God Of War Ragnarok Best Runic Attacks: Axe, Blades & Spear

Runic attacks are amazing as Kratos goes into a frenzy and unleashes a short burst of high-damage attacks that deal massive damage to foes. I have listed some of the best Leviathan Axe, Chaos Blades, and Draupnir Spear runic attacks in God of War Ragnarok that not only pack a punch but are the best skills & useful in dynamic combat situations. There are a total of 28 Runic Attacks in God of War Ragnarok out of which I have listed the best below.

Best Leviathan Axe Runic Attacks

Here’s a quick comparison of Leviathan Axe Runic Attacks:

While Leviathan Axe is an excellent close-combat melee weapon of Kratos, certain runic attacks like Njord’s Tempest give it a ranged weapon utility. 

1. Breath Of Thamur

The massive area of effect and very high damage are the two main reasons that I think make Breath of Thamur the best Leviathan Axe runic attack in God of War Ragnarok. This runic attack does not deal frost or stun damage to targets, but they take heavy hits on their health pool.

Breath of Thamur is back from God of War 2018, and it’s still really powerful in the sequel. When Kratos uses it, he lifts his axe, and a big icy wind goes in a circle around him. It hits a lot of enemies nearby.

The utility of Breath of Thamur is very high, especially in the last few story chapters of God of War Ragnarok. That is because you get stormed by all kinds of enemies at once: ranged, melee, brutes, and creatures. This makes Breath of Thamur the best heavy runic attack pick that will get you out of tight spots.  

How To Get

• To get the Breath of Thamur attack, go to a chest under the Raven Tree in Niflheim.
• You have to beat 28 Odin’s Ravens to open the chest.

2. Fog Of Fimbulwinter

Fog of Fimbulwinter is by far the second-best runic attack of Leviathan Axe in God of War Ragnarok. I have used it from the moment it was obtained till the story ended. The utility and usability of this heavy runic attack are massive as you can use it on small to large-sized enemies, freezing most of them when triggered.

When you trigger the Fog of Fimbulwinter, Kratos basically slams the Leviathan Axe into the ground and sends a frost wave in the direction he is facing. Besides being frozen by the ice wave, enemies are also pushed back, giving you decent time to execute your next move. 

My go-to moveset or combo was to initiate an encounter with Fog of Fimbulwinter and then switch to Chaos Blades or Draupnir Spear to attack the enemies frozen by Leviathan Axe’s permafrost. 

How To Get

• To get Fog of Fimbulwinter, go to Svartalfheim.
• There’s a chest blocked by vines. To reach it, take the train to Myrkyr Tunnels or use the Mystic Gateway
• Find a chamber where sunlight shines from below.
• The chest is on the other side, covered in vines. Set the vines on fire to open it by igniting a nearby barrel.

3. Njord’s Tempest

Njord’s Tempest is probably one of my favorite Leviathan Axe runic attacks from God of War 2018, and it’s just refreshing to see it return in Ragnarok. This light Runic attack allows Kratos to spin like a mad god with Leviathan Axe in hand.

This runic attack is especially useful in a combat situation where Kratos is surrounded by at least 2-4 enemies. If you feel overwhelmed in combat, as you will in the game’s later chapters, just rely on Njord’s Tempest runic attack to clear away enemies, depleting at least 20-30% of their health. 

How To Get

• To get Njord’s Tempest, you’ll need to find a special chest in Althjof’s Rig.
• Start at the beginning, where you see the mining rig.
• You’ll find two barrels you can break using Atreus or Freya’s Sonic arrows there.
• This will open a path. Go through it and kick down a chain to reach the next area.
• In the next area, break through a wall, and you’ll find the legendary chest with Njord’s Tempest.

4. Wrath of the Frost Ancient

If you think Leviathan Axe is just one of the best Kratos’ melee weapons, think again. Wrath of the Frost Ancient is a light runic attack for the Leviathan Axe that basically allows Kratos to fire a powerful beam of frost at targets from a ranged distance.

The cool thing about this attack is that if you hold down R1, you can make the icy beam last longer for a few extra seconds. Not many Runic attacks can do that.

Wrath of the Frost Ancient deals more regular damage and a bit less frosty damage. Even when you level it up all the way, the stats stay the same (more regular damage, slightly less frost damage). This attack is really useful against big bosses with lots of health. The only downside I consider is, it doesn’t stun the target.

How To Get

• You can find this attack in a special chest in The Southern Wilds.
• Go forward from the gateway to the area until you reach a root tunnel.
• At a crossroads, go left and keep going until you find a small passage.
• Go through it and follow the winding path until you reach some remains.
• Go left, there’s a hidden crawl space next to roots, and you’ll see the legendary chest which contains the Attack.

5. Leviathan’s Roar

Leviathan’s Roar makes your axe throws hit hard, and it feels stronger than usual Axe Throws. If you enjoy stunning your enemies, you’ll really like this powerful attack. It not only looks cool and stuns your targets better than most other axe attacks.

When you trigger the Leviathan’s Roar heavy runic attack, Kratos throws the axe towards enemies and shields up. The axe returns furiously and strikes the shield, creating a shockwave that instantly stuns most enemies standing near Kratos. 

The best part of using Leviathan’s Roar is that this heavy runic attack has by far the lowest cooldown from the get-go. If you use some of the best Kratos Armor sets in God of War Ragnarok that reduce the cooldown of runic attacks, you can potentially spam Leviathan’s Roar without waiting much. 

How To Get

• You can get this attack from a special chest in Freyr’s Camp.
• Start by going to the right when you’re on a rock overlooking a place with a big blue ring hanging from vines.
• Go down on your left, climb the barrier on your right. Swing to your right to get into a hole and follow the path.
• Once on the other side, enter the building across from where the hole comes out. Go down and keep going left.
• Climb higher until you reach a zipline, turn left and to reach a wooden building. The chest is on your right.

Best Chaos Blades Runic Attacks

Let’s first compare the Chaos Blades Runic Attacks:

Chaos Blades is best utilized at close to medium-range distances, and you can pretty much control a crowd using this weapon without breaking a sweat. 

1. Tame The Beast

Tame the Beast Heavy runic attack is by far the best chaos blade runic attack you should have in the game. This is because the attack is heavily centered around dealing tons of damage with less stun and burn damage.

Just use this heavy attack, and Kratos will slam the Chaos Blades ahead, causing damage and setting targets on fire. Most of the damage happens in front of Kratos. I used this attack from the start to the end of the game, and it always worked well against bosses and strong enemies like Einherjar. If you haven’t tried it, give Tame The Beast a shot.

How To Get

• You can get this attack from a special chest in Helheim.
• After facing Garm, fight off more creatures. Then, go right and look at the nearby wall.
• Throw the Draupnir Spear at it, turn around, and use the spear to make a bridge.
• After you jump across, you’ll find the legendary chest with Tame The Beast inside.

2. Atlas Eruption

Similar to the frenzy of Chaos Blades that Kratos unleashes while using Tame The Beast, the Atlas Eruption heavy runic attack is more or less similar to it. However, this time, there is a small AoE emphasizing dealing burn damage instead of raw physical damage, as seen in the image above.

Triggering Atlas Eruption makes Kratos slam the Chaos Blades into the ground, causing fiery explosions that hurt nearby enemies with burn damage. If you press R2 a few more times, Kratos slams the blades longer.

Atlas Eruption is really useful, and I often like it more than other heavy attacks. But here’s the thing: it does the most damage to frost enemies, dealing big burn damage. But the damage isn’t as good if you use it on enemies that already have fire. No matter what, watching Kratos slam the blades and set enemies on fire is always fun. Use Atlas Eruption if you want to blast enemies away.

How To Get

• You can find the Atlas Eruption attack in a legendary chest in The Forge.
• After opening the gates to The Forge, go to the right. Keep going right, pass under a bridge, Stick to the right.
• Climb up, use ice to stop a geyser, and find an elevator hidden in the structure.
• Ride the elevator up, turn left, cross the next bridge, and go up another ledge to the right to find the chest.

3. Rampage Of The Furies

If you want the best light attack for the Chaos Blades in God of War Ragnarok, I recommend you to use Rampage of the Furies. It’s fast, does big damage, and hits enemies in front of Kratos. Like many light attacks, it’s not an area attack.

When you trigger Rampage of the Furies light runic attack, Kratos slashes foes in front of him with robust flurry attacks. The ultimate combo ends with a powerful cross-slash that stretches at the far end and throws the enemy away. 

• The best part of using this light runic attack is that it comes with an 88-second cooldown, which can potentially be further reduced if you equip armor sets that lower cooldown times.

How To Get

• To get this attack, go to the Vanir Shrine. After lowering the bridge, go through the passage full of enemies.
• Use Blazing Surge to break the vines. You can find the target by hanging on the right wall.
• Go through, continue until you reach a new chamber, and unlock the gate there.
• Before entering it, use Blazing Surge to clear the bush on your right and look through the space.
• You’ll see a crack in the wall with a target. Destroy it, then return to the chamber, you’ll find the chest there.

4. Cyclone Of Chaos

Cyclone of Chaos is synonymous with Njord’s Tempest light runic attack of Leviathan Axe. You trigger this attack, and Kratos will go into a frenzy of circling so fast, with Chaos Blades making a circling sweep attack to hit all enemies in its AoE. 

This light attack is great for stunning enemies who’ve surrounded you or come from all sides. It won’t do high physical or burn damage, but that’s not its main purpose. Cyclone of Chaos, the light attack for Chaos Blades, is really good for controlling crowds of small enemies. If you hit them right, it often stuns them, allowing you to finish them off and clear the area.

• The downside that I discovered was its long cooldown of 125 seconds. Usually, light attacks have shorter downtime in God of War Ragnarok, but if you have gear that reduces cooldown, this attack can be the best for Chaos Blades.

How To Get

• This runic attack is found in the legendary chest located in the Raider Stronghold of the Midgard realm.
• Once you are there with Atreus of Freya, you must clear the enemies and then make your way to the south exit.
• You will find this location as the exit is blocked by snow.
• Besides the collapsed snow, you will find the Legendary Chest containing the Cyclone of Chaos’s runic attack. 

5. Meteoric Slam

Meteoric Slam is quite a crystal clear runic attack, as its name suggests. When you trigger this heavy runic attack, Kratos will slam both Chaos Blades into the ground, calling down burning meteors to fall down from the sky onto the enemies.

This heavy attack looks awesome and deals massive physical damage, slightly less burn damage, and no stun damage initially. But when fully upgraded, it adds stun damage and crazy high physical damage. For all these reasons, I believe Meteoric Slam is the best Chaos Blades runic attack in God of War Ragnarok. It brings massive damage, applies burn, and stuns enemies.

• The only downside is its long 185-second cooldown. Besides that, it’s a solid attack for taking out groups of enemies and handling tough situations.

How To Get

• The Meteoric Slam is found in the same location where you can also get Breath of Thamur.
• This runic attack is locked in a Legendary Chest that can only be opened if you kill at least 38 Odin’s Ravens.
• After doing so, go to The Raven Tree in the Niflheim Realm.
• You will find the Legendary Chest waiting to open and containing the Meteoric Slam runic attack.

Best Draupnir Spear Runic Attacks

Let’s first check out the stats comparison of Draupnir Spear Runic Attacks:

Draupnir Spear has massive utility and damage output, but the baseline is that this is an excellent ranged weapon. The spear throw is fast and excellent for pinning a target in one-versus-one scenarios. 

1. Artillery Of The Ancients

Artillery of the Ancients is by far the best Draupnir spear runic attack you can have in the game. It is because Kratos hurls the Draupnir Spear in the sky, and it comes down crashing with so many spears onto enemies. All spears that attach to enemies or surrounding them can be detonated using the Triangle button. This gives you enough room to damage enemies, and the effectiveness of this runic attack shows off in the boss fights.

This heavy attack works best when fully upgraded to level 3. At that point, it deals massive physical and moderate Force damage and stuns enemies when the spears rain down on them.

• Artillery of the Ancients is one of the best runic attacks because of its short 97-second cooldown. That’s rare for a heavy runic attack in God of War Ragnarok, as most have longer cooldown times.
• I used this heavy attack throughout the game, and it was especially helpful during boss fights against Heimdall and Thor.

How To Get

• Can be obtained after killing two Dreki bosses during the main story mission Creatures of Prophecy.
• After you have defeated both bosses, you can collect the dropped loot, one of which will be the Artillery of The Ancients runic attack. 

2. Vindsvalr’s Windstorm

Vindsvalr’s Windstorm is yet again another useful heavy runic attack in God of War Ragnarok that wipes off enemies by dealing massive stun and physical damage. If there is a true crowd-controlling Druapnir Spear that you’re looking for, then I suggest you to get Vindsvalr’s Windstorm heavy runic attack; you will not be disappointed by it.

When you upgrade this heavy runic attack to its level 3 or max out, it creates an additional cyclone in the field, and the overall duration of the runic attack is also increased. All enemies that come in contact with these cyclones will get hit. 

When you use the Vindsvalr’s Windstorm after maxing out the upgrades, you get devastating impacts, and most of the small-sized enemies you will have on the field will be completely stunned. 

• The only downside or tradeoff right now that I can think of is the higher cooldown time. While 162 seconds is not the highest cooldown time for a runic attack in God of War Ragnarok, it is still higher than most. 

How To Get

• Vindsvalr’s Windstorm is another Draupnir Spear’s runic attack that is not missable.
• You can obtain this after defeating the Flame Phantom boss during the main story mission The Summoning.
• After defeating the boss, do not forget to collect the loot you see on the ground. Vindsvalr’s Windstorm will be one of the dropped loot items you can see after killing the boss in Muspelheim.

3. Thrust Of A Thousand Soldiers

When it comes to recommending the best light runic attack in God of War Ragnarok that offers the lowest cooldown times while also being useful in the field, Thrust of a Thousand Soldiers comes first in my mind. This attack looks rageful as Kratos thrusts and impales his enemies repeatedly with spurs and does massive physical damage to enemies.

• Thrust of a Thousand Soldiers is best at level 3. It becomes a strong light attack with the highest physical damage and a 65-second cooldown. You can make it even faster by wearing certain armor that resets or reduces cooldowns.
• When you use it, Kratos dashes at an enemy and stabs with a spear.
• Pressing R1 more makes him stab more. Each stab leaves a spear, and you can explode them all with Triangle.

How To Get

You can get Thrust of a Thousand Soldiers in two ways:

1. The first is during the story, but it’s easy to miss. If you miss it, you can buy it later at the Blacksmith’s Shop after finishing the story.
2. To find it later in the story, go to Helheim.
   • After fighting the Hel-Traveller, reach an area where you need to use a wheel or freeze it to open a gate.
   • Once open, go on and fight some enemies.
   • Then, follow the path to the right. You’ll see a golden crack in the wall.
   • Use the Draupnir Spear to break it, then turn left to find a hiding spot.
   • Inside the Legendary Chest is Thrust of a Thousand Soldiers.

4. Honour The Fallen

Honour The Fallen is another amazing heavy runic attack for Draupnir Spear in the game. It comes with a 97-second cooldown time, which is by far the best one for this weapon in God of War Ragnarok. The best part of this ability is that it deals massive Force damage when you upgrade the heavy runic attack to its max potential.

If you’ve unlocked it, use this attack when enemies are near a cliff; Kratos will leap and crash down, throwing them all away. Kratos can perform a massive charged leap attack when upgraded to the max by holding R2. This charged attack is available only after fully upgrading Honour The Fallen heavy runic attack, So, I suggest you to use it at max level. It’s especially effective against tough, armored Einherjar or Aesir soldiers who are hard to stagger or stun.

How To Get

• You can find the Honour The Fallen attack in a legendary chest in the Plains region of the Vanaheim realm.
• Look near the Mystic Gateway for the first golden crack in a wall and throw a spear into it.
• Then, go down near the red chest and throw two more spears at the glowing golden rocks before you.
• Now, explode all three cracks at once to open up a new area.
• Look behind it, and you’ll find two collectibles, one with the Honour The Fallen runic attack.

5. Mountain Splitter

Like Honour The Fallen, Mountain Splitter is the light runic attack alternative to stagger Einherjar and other armor enemies that are too tanky for regular attacks. When you upgrade this light runic attack to its max level, you can deal massive physical damage, moderate Force damage, and underwhelming stun damage.

Mountain Splitter is great for pushing enemies away. When you use it, Kratos throws long-range wind slices that stagger enemies. You can launch an extra wave of slashes for more damage when fully upgraded.

I found that, It works best when enemies are before you because it’s not an area attack. Kratos throws the slashes in the direction he’s facing. So, to use it effectively in God of War Ragnarok, line up as many enemies as you can in front of you and then use Mountain Splitter.

How To Get

• You have to complete a Favor called Spirit of Rebellion. You will get 3000 Kratos XP, 750 Freya XP, 30 Whispering Slab, Rebel Leader, and Mountain Splitter runic attack for the Draupnir Spear. 
• This runic attack is not missable, and you can collect it even after completing the main story of God Of War Ragnarok.

Similar Options To Consider

Here are some additional noteworthy Runic Attacks in God of War Ragnarok that are worth considering:

• Huldra Charge: Compared to other Runic Attacks, its base damage is generally lower, and it is less effective against groups.
• The Finger of Ruin: Obtaining it requires collecting all 48 of Odin’s Ravens, which can be a tedious and time-consuming task.
• Ivaldi’s Anvil: An excellent option, but it has a hefty 140-second cooldown, restricting its usage in quick encounters.
• Mists Of Helheim: It inflicts frost damage, which can be useful for slowing down enemies and setting them up for further attacks or finishers.
• Nemean Crush: A viable option, but it has a slightly shorter range than the other Runic Attacks I picked above.

My Favorite Runic Attacks

In my honest opinion, after obtaining the Platinum Trophy in over 70+ hours, Breath of Thamur is great for the Axe since later on in GOWR, you’ll be dealing against several enemies at a given time, especially if you’re doing the Muspelheim Trials.

For the Blades, my favorite weapons in the game, both Atlas Eruption and Tame The Beast are strong choices depending on the playstyle, and for the Draupnir Spear, Artillery of the Ancients will make short of work of trash fodder enemies with the multiple spear rain from above.

Having top-tier runic attacks in God of War Ragnarok is important, besides unlocking the best armor sets, Freya, Atreus, and Kratos skills. While you can pretty much unlock all runic attacks as you progress the main and side quests, the deciding factor for the best runic attacks boils down to the usability of RNC attacks in combat.

I believe my list contains easy-to-get, remember, and execute RNC attacks in GOW Ragnarok, and you will also find them pretty useful in your playthrough.   

Next:

• God Of War Ragnarok Raven Locations
• GOW Ragnarok BEST Amulet Enchantments
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