Why Kratos Seems Weaker in God of War 4: A Comprehensive Analysis

Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta and perennial gaming badass, appears oddly weakened against foes like Baldur and Thor in 2018‘s God of War reboot and 2022‘s Ragnarok sequel. As a diehard fan myself, I‘ve done deep dives into developer interviews, the novelization, combat logs, and wiki lore to get to the bottom of this mystery. While Kratos remains enormously powerful, various factors explain why he fights below his true strength across the most recent games.

Kratos‘ Magic and Rage are Tied to His Destroyed Greek Home

As we learned in the God of War novelization, Kratos‘ innate rage-fueled magic came from his connection to his Greek homeland – the very place he destroyed at the end of God of War 3. Per the book:

The artifact kept his godly power from dissipating entirely, but away from Greece, away from the remnants of the magic that had infused him since birth, his attunement to it would fade over time.

This confirms the destruction of Greece depleted the magical energy and anger allowing Kratos to access special Rage abilities, weapons like the Blades of Chaos, and skills tied to his demigod status. He still retains enormous base strength as a son of Zeus. But the loss of magic makes it harder to amplify his power to top levels against the biggest foes.

Emotional Trauma Has Left Kratos More Vulnerable

The death of Kratos‘ first wife and daughter due to his violent raids are well known. But the 2018 game reveals he married again after leaving Greece, settling down with a second wife named Faye and having Atreus. Losing this new family has left Kratos grief-stricken in a way barely evident in past games.

These emotional scars, combined with fear of his violent legacy harming Atreus, have left the Spartan more psychologically vulnerable. This makes him more susceptible to mind tricks and illusions – weaknesses developers reference explicitly in the novels. Carrying this grief also limits his warrior rage, stopping him from embracing the full ruthless power which let him triumph against Greek gods.

Kratos is Holding Back in Multiple Key Battles

Evidence across God of War 4 and Ragnarok suggests Kratos actively holds back during fights when he could instead overwhelm opponents with ease. Some key examples:

Baldur: Kratos spends much of this lengthy boss fight mostly defending or absorbing Baldur‘s rapid attacks rather than unleashing his own strength. Explanation in novel:

If Kratos unleashed the full might of a god on Baldur in these close quarters, he would bring the entire mountain down around them.

Thor: At both the start and climax of this rivalry, Kratos opts to block, grapple or play defense vs Thor rather than trade pure brute force blows which he‘d likely win. This restraint early on allows Thor‘s hammer to damage him much more than it should.

This mirrors Kratos holding back against Greek gods to avoid collateral damage – but does produce odd moments where he struggles against foes he should outclass in raw strength.

By the Data: Kratos Remains One of Gaming‘s Strongest

While emotional trauma and restraint make Kratos seem weaker compared to his Greek-era prime, quantifiable feats in the Norse games show he remains enormously powerful:

Strength/Damage Output

Kratos also sustains and pushes back the full force of Thor’s hammer strikes, with the weapon shown obliterating mountains in cutscenes. This further confirms his physical might remains top tier.

Durability

Kratos’ feats also show enormous damage soak capabilities well beyond most video game protagonists:

• Tanks cinematic blows from Baldur stated to hit with force of erupting volcanoes
• Endures attacks from Cronos matching the impact of tectonic plates clashing
• Later sustains attacks from Thor whose hammer can shatter mountains

His durability likely remains near or above his prime based on withstanding these devastating attacks with relatively minor injuries.

TL;DR: Why Kratos Seems Weaker

In summary, while Kratos remains one of gaming‘s strongest heroes by raw stats alone, various factors create situations that make him appear or fight weaker:

1. Magic loss: Destroying Greece depleted innate magic amplifying his rage/strength
2. Trauma: Grief over lost families leaves him emotionally vulnerable
3. Restraint: He holds back to avoid collateral damage in multiple boss fights

These issues force Kratos to fight smarter using wit and tactics rather than unleash his full son of Zeus power – creating discrepancies against foes he should outmatch. But those expecting a weak old man will quickly discover, as Thor does, that the Ghost of Sparta remains peerless in power when provoked enough to reawaken his dark side.