If you have jumped into the Nine Realms in Santa Monica Studio's masterpiece, you've probably noticed that Kratos doesn't level up like a traditional action RPG hero. You don't get a shiny level-up screen just by slaying thousands of Draugr. Instead, your combat rating is driven by your equipment level. If you've been getting flattened by Berserkers or struggling against high-level Einherjar, finding the god of war ragnarok fastest way to level up is crucial to turning Kratos into the unstoppable God of War he truly is.
Understanding how gear level, XP, Hacksilver, and crafting materials interact is key to fast progression. Whether you are playing on PlayStation or diving into the PC port available on Steam, this comprehensive guide covers the fastest methods to hit Power Level 9 (and Level 10+ in New Game Plus), farm infinite XP, and upgrade your weapons without wasting valuable resources.
Understanding How Leveling Works in God of War Ragnarok
Before grinding out resources, it helps to understand how Kratos gains strength. Unlike open-world titles featured in our gaming guides, God of War Ragnarok splits your growth into two distinct systems: Power Level and Skill XP.
Gear Level vs. Character XP
Your overall Power Level (the big blue number in your character menu) is calculated strictly by averaging the level of everything Kratos has equipped. This includes your Chest Armor, Wrist Armor, Waist Armor, Weapon Attachments (Pom mels/Knobs/Handles for the Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and Draupnir Spear), Runic Attacks, and Amulet Enchantments.
On the other hand, XP is used as currency to unlock combat abilities on the skill tree, upgrade Runic Attacks, and upgrade Spartan Rage modes. Increasing your XP will not directly increase your overall Power Level number, but it drastically enhances your combat options and damage output.
Why Power Level 9 Matters
Enemy health bars change color depending on their level relative to yours. If an enemy has a purple health bar or a skull icon, they will deal massive damage and resist hit-stun. Reaching Power Level 8 or 9 turns previously deadly encounters—like optional bosses and realm tears—into manageable fights. If you enjoy deep character growth systems, check out our list of the best RPG games for more stat-heavy adventures.
Prioritize High-Yield Favors and Side Quests Early
Main story missions give you solid amounts of XP, but they rarely provide enough rare crafting materials (like Asgardian Ingots, Petrified Bone, or Sovereign Coal) to over-level Kratos early on. To get ahead of the power curve, you need to clear targeted side content, known in-game as Favors.
The Crater in Vanaheim: The Ultimate Resource Goldmine
If you want the absolute single fastest path to top-tier gear, unlock The Crater in Vanaheim as soon as possible. After completing the main quest "Scent of Survival" (unlocked late in the main storyline after saving Freyr), you will gain access to this massive hidden open-world zone.
The Crater contains multiple sub-regions (The Plains, The Jungle, and The Sinkholes) packed with dragons, epic hunts, and resource-heavy chests. Clearing Favors in The Crater yields:
- Huge amounts of Asgardian Ingots, Luminous Alloys, and Petrified Bone.
- Exclusive high-tier armor sets like the Dragon Scaled Armor Set.
- Substantial XP bundles for both Kratos and his companion.
Farming this single zone can easily boost your gear from Level 5/6 up to Level 8 before you even tackle the final storyline bosses. For fans who enjoy exploring rich solo environments, take a look at our roundup of top solo survival games.
Crucial Side Quests for High-Tier Armor Sets
Do not wait until the post-game to do side quests. Prioritize these early-to-midgame Favors for fast level boosts:
- In Service of Asgard (Svartalfheim): Grants access to early crafting materials and Hacksilver.
- Secret of the Sands / Song of the Sands (Alfheim): Unlocks vast hidden areas with Nornir chests and stat-boosting Yggdrasil Dew.
- Casualty of War series (Vanaheim Crater): Rewards rare Amulet Enchantments that boost combat attributes.
Muspelheim Crucible Trials: The Fastest Material & XP Farm
If you are looking for infinite, repeatable XP and crafting materials without relying on chest spawns, head straight to Muspelheim.
Unlocking Muspelheim Seeds
To access the Crucible trials in Muspelheim, you must find two halves of the Muspelheim Seed contained inside Legendary Chests. The earliest locations are:
- Seed Half 1: Modvitnir's Rig in Svartalfheim (in a legendary chest on the high platform).
- Seed Half 2: Alberich Hollow in Svartalfheim (requires the Draupnir Spear) OR near the Burning Cliffs in Muspelheim during later story progression.
Farming Crucible Challenges for Infinite Supplies
Once you enter the Crucible arena controlled by Surtr's forge, you can complete individual trials (such as Weapon Mastery, Flawless, or Population Control). Each completed challenge grants instant rewards including Smoldering Embers, Divine Ashes, Hacksilver, and substantial **XP**.
The central main arena unlocks high-tier challenges once you complete combinations of smaller sword trials. Replaying these challenges provides an endless stream of resources needed to upgrade gear beyond Level 7. For similar challenge-focused gameplay loops, check out our guide on Street Fighter Duel best damage dealers.
Yggdrasil Rifts, Draugr Holes, and Nornir Chests
Exploration in God of War Ragnarok isn't just scenic; it directly inflates your Power Level stats. Missing out on side objectives leaves Kratos severely underleveled for high-difficulty encounters.
Dust of Realms and Sovereign Coal Farming
Specific gear upgrades—especially weapon attachments and top-tier amulets—require rare magical items that cannot be purchased with standard Hacksilver:
- Draugr Holes: Defeating the Hateful mini-boss at Draugr Holes around the realms grants Sovereign Coal, essential for upgrading the Blades of Chaos handles.
- Yggdrasil Rifts: Closing these realm tears rewards Kratos with Dust of Realms and Essence of Hel, vital for leveling up attachment stats.
Maximizing Stats with Nornir Chest Loot
Every Nornir Chest (the rune-locked chests requiring you to ignite torches, spin paddles, or smash seals) contains either an Idunn Apple or a Horn of Blood Mead until both your maximum Health and Spartan Rage meters are fully capped. Once capped, opening remaining Nornir Chests awards valuable late-game crafting items and large sums of Hacksilver.
Best Gear to Upgrade First for Maximum Power Level
Resource management is where many players make critical mistakes. Spreading your upgrade items evenly across multiple armor sets will leave you short on materials when pushing for Power Level 8 and 9. According to developers at Santa Monica Studio, sticking to focused gear paths yields the cleanest combat efficiency.
Armor Set Priority: Chest, Wrist, and Waist
The **Chest piece** provides the largest single bump to Kratos's overall stat budget and Power Level calculation. Prioritize spending your highest-grade materials (like Divine Ashes and Asgardian Ingots) on your Chest armor first, followed by Wrist and Waist pieces.
Recommended sets for rapid leveling:
- Lunda’s Lost Armor (Early-to-Mid Game): Found in chests across Noatun's Garden in Vanaheim. Extremely powerful poison build that weakens enemies and scales well without high upgrade costs.
- Steinbjorn Armor (Mid-to-Late Game): Offers the highest Defense stat in the game. Crafted using Slumber Stones obtained from defeating sleeping Trolls found using the Mystical Heirloom relic.
- Dragon Scaled Armor (Late Game): High Defense and Strength stats with powerful parry buffs. Perfect for reaching Power Level 9 fast.
If you enjoy optimizing character builds, explore our PC gaming guides for more tactical gaming breakdowns.
Amulet Enchantments and Runic Upgrades
Don't forget the Yggdrasil Amulet! Repairing amulet slots at the blacksmith using **Jewel of Yggdrasil** items allows you to insert up to nine enchantments. Equipping higher-tier enchantments contributes to your overall gear level average, while completing set bonuses (like 3 Realm of Alfheim enchantments) gives massive combat perks.
Furthermore, use your banked XP to upgrade light and heavy Runic attacks to Level 3. Upgraded Runic attacks raise your effective power output and deal significantly more stagger during boss encounters, much like mastering resource control in combat games (similar to tactics covered in our RE4 Remake combat guide).
XP Farming Techniques and Skill Labor Token Exploits
While Power Level controls your defense and baseline attack numbers, unlocking your complete move list requires tens of thousands of XP. Here is how to quickly rack up XP without mindless grinding.
Skill Labors: Upgrade Skills to Mod Status Fast
Every weapon skill on Kratos's ability tree has an associated **Skill Labor** (e.g., "Use Frost Awaken 30 times in combat"). Skill Labors have three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
Once you hit Gold tier for a specific skill, you unlock a **Skill Mod Token**. For a small amount of XP, you can attach custom buffs to that ability, such as extra Damage, Stun, Element, or Momentum. To farm these quickly:
- Head to the Niflheim Sparring Arena (unlocked early in the game).
- Select challenges with multiple enemies.
- Repeatedly spam the specific skill you need for the Labor.
- Restart the practice match before it finishes. Progress saves instantly toward your Labors!
Replaying Arenas for Rapid XP Drops
Combat practice in the Niflheim arena does not cost consumable health or resources, making it a safe laboratory to practice combos while completing weapon labors. While combat in Niflheim gives minimal baseline XP, completing the associated Labors drops huge lump sums of XP straight into your wallet.
Combine this with Muspelheim Crucible runs, sell extra monster drops at Brok and Sindri's shop for extra Hacksilver, and you'll easily reach max stats far ahead of schedule. For details on official patches, performance specs, and community news, check out the official PlayStation God of War page.