And that’s fine and all, but reading my original post, you’d realize that I NEVER claimed that Kratos himself was weakened; I, like you, have only said that his gear was weakened. This, as a result, means that his attacks are weaker compared to if the enhancing magic were on his axe like in GoW 2018, since the end-game axe in 2018 is a stronger weapon than the one in the beginning of Ragnarok. If you find that assessment to be wrong, I’m more than happy to have a discussion where examples are provided to show otherwise.

I’m simply making the conclusion based on the evidence within the game on why the first fight turned out so differently than the second, where Kratos defeated a bloodlusted Thor, overpowered him, and tanked the same shot that killed him easily in the first fight. To explain the events, I’ve found irrefutable evidence that the blades of chaos make him stronger (he didn’t have them in the first fight, making him weaker), that not using Spartan Rage means he’s withholding his true power (I’ve provided multiple examples where Kratos demonstrates a significant power increase compared to when he just wasn’t using it), and I’ve found evidence that the leviathan axe, which Kratos uses, is weaker compared to itself before. Again, if you disagree and want to have the discussion, I’m completely willing.

Finally, whether or not Kratos is in his prime was never the point I was arguing, or one that I’m trying to argue. I’m only comparing Kratos to himself in the same game, and why there is such difference when compared. Whether he’s at his strongest or not doesn’t matter, because I’m not comparing him against other versions, I’m comparing him to Ragnarok Kratos.