends after using a Runic Attack.
9. Radiant Warden Handles
| Levels | Strength | Cooldown | Upgrade Material |
| Lvl 2 | 4 | 3 | 600 hacksilver |
| Lvl 3 | 8 | 9 | 800 hacksilver and 6 rawhide |
| Lvl 4 | 11 | 13 | 2300 hacksilver and 2 Stonewood |
| Lvl 5 | 15 | 17 | 4000 hacksilver and 5 Stonewood |
| Lvl 6 | 18 | 22 | 9000 hacksilver and 1 petrified bone |
| Lvl 7 | 22 | 26 | 9000 hacksilver, and 2 petrified bones |
| Lvl 8 | 25 | 30 | 12000 hacksilver, 10 whispering slabs, and 3 petrified bones |
| Max Lvl | 29 | 34 | 16000 hacksilver, 20 whispering slabs, and 3 glowing embers |
- Why I Chose This: Radiant Warden Handles aid in charging Flame Whiplash, as they protect from incoming ranged attacks, providing interruption resistance.
Coming close to an end, the Radiant Warden Handles shouldn’t be ignored either, as they provides 4 base strengths and 5 cooldown at level 2. It is a solid option with the perk “Whiplash Deflection,” which can allow you to miss incoming projectiles from enemies while charging the Flame Whiplash skill. You can access the Radiant Warden Handles by crafting them at Sindri’s workshop.
- Protects from ranged attacks while charging Flame Whiplash.
- Gained pretty early in the game.
- Gives no protection against melee attacks.
- Comes with a low base level and thus requires upgrades.
Alternative Picks
While making my list for the best Blades of Chaos handle in GOW Ragnarok, I found some other viable options too that I did not include in the list because of personal preferences.
- Steel Handles: This blade of chaos handle can give you a new stat boost with every upgrade, but it lacks passive skills.
- Pommels Of The Nine Realms: It can easily boost runic, vitality, and luck stats, but you need to defeat a boss named ‘Hvitserkr the Bold’ to get it as a reward.
My Pick For The Best Blades Of Chaos Handle
With the plethora of excellent choices available, you can’t go wrong with any of them. However, my recommendation would be Harderend War Handles and Pommels of Undying Spark. Inflicting stun damage is more important in God of War Ragnarok than high base damage, as the former leaves the opponent for a barrage of special and grab attacks.
Furthermore, many of these handles require some sort of setup or activation, which is why Pommels of Undying Spark is also an easy recommendation, as it deals increasing burn damage without any prior activation.
And there you have it! The best options that you can go for! And with that, I will wrap up my guide!
Up Next:
- God of War Ragnarok Draupnir Spear Handles
- God of War Ragnarok Nornir Chests
- God of War Ragnarok Muspelheim Trials
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Fact Checked By Irfan Ansari
