God of War Ragnarök will bring back the Blades of Chaos and Leviathan axe, and it seems as though Santa Monica Studio wants to add more weapon variation as well. While little has been revealed about the upcoming additions to God of War Ragnarok, the first look trailer already showed Kratos being able to use his two best hack-and-slash weapons from previous games, as well as the Guardian Shield. These three God of War weapons showed off some familiar moves, in addition to new mechanics to keep combat fresh.
Three more weapons that God of War Ragnarok could introduce are Gungnir, Mjölnir, and Hofud. Naturally, Mjölnir will be wielded by Thor, but defeating an enemy and taking their weapon or power is a familiar concept in God of War. Additionally, each of these weapons has deep ties to Norse mythology and characters confirmed to be in God of War, and fit Santa Monica Studio's combat goals perfectly for God of War Ragnarok.
In a recent God of War Ragnarok PlayStation Blog, Grace Orlady of Santa Monica Studio stated, "Whether it’s through hard hitting combos, a mastery of elements, or clever defensive tactics – you will find plenty of opportunity to fight alongside our duo in a way that feels uniquely expressive." This statement doesn't confirm anything, but does hint that some additional weapons or powers beyond what's been seen so far could be coming, and if so, there are several great Norse weapons Ragnarok could introduce.
God Of War Ragnarok Potential Norse Weapons: Gungnir
Gungnir is a great spear that was created by the dwarves in Norse mythology. It is most notably associated with Odin and is depicted in Norse mythology as a weapon the weapon that Odin first threw as he led the Aesir gods into battle against the Vanir. Odin has been confirmed to show up in God of War Ragnarok, and it's likely that he'll appear with Gungnir or some variation of the weapon.
Brok and Sindri have already been confirmed to return to God of War Ragnarok, as they were both seen in the trailer. Their characters are inspired by the Norse dwarves who created Gungnir, so it's possible that Kratos could acquire Gungnir through them. Gungnir is depicted in Norse mythology as having runes carved across it, increasing the accuracy through magic. According to a description of Gungnir's history from Norse-Mythology.org, runes are a key piece to the weapon's history.
Kratos already uses magical weapons like the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos, and adding a spear to his arsenal would certainly change the Ghost of Sparta's play style. A great spear would be a powerful weapon that could allow Kratos to sweep multiple enemies, or be thrown as a ranged weapon. Additionally, according to Norse mythology, Gungnir was discovered by Loki and acquired from the dwarves before it ended up with Odin.
There is the possibility that a variation of these events could happen again, but instead of Odin's hand, Atreus could give it to Kratos or keep it for himself. Gungnir is also described as being perfectly balanced, allowing the user to strike their target no matter how strong or skilled the user is. If Atreus kept Gungnir for himself it would be a great "sidekick" ability to upgrade throughout God of War Ragnarok, just as Atreus's arrows were upgradable in God of War.
God Of War Ragnarok Potential Norse Weapons: Mjölnir
As Thor's weapon, Mjölnir is confirmed to be in God of War Ragnarok. Whether or not Kratos will be able to use this weapon is a different story, but it's a possibility. In the God of War Ragnarok trailer, Kratos is able to use his Blades of Chaos to launch himself to enemies or pull them to him. Additionally, the Leviathan axe can be throw at enemies and always returns to Kratos's hands. Both the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan axe add elemental damage types as well, and Mjölnir could add a third elemental damage type to the mix - in addition to being another weapon that returns to Kratos's hand.
As Santa Monica Studio provides their own take on Norse Mythology, it's highly likely that a battle between Thor and Jörmungandr will happen in Ragnarok just as it does in Norse mythology. Although the two are destined to die from each other in battle, perhaps with Kratos's help Jörmungandr will live, devouring Thor as he did Thor's statue in God of War. Just as Kratos and Atreus ventured into Jörmungandr to retrieve Mimir's eye, it's possible that they could return to the world serpent's belly to retrieve Mjölnir.
It's likely, however, that a battle against Thor wouldn't happen until near the end of God of War Ragnarok, leaving little time to be able to use Mjölnir. A New Game Plus mode in could be a perfect way to rectify the problem for any later-game acquisitions like Mjölnir could be. As a weapon that allows Thor to control lightning, this hammer would be devastatingly powerful in the hands of Kratos as a player goes through God of War Ragnarok for a second round.
God Of War Ragnarok Potential Norse Weapons: Hofud
Hofud is the sword of Heimdall, herald of Ragnarok and guardian of the Bifrost. In Norse Mythology, Heimdall and Loki are destined to kill each other during the last battle. Whether or not this will be the case in God of War Ragnarok remains to be seen, but Heimdall seems poised to make an appearance. As Atreus receives the mistletoe arrows from Sindri in God of War, the dwarf says of the arrows, "Straighter than Heimdall and perfectly weighted."
Hofud could be introduced in the God of War Ragnarok as the tool that allows Kratos and Atreus to travel the nine realms. In 2018's God of War, only six of the nine realms were accessible to Atreus and Kratos. In the Ragnarok PlayStation blog post, it was confirmed that nine realms will be accessible at the game's launch. There is an enemy in the PlayStation Showcase reveal trailer that appears in front of Kratos by means of the Bifrost, but no sign of Heimdall at the moment.
The last sword Kratos used was God of War 3's Blade of Olympus. Although the Blade of Olympus could only be used at certain times, it was a powerful weapon that served as a catalyst for many of the events in God of War 2 and God of War 3. Hofud would most likely serve a similar role in God of War Ragnarök, having limited use but devastating attacks.
Source: Santa Monica Studio, AleHorn, Norse-Mythology.org