Blades of Chaos — God of War eGuide

Midway through his Journey, Kratos realizes that his Leviathan Axe may not be enough to tackle the realms he must travel. He finds himself digging out a relic from the past, one that is full of unwanted memories. With the Blades of Chaos strapped to his wrists, Kratos now has a spectacular alternative to his axe.

While the Leviathan Axe does a lot of damage with every hit, the Blades of Chaos have a wider area of attack. The axe slows enemies with Frost, while the Blades have the potential to cause damage over time with Burn. Monsters often have a weakness to one or the other, so it is a good idea to switch it up based on the situation.

Upgrades

Complete certain tasks to receive Chaos Flames, which can be taken to Brok or Sindri in exchange for an upgrade to the Blades. Upgrades increase Kratos’ Runic Stat and unlock new Skills.

The following table shows how each Chaos Flame is obtained and how much Runic is increased.

Upgrade	Runic	How Chaos Flame is Obtained
I	5	Receive Blades as Upgrade I
II	10	Defeat Máttugr Helson in Helheim
III	20	Defeat the Trolls in Týr’s Vault after collecting the Black Rune Stone
IV	35	Defeat the Hel-Traveler during the escape of Helheim
V	50	Purchased from Shop w/Raging Inferno of Muspelheim (Earned by defeating Valkyrie Göndul at the top of Muspelheim)

Skills

Blades of Chaos Skills are split into two categories, Melee Combat and Elemental Combat. The weapon benefits greatly from the wide swath that it cuts through groups of enemies. Many Skills add to this strength, such as Whirling Chaos Strike that attacks all enemies around Kratos and Spinning Chaos with its leaping-spin attack.

Spear of Chaos gives Kratos the ability to pull an enemy in close for some melee action; switch to the Leviathan Axe for more powerful attacks. Three Skills that are unlocked with the final Chaos Flame increase Stats.

Here we provide a complete list of every Skill available for the Blades of Chaos. XP Costs, upgrades required, and Stat Bonuses listed for each one.

Skill	XP Cost	Unlock tier	Prerequisite	Stat Bonus	Requirement
Melee Control
Rushing Chaos While sprinting, press R1 to execute a powerful double-slash attack that staggers enemies. The move hits a wide area, making it a great way to introduce yourself to a group of grunts.	500	1	None	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	500	1	None	Vitality	75
Rising Fury Hold R2 to perform a powerful attack that launches enemies into the air. The move takes a while to develop and you are vulnerable to attack. Knocks weaker and smaller enemies into the air, so you can juggle them by continuing a combo.	2000	1	None	Adds a fire-bomb to any enemies hit by this attack.
	2000	1	None	Runic	250
Plume of Chaos Press R2 during the second-to-last light combo attack to add a Heavy Combo Finisher. A Light Combo is six attacks long, ending in a flourish as Kratos whips both Blades forward. Press R2 during the fifth swing to cause him to finish with the Heavy Finisher instead, a massive ground slam that torches the ground and causes massive damage.	1000	2	None	Adds a Burn hazard on impact location.Adds a series of Burn cluster bombs.
	1000	2	None	Runic	175/125
Whirling Chaos Hold R1 to perform a powerful attack that strikes all enemies around Kratos. Continue to hold R1 to cause Kratos to skip and repeat the attack until the button is released.	1000	2	None	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1000	2	None	Vitality	125
Chaos Slam While sprinting, Press R2 to leap into the air and perform a powerful chain-slam attack. The hit causes a lot of damage, but is best against one enemy.	1500	3	None	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1500	3	None	Vitality	125
Spinning Chaos Strike While evading, Hold left stick forward and Press R1 to perform a leaping spin attack. Perform this move out of any evade to launch into a group of enemies with Blades fully extended.	1000	3	None	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1000	3	None	Vitality	225
Retreating Slash While evading, Hold left stick back and Press R1 to attack all enemies in a large radius. This maneuver allows you to fend off any nearby enemies as you evade out of trouble.	2000	3	None	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	2000	3	None	Vitality	75
Chaotic Rampage Switch stances by pausing momentarily after any Blades of Chaos attack. Once in new stance, Press R1 to perform a flurry of close-range attacks. Pause after any attack with the Blades of Chaos and then press R1 to release the flurry of strikes. You know you have entered delay stance when both Blades are ablaze out in front of Kratos’ body.	3000	4	None
	3000	4	None
Chaotic Frenzy Increases the number of strikes in the Chaotic Rampage attack by 2.	1000	5	Chaotic Rampage	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1000	5	Chaotic Rampage	Vitality	200
Chaotic Flurry Switch stances by pausing momentarily after any Blades of Chaos attack. Once in new stance, Press R2 to perform an explosive triple-stab dash attack. This gives you a more powerful move out of the delay stance, as Kratos lunges into his target and delivers the three stabs. Note that your next button press out of this stance must be R1 or R2. Otherwise, Kratos resets to his normal stance.	1500	5	Chaotic Rampage	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1500	5	Chaotic Rampage	Vitality	200
Chaotic Concussion Press R2 after the Chaotic Flurry attack to perform a powerful follow-up stab that plants a detonating bomb on any enemies hit, inflicting additional Burn damage. After a few seconds, the bomb detonates inside them — staggering them for a moment and causing decent damage.	1500	5	Chaotic Flurry	Increased resistance to interruption during this attack.
	1500	5	Chaotic Flurry	Vitality	200
Elemental Combat
Spear of Chaos While aiming, press R1 to impale an enemy and yank him towards Kratos. This move is a great way to pull one enemy out of a pack. It is most effective against even or weaker enemies. More powerful foes simply laugh at Kratos as the Blades immediately release from their bodies. The Chaos Spear is the best way to dispose of pesky Nightmares. After pulling the flier in, you have a moment to aim before throwing the “explosive” back at the enemy.	3000	1	None
	3000	1	None
Elemental Surge After impaling an enemy with the Spear of Chaos attack, hold R1 to send an Elemental wave of energy down the chain, blasting and launching the enemy into the air. This makes the Chaos Spear viable against stronger enemies, hitting them with the energy as opposed to attempting to yank them in.	3000	3	Spear of Chaos	Adds a fire bomb to any enemies hit by this attack.
	3000	3	Spear of Chaos	Runic	250
Elemental Explosion Increases the size and damage caused by the Elemental Surge explosion, launching all enemies in range and inflicting additional Burn damage. Send the wave of energy into a pack of grunts and watch the explosion disperse the group. This also works an an alternate way to damage a large enemy from range.	2000	3	Elemental Surge
	2000	3	Elemental Surge
Engulfing Spear The Spear of Chaos attack creates a minor fire explosion on contact, inflicting Burn damage.	3000	4	None
	3000	4	None
Immolation Perform attacks in quick succession without sustaining damage to power up the Blades of Chaos and inflict Burn damage on every hit. Bonus to Luck and Runic. Immolation is similar to Perfmafrost for the Leviathan Axe. It is a must purchase if you prefer to use melee attacks. It requires quick, successive hits while evading all incoming attacks.	2000	1	None
	2000	1	None
Skill	XP Cost	Unlock tier	Prerequisite	Stat Bonus	Requirement
Elemental Combat
Furious Immolation Increases the rate of Immolation gained on every successful Blades hit. This simplifies the process of building the Immolation meter, requiring much fewer attacks before momentum is reached. Remember that a few seconds without hitting an enemy resets the meter.	2000	2	Immolation
	2000	2	Immolation
Elemental Slash Aim and press R2 to perform a powerful sweeping attack that inflicts heavy Burn damage. Kratos swings the Blades in a wide arc, adding Burn to any enemy within range.	1500	1	None
	1500	1	None
Elemental Charge Aim and hold R2 to charge up Burn damage inflicted upon impact. As Kratos spins the Blades around while charging up the attack, you are vulnerable. Be ready to quickly evade or release the attack early if necessary. Once the Blades are set ablaze, release R2 to perform the move.	2000	3	Elemental Slash	Shortens charge time.
	2000	3	Elemental Slash	Cooldown	100
Elemental Overcharge While aiming, hold R2 to charge the Blades of Chaos even further and release a powerful Elemental Slash inflicting massive Burn damage in a wide area. Overcharge improves the Elemental Slash in damage and area, but since it takes so long to charge, you need to be aware of any incoming attacks and quickly evade if necessary.	4500	4	Elemental Charge
	4500	4	Elemental Charge
Essence of Athena Permanently increases Luck by 10.	10000	5	None
Essence of Athena Permanently increases Luck by 10.	10000	5	None
Essence of Ares Permanently increases Strength by 10.	10000	5	None
Essence of Ares Permanently increases Strength by 10.	10000	5	None
Essence of Zeus Permanently increases Runic by 10.	10000	5	None
Essence of Zeus Permanently increases Runic by 10.	10000	5	None

A selection of light and heavy Runic Attacks provides powerful attacks for the Blades of Chaos. Look out for Gift of Apollo which enhances the Blades so that every hit returns a small amount of health, along with a boost in strength and speed once upgraded. Refer to the following table for location, cooldown time, type of attack, Attributes, and upgrade costs for every Runic Attack.

Runic Attack	Cooldown	Impact	DMG	Burn	Stun	XP Cost	Catch-Up		Location
LIGHT SPECIALS
Cyclone of Chaos A circling sweep attack that clears out all nearby enemies.	54 secs	Area	2	0	1	0	Hacksilver	50000	Helheim Legendary Chest (Requies Winds of Hel)
Level 2 Increases the duration and damage of the attack, as well as the total number of hits.			2	0	2	3250	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Greatly increases the duration and damage of the attack, as well as the total number of hits.			3	0	2	13000
Nemean Crush A massive shockwave attack that sends all enemies flying back.	54 secs	Area	2	3	1	0	Hacksilver	75000	Helheim Tower Beach—Death Eater Drop
Level 2 Inflicts a small amount of Burn damage, and slightly increases the radius of the explosion.			2	4	1	4500	Aegir’s Gold	40
Level 3 Greatly increases the Burn damage inflicted and the radius of the explosion.			3	5	2	18000
Rampage of the Furies A robust flurry attack that ends in a powerful slam. Kratos attacks straight ahead throughout the combo, but you can guide him into enemies by pushing to the left and right.	36 secs	Melee	3	0	0	0	Hacksilver	50000	River Pass (Witch’s Cavern)—Requires Winds of Hel
Level 2 Inflicts a small amount of Burn damage on every hit.			4	2	0	1500	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Greatly increases the radius and impact of the final slam attack.			5	3	1	6000
Rage of the Titans A rapid blade attack that ends in a devastating swipe that launches enemies into the air.	54 secs	Melee	3	0	1	0	Hacksilver	75000	Buri’s Storeroom Legendary Chest (Requires Blades of Chaos)
Level 2 Inflicts a small amount of Burn damage on every hit.			4	1	1	1500	Aegir’s Gold	40
Level 3 Adds an incredibly powerful slam attack that creates a large explosion.			5	1	2	6000
Icarus Storm A spinning attack that hits all enemies along its path.	36 secs	Melee	2	0	3	0	Hacksilver	50000	Helheim (Escape) Legendary Chest
Level 2 Throws out the Blades of Chaos while spinning, greatly increasing the range of the attack.			3	0	4	1500	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Inflicts a moderate amount of Burn damage on every hit.			4	1	4	6000
Wrath of Artemis A slash attack that protects Kratos by pushing away all nearby enemies.	24 secs	Melee	2	0	3	0	Hacksilver	75000	Troll Boss—Dauði Munr Drop
Level 2 Pressing R1 again after the first slash performs a second criss-cross attack that launches enemies into the air.			3	1	4	1500	Aegir’s Gold	40
Level 3 Inflicts a large amount of Stun and Burn damage on the second attack.			3	2	5	6000
Blast of Hephaestus A quick, fiery blast of energy that inflicts a small amount of Burn damage.	36 secs	Aimed	1	3	1	0	Hacksilver	50000	Foothills Legendary Chest (Requires Winds of Hel)
Level 2 Increases the size of the blast, and inflicts a small amount of Stun damage.			2	4	2	3250	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Greatly increases the size of the blast and the amount of Stun damage inflicted.			3	5	3	13000
Spartan Charge A dash attack that slams enemies with a fiery shield and inflicts a small amount of Burn damage.	24 secs	Melee	3	1	3	0	Hacksilver	N/A	Helheim Legendary Chest
Level 2 Applies a final explosive blast to the slam attack, and greatly increases the Burn damage inflicted.			3	2	4	1500	Aegir’s Gold	N/A
Level 3 Pressing R2 after dashing performs a Shield Slam follow up that launches enemies into the air.			4	2	4	6000
Runic Attack	Cooldown	Impact	DMG	Burn	Stun	XP Cost	Catch-Up		Location
HEAVY SPECIALS
Tartarus Rage A destructive slam attack that hits enemies with 2 Blade slams.	54 secs	Area	3	0	1	0	Hacksilver	50000	Týr’s Vault—Grendel Trolls Drop
Level 2 Holding R2 charges up and creates a more powerful finishing slam.			4	0	2	4500	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Increases the power of the final slam.			5	0	3	18000
Fire of Ares A slam attack that sends out a fiery wave.	90 secs	Area	3	2	0	0	Hacksilver	75000	Complete Favor: Hail to the King
Level 2 Pressing R2 after the first wave slams down a second wave.			4	3	0	3250	Aegir’s Gold	40
Level 3 Pressing R2 after the first and second waves slams down a third wave.			4	4	0	13000
Prometheus Flame A deadly slam attack that creates a small tear under up to 4 enemies before summoning a large pillar of flame beneath them.	90 secs	Area	2	3	0	0	Hacksilver	N/A	Konùnsgard’s Stronghold—Legendary Chest (Favor: Hail to the King)
Level 2 Greatly increases the size of the pillar of flame.			3	4	0	4500	Aegir’s Gold	N/A
Level 3 Doubles the number of possible targets from 4 to 8.			3	5	0	18000
Hyperion Slam A massive slam attack that causes a destructive explosion.	60 secs	Area	3	2	0	0	Hacksilver	50000	The Mountain (Return Visit) Legendary Chest (Requires Winds of Hel)
Level 2 Greatly increases the size of the explosion.			3	3	0	1500	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Leaves behind a small hazard that inflicts Burn damage to enemies.			4	4	0	6000
Meteoric Slam Create a massive shard of fire with the Blades of Chaos before slamming them down and shattering the shard into several pieces, raining fire down in a wide arc away from Kratos and inflicting Burn damage. Be sure you have room to perform this move as you are vulnerable while charging the attack.	120 secs	Area	3	3	0	0	Hacksilver	50000	Muspelheim Shop
Level 2 Increases the number of pieces the shard is shattered into, increasing the effective area.			3	4	0	4500	Aegir’s Gold	30
Level 3 Increases the amount of Burn damage each shard explosion inflicts.			4	5	0	18000
Hyperion Grapple Tosses the Blades of Chaos towards an enemy and on contact, launches Kratos towards them to inflict a large amount of Stun damage.	36 secs	Aimed	3	0	2	0	Hacksilver	75000	The Hall of Týr Legendary Chest (Journey: A Path to Jötunheim)
Level 2 Cause a massive area-of-effect concussion on impact with the enemy, hitting all enemies nearby.			4	1	3	3250	Aegir’s Gold	40
Level 3 Massively increases the severity of the Stun damage caused by impact.			4	2	4	13000
Gift of Apollo Temporarily enhance the Blades of Chaos so that every hit gives Kratos a small amount of Health.	120 secs	Melee	3	2	0	0	Hacksilver	N/A	Niflheim Realm Tear (10,000 Mist Echoes, Ogres x3)
Level 2 Increases the duration, and adds a small bonus to normal attacks while active.			4	3	0	4500	Aegir’s Gold	N/A
Level 3 Further increases the duration, adds a bonus to normal attacks while active, and increases the speed of Kratos’ attacks by a small amount.			5	3	0	18000

Blades Pommels

As soon as you defeat the Helheim Bridge Keeper a set of Pommels for the Blades of Chaos becomes available at Brok and Sindri’s shops. The following table provides a full list of available Pommels along with Stats, upgrade costs, and where to find them.

Pommels	Level	Stats						Upgrade	Resource	Cost	Location
Common		STR	RUN	DEF	VIT	LCK	CLD
Wooden Blade Grips Spartan’s Heritage—Crude wooden blade grips. Cannot be sold.	1	8						1			Start with this Pommel
Rare		STR	RUN	DEF	VIT	LCK	CLD
Deadly Grips of Vitality Slayer’s Health Burst—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Health Burst on any successful kill.	5	8			10			1			Konùnsgard Stronghold—Hel-Traveler Drop
	5	8			10			1
	6	12			16			2	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12			16			2	World Serpent Scale	20
	7	14			20			3	Hacksilver	35000
	7	14			20			3	World Serpent Scale	30
Weightless Grip of Protection Rising Protective Barrier—Moderate Perk activation chance to grant Protective Barrier, preventing damage from enemy attacks, on successfully landing Rising Fury on an enemy.	5	10		10				1			Týr’s Vault Legendary Chest
	5	10		10				1
	6	12		15				2	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12		15				2	World Serpent Scale	20
	7	14		18				3	Hacksilver	35000
	7	14		18				3	World Serpent Scale	30
Deadly Grips of Protection Slayer’s Defense—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Gift of Defense on any successful kill.	4	8		8		10		1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	8		8		10		1
	5	10		10		13		2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	10		10		13		2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	12		15		15		3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12		15		15		3	World Serpent Scale	20
Deadly Grips of Magic Slayer’s Runic—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Blessing of Runic on any successful kill.	4	8	10				6	1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	8	10				6	1
	5	10	12				8	2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	10	12				8	2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	12	15				10	3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12	15				10	3	World Serpent Scale	20
Deadly Recovery Handles Slayer’s Cooldown—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Blessing of Cooldown on any successful kill.	4	8					8	1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	8					8	1
	5	10					10	2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	10					10	2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	12					15	3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12					15	3	World Serpent Scale	20
Precision War Handles Piercing Strength—Moderate Perk activation chance to grant a Gift of Strength on successfully landing Spear of Chaos on an airborne enemy.	4	12				6		1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	12				6		1
	5	16				10		2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	16				10		2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	18				13		3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	18				13		3	World Serpent Scale	20
Precision Grips of Fortification Piercing Defense—Moderate Perk activation chance to grant a Gift of Defense on successfully landing Spear of Chaos on an airborne enemy.	4	8		8				1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	8		8				1
	5	10		10				2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	10		10				2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	12		15				3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12		15				3	World Serpent Scale	20
Precision Recovery Handles Piercing Cooldown—Moderate Perk activation chance to grant a Blessing of Cooldown on successfully landing Spear of Chaos on an airborne enemy.	4	8					8	1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	8					8	1
	5	10					10	2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	10					10	2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	12					15	3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12					15	3	World Serpent Scale	20
Weightless War Handles Rising Strength—Moderate Perk activation chance to grant a Gift of Strength on successfully landing Rising Fury on an enemy.	5	10				13		1			Lake of Nine—West side of outer walkway (Requires Blades of Chaos)
	5	10				13		1
	6	12				15		2	Hacksilver	20000
	6	12				15		2	World Serpent Scale	10
	7	14				18		3	Hacksilver	35000
	7	14				18		3	World Serpent Scale	20
Deadly War Handles Slayer’s Strength—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Gift of Strength on any successful kill.	4	10	6			10		1			Helheim—Hel-Traveler Drop
	4	10	6			10		1
	5	12	8			13		2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	12	8			13		2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	16	10			15		3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	16	10			15		3	World Serpent Scale	20
Deadly Grips of Fury Slayer’s Rage Burst—Low Perk activation chance to grant a Rage Burst on any successful kill.	4	12	6					1	Hacksilver	10000	Shop
	4	12	6					1
	5	16	8					2	Hacksilver	9000
	5	16	8					2	World Serpent Scale	10
	6	18	10					3	Hacksilver	20000
	6	18	10					3	World Serpent Scale	20
Pommels	Level	Stats						Upgrade	Resource	Cost	Location
Legendary		STR	RUN	DEF	VIT	LCK	CLD
Grips of the Forgotten Flame Aura of Fire—Moderate Perk activation chance on any successful hit to grant Aura of Fire, increasing Strength and restoring a small amount of Health.	4	8			10	6		1	Hacksilver	10000	Muspelheim Shop
	4	8			10	6		1	Smoldering Ember	14
	6	12			16	10		2	Hacksilver	20000
									Smoldering Ember	16
									Crest of Flame	8

	8	16			22	13		3	Hacksilver	70000
									Smoldering Ember	30
									Greater Crest of Flame	5
									Crest of Surtr	1
Explosive Grips of Fire Flametongue—Low Perk activation chance to strike with a fiery explosion that inflicts Burn damage to all nearby enemies on any successful Blades hit.	5	10				18		1			Isle of Death Legendary Chest (Requires Blades of Chaos)
	5	10				18		1
	6	12				20		2	Hacksilver	20000
									Unyielding Cinders	1
									World Serpent Scale	10
	7	14				22		3	Hacksilver	35000
									Unyielding Cinders	1
									World Serpent Scale	20
Grips of the Cursed Flame Gift of Fire—Low Perk activation chance to plant a 3-second delayed fire bomb on enemies on any successful Blades hit.	6	12	15					1			Cliffs of the Raven Legendary Chest (Requires Winds of Hel)
	6	12	15					1
	7	12	18					2	Hacksilver	35000
									Unstable ore	1
									World Serpent Scale	20
	8	12	22					3	Hacksilver	70000
									Unstable ore	1
									World Serpent Scale	30
Epic		STR	RUN	DEF	VIT	LCK	CLD
Grips of the Valkyrie Power of the Valkyrie—Low Perk activation chance on any successful Blades hit to grant Power of the Valkyrie, increasing Strength and Runic. (Stacks up to 3 times max.)	6	12	10				10	1			Helheim—Valkyrie Rota Drop
	6	12	10				10	1
	7	14	12				15	2	Hacksilver	35000
	7	14	12				15	2	Asgardian Steel	2
	8	16	12				18	3	Hacksilver	70000
	8	16	12				18	3	Perfect Asgardian Steel	1
Blightguard Explosive Blight—Low Perk activation chance to strike with an explosive curse that inflicts Weakness to enemies on any successful hit.	6	12		18	8			1			Niflheim Center Chamber Legendary Chest (7500 Mist Echoes)
	6	12		18	8			1
	7	14		20	10			2	Mist Echoes	2000
									Niflheim Alloy Fragment	5
									Hacksilver	35000
	8	16		22	12			3	Mist Echoes	2500
									Haze Weave	3
									Hacksilver	70000