Kratos attacks with his Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, or a combination of his shield and fist. The Leviathan Axe is hard-hitting, deals out Frost damage, and can be thrown. His Blades of Chaos have a wide hit radius, can cause Burn, and are capable of pulling smaller foes in close for melee attacks.
The collapsible Guardian Shield is used to block or parry incoming attacks and for bare-handed combat. Atreus also gets into the action with his Talon Bow, which fires arrows that are capable of stunning and staggering enemies. In addition, he gains the ability to use his bow in melee combat. All of this equipment can be improved by purchasing and finding upgrades.
Skills
How to obtain: Unlock with Weapon Upgrades, Purchase with XP
Both of Kratos’ weapons, his shield, and Atreus’ bow all have a set of Skills that can be acquired by spending XP. The Skills may add a new ability, improve an existing one, or provide a bonus. The three weapons must be upgraded in order to unlock all Skills. Many Skills also offer an Additional Bonus once a specified Stat reaches the required level.
Runic Attacks and Summons
How to obtain: Loot Legendary Chests, Complete Favors, Defeat Large Enemies
Special abilities are available for the axe, Blades, and bow. Kratos can equip a Light and Heavy Runic Attack on each weapon, while Atreus has an Runic Summon that may be used in and out of combat. Hold L1 + R1 to perform the light Runic Attack and L1 + R2 for the heavy. Hold Square and Atreus sends out his Runic Summon.
All specials require a cooldown time before they can be used again. Increase Kratos’ Runic and Cooldown Stats to improve the effectiveness of the abilities. Three Attributes are provided for each Runic Attack/Summon: Damage, Elemental (Frost for axe and Burn for Blades), and Stun. Based on a scale of 0 to 5, these numbers represent the amount of damage and Stun effect produced by each special. The type of Elemental damage depends on which weapon is used. The axe slows enemies with Frost, the Blades add Burn, and Atreus’ arrows Weaken and Shock your targets.
Runic Attacks and Summons hidden inside chests throughout the Journey become available in the shops later on if they were missed. At that point, they must be purchased with Hacksilver and Aegir’s Gold. These prices are listed in the following tables within the Catch-Up column.
Pommels
How to obtain: Loot Legendary Chests, Complete Favors, Defeat Large Enemies, Craft at Shops
Pommels for your axe and Blades can be swapped out with better versions as they are crafted or found. These give a boost to Stats and may provide a Perk.