God of War: Every stat explained (and which ones need improvement)

Stats in God of War relate to Kratos' armor and the spells players can equip, some of which are more valuable than others.

There are a variety of upgrades that can be applied to Kratos in God of War, and different stats affect how Kratos performs in battle, how often he uses runes, and even the amount of XP and Hacksilver he earns. Unlike skills and other upgrades purchased through XP or Hacksilver, stat upgrades in God of War are somewhat temporary upgrades, determined by armor and enchantments. Kratos can mainly increase his stats by equipping more powerful armor and enchanting, removing these equipment will also reduce the attributes of God of War.

Minor stat upgrades can also be applied by improving the handle of the Leviathan in God of War, and upgrading the handle to the Chaos Blade. Additionally, there are Yggdrasil blobs throughout God of War that apply small, permanent boosts to random stats, and finding more of these blobs will allow players to slowly boost Kratos' stats over time. In God of War, players must upgrade six stats for Kratos: Strength, Runes, Defense, Vitality, Luck, and Cooldown.

Every Stat in God of War & What it Does

Before diving into the best stats in God of War, it's important for players to understand What each stat does.

As players progress through God of War, they will discover armor and magic that improve multiple skills at once, especially with further upgrades to specific gear. While players will eventually want to increase every stat on Kratos, they only really need to focus on a few stats to upgrade God of War's skills and usability. The top skills players should upgrade in God of War are Strength, Luck, and Runes.

God Of War: Vitality Isn't as Good as Luck

Luck is by far the most important boosted stat in early God of War, as it maximizes the player's rewards for exploration and combat. With more XP, players can level up more skills for Kratos and Atreus, as well as the rune attack itself. Earning more Hacksilver in God of War makes it easier to upgrade armor, which in turn increases several stats. Additionally, with more powerful standard and rune attacks, Kratos will be able to take down enemies more easily regardless of difficulty.

While Vitality is important in God of War, and stats like Defense and Cooldown can make certain oppressive fights easier, they don't provide any Return their initial investment, especially early in the God of War story. While cooldown stats are important to improve over time, generally speaking, having stronger attacks ensures that Kratos can consistently rely on his standard and rune attacks.

Also, as long as the player can dodge and use the Block Break ability wisely, their defense and vigor in God of War shouldn't be that important for most of the game. Players can also improve Kratos' health by finding all the Idunn Apple Chests in God of War, which should definitely be prioritized over improving the Vitality stat itself.