In the realms of legend and myth, where gods reign supreme and mortals cower beneath their gaze, there are a few—only a few—who dare to challenge the divine. These are the beings who, born from the earth yet wielding the power to shake the heavens, have defied the will of the gods and carved their names into the annals of history.
From the blood-soaked sands of ancient Greece, there emerges a warrior whose rage is as boundless as the ocean and whose thirst for vengeance knows no end. Once a mortal man, he has slain titans and toppled the very pillars of Olympus. He is the Ghost of Sparta, the Slayer of Gods—Kratos.
Across the mystical lands of the East, where the winds whisper tales of immortals and demons, there rises a being born from stone, whose cunning and strength rival the very deities themselves. With a staff that can pierce the heavens and a spirit that cannot be broken, he seeks to reclaim his rightful place among the stars. He is the Scourge of Heaven, the Next Great Sage—The Destined One.
WHO
IS
DEADLIEST?
Kratos[]
Born of both mortal flesh and divine blood, Kratos was the son of Zeus, King of Olympus, and a mortal woman. From his youth, the Spartan warrior's life was entwined with violence, his unmatched ferocity earning him the favor of Ares, the God of War. In his thirst for power, Kratos forged a pact with the war god, binding his fate to Ares’s will. Yet Ares, in his cruel wisdom, sought to sever Kratos’s humanity, deceiving him into slaughtering his own wife and child.
When the truth was revealed, Kratos was overcome with horror and rage. Casting off his servitude to Ares, he swore to seek redemption. Bearing the ashes of his slain family upon his flesh as an eternal reminder of his sins, Kratos pledged his strength to the gods of Olympus, hoping to earn freedom from his torment.
In time, Ares unleashed chaos upon the world, and the gods turned to Kratos to stop their rogue kin. Tasked with retrieving Pandora's Box, a vessel of forbidden power, Kratos confronted and slew Ares, ascending to take his place as the new God of War. Yet the glory of Olympus was fleeting, for Zeus, fearing the wrath of his son, betrayed Kratos and stripped him of his divinity. Cast down to the Underworld but unbroken, Kratos forged an alliance with the primordial Titans, seeking vengeance against Zeus and all who stood in his path. Fueled by unrelenting rage, Kratos waged a cataclysmic war upon Olympus, toppling gods and titans alike. When the battle reached its zenith, he confronted Zeus in a final, brutal clash, ending the life of the Father of the Gods. Yet the death of the Olympians unleashed cataclysmic ruin upon Greece, and Kratos, burdened by guilt, vanished into exile.
Far to the north, in the lands of Scandinavia, Kratos sought peace among the mortals. There, he found solace in a Jötunn woman named Faye and fathered a son, Atreus. Yet the past was not so easily escaped. Upon Faye’s death, Kratos and his son unwittingly drew the ire of the Aesir gods. Odin, their all-seeing ruler, viewed the Spartan as a threat, setting the stage for yet another divine conflict.
As the storm of Ragnarök approached, Kratos became a reluctant champion, fighting not for vengeance but for his son’s future. Amid the chaos, he resolved to be a god unlike the cruel Olympians or the tyrannical Aesir, forging a new path defined by wisdom and restraint. When Ragnarök came to pass, Kratos stood as a symbol of hope, joining a council of gods to rebuild the shattered realms. Thus, the Ghost of Sparta reclaimed his mantle as God of War, not as an agent of destruction, but as a guardian of balance and renewal.
Equipment[]
It was forged by the Huldra Brothers, after feeling responsible for the destruction brought about by Thor. As a weapon made to oppose the power of Mjölnir and inspired by the epic size of Jörmungandr, the axe was named Leviathan. The weapon is infused with the echoing screams of twenty frost trolls (give or take).
The axe has several runes inscribed on the blade that grants it different powers, among them the use of ice, and the ability to recall the weapon from any distance.
- The Leviathan Axe is imbued with the power of ice, which can manifest as summoning ice spikes on the ground to damage enemies directly infront of Kratos, launch AoE attacks that inflict ice damage over time and even freeze weaker enemies solid, freeze enemies solid again by repeatedly attacking them or by charging up Leviathan and throwing it into them, and launch a concentrated beam of Ice Magic at an enemy that will freeze them over time.
- Similar to the weapon it was meant to combat, Mjölnir, Leviathan can be recalled back to Kratos' hand from any distance. This opens up avenues for Kratos to fling the axe at his enemies and have it fly back into his hand like a boomerang. This ability is further enhanced by Kratos developing techniques that involve using this ability to make Leviathan fly around him to damage nearby enemies, target multiple enemies (or the same enemy multiple times) and have Leviathan repeatedly fly into them, or, my favorite, throw Leviathan and then recall it just to bounce it off his shield, causing it to fly back at the enemies and repeat.
A shield gifted to Kratos by his beloved wife Laufey. It's a retractable round shield mounted on Kratos' left arm used to Parry and block incoming attacks. It's shown to be able to block attacks from most entities, even magic and Gods. However, exceptionally strong enemies can bypass the shield all together, such as when Mjölnir rendered it inoperable after a prolonged fight.
These dual shortswords boast broad, serrated edges of preternatural sharpness, capable of cleaving through stone, marble, and even divinely empowered bronze. The blades are bound to Kratos's forearms by chains, allowing him to use them as deadly flails, slicing at enemies from a distance. Infused with primordial fire, the blades catch fire when swung. The blades' hooked edges and chains allow them to function as effective grapnels or harpoons. Despite their unconventional nature, Kratos has mastered the blades and wields them with fluidity and speed.
- The Blades of Chaos were embued with Primordial Fire when they were forged in Hades. This manifests as the blades igniting themselves to enhance attacks, generating firey explosions on impact, launch hadouken-like fireballs, conjure Collums of flame from the ground, and call down fire from the sky like meteors.
When Kratos sought a weapon to defeat the Aesir god Heimdall, as he was fated to kill his son Atreus during Ragnarök, the Huldra Brothers devised using the enchanted ring Draupnir. Rather than the ring itself, they suggested bringing it to The Lady of the Forge to transform it into a mighty spear.
- Infinite Duplication: The Draupnir Ring Kratos wears on his finger has been modified by the Lady of the Forge. Rather than create duplicates of itself, it instead can duplicate the spear at Kratos' will. Meaning Kratos can throw and summon spears and infinitum. The spear itself apparently can do this as well, as shown with the Artillery of the Ancients attack where he throws one spear into the sky and then a barrage of spears come falling down like rain upon his enemies.
- Draupnir's Call: Kratos slams Draupnir into the ground, causing all thrown spears currently stuck in the environment or stabbed into an enemies body to detonate like grenades.
- Wind Magic: Draupnir has the power of wind. This can manifest as charging up Draupnir to perform a drill attack when thrown, a blast of wind that knocks enemies away, launch blades of pressurized wind to slice up enemies from a distance, summon tornadoes to wreak havoc on the battle field.
- Elemental Siphon: Kratos impales Draupnir into an enemy and siphons the enemies Element to empower itself either until combat ends, another element is siphoned, or if Kratos uses one of Draupnir's special attacks. This also gives Kratos resistance to the element that Draupnir is currently empowered with.
| “ | Me? I'm the greatest ambassador to the Gods, the Giants, and all the creatures of the Nine Realms. I know every corner of these lands, every language spoken, every war waged, every deal struck. They call me… Mimir, the smartest man alive, and I have the answer to your every question.
— Mimir
|
” |
Once the trusted advisor to Odin, Mimir initially sought to guide the Allfather toward becoming a just ruler for the realms. However, as he witnessed Odin’s descent into paranoia, cruelty, and self-serving ambition, Mimir’s allegiance shifted. He strove to mitigate the damage caused by Odin’s wars, most notably brokering a truce between the Aesir and Vanir by convincing Odin to marry Freya. Yet, his efforts to foster peace were often thwarted by Odin’s obsession with power and prophecy.
Mimir’s defiance earned him the Allfather’s wrath. Suspecting him of aiding the Giants, Odin imprisoned Mimir on Midgard’s highest peak, binding him to an unbreakable tree. As further punishment, Odin removed one of Mimir’s jeweled eyes, severing his ability to travel between realms, and subjected him to centuries of torment. Stripped of freedom and purpose, Mimir grew to despise Odin and longed for release.
109 winters into his captivity, Mimir encountered Kratos and Atreus. Offering his vast knowledge in exchange for freedom, he requested that Kratos decapitate him and reanimate his severed head. Freed from his cursed prison, Mimir became a trusted companion to Kratos, offering wisdom and wit as they navigated the challenges of the Nine Realms.
- Renowned as the “Smartest Man Alive,” Mimir possesses unparalleled knowledge of the Nine Realms, their history, languages, and magic. His deductive reasoning and strategic insight were invaluable to Odin, though his wisdom now serves Kratos and Atreus. Despite his imprisonment, Mimir retained a sharp wit and deep understanding of divine politics and cultures, even recognizing Kratos as the Ghost of Sparta and son of Zeus.
- Mimir also wields a unique power through his bifröst-infused eye, firing beams of spiritual energy that amplify damage dealt by Kratos. Though not a warrior, Mimir’s knowledge and resourcefulness make him an indispensable ally in battle and beyond.
Magic[]
Throughout Ragnarök, Kratos can collect an arsenal of legendary swords, each with a unique magical ability.
- Hilt of Hofuð: The sword wielded by the Aesir God Heimdall before his demise. By brandishing it, Kratos can cause a Realm Shift, slowing time around him to a crawl for 6 seconds.
- Cooldown: 260 seconds
- Mótsognir's Call: An enchanted tuning fork that, when slammed against Kratos' shield, it produced a shockwave that knocks back and stuns nearby enemies.
- Cooldown: 200 seconds
- Hilt of Forsbrandr: A sword that produces an AoE shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies and grants Kratos an Unstoppable Aura for 14 seconds. This aura makes to where Kratos doesn't flinch from getting hit. He still takes full damage mind you, but he doesn't flinch.
- Cooldown: 120 seconds
- Hilt of Skofnung: The broken hilt of the King Hrólf Kraki. Once known as the sharpest sword in the realm, it houses the souls of the King's 12 bodyguards. When Kratos activates this artifact, it summons 7 spectral swords that hover around the battlefield, relentlessly attacking any enemies they come across. After 7 seconds, they all dissipate.
- Cooldown: 325 seconds.
- Hilt of Tyrfing: A sword hilt that once belonged to a warrior with a long and bloody history. When this sword is drawn, Kratos cuts it across his free hand to power it up and unleash one massive swing that damage all enemies within his immediate reach. The more damage he does to himself with this weapon, the stronger the AoE.
- Cooldown: 35 seconds.
- Hilt of Dáinsleif: Kratos slams the sword into the ground, creating up to three large puddles of poison around him that deal poison damage to enemies caught in them over time.
- Cool down: 200 seconds.
- Hilt of Ridill: A magic sword that unleashes a wave of lightning to electrify enemies in front of Kratos.
- Cool down: 180 seconds
Kratos has the ability to rapidly recover from injuries that would kill a lesser being. He's been impaled, cut up, beaten within an inch of his life, and repeatedly struck by Mjölnir, demonstrated in his initial fights against Baldur and Thor. There are limits to this regeneration, however. He has never been shown to be able to regenerate entire body parts.
Kratos can put himself into a battle frenzy if he is sufficiently angered, greatly boosting his strength, speed, and durability even further. He can seemingly only this trigger this ability at will in moments of pure rage, such as when Atreus is injured or threatened, requiring extended combat to fuel his rage otherwise. This ability doesn't last very long, so when it's activated, Kratos has to make it count.
- Fury: The default variant of this ability. Kratos goes berserk, forgoing use of his weapons to instead attack with a blind barrage of jabs and haymakers. This state radically boosts his melee damage, gives him the ability to quickly close distances to get in a foe's face, increases his damage resistance, and, upon activation, automatically ends status effects (Burning, Ice, Shocked, and Poisoned) and he gains immunity to them as long as he stays in Rage. Additionally, each successful hit he lands heals him an equal amount to the damage he inflicts to his victim.
- Legacy: This is my favorite Rage Ability in the Norse Saga. When Kratos goes into Spartan Rage, he can summon the most powerful weapon in God of War, the Blade of Olympus! An extremely powerful sword magically forged from the heavens, seas, afterlife, and the earth that ended the Great War and banished the Titans to Tartarus. It possesses incredible Godly Powers, which allow those who wielded it to kill Deities or those who were infused with Godly Might, as Kratos used it to slay the Colossus of Rhodes, Athena, Perses, Cronos, Zeus, and Gaia. The Blade can also release blasts of energy that were powerful enough to annihilate armies in one swing. This varient also lasts significantly longer than Fury. Unlike Fury, however, activating the Legacy variant will not dispel negative status effect (Burn, Frost, Poison, Daze, Blind, Shock, Bifrost), nor will Kratos become immune to these effects during the period.
God of War Ragnarok - Kratos Vs. Thor Boss Fight (4K 60FPS)
The Destined One[]
Among the countless mythological epics that have endured through the ages, few shine as brightly as the tale of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.
Born from a mystical stone imbued with the essence of Heaven and Earth, the Monkey King emerged in a blaze of wonder. Upon his birth, he bowed to the cardinal directions and unleashed beams of light that pierced the heavens themselves. Quickly proving himself far greater than his kindred, he was crowned their king, ruling with unyielding confidence.
In time, his boundless ambition and unmatched prowess drew the gaze of the Jade Emperor, sovereign of the Celestial Court. To temper the Monkey King’s wild nature, the Emperor offered him a title among the heavenly hosts. Yet this honor proved hollow, for the post was nothing more than that of a lowly stable boy. Enraged by this insult, Wukong rebelled against Heaven, standing alone against its armies. Even Erlang Shen, Heaven's greatest warrior, could not fell him in single combat. It was only the intervention of the Buddha himself that subdued the indomitable Monkey King, imprisoning him beneath an enchanted mountain.
Five centuries passed, and the repentant Wukong was granted a chance at redemption. Tasked with protecting the monk Xuanzang on a sacred journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras, the Monkey King found himself joined by two other outcasts: the godly warriors Zhu Baije and Sha Wujing. Together, they faced countless trials, battling demons and monsters that sought the monk’s life. Through this journey, Sun Wukong tempered his rebellious spirit and rose to enlightenment, achieving the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha.
And so, the tale of the Monkey King seemed complete. Yet, despite his ascension, the fire of freedom burned as brightly as ever within him. Longing to return to his mountain and his people, he rejected the rigid confines of Buddhahood. But his choice sowed seeds of mistrust in the Celestial Court, which viewed his defiance as a threat. Fearing his power, Heaven unleashed its fury upon his kind, slaughtering his kin in a bid to shackle him once more.
Wukong's rage burned hotter than ever before. Enraged beyond measure, he declared war upon Heaven once again. This time, however, the scales would tip against him. In a climactic battle with Erlang Shen, the spell of binding placed upon him during his penance was reawakened, striking him down in the midst of combat. His body was broken, but his indomitable spirit endured. Legends speak of six sacred relics, known as the Senses of the Great Sage, into which Wukong's essence was divided. Scattered across the land, these relics are said to hold the power to awaken the Monkey King once more, should they be united and returned to the stone from which he was born.
Centuries passed, and the shadow of the Monkey King faded into myth. Yet deep within the mountain, a young warrior—known only as The Destined One—rose to claim the mantle of his fallen king. Setting forth with unwavering resolve, this heir to Wukong’s legacy vowed to vanquish the five Yaoguai Kings, retrieve the sacred relics, and bring about the return of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Thus, the Journey to the West began anew.
Equipment[]
| “ | That piece of iron-one small stroke proves deadly, while a light tap proves fatal! The slightest touch cracks the skin, a small rap cripples the muscles!
— In-game Description
|
” |
Gifted to Sun Wukong by the dragon god Ao Gung,the Jingubang is truly a weapon worthy of a warrior equal to Heaven. Known also as the Ruyi Jingu Bang, it is a divine tool of immense power, crafted from black iron and capable of shifting its size at the wielder’s command. At rest, the Jinubang appears as an unassuming rod, a mere six feet in length, adorned with intricate engravings that tell the tale of Wukong's exploits. But with a mere thought, the staff can expand to colossal proportions, reaching thousands of feet into the sky, or shrink to the size of a needle, concealable behind the ear.
The staff is as heavy as it is powerful, weighing over 17,550 pounds—yet in the hands of Wukong Jr., it is as light as a feather. A seasoned monkey warrior, Wukong Jr. is a master of staff fighting and utalizing the Jingubang's capabilities to their fullest.
| “ | Splendid! Splendid!
— In-game Description
|
” |
The Monkey King's famous armor. Consisting of 4 pieces of divinely powered armor granting the wearer power equal to heaven. It's the best armor in the game and can endure hits from the toughest enemies in the game. Consisting of the Golden Feng-Tail Crown, Gold Suozi Armor, Dian-Cui Loong-Saoring Bracers, and Lotus Silk Could treaders.
- Heaven's Equal: The armor is one of the key artifacts to unlocking Wukong's full strength. The actual effect of the armor is making to where, after casting a spell, Wukong Jr.'s critical hit chance moderately increases for a short duration. Additionally, after landing a critical hit, it reduces the cool down of spells for a short time.
- Wukong Stance: Whilst wearing the Monkey King's armor and welding his legendary staff, The Destined One may channel his spirit and unlock his true strength. The strength that could fight and defeat Heaven's entire army all on his own, fight on par with and defeat Erlang Shen, the Daoist God of War and Heaven's greatest holy warrior, and even endure attacks from all four of the Heavenly Kings, four mountain-sized Gods that guard the cardinal directions from the strongest of evils. He can even remotely fight with the Jingubang using telekinesis.
| “ | He dumped out the pills in the gourds and chowed down on them like they were fried beans.
— In-game Description
|
” |
- Body Cooling Powder: An enchanted headache powder that envelops Wukong Jr.'s body with a cooling energy that grants him resistance to fire attacks and instantly extinguishes him if he's currently on fire.
- Shock-Quelling Powder: Enchanted medicine that grants resistance to electrical damage and nullifies the effects of being electrocuted.
- Body Warming Powder: Upon use, instantly removes status effects induced by Ice and significantly increases Resistance to ice damage for a short duration.
- Loong Aura Amplification Pellets: Enchanted pills that massively increases Junior's attack, critical hit chance, and crit damage for a long damage. Lore-wise, I interpret the pellets as massively increasing Wukong's physical strength.
- Anitmiasma Powder: Upon use, instantly removes Poisoned State and significantly increases Poison Resistance for a short duration.
- Ascension Powder: Grants Wukong Jr. infinite stamina for a short duration.
- Life-Saving Pills: An enchanted pill that instantly restores Wukong to full health and removes status effects inflicted by elemental attacks.
Magic[]
A control spell that with just a gesture of the finger, can bind the enemy in place for a short diration. More powerful foes may break free sooner, thus caution is advised.
This spell has a cool down of 50 seconds.
A mobility spell that leaves behind a fake decoy while allowing for quick dispersion as the Destined One dissipates into pure mist and escape. Useful for evading attacks or luring enemies into a trap.
This spell has a cool down of 35 seconds.
A duplication spell: pluck a strand, chew it, and spit it into the air to create multiple (up to 6) Duplicates. These agile Duplicates can fight or flee and will engage the enemy if the caster is attacked.
However, the Duplicates are fragile and can be quickly destroyed if directly confronted by stronger enemies.
This spell has a cool down of 114 second
A defensive spell that transforms the caster into an engrossed coating in rock. If the enemy strikes the rock upon the transformation, they shall be Deflected, which grants a perfect chance to counterattack.
Though the spell may seem simple, timing is crucial. Cast it too early or too late, and it won't work. Beware, enemies who possess powerful moves may shatter and surpass the rock.
This spell has a cool down of 12 seconds.
A lifesaving spell that, with a simple ring drawn by the staff on the ground, grants protection from the cold and prepares for impeding confrontation. Standing within the ring accelerates recovery, and the effects of drinks are enhanced.
The duration of the fire ring allows stepping out of to engage in battle and returning with its effects still active. Once the time is up, the ring will vanish.
Cool down of 47 seconds.
An offensive spell activated by Wukong Jr. slapping his palm against his chest. It considerably enhances Attack. While active, the character emits a continuous golden glow, binding the use of any other Spells, Vessels, Transformations, and Spirit Skills and drastically increasing Junior's physical abilities.
When confronted with formidable foes capable of restricting spell-casting, this spell may offer an unexpected advantage.
A lifesaving spell: in moments of mortal peril, this spell automatically activates. It transforms a single strand of hair from the Destined One's head into his Duplicate, which then takes his place in facing death. Simultaneously, it creates a new body for the Destined One.
The Destined One will return with full Health, but the gourd will not be replenished.
When danger is imminent, ready this spell to be prepared for any eventuality.72 Earthly Transformations[]
During his adventures, Wukong Jr. has obtained the ability to absorb the essence of defeated foes, allowing him to take their forms for a short period of time, each with its own unique powers. I want to note that these are FAR from the only things Wukong Jr. can turn into. He also has the ability to shape-shift into any animal or even object he desires for an indefinite amount of time, such as when he took the form of a peach to prank somebody. And at multiple points throughout his adventure, he takes the form of a Golden Cicada to scout an area undetected, a Bat to navigate dark areas, and a Hawk for Ariel travel.
He also has an array of 58 other in-game transformations that have a wide array of magical, martial, and utility purposes. I will NOT be getting into detail about these for obvious reasons. So I'll just brief summaries of the abilities he has:
- Minion Summoning: Several forms have the ability to summon minions to aid Wukong in combat. These include 3 weird tree people called Ginsenglings that attack by swiping at people like wild animals, 4 poison spitting vipers, 4 fire breathing centipedes with the faces of human babies, 5 giant man-eating Stone Spiders, and a form where he puts on a mushroom hat and a small radius of exploding mushrooms keeps growing and exploding for the duration. The minions linger until they are either dismissed or killed, even when Wukong transforms again. Meaning these could possibly be used in conjunction with one another and alongside Pluck of Many.
- Elemental Control: There are numerous, numerous forms that have some flavor of elemental control. These include 6 different sedan-sized frogs with different Avatar powers (Fire, Lightning, Earth, Poison, Ice, and None), a creature with four legs with fire breathing knees, a crow man that summons a mist that freezes enemies solid in seconds, a falcon that can summon a fucking tornado, a giant golem made of volcanic rock that summons lava with its punches, (my favorite) a giant fucking scorpion man, a snake man with poison bombs, and so so so many more.
- A Tiny Tree and a Rock: Yup. That's it. The tree heals Wukong over time and the rock is totally invulnerable to damage. Trade off is he can't move or attack while in these forms.
- Martial Skills: There are countless forms that exist just to cut you in half with swords, hack you apart with axes, shoot you full of arrows (this includes a rat man with an automatic crossbow), slam a nigh-invulnerable shield into the ground to block incoming frontal damage, oh and a lot of these can fly.
- Buffs: The Gore Eye Daoist can slam his Gore Eye staff into the ground. It stays for an extended period of time and gives Wukong and his minions a significant boost to their attacks.
His stronger transformations (ie the ones listed below) each have a pool of Qi that depletes over time. Once the Qi runs out, or the transformation suffers fatal damage, Junior will revert back to normal.
Then again, there are several moments throughout the game that suggest this whole Qi thing isn't the case when it comes to the actual lore and might be just a game mechanic. The very first instance of this power was when he turned into a peach that was sitting on the forest floor for God knows how long just waiting for a wolf guy to pick it up so he could prank him. He can stay in his bat and bird forms with no real worry, and in his battle against Erlang Shen and the Four Heavenly Kings, his final form lasts indefinitely. And, since the events of Journey to the West are cannon to this game, the OG Sun Wukong's version of this power has no such Qi limit (although, this particular argument might not mean much).
Another important thing to mention is that any damage Wukong sustains while transformed DOES NOT carry over to his normal form and vice versa.
Wukong Jr. takes the form of a Rock Guai. A demon that can be best described as a boulder with legs. It's body from the mid-back down resembles a normal (if freakishly tall) human, but attached to that is a massive fuck off boulder. It's slow, top heavy, can't dodge or sprint, can barely walk, can only attack enemies when they're directly in front of it, it takes it forever to stand up after being knocked down, and all-in-all is one big target. So, what makes it worth using? It's super tanky and hits like a truck.
With total immunity to the four elemental attacks in the game (Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Poison) and a 50% reduction to conventional damage, only the strongest of enemies can chip this thing's shell.
It's primary method of attacking is slamming it's massive boulder head into whatever's in front of it.
- Earth Shatter: Wukong slams his head into the enemy three times, each slam more powerful than the last.
- Mountain Splitter: Wukong stands still, charges up, and then rushes forward in a straight line, ramming into everything in his path before launching himself head-first at whatever's directly in front of him.
- Skullcrusher: Azure Dust may lack any sort of mobility, but it can leap high into the air for a diving headbutt that strikes so hard it causes an AoE shockwave.
This is my personal favorite transformation in the game. After defeating the Yin Tiger, a tiger demon as skilled in the forge as he is with a blade, Wukong absorbed his power and gained the ability to take his form and powers. He wields a massive wide-bladed sword called the Great Iron Blade, a massive sword as big as he is and doubles as a shield that can block all incoming damage from the front and can channel the powers of fire and air.
In his normal state, he swings his sword in slow, sweeping slashes that hit hard but are predictable. However, he mixes this up with his insane agility, incorporating acrobatic maneuvers like cartwheels, flips, and high jumps into his fighting style to make his attacks harder to predict despite the wind up. He's also super evasive, able to nimbly dodge out of the way of attacks despite his massive size. Float like a butterfly, hit like a truck.
But the real meat and potatoes of what makes Ebon Flow awesome is it's other abilities. Using his Rift Cleaver technique, he can channel the power of wind through his blade, creating powerful gusts of wind with his sword swings that push his enemies around. He can also generate flames through his sword to both enhance his attacks and unleash firey explosions. He can also turn invisible by turning his body into air and reappearing elsewhere to perform a surprise attack.
Also, he has the Wind Walker mode, where he channels the power of wind through out his body to make his attacks as fast as the wind, making his basic attacks much faster than before and gives him the ability to transform his body into wind to phase through attacks and close short distances in an instant.
By far the ugliest transformation in Junior's arsenal. He takes the form of a Worm Guai. The main focus of this form is to inflict copious amounts of poison on it's enemies with each strike. The exact effects of this poison aren't specified, but the Poisoned state in Black Myth Wukong describes it as "internal distress and continual health loss" which can only be cured by specific antidote pills.
The more observant of you have probably noticed that this things weapon is a long, scythe-like blade growing from its right hand. This blade, not only can slice through flesh and bone with ease, but is also the main avenue for it's ability. By using Self Torment, it impales itself in the chest with its blade and "charges" up (by which I mean, implants up to four of its parasitic larvae) it's blade. From that point, each strike with the blade will implant one of the parasites into the open wound.
Aside from inflicting poison damage to the opponent, what makes the larvae shine is Violate Hail's Hivemind ability, where it uses its psychic link with its larvae to violently explode inside their host, inflicting massive damage. Violate Hail can also absorb back the parasites corpses, healing it almost to full health. It can also make itself explode in a splash of poisonous blood, infecting all enemies in a small radious.
Wukong takes the form of an... octopus man(?) called the Monk from the Sea with tentacles growing from his back and chest. He can manipulate these tentacles at will, using them to lash out at enemies like whips from a distance, hit multiple enemies at once by sweeping them in a circular motion, and launch himself into the air to evade incoming attacks. They can even stretch out for extra range.
While having long reach is nice, Hoarfrost has the lowest damage output of any of the transformations. Its even lower than Wukong's base form. This transformations main strategy is to freeze enemies solid using Ice Magic.
- Ice Sheet: This spell freezes over the ground around Wukong's feet in a localized radius. It's so cold that weaker enemies are flash-frozen solid and prolonged expose can freeze even stronger enemies.
- Snowball Fight: Using his tentacles, Wukong scoops up snowballs and flings them at his enemies with pin-poin precision. The raw damage is a joke, BUT the enchanted snow freezes enemies rapidly with each hit. Keep enemies in range of Ice Sheet and you'll make an ice sculpture out of even the biggest of baddies.
- Avalanche: Wukong gathers a snowball as big as he is and flings it at an enemy with enough force to shatter the ice encasing them, dealing massive damage.
Junior takes the form of a Horse Guai, a humanoid horse that's totally immune to electricity and attacks with a large whip that inflicts electrical damage on anything it hits. He attacks by lashing the whip at enemies for consistent mid-range damage and can also sweep it in a circular motion, hitting every enemy in reach.
His main ability, however, is Lighning Infusion, in which he raises the whip to the sky and summons a lightning bolt to empower it. In this empowered state, his whip attacks become faster, deal extra lightning damage, and call down a lightning bolt from the heavens to smite who he just hit with each crack of the whip, even if it misses. He can also use Thunder Domain, where he strikes the ground with the whip to conjure a small radius where lightning constantly strikes whatever, or whoever is within the AoE. He can use this ability multiple times in rapid succession, allowing for close-range battlefield control with multiple zones spread out, or he can overlap them on top of each other to zap the target over and over and over while he slaps them with the whip.
After fighting and defeating the Two-Headed Rat Demon that went mad front he effect of the realm he was trapped in, Wukong gained the ability to take his form.
The Ashen Slumber is one of the more straight forward forms. It's a master swordsman with some surprising acrobatic abilities despite it's bulk. Every hit of its blade is enchanted with Fire Damage and his Blow Fire attack lets him spew jets of flames out of his left head like a dragon. Also, using his Fiery Explosion ability, he can self-destrust in a massive fireball that deals massive fire damage to all nearby enemies, causing the transformation to end.
In this form, Wukong Jr. takes the form of the Macaque Chief. A giant grey monkey as skilled in swordsmanship as he is with frost magic. Put simply, this is a melee version of Haorfrost.
His weapons is a curved sword longer than he is tall that he wields in reverse-grip. Umbral Abyss uses his insane monkey agility and insane evasiveness to overwhelm foes. But this is far from his only trick. His longsword is capable of launching waves of subzero winds with its slashes that can freeze an enemy solid under sustained damage.
And that's not all. Umbral Abyss can also transform into its Cold Heart state, in which it grows a pair of raven wings. Upon transformation, it conjures an almost blizzard-like blast in all directions that flash-freezes enemies near it. Each swing of the blade launches a wave of sub-zero winds, giving it great range. It also can teleport a short range using it's Cold Resolution ability, allowing it to evade strikes and close the distance on enemies in an instant.My second favoite transformation. Red Tides has Wukong take the form of the general of the Wolf Guai, their fiercest warrior who wields some kind of double-ended glaive with blades that are constantly on fire. This thing is the definition of Rushdown. It's primary attack is whirling it's Fire Glaive in rapid relentless barrages of attacks, and it's Moon Chaser ability let's it cover short distances in an instant, slashing every enemy in its path. In addition, even it's dodges are attack maneuvers. Ie, dodging to the side only to counter attack by rapidly spinning and moving forward in a barrage of firey slashes like a beyblade, doding forward and then using the glaive like a pole vault to launch itself into the air and then delivering a slam attack at unleashes an explosion on impact, and dodging backwards, leaping 20 feet into the air, and then diving into the enemy with a spinning fire slash like a falcon that discovered the concept of a drill attack.
Wukong takes the form of Yellow Loong, a dragon in human form gifted with extreme talent for lightning magic and dance. He wields a kind of sword spear resembling a guandao that he uses with agile, dance-like movements. Each slash of the guandao is infused with lightning. This form also has the ability to expertly read an opponents moves and instantly counter attack. It can also teleport shot distances in place of a dodge.
And then there's its most powerful ability, Death Trilogy. Golden Lining leaps into the air, empowering his spear with lightning and diving down and slamming into the enemy's forehead, dealing massive damage. This can be repeated up to three times in rapid succession.
And finally, here it comes. Quake with fear, you mortal fools! Bow down to the awesome might of the Azure Dome! Wukong's strongest transformation. A stone monkey with total immunity to electricity and poison, incredible strength and agility, the ability to absorb ice and fire to empower himself, and full access to his magical spells (which the other transformations don't have access to). This is what Power Equal to Heaven truly looks like.
In this form, he fights with nothing but his bare hands. He throws powerful punches, high-flying kicks, shoulder tackles, and headbutts to pummel his enemies into submission. If that doesn't work, he can always call upon his special abilities:
- Ice Bath/Scorch Shower: Wukong empowers his fists with either Ice or Fire Magic, causing his punches to deal additional damage and either freeze his enemies solid or set them ablaze after 4 consecutive hits. As previously stated, this body absorbs Ice and Fire Magic used against him. The more he absorbs the stronger this ability becomes.
- Eathshatter Slam: Wukong crounches and channels his energy into his fists before leaping high into the air and slamming his fists into the opponent with enough force to shatter the ground beneath him. When fully charged, this attack can one shot almost any non-boss enemy int he game.
- Rock Solid: Identical to the original Rock Solid spell with one modification: He's no longer just a stone statue. He gains Rock Solid's near-invulnerability while keeping his ability to attack and acrobatic capabilities.
- Kaiju Mode: This. This right here is my favorite part of the game. During his fight against Erlang Shen, both he and Wukong Jr. demonstrated the ability to transform into 8 kilometer (~5 mile) tall Kaiju. Then the Four Heavenly Kings, mountain-sized figures from Buddhist belief that guard the four cardinal directions from the greatest evils, fought Wukong all at once, and he kicked their asses. He then went on to fight Erlang Shen himself and win by, get this, stomping on the ground so hard it formed a giant staff, pummeling Erlang with it, ripping a massive chunk out of the ground that was even bigger than he was and threw it at Eelang like it was a beach ball at a rave, and then punching him in the face so hard it sent him flying across the mountain range they were fighting in.
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Physicality
As the God of War, Kratos possesses herculean strength. Able to effortlessly haul entire trees over his shoulder, easily lift giant stone slabs many times his size, and push a stone monolith over with enough force that is shifted the ground beneath it. He was able to push an ENTIRE bridge across a lake with no visible strain, hold open the mouth of a kaiju-sized dragon, slams Baldur through a mountain using a tree as a battering ram, and, while wrestling with Baldur, split the ground underneath them, forming a freaking canyon under their feet. He's also incredibly agile despite his size, able to nimbly dodge our of the way of attacks, react to Baldur's super speed, dodge arrows at close range, and react to lightning from Thor's hammer. He's also insanely durable. He's been stabbed, impaled, beaten, electrocuted, cut up, and has taken hits from the likes of Baldur and Thor.
In order to become the next Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Wukong Jr. would have to have physical abilities worthy of such a title. Due to being a monkey, he has superhuman speed and agility, able to jump 10 feet into the air, perform gymnastic maneuvers like cartwheels, handsprings, somersaults, and the famous dodge roll, as is customary for the Soulslike genre. He can dodge and deflect arrows fired from an automatic crossbow, dodge lightning from close range, move so fast he leaves behind and afterimage, and dodge attacks described as "beams of light".
He's also insanely durable, being able to take hits from some seriously heavy hitters like the Giant Shiangdang, which is a living mountain standing at 317 meters (1,140 feet) tall and take hits from Erlang Shen who can split mountains clean in half. Also, while strength isn't his focus, he's no slouch. He's able to wield the Jingubang which weights almost 9 US tons like it's light as a feather, trade blows with demons several times his size, and even fought on par with and defeat the original Sun Wukong's soulless shell and win. Twice.
Experience
Kratos' life has been spent in constant war, fighting nearly any foe imaginable by any warrior. His foes include mortal armies, terrifying monsters of both ancient Greece and the Nine Realms, and several gods, all falling at his hands. Even before becoming the God of War, Kratos was a Spartan general and is a veteran of countless wars personally waged by him.
The Destined One has fought 160 different enemy types, not including the 107 boss monsters. These include, but are not limited to, wolf people, giant bugs, elemental creatures, divine inspectors, bird people, psychotic monks, some kind of giant Buddha baby looking thing, magic users, dragons, countless creatures from Chinese mythology, and gods.
Training
At a young age, Kratos was taken from his home and raised in the Agoge. He, along with other Spartan children, either marched or drowned. Fought for scraps or starved. The elders beat them till they could not stand. At night, they made their way home on their own or were food for the wolves. That is how Spartans are made.
Kratos, being one of the few to survive such torment, was trained in Spartan weaponry from a young age and made to master them. Spears, swords, shields, battlefield tactics, and extensive training in Pankration, a Greek martial art that combined boxing with wrestling and even kicking techniques.
Wukong Jr., being a protagonist in a Soulslike game, doesn't have much of a defined backstory leading up to when he decided to take his journey. However, we do know that he was trained in the same things his predasecor, Sun Wukong was trained in from a young age, including martial arts and spellcasting.