Should You Upgrade Armor in God of War Ragnarok? Absolutely.

Upgrading Kratos‘s armor in God of War Ragnarok is one of the best investments you can make. Fully upgraded sets provide major improvements to stats and unique bonuses that make defeating even the toughest enemies possible. This guide will explain everything you need to know to get the most out of the intricate armor upgrade system.

A Deep Dive into Armor and Upgrading

Armor is much more meaningful in God of War Ragnarok compared to the previous game. There are now full armor sets with interconnected pieces that provide set bonuses when worn together. Crafting and upgrading these sets is crucial. Here‘s a detailed overview:

• More impactful stats – Upgraded armor provides major boosts to strength, defense, luck, cooldown and more. This directly improves Kratos‘s damage and survival.

• Higher power level – Maxing out a set can boost Kratos‘s power by 50 levels or more, allowing you to tackle harder content.

• special perks – Many armor sets have powerful conditional perks like boosting rage, restoring health, increasing elemental damage and more.

• Crafting materials – Armor sets require special crafting materials like Niflheim alloy and Hate‘s Eyes to make and upgrade.

• Upgrade limits – Each armor piece can be upgraded a set number of times based on rarity. Reaching max level takes large amounts of rare resources.

• Bonus enchantments – Enhance upgraded armor further by socketing boosting enchantments into available slots.

As you can see, upgrading armor in God of War Ragnarok allows for deep customization and progression. But which sets are worth the investment?

Top Armor Sets to Upgrade

While personal preference plays a role, these armor sets provide the biggest bang for your upgrade materials based on their stats, perks, and crafting requirements:

Steinbjorn Armor – The Gold Standard for Defense

• Where to Find: Crafted from special Slumber Stones
• Upgrade Materials: Slumber Stone, Niflheim Alloy, Hate‘s Eye
• Stats at Max Level: 758 Defense, 355 Strength, 70 Luck, 355 Runic
• Perks:
  • Health Burst on Hit – Excellent sustain
  • +50 Defense, +45 Strength Enchantments – Great socket bonuses
• Overview: The undisputed #1 most protective set after upgrading. Massive defense makes you nearly invincible. The crafting quest spans multiple realms but is worthwhile. Plus you get to deck out Kratos in stylish fur.

Berserker Armor – Pure Rage and Power

• Where to Find: Reward for beating Berserker trials in Muspelheim
• Upgrade Materials: Smouldering Ember, Muspelheim Eye, Chaos Flame
• Stats at Max Level: 405 Strength, 310 Defense, 160 Runic, 60 Luck
• Perks:
  • Fire Aura Damage – Extra DPS
  • Rage Burst on Damage – Maintain rage longer
  • +45 Strength Enchantments – Hits even harder
• Overview: Embrace the rage and unleash total carnage with the Berserker set. It provides boosts to all the right stats for a max DPS build. The fire aura melts crowds while rage bursts fuel endless slaughter.

Guiding Light Armor – Cooldown and Luck Focused

• Where to Find: Vanaheim side quests
• Upgrade Materials: Essence of Realms, Forbidden Sphere, Dragonvine Braid
• Stats at Max Level: 205 Strength, 350 Defense, 310 Luck, 310 Runic
• Perks:
  • Blessing of Light – Blind nearby enemies
  • +40 Luck, +45 Runic Enchantments – Spam runic attacks
• Overview: This lighter armor set really makes runic abilities and weapon skills shine. With tons of luck and cooldown reduction, you can pummel enemies with an endless assault of special attacks. The blinds also open up finishers. Brighten up the battlefield!

Upgrade Tips from Kratos Himself

As an experienced God of War veteran across multiple mythologies, I‘ve gathered many useful tips for getting the most from your armor upgrades:

• Balance defense and offense – For general use, aim for armor with solid defensive stats and strength/runic power.

• Play to your strengths – If you rely more on runic attacks or rage, upgrade sets that boost those abilities.

• Specialize your build – Mix armor, enchantments, and weapon skills that complement each other.

• Upgrade in order – Fully upgrade one set before starting another to maximize benefits.

• Use the best armor you can – Don‘t wait to upgrade as better gear makes a difference right away.

• Defenses first – In tough fights, focus on boosting armor defense before other stats.

• Buy materials you need – Visit brokers often to purchase upgrade resources you‘re lacking.

• Use resources wisely – Only invest top materials like Hate‘s Eye into your favorite endgame sets.

• Enchant wisely – Fill armor sockets with enchantments that enhance your playstyle.

Follow this advice and you‘ll be ready to crush all who stand against you, boy! Now get upgrading!

In Conclusion

Upgrading armor is absolutely integral to becoming powerful enough to survive the Nine Realms. Sets like the Steinbjorn, Berserker, and Guiding Light armor provide massive stat improvements and game-changing perks that will carry you to endgame. Take time to hunt down crafting materials, focus on upgrading your favorites sets first, and use complementary enchantments to make each piece even stronger. The journey is long but upgrading your armor along the way will make you an unstoppable force worthy of myth and legend!