God-given Goodies

God of War Ragnarok Best Armor Sets: The best armor for the early, mid, and late game, plus how to get the best armor overall

All of the top-tier protective equipment for the early, mid and late game from across the nine realms of Norse mythology

Guide by James Billcliffe Guides Editor

Updated on Sept. 19, 2024

Kratos and Atreus face almost impossible odds in God of War Ragnarok, but it’s nothing they can’t overcome with some grit, determination and a suit of magical armor to help out — and, now that the game is finally out on PC, there's a whole new platform where you can play dress-up with one of gaming's most iconic father-son duos.

The best armor in God of War Ragnarok isn’t just about hunkering down behind the pieces that offer the maximum protection. Different armor pieces can also imbue Kratos with powerful buffs that enhance his combat styles and open up new strategic possibilities.

While every player is different, there are a few armor sets off the main story path that are well worth picking up, regardless of the way you choose to play.

If you’re aggressive and like to dish out damage, there are armor pieces to boost your attacking output. Or if you’re finding it tough to stay healthy between fights there are armor sets which grant healing bursts to turn the tide of battle.

Finally, there are even armor sets that help you to deal poison and elemental damage to enemies, giving a whole new dimension to how you approach fights.

However, not all of these suits of armor are available right from the beginning of God of War Ragnarok. Therefore we’ve split this page into three sections detailing the best choices for the early game when you’re still learning the ropes, then the mid-game where you might be looking to explore something more advanced, then the late game when you need nothing but the best.

How to get new armor pieces in God of War Ragnarok

Across your adventure in the nine realms of Norse mythology, there are two main ways to get new armor in God of War Ragnarok:

Craft armor pieces at Brok and Sindri’s shops
Find rare and powerful armor in legendary chests and caches found throughout the realms

While some of the equipment you can craft straight away at the Dwarves’ smithy is decent, the bonus effects are often a bit niche. This means that the majority of the tastiest loot is dug up from exploring the open world areas.

You can either find armor pieces ready made, or sometimes you find a special item that allows you to craft them back at Brok and Sindri’s too - so always be on the lookout!

God of War Ragnarok Best early game armor
God of War Ragnarok Best mid-game armor
God of War Ragnarok Best late game armor
God of War Ragnarok Best Armor Overall - Steinbjorn set

God of War Ragnarok Best early game armor

Kratos trying on Nidavellir's Finest Plackart, one of the best armor pieces in God of War Ragnarok

Nidavellir’s Finest Plackart

Location: Bay of Bounty in Svartalfheim Pros: Powerful healing ability Cons: Less effective on bosses who are rarely stunned Effect: Stun Grabbing enemies with R3 creates a healing burst

When you first reach Svartalfheim, after visiting the Dwarven city of Nidavellir you’re given the opportunity to investigate the Bay of Bounty and decommission some Mining Rigs during "In Service of Asgard". Complete this side quest!

Doing so gives you the items necessary to craft the Nidavellir’s Finest Plackart, which is a fantastic chest armor piece which can carry you the entire length of the game if you want it to.

God of War Ragnarok can be a difficult game, so the ability to heal Kratos every time you stun an enemy is a huge help when slogging through the game’s toughest fights. Unless you’re an absolute combat master it will always be useful, especially in the early game as you get to grips with the nuances of battle.

The equipment screen showing the healing benefits of the Girdle of Raven Tears in God of War Ragnarok

Girdle of Raven Tears

Location: The Raven Tree in Niflheim Pros: Helps make the most out of items Cons: No proactive combat benefit Effect: Increases the healing from Healthstones, Rage and Gear

Have you heard the weird shimmering bird cries coming from hidden nooks and crannies throughout your adventure? Once you’ve destroyed the first few of Odin’s avian spies, you can head to Niflheim and collect rewards. One of the first is the Girdle of Raven Tears which increases the effectiveness of Healthstones at topping up your life bar.

Other early game waist armor pieces are pretty lackluster, so this one is worth making the trip for.

A view of the fully-upgraded Vidar's Bracers of Might in God of War Ragnarok

Vidar’s Bracers and Belt of Might

Location: Crafted at Brok and Sindri’s Shop with Hacksilver Pros: A solid, damage-boosting effect that’s always useful Cons: A bit basic compared to other armor pieces Effect: Combo Finishers do increased damage

If you’re not as much into devling through side content, the basic Bracers and Belt of Might that you can craft at Brok and Sindri’s the first time you visit their smithy isn’t bad at all. If you just want something to get you through the story, these are more than serviceable.

God of War Ragnarok Best mid-game armor

Lunda’s Lost Cuirass

Location: The Veiled Passage in Vanaheim Pros: Makes applying statuses very easy Cons: Relies on weaker, bare-handed attacks Effect: Bare-handed attacks have a chance to deal poison damage to enemies

Once you reach the Vanir homeland of Vanaheim, you receive the Mysterious Orb side quest to find Lunda’s Lost armor throughout the realm. It’s a diversion that’s definitely worth indulging because the armor set is fantastic.

It imbues all of your bare-handed attacks with an extremely high chance to afflict enemies with the poison status that deals damage over time. This works very, very well if you throw your Leviathan Axe at an enemy, don’t call it back, sock them a few times with bare-handed melee to inflict poison, then recall your axe to restart the process.

To get it, make your way to the second beach inside the Veiled Passage in Vanaheim. Take the first left once you enter Goddess Falls south of the River Delta to get there.

Lunda’s Lost Bracers and Belt

Location: Cliffside Ruins and Noatun’s Garden in the River Delta in Vanaheim Pros: Huge damage increase Cons: Useless if no poison is applied Effect: Melee attacks against Poisoned enemies do 20%-40% increased damage

Given the ease of applying poison with Lunda’s Lost Cuirass, a 20-40% boost to all melee attack damage is absolutely huge! Remember to take advantage of this strategy and you can’t go far wrong.

To add them to your arsenal, you can find Noatun's Garden on the eastern side of River Delta after the first story arc winds up in Vanaheim. Then, the Cliffside Ruins are across the river from Brok and Lunda's shop to the south of the River Delta.

The equipment screen in God of War Ragnarok showing the time-bending abilities of the Gauntlets of Radiance

Gauntlets of Radiance and Belt of Radiance

Location: The legendary chests in the northern and eastern corners of The Barrens in Alfheim Pros: Realm Shift affect is very powerful Cons: Defensive stats are weaker that other armor Effect: A last-second evade activates a Realm Shift, temporarily slowing down surrounding enemies

If you prefer to dodge incoming attacks rather than block them, then the Gauntlets and Belt of Radiance from the Barrens open-world area in Alfheim is a brilliant addition to your armory.

Dodging right before you’re hit by an attack will slow down time for a full second, giving you time to reposition, fire off an ability, or simply go on the offensive. While the defensive stats on this piece are lower than on other armor, this is to balance the set so it’s not overpowered, so that should give you a hint about how good it is.

God of War Ragnarok Best late game armor

Dragon Scaled Breastplate

Location: Crafted at Brok and Sindri’s Shop after you reach The Crater after Scent of Survival in Vanaheim Pros: Turns defence into attack Cons: Relies on successfully parrying attacks, which can be difficult Effect: Blocks and Parries grant a buff of increasing strength and defence with each stack. Resets when damage is taken

While it’s tough to craft, the Dragon Scaled armor takes an ability that hopefully you will have mastered by the late game, parrying, and makes it even stronger. The strength boost to damage means that you can clobber through normal enemies very quickly if you parry them, freeing you up to mow through large groups with ease.

Hunter’s Pauldron

Location: Crafted at Brok and Sindri’s Shop after you reach The Crater in Vanaheim Pros: Blanket boost to ranged damage is very useful Cons: No good for melee-focused players Effect: Holding L2 for several seconds grants a buff increasing all ranged attack damage for a short duration

It’s very tempting to stand back and pepper enemies with ranged attacks from across the battlefield - especially when things start to get tough. The Hunter’s armor set enhances this playstyle by boosting the damage of Kratos’ burgeoning suite of ranged abilities, turning him into a long-distance demon.

Dragon Scaled Bracers

Location: Crafted at Brok and Sindri’s Shop after you reach The Crater in Vanaheim Pros: A full perk on bracers is extremely strong Cons: Relies on successfully parrying attacks Effect: Increases all Shield damage, and successful Blocks or Parries now deal Shield damage to nearby enemies

If you’re using a mixed set, these are the bracers to use. Not only are their stats top-notch, but having a fully-fledged ability which turns Shield damage into splash damage is more powerful than just about any other armor piece in God of War Ragnarok.

Hunter’s Belt

Location: Crafted at Brok and Sindri’s Shop after you reach The Crater in Vanaheim Pros: Very good for chip-damage on difficult enemies Cons: No good for melee-focused players Effect: Increases the damage of all of Kratos’ Ranged Attacks and abilities

If your playstyle favours ranged attacks, then you can’t go wrong with this very solid buff that is constantly useful throughout every single fight you encounter.

God of War Ragnarok Best Armor Overall - Steinbjorn set

Kratos wearing the Steinbjorn set, the best armor in God of War Ragnarok

Steinbjorn Plackart, Gauntlets and Waist Guard

Location: Crafted Brok and Sindri’s Shop using Slumber Stones Pros: Huge defensive stats and powerful ability Cons: Relies on getting damaged, which you don't really want to do Effect: When heavily damaged, Kratos' attacks restore back lost health for a time and moderate luck chance to stagger and stun enemies when hit

The best armor in God of War Ragnarok is the Steinbjorn set.

This imperious armor set is crafted from Slumber Stones looted from sleeping Trolls hidden around the realms. To get it you need to follow a complicated method, but it's worth the effort.

First you need to find the "Mystical Heirloom" Relic from behind the ice drift you can break with your spear to the north of the Lost Treasury in Midgard.
Next, make your way to the Derelict Outpost in the west of Midgard and use the Relic on the Troll Statue there. It will come alive for a boss fight. This gives you your first Slumber Stone.
Then travel to The Forbidden Sands in Alfheim. In the north of the area is another troll statue to resurrect. This is the second Slumber Stone and will allow you to craft the Steinbjorn Plackart.
Finally, make your way to Noatun's Garden in the River Delta in Vanaheim. Here you find two troll statues to fight at the same time.

With these four mini-bosses defeated, you can craft the full set!