What is the Best Armor Set in God of War New Game Plus?
As both a hardcore God of War gamer and content creator specializing in armor builds, I can definitively say the legendary Zeus armor set is the single best gear option for dominating New Game Plus.
Overview: Pure Power with Smart Tradeoffs
The Zeus set consists of 3 extremely powerful pieces – the Cuirass, Gauntlets and War Belt – obtained by triumphing over the ultra-tough Valkyrie bosses.
Each armor piece starts at level 8, providing insane boosts like +40 Strength, +62 Defense and +55 Runic right off the bat. When fully upgraded to Level 9, we‘re looking at +199 Strength, +294 Defense and +284 Runic altogether – AKA some bonkers increases to damage and survivability.
But the real game-changer is the "Wrath of Zeus" enchantment, which kicks your offense into overdrive by cloaking Kratos in an electrified aura that continously damages all nearby foes. We‘re talking +50% attack damage on top of already jacked-up stats!
Now this much personal amplification doesn‘t come free – the Zeus set makes you take +40% increased damage as well. However, in the hands of a skilled player, the upside far outweighs this tradeoff. Let me convince you why!
Unmatched Damage Output and Visceral Combat
I‘ll cut to the chase: when it comes to pure damage numbers, nobody beats a maxed-out Zeus build. We‘re talking potential DPS increases over 100% during prolonged battles.
Sure, glass cannon builds can technically output slightly higher damage per hit…but they lack the vitality to actually survive long struggles. Zeus gives you the best of both worlds – nearly unmatched killing power AND enough defense to back it up.
Let me throw some numbers at you:
| Armor Set | Strength | Runic | Luck | Defense | Vitality | Cooldown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeus | 294 | 284 | 62 | 199 | 82 | 100 |
| Valkyrie | 292 | 188 | 158 | 142 | 82 | 38 |
| Deadly Mist | 189 | 189 | 189 | 189 | 272 | 77 |
As you can see, the Zeus armor sports better overall offensive ability than even the mighty Valkyrie set. And while the Mist armor gives you plenty of health, its strength and damage leaves a lot to be desired compared to Zeus.
In actual combat, this translates to Kratos absolutely decimating foes with his weapons, spells and rage mode. Thanks to the "Wrath" bonus, even your normal attacks cause area damage over time. And greeting groups of enemies with Zeus‘s Fury or the Spear of Destiny turns them into ashes instantly!
If you really want to embody the God of War, the Zeus set lets you wage sublimely visceral battles where the action flows nonstop. Sure you take more damage, but who cares when you heal it back quickly and eliminate threats before they can overwhelm you?
How to Obtain this Elite Gear
As mentioned earlier, grabbing the Zeus gear takes some effort – but the sweet OP rewards make it so worth it.
Here‘s what you need to do:
- Beat the game and launch a New Game+ playthrough
- Battle through to open up all the Valkyrie realms again
- Defeat the 8 Valkyrie bosses liberating their prisons
- Defeat Queen Sigrun herself in combat
- Collect the Zeus armor pieces as your prizes!
I won‘t lie to you – this is one of the most intense challenges God of War offers. But you can beat the Valks with good prep work:
- Upgrade your current armor fully before starting
- Craft enchantments to boost vitality and runic power
- Learn their attack patterns carefully!
- Use Atreus and runic summons to divert attention
- Rely on defense over wild offense early on
Follow those tips, and the Valkyries will kneel before you soon enough!
Still #1 Armor Even After Ragnarok
With the launch of God of War Ragnarok, some exceptional new armor sets have arrived like Surtr‘s and the Berserker. Do these dethrone Zeus as the best NG+ choice?
In my opinion, the answer is: not even close!
Sure, Surtr‘s offers supreme Strength and Vitality growth. But unlike Zeus, it lacks the constant AoE damage pulse that allows you to shred groups effortlessly. You also have to brave the hellish Muspelheim trials to earn it…no thanks!
Berserker gear lets you enter rage mode faster and boosts damage/defense mid-combat. Decent, but still not comparable to Zeus in terms of overall power potential.
No matter how many new armors get introduced, I believe the unique balance of offense and defense from the Zeus build keeps it #1. Wrath of Zeus is simply too powerful of an perk combined with such insane stat buffs across the board.
Until the God of War team releases something even more ridiculously overpowered, we shall continue unleashing the heavens‘ fury with the Zeus set!
The Verdict: Ascend to Godhood with Zeus Gear
At the end of the day, if you seek to become the mightiest version of Kratos possible in NG+…your glorious path ahead is lit by Zeus armor.
The insane Strength, Runic and Defense growth allows you to dish out and sustain mountainous damage. Meanwhile, the unique Wrath buff provides damage-over-time carnage no other set can match.
Top that off with regenerating health, increased resistance to interrupts, massively reduced spell cooldowns…and baby you‘ve got a stew going!
Sure you gotta beat some nigh-impossible Valkyries to earn this mythic equipment. But once that‘s done and you upgrade it all the way with the best enchantments…you‘ll be an absolute warrior god cutting swaths through all enemies and bosses who dare face you.
In short, equipping the Zeus armor set lets you play God of War the way it was meant to be played – as an unstoppable force of nature leaving naught but bodies and fiery ruins in his wake.
So ready those blades of chaos my friends. Glory awaits on lofty Olympus!
