Why is Baldur so Strong in God of War Ragnarök? An In-Depth Look

Baldur possesses exceptional strength in God of War Ragnarök because of his elite divine lineage, protective invincibility magic, combat training with Thor, and lack of physical limitations. As the son of Odin and Freya, two of the most powerful Norse gods, Baldur enjoys unmatched genetic gifts coupled with exclusive access to Asgard‘s weapons and blessings. His mother also shielded Baldur from injury and fatigue with magic to prevent his prophesied early death. Additionally, Baldur spars with heavy hitters like Thor and the Warriors Three – only further honing his fearsome fighting capabilities over decades.

As a passionate gaming fan myself, Baldur instantly stood out for his demigod-rivaling combination of brawn, battlefield experience, and magical safeguards. Let‘s closely examine why this notorious Aesir god more than lives up to his legendary strength through lore and in-game feats.

Table: Baldur‘s Key Sources of Strength

Divine Lineage and Blessings

As the son of Odin and Freya, two of the most revered Norse gods that rule over their pantheon, Baldur was blessed with tremendous innate power at birth. He wields the combined strengths of his divine parents‘ bloodlines as well as accessing elite Asgardian training, armaments, and magic reserved only for gods.

For perspective, Baldur‘s father Odin matches Zeus in godly might and leads the revered Aesirs in power. His mother Freya also stands out for her mastery of magic and fearsome capabilities when defending her family.

With such elite parentage, Baldur enjoys demigod-like capabilities even stronger than average Norse gods. Additionally, being Odin‘s firstborn son grants Baldur exclusive privileges with access to Asgard‘s vaults and finest riches to further amplify his already formidable gifts.

Training with Thor and the Warriors Three

While Baldur already wields formidable potential from his lineage, he also rigorously honed his fighting skills by training with Thor and the Warriors Three. These Asgardian elites represent the absolute peak of combat prowess among the mighty Aesirs.

For centuries, Baldur regularly spars and battles alongside his half-brother Thor. As the Norse god of thunder and raw strength, Thor‘s penchant for intense sparring enables Baldur to harden his skill against even the heaviest blows.

Baldur also regularly fights with Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun – Thor‘s loyal Warriors Three comrades. These three skilled fighters have battled every manner of threats alongside Thor through millennia. By locking weapons with Asgard‘s apex combat elite day after day, Baldur‘s already fearsome innate gifts become even more dangerous when unleashed on the battlefield.

Freya‘s Invincibility Spell

However, Baldur‘s most notable advantage stems from the protective spell placed on him by his mother Freya which is meant to prevent his prophesied early death.

Foreseeing her beloved son meeting a premature end in a pointless skirmish per ancient runes, Freya exacts powerful magic to shield Baldur from any harm. Her enchantment renders Baldur completely impervious to both physical damage and magical threats – an advantage unmatched by any other known Aesir god.

As revealed in the opening moments of God of War Ragnarök, Baldur shrugs off blows that would severely injure or kill even the hardiest gods and giants with eerie calm. Arrows pass harmlessly through his eyes and body as if phantom projections while ax swings from senior gods scarcely leave a bruise on his skin despite force to pulp stone.

Thanks to Freya‘s spell, only mistletoe remains capable of wounded Baldur – an obscure weakness that his mother deliberately concealed to protect her son. So Baldur enjoys near-perfect invincibility in combat against mortal and divine threats alike due to Freya‘s magic.

Feeling No Limitations

However, Freya‘s otherwise flawless protective magic has one drawback – rendering Baldur unable to feel sensations of any kind whether injuries, exhaustion or even emotions. While this numbing effect prevents Baldur from experiencing the negative effects of battle like pain, fatigue or fear it also deprives him of emotions like happiness or intimacy.

Nonetheless, Baldur‘s inability to feel any limitations is reflected in his relentless fighting style against threats like the Guardian duo of Kratos and Atreus. The Aesir warrior unleashes his full godly might and vicious Spartan battle skills without tiring or noticing wounds. While such detached bloodlust and fearlessness hint at growing instability from sensory deprivation over the long term, in battle Baldur‘s limitlessness makes him a nearly unstoppable force.

Can Baldur Rival Kratos in Strength?

Now while Baldur stands supreme over his native Norse pantheon only the Greek God of War Kratos has thus far matched him blow for blow thanks to his own demigod-like gifts and fearsome battle experience against threats on the scale of Titans and Zeus himself.

In their first encounter, Baldur withstands Kratos‘ blows and even the legendary Spartan struggles to react to some of the Aesir warrior‘s swift grappling maneuvers and punches despite standing over a foot taller. And Baldur continues his relentless assault even after being bloodied by one of Kratos‘ strongest attacks, showcasing near-Bottomless stamina and pain immunity from Freya‘s magic.

That said, Kratos ultimately emerges victorious through his peerless ingenuity, combat mastery and unique ageless weapons like the Blades of Chaos forged by Zeus‘ predecessor himself.

So while Baldur lacks the sheer god-slaying lethality of someone bred and built like Kratos to survive Titan and godly threats, the Asgardian god‘s combination of divine gifts makes him arguably the toughest natural foe the weary Spartan has faced in centuries. Indeed, only Kratos‘ experience and ruthless skill barely prove sufficient to stand toe-to-toe against Baldur‘s elite Asgardian capabilities.

In Closing

As we can see, Baldur stands toe-to-toe with Kratos as likely the mightiest warrior across the Greek and Norse pantheons thanks to his peerless lineage, combat experience, protective magic, and inability to feel pain or exhaustion. Despite lacking full god-slaying power like the Ghost of Sparta, Baldur‘s raw physicality arguably poses the toughest test of strength even for the battle-hardened Kratos.

With that said, I hope this guide gave you some fun insights into why Baldur lives up to his lore as his native Norse pantheon‘s heavy hitter. Despite his eventual downfall to everyone‘s favorite jaded Spartan dad antihero, there‘s no doubt Baldur showcases the peak capacity of a natural-born Asgardian god of war!

Let me know your own thoughts behind Baldur‘s battle capabilities against mythical threats like Kratos down in the comments below!