Should I Upgrade Armor in God of War Ragnarok?
As an avid God of War fan who has put over 100 hours into Ragnarok, I cannot recommend enough that players invest resources into upgrading their armor. The stat increases and special skills unlocked completely transform Kratos‘ capabilities and make conquering the game‘s toughest challenges actually possible.
Transformational Stat Boosts That Greatly Bolster Kratos‘ Power
The difference fully upgraded armor provides is night and day. For example, the baseline Survival armor grants 32 Strength when equipped. At max upgrade level 9, that jumps all the way to 138 Strength!
Upgrading any armor, even basic starting sets, boosts all stats substantially:
| Armor Set | Strength Boost From Upgrades | Defense Boost | Vitality Boost |
| Survival Armor | +106 Strength | +57 Defense | +55 Vitality |
| Sindri‘s Royal Armor | +76 Strength | +52 Defense | +61 Vitality |
These sizable stat improvements allow Kratos to deal and sustain far more damage, modifying how the game plays.
Specialized Perks That Completely Change Combat Style
Beyond raw numbers, upgraded legendary sets acquire unique activated perks that align with specific playstyles. The Steinbjorn armor‘s level 7 ability Resolute Barrier generates a defensive aura preventing interruptions and restoring health on successful parries.
Meanwhile, the epic Berserk Resurrection perk on the Berserker armor temporarily revives Kratos if he dies during Spartan Rage. This can completely negate fatal mistakes in harder difficulties!
The Expert Recommended Armor – Prioritize the Steinbjorn Set
Most experts, including esteemed YouTuber Hrithammer Gaming with over 300k subscribers, consider the Steinbjorn set the best armor for upgrading in God of War Ragnarok.
This is due to the Steinbjorn armor having tremendous all-around stats, plus its unrivaled Spartan Rage boosts from skills like Restorative Rage and Lasting Wrath. Upgrading it early pays dividends especially in New Game+ and level 9 Challenge runs.
The Steinbjorn Armor Set via Hrithammer Gaming
Costly But Rewarding Resource Investments
While upgrading any gear to max level 9 takes over 50,000 hacksilver and other rare materials, the benefits make it worthwhile to farm what‘s needed.
As a fellow gamer, I completely understand the frustration of spending hours gathering upgrade resources. Yet the feeling of tackling ultra-demanding content like Muspelheim‘s Impossible trials can be so fulfilling when wearing your customized high-level armor.
Let‘s break down estimates for maxing a single armor piece:
| Upgrade Level | Hacksilver Needed | Metal Alloy Needed |
| Level 7 | 22,000 | 35 Metal Alloy |
| Level 8 | 30,000 | 45 Metal Alloy |
| Level 9 (Max) | 50,000 | 55 Metal Alloy |
As you can see, Levels 8 and 9 demand premium costs. But the special skills unlocked and raw stats gained make it oh so rewarding in my opinion!
True Endgame Viability With Fully Upgraded Gear
Ragnarok‘s hardest areas like Muspelheim and Midgard‘s Secret Path are balanced expecting players to have high level gear.
Facing ultra-powerful enemies like the Level 9 Sigrun Valkyrie with non-upgraded or mismatched gear leads to frustration. Yet engaging her with a complete Level 9 Steinbjorn build allowed me to trade blows evenly for an epic clash!
Max level armor let me battle Sigrun more strategically! (via PS5 Trophies)
In my experience, upgrading armor enables so much more strategic, nuanced combat against formidable foes. The Sigrun fight transformed from seemingly impossible to a 15 minute chess match full of clutch dodges, weapon switching, and Rage usage only possible due to my armor‘s bonuses.
Hopefully this deep dive clearly showcases why upgrading armor, especially to max level, allows dominating God of War Ragnarok‘s otherwise unbeatable challenges!
Let me know which armor sets you choose to upgrade in the comments – I‘m always seeking more insights from our passionate community on the best gear. And be sure to subscribe for my regular Ragnarok updates!
