Tired of mismatched armor ruining Kratos’ style? The transmog feature in God of War Ragnarök lets you keep your favorite stats while dressing your gear exactly how you want – here’s how to make it happen.
Kratos may be a god of war, but he’s by no means a god of fashion. If you’ve been playing God of War Ragnarök, you may have seen one or two cool-looking armor sets. The rest, however, are downright hideous – and also, go figure, happen to have the best stats and perks. So it’s good news that God of War Ragnarök indeed has a transmog feature, which allows you to retain the stats of one armor set while rocking the look of another.
How to transmog in God of War Ragnarök
To transmog gear in God of War Ragnarök, open the menu and head to the weapons or armor section. Choose the item you want to change, then select the “Edit Appearance” option that appears once the gear has been upgraded to its maximum level. This allows you to keep the item’s stats while applying the visual style of another piece you’ve collected. It’s a simple way to customize Kratos’s look without sacrificing performance.
The catch is that you can’t access God of War Ragnarök‘s transmog feature until you’re in the final stretch of the game. First, you’ll need to continuously enhance a piece of gear until it’s at rank 9 (the highest level a piece of armor can be in Ragnarök). Even if you grind, you simply won’t find the materials to upgrade any gear to rank 9 until way later in the game.
Once a piece of armor is at rank 9, open up your inventory, go to the armor tab, select the piece of armor you’d like to change the look of, and press square to “edit appearance.” You’ll see a full list of all the armor pieces in your inventory. (Some sets of armor have multiple appearances, depending on how far you’ve ranked them up.) Hold square over the look you like to apply it – no need to burn resources or spend in-game currency.
Note that you can only apply the visual effect of armor that’s currently in your inventory. Let’s say you love the health-boosting perk of Nidavellier’s Finest Plackart but don’t like that it (somehow) covers Kratos’ considerable deltoids. You far prefer the rough look of Mani’s Pauldron of Wisdom, but don’t really care about your runic stat and sold it off. If you want the Plackart to look like the Pauldron, you’d need to buy the latter back.
Also, it does not appear that you can apply a transmog effect to weapons or, sadly, shields. (As someone who leans hard on the effective but silly-looking Stone Wall Shield, this news devastated me.)
One last tip: If you’re at all sartorially minded, it’s worth getting at leveling at least one set of chest armor to rank 9 before you begin the game’s final mission. No spoilers, but you’ll get the most stylish armor set in the game right after you start it.
Best armor sets to upgrade for transmog early
Early in God of War Ragnarök, focus on armor sets with accessible upgrade materials to reach level 9 quickly for transmog unlocks.
Wrist Armor Priority
Upgrade the Lunda’s Lost Belt or Stone Tear Wrist Guards first, as they use common early resources like Bonded Leather and Asgardian Ingots from Svartalfheim and basic realm tears. These pieces max out faster than chests, often by mid-game in Vanaheim.
Waist Armor Options
Target Yggdrasil Amulet fragments or Lunda’s Lost Wraps for waist slots; they rely on Forging Materials from shop purchases and early bosses. Avoid realm-specific sets until later.
Chest Armor Early Picks
The Radiance Set (starting gear) or Steinr Armour from early Nidavellir quests can hit level 9 with Smouldering Embers from story progression and Hacksilver farming. These offer versatile looks for Kratos’ default aesthetic.
How to farm materials for early armor upgrades
Early in God of War Ragnarök, farming materials for armor upgrades focuses on common resources like Bonded Leather, Forged Iron, Asgardian Ingots, and Hacksilver, which are needed for sets like Lunda’s Lost or Stone Tear to reach level 9 quickly for transmog.
Hacksilver Farming
Loot every enemy, chest, and breakable pot during main quests in Svartalfheim and Vanaheim-prioritize yellow chests and Legendary Chests for 5,000+ Hacksilver runs. Sell extra gear at Brok/Sindri shops for thousands more. Repeat early side quests like “Groa’s Secret” for consistent hauls.
Leather and Hide Sources
Hunt boars, wolves, and dreki in open areas of the River Delta (Vanaheim) or Aurland Wood (Svartalfheim); skinning yields Bonded Leather repeatedly. Check traps and animal nodes post-story progression for respawns every 2-3 hours.
Ingot and Ember Spots
Smash ore nodes (blue rocks) with the Draupnir Spear in Nidavellir mines or Alfheim’s Barrens for Forged Iron and Asgardian Ingots. Smouldering Embers drop from early Muspelheim trials or crucible challenges-farm the first 3-4 waves daily.
