Skip to main content

God of War Ragnarok: best Runic Abilities

Runic attacks are back from God of War 2018, and they’re more varied and potent than ever. These special moves are unique to each weapon in the game and offer various forms of attack that deal different amounts of damage, stun, and elemental afflictions. You can equip two per weapon — one light and one heavy — and each one can be upgraded using XP to make them even stronger. You’ll need that extra edge in combat, especially when facing off against the tougher bosses in God of War Ragnarok.

You will naturally pick up a lot of Runic attacks as you make your way through the main story in God of War Ragnarok, and while they are easy to manage at first, you will eventually need to make some tough choices. Not only will you need to pick which ones are best, but also which are worth investing upgrades in. With Ragnarok fast approaching, don’t waste any time with the weaker Runic attacks in God of War Ragnarok. Here are the best ones for each weapon.

Related Videos

Note: There will be a spoiler for a new weapon you get in God of War Ragnarok. You pick this weapon up about halfway through the game, so don’t look beyond the Blades of Chaos if you wish to remain unspoiled.

Further reading

Best Leviathan Axe Runic attacks

Light Runic attack — Wrath of the Frost Ancient

The wrath of frost attack page.

For your Light Runic slot, we love the Wrath of the Frost Ancient move. This attack shoots out a freezing beam that deals insane damage and frost status that can absolutely shred enemies at a distance. The more you hold down R1 after triggering it, the farther it reaches. When leveled up to its highest tier, it maxes out on damage and frost stats but has absolutely no stun. Still, when it deals this much damage, who needs stun? The only real downside is the long cooldown of 97 seconds.

Heavy Runic attack — Fog of Fimbulwinter

The fog of fimbulwinter attack page.

On the Heavy Runic attack side for your ax, Fog of Fimbulwinter is as deadly as it is cool to look at. When used, Kratos will use the ax to create a wave of frost that hits in an AoE ahead of him, making it great for crowd control. Each tier you upgrade it increases how long the effect lasts, plus the damage and frost. Much like the Wrath of the Frost Ancient, when you max this attack’s level, it will have medium damage, high frost, and no stun.

Best Blades of Chaos Runic attacks

Light Runic attack — Rampage of the Furies

The rage of the furies attack page.

Moving on to Kratos’ old reliable blades, the Rampage of the Furies takes full advantage of what makes swinging these things around so satisfying. When used, you unleash a series of crisscrossing slashes that can hit as many enemies as can fit around you. This is the most powerful Light Runic attack the Blades of Chaos can get, maxing out the stat when fully leveled, plus applying a good amount of burn as well. It doesn’t take too long to cool down, either, at 65 seconds, so you could potentially use it multiple times in combat.

Heavy Runic attack — Meteoric Slam

The meteoric slam attack page.

With a name like Meteoric Slam, you’d expect this move to be the best. This move creates a torrent of fire over an area after slamming your blades down into it. Anything in that area will take tons of damage, good burn, and a bit of stun, too, after being upgraded. Even before the stun is added, the attack itself is strong enough to interrupt and lock down enemies getting hit by it. Obviously, a move this good needs a downside, which is where the cooldown comes in to ruin the fun. You will need to wait a long 162 seconds between uses.

Best Draupnir Spear Runic attacks

Light Runic attack — Huldra Charge

Thhe huldra charge attack page.

Kratos’ newest tool of destruction comes with a brand new set of Runic Attacks that are quite unique. Huldra Charge is perhaps the best example, as it is a lunging attack that sucks out an enemy’s element. While you wouldn’t expect it, Huldra Charge also has a decent AoE, especially after you upgrade it. At level two, it adds in a wind drill that hits multiple times, and level three creates a protective shell around Kratos while performing the move. With a mere 65-second cooldown, this is an easy attack to pull out.

Heavy Runic attack — The Finger of Ruin

The finger of ruin attack page.

Finally, to fill out your last Heavy Runic attack slot, we pick The Finger of Ruin. This move might actually give Meteoric Slam a run for its money in terms of spectacle, despite a far less impressive name. This move creates a tornado that sucks up and damages all enemies caught in its range. While you can’t control where the tornado goes, upgrading it makes it bigger and last longer, as well as deal more damage, force, and stun to enemies. While that is a bit of a letdown, the real reason some may not enjoy this move is the 211-second cooldown. For our money, though, you should only need to use it once per battle to be satisfied.

Editors' Recommendations

The best Xbox Series X headsets
Controls on the SteelSeries Acris Nova Pro headset.

There’s nothing that can enhance your gaming experience quite like a good headset. In addition to bringing the game right to your ears, a good headset will offer spatial audio — allowing you to pinpoint sounds around you — a solid microphone, and excellent comfort, especially for long gaming sessions. Our five best Xbox Series X headsets satisfy all three and more.

Read more
The best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok
Kratos equipping his armor.

In the past, Kratos was perfectly fine fighting his way through monsters and gods alike bare-chested. Perhaps in his older age, or due to the new, chilly climate he finds himself in in God of War Ragnarok, he has taken to wearing a variety of armor to better protect himself. Aside from looking cool, these armors also add different buffs to Kratos' stats, allowing you to tweak your build to better suit your playstyle. That being said, there are a ton of armors in the game to find and upgrade.

Armor in God of War Ragnarok comes in three pieces: your chest, wrist, and waist armor. While you can mix and match them to your heart's content, they typically give the best buffs when worn as a complete set. These are some of the strongest armor sets you can equip in God of War Ragnarok and why. Also note that, once fully upgraded, you do have the option to transmog your armor if you don't like the look of it but still want the benefits.

Read more
The Game Awards 2022: Here’s the complete list of nominees
Elden Ring still of the Tarnished fighting the dragon Agheel on horseback.

The full list of nominees for the 2022 Game Awards is here and (as you might have predicted) both Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok scored big. Other big nominees included games like Horizon Forbidden West and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, while indie titles struggled to break through aside from Stray.

Hosted by Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards is the video game industry's version of the Oscars. This year's show will take place in-person at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 8. Like previous years, it'll live broadcast on various channels like YouTube and Twitch. The show is known for delivering world premiere reveals for upcoming games, as well as giving out a slew of awards in a variety of categories.

Read more