Ares

Ares The Original God of War

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This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.

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Ares
Biographical Information
Title(s)	God of War (formerly) God of Bloodlust God of Battle Lust God of Bloodshed God of Violence God of Cannibals God of Masculinity God of Murder God of Courage God of Civil Order Prince of the Gods
Alias	Fallen God First God of War
Birthplace	Mount Olympus
Deathplace	Athens
Location	Mount Olympus
Citizenship	Olympian
Nationality	Greek
Status	Deceased (Stabbed in the chest by Kratos)
Physical Information
Race(s)	God
Gender	Male
Hair Colour	Fire Blonde
Hair Style	Messy and long
Hair Type	Straight
Eyebrow Color	Brown
Eye Colour	Brown
Beard Color	Fire Blonde
Skin Colour	White (Fair)
Relationship Information
Family	Gaia (great-grandmother) † Ouranos (great-grandfather) † Cronos (grandfather) † Rhea (grandmother) Zeus (father) † Hera (mother) † Oceanus (great-uncle) † Hyperion (great-uncle) † Aegaeon (great-uncle) † Gyges (great-uncle) † Cottus (great-uncle) Aphrodite (great-grandaunt/sister-in-law/lover) Alecto (lover) † Hades (uncle) † Poseidon (uncle) † Hestia (aunt) Demeter (aunt) Hephaestus (brother) † Kratos (half-brother) Deimos (half-brother) † Hercules (half-brother) † Athena (half-sister) † Hermes (half-brother) † Apollo (half-brother) Artemis (half-sister) Persephone (half-sister) † Peirithous (half-brother) † Pollux (half-brother) † Perseus (half-brother) † Minos (half-brother) † Rhadamanthus (half-brother) † Aeacus (half-brother) † Theseus (cousin) † Triton (cousin) Pegasus (cousin) † Phobos (son) Orkos (son) † Lysandra (half-sister in law) † Calliope (half-niece) † Faye (half-sister in law) † Atreus (half-nephew)
Loyalties	Himself
Enemies	Zeus Athena Kratos (former disciple)
Victim(s)	Numerous Mortals Numerous Barbarians Numerous Athenian Soldiers Kratos
Hobby	Create wars Fight with Athena
Goals	Destroy Zeus and Olympus with the help of the Furies (failed) Manipulate Kratos into killing his family (completed) Destroy Athens (failed) Kill Kratos (failed)
Personality	Evil Cruel Sadistic Violent Manipulator
Equipment
Weapon(s)	Giant Sword Giant Axe Giant Dog-Hammer
Power(s)	Pyrokinesis Geokinesis Pocket Dimension Manipulation Enhanced Senses Fligth Superhuman Strength Superhuman Durability Power Bestowal Weather Manipulation Astral Projection Size Alteration Shapeshifting Transformation Telepathy Telekinesis Prayer Empowermen Audiokinesis War Embodiment Doppelgängers Creation Teleportation Weapon Creation Underworld Contro Monster Control Supernatural Marksmanship Master Combatant
Behind the Scenes
Voiced by	Steven Blum (God of War and God of War: Ascension) Fred Tatasciore (God of War III)
Appears in	God of War: Ascension God of War God of War: Ghost of Sparta God of War II God of War III (Voice & corpse) God of War (2018) (mentioned) God of War Ragnarök (mentioned)

“	I have taught you many ways to kill a mortal, Kratos. Flesh that burns, bones that break. But to break a man's spirit, is to truly destroy him.	”
–Ares

Ares (Greek: Ἄρης) was the original Olympian God of War, and the son of Zeus and Hera and the main antagonist of God of War, as well as the perpetrator behind the events of God of War: Ascension, meaning he was also responsible for setting the events of the series into motion by tricking Kratos into killing his family and turning him into the Ghost of Sparta, which eventually fulfilled the prophecy of the Marked Warrior who would destroy Olympus and end the reign of the Gods. Ares was the oldest child of Zeus and was commonly referred to as the most hated god on Mount Olympus by every god, even before being killed by Kratos.

Greek Mythology

Ares was the God of War, son of Zeus and Hera, and one of the most prominent and powerful Gods of Olympus. He was born after the Great War of the Gods and Titans and served his father faithfully for many years. He was also a rival of Athena, his sister, because they were both gods, one of War, the other of Wisdom, and wished that the other would stand down. His Roman counterpart was Mars. Mars was held in much higher esteem, second only to Kronos; Ionic form of the Doric ἀρά (ara), "bane, ruin".

In God of War Series

Alliance with the Furies

Ares came to covet all of Olympus, especially Zeus's throne, so he struck an alliance with the Furies, and persuaded them to take a more ruthless approach. After learning of the prophecy of the Marked Warrior, who is destined to destroy Olympus and kill Zeus, Ares conceived a child with Alecto in the hope that their child would be the marked one so that he could aid him in overthrowing Zeus and claiming his throne. Unfortunately, Orkos, Ares' child, was not up to his standards and was disowned. The Furies, however, saw potential in Orkos and made him their oath-keeper.

Encountering Kratos

Two Gods of Olympus, Ares, and Athena, raided the city of Sparta in order to capture a child named Deimos, who had been suspected of being the mortal who would destroy Olympus in The Marked Warrior Prophecy. After Ares captured the boy, Deimos' brother, Kratos, charged toward Ares to save his younger brother. Despite his efforts, however, Ares brutally struck Kratos in the face and created a bloody scar on his right eye. Ares was about to kill the boy when Athena persuaded her brother to leave him be. Ares then left with Deimos, and Athena quickly apologized to Kratos. Ares then took Deimos to the Domain of Death, where he would be tortured for many years by Thanatos, the God of Death. Little did Ares know that the boy to whom he gave a scar would be the same boy who would Initially serve him and later leave him in adulthood after his family would be slaughtered by his own hands due to his machinations.

Wager of the Gods

Years later, the Gods created a contest/wager and chose various mortals as their champions for the capture of the Ambrosia. In the wager of the Gods, Ares was seen in the comics choosing Kratos as his champion and was confident that nothing would stop him in his quest for the Ambrosia. After a grueling journey, Kratos captured the Ambrosia and thus made Ares the victor of the wager.

Kratos' Servitude

Ares getting a pledge of servitude from Kratos

Kratos and his Spartan army were no match for the merciless Barbarian tribes of the east. Being outnumbered and overpowered, Kratos' army was losing the battle. Kratos, about to be killed by Alrik, the Barbarian King, pledged himself to Ares, the God of War, in exchange for victory. After he saw Kratos as the potential warrior that he needed to overthrow Olympus, Ares accepted, violently and very brutally wiped out the barbarians, and gave Kratos the Blades of Chaos as a sign of his servitude.

To ensure that the Spartan became the perfect warrior and was bound to his will, Ares and the Furies devised three blood tests for Kratos, with the first having already been completed: spilling the blood of enemies. The second, spilling the blood of innocents, was easy to accomplish with Kratos' rising bloodlust as he ended countless lives with his Spartan companions, and conquered most of Greece. The last rite was spilling the blood of loved ones. Ares led Kratos to attack a village built in honor and worship of Athena. The Spartan soldiers ruthlessly sacked the village and killed all who lived there, burning their homes to the ground in the process. Upon reaching a strange temple, Kratos was warned by the Village Oracle not to venture within its walls. Ignoring the old woman, Kratos, blinded by bloodthirst, killed all who were within the walls of the temple, including his wife, Lysandra, and his daughter, Calliope. Ares appeared before the bloodstained hands of Kratos and told him that it was necessary to have his family eliminated so that nothing stood in his way.

The ashes of Kratos' loved ones were gathered by the Village Oracle who then placed them upon his skin as a permanent reminder of the monster he had become: the Ghost of Sparta. Enraged by Ares' deception, Kratos declared vengeance upon the God of War who once saved his life.

After Kratos left Ares' service, the God of War's son, Orkos, learned of the injustice that his parents had inflicted on Kratos and turned against his father and his mothers. Orkos sought counsel from the Oracle, Aletheia, who revealed Ares' plot to overthrow Olympus. When Orkos and Aletheia went to warn Zeus, Ares discovered their attempt and sent the Furies after them. Orkos escaped while Aletheia had her eyes torn out and hidden in the ruined Statue of Apollo. The Furies then ruthlessly hunted Kratos to force him to return to Ares' service for their plan to reach its fruition.

During Kratos' triumph over the Furies, it was revealed that Ares had wanted Kratos returned to him; the plan was ruined when Kratos killed the Furies and mercifully killed Orkos, who was remade the oath keeper to Kratos, and thereby severed his bond. Kratos managed to escape and served Olympus for 10 years, all while hoping to redeem himself as well as for his sins to be forgiven.

Battle with Kratos

Jealousy came over Ares for Athena, and, as a result of that jealousy, Ares laid siege to Athens which was her city. Since Zeus had forbidden the Gods from waging war with one another, Athena could not step in to protect her city. Instead, Athena enlisted the help of Kratos, who had faithfully served the Gods for 10 years. Kratos was instructed to find Pandora's Box in order to kill Ares. While Ares relentlessly tore Athens apart, he suddenly sensed that Kratos had retrieved the Box. Although he was impressed, Ares picked up a broken pillar and hurled it into the desert, which flew into Pandora's Temple and struck Kratos in the chest, impaling him to a wall and killing him. Ares' Harpies retrieved the Box and brought it to him. However, Kratos escaped the Underworld through the help of the mysterious Grave Digger.

Ares challenged Zeus and threatened to open the Box and use it against Olympus. It seemed all was lost, until Ares looked behind him and saw a returning Kratos standing behind him. He then mocked Zeus by his saying that he sent a broken mortal to defeat the God of War. Kratos, using his power granted by Zeus, took the Box from Ares' hands and opened it. The Gods' power was unleashed, and Kratos felt its magic pour into him, which caused him to grow into a giant (though Ares was still noticeably bigger than him). Kratos' strength matched Ares, and the ultimate battle for power began.

Ares claimed that Kratos was still just a mortal and was every bit as weak as the day that he begged him to save his life. Kratos recalled that he was not the same man that Ares had found that day – the monster Ares created had returned to kill him. Ares boasted that Kratos had no idea of what a true monster really was. Ares then unleashed large spider-like spikes from his back and was ready to finally kill Kratos for good.

Kratos gained the upper hand during the fight, but Ares trapped him in an illusion where his family was attacked by an army of clones of himself (representing his mistake of killing his wife and child) and stated that there were more effective ways of killing someone than just physical harm. Though Kratos had managed to kill all of the clones, Ares mocked him, ripped the Blades of Chaos from his arms, and killed the image of his family with them. The two of them returned to the real world, where Kratos was emotionally beaten, and Ares boasted that Kratos should have been stronger and prepared to kill him with His Sword.

Death of Ares

Ares getting stabbed through his chest with the Blade of Gods by Kratos

Kratos, however, spotted the Blade of the Gods (which had sent by Athena), dodged Ares' attack, took up the sword, and defeated him in battle with it. Ares pleaded for his life while reminding Kratos of the day that he had saved his life, and how he had only tried to make him a great warrior. Kratos ironically recanted that Ares had "succeeded" in doing that before he impaled him through the chest and killed him. The God of War fell into the Aegean Sea, and was no more, dead at the hands of the mortal that he controlled many years ago. Before his last breath, Ares released a loud death cry, which caused blood to burst from his chest, and a powerful explosion was released. However, Kratos, having killed Ares, the one who made him kill his family, asked Athena to remove the nightmares of his past. Athena replied that even though he had been forgiven of his sins, the Gods nor any mortal could ever remove his memories of killing his family. Kratos realized that his nightmarish visions of his past sins would never leave him and thus tried to kill himself over Suicide Bluffs. Athena saved Kratos and said that the Gods could not allow him, who had done such good deeds for them, to die by his own hand. Athena then said that Ares's tactics and methods were brutal and while the Olympians mourned for their brother, Ares's path of destruction had to be stopped. However, with Ares's death, there was an empty place on Olympus for a new God of War: Kratos. Kratos then ascended to Olympus and was given the crown, throne, and title as the new God of War, which meant that the peace of Ares' death was broken and whenever there were wars, for good or evil, they would be sought by and given permission to by Kratos; the new, all-powerful, and immortal God of War.

After Kratos' success in defeating and killing Ares and becoming the new God of War, the Spartan citizens disowned Ares and hailed Kratos willingly (save for a few staunch supporters of Ares), and even removed all effigies of Ares and replaced them with those of Kratos. However, a few faithful Disciples of Ares attempted to revive their fallen God of War with the power of the Ambrosia (a power that could resurrect even a God), but Kratos had destroyed Gyges, the island in which the Ambrosia rested on, in order to prevent the followers of Ares' plans from coming to fruition.

After Ares' Death

After Kratos was betrayed by Zeus and stripped of his godly powers, Kratos was rescued by Gaia, the Titaness of Earth, who told him that the Sisters of Fate had the power to help him go back in time, avert his betrayal and face Zeus. On the Island of Creation, Kratos came upon a room known as the Garden of the Gods, in which there was a Statue of Ares where he was referred to as "The Fallen God of War". Kratos, after he faced many challenges to get to the Sisters, finally arrived at the Temple of the Fates where he met one of the sisters, Lahkesis. She told Kratos that no one could change their destiny and then began to fight him. As Kratos hurt Lahkesis gravely, she summoned her sister, Atropos, from within herself. Atropos quickly grabbed Kratos, took him inside the mirrors, and brought him back to the day where he faced and killed Ares. She threw Kratos on the Blade of the Gods that he used to kill Ares and become the new and great God of War. Then she tried to change his past by destroying the blade. With the blade gone, Ares would be victorious. In order to maintain his existence, Kratos protected the blade while he battled Atropos, eventually defeated her, secured his past, and trapped her inside the mirror.

The Second Titanomachy

Ares' Tomb

While he faced the Hippocampi on Gaia's hand, Kratos followed a path that leads to a chamber, the Tomb of Ares, which contained Ares' massive corpse that was concealed in ice. Kratos fought the first Centaur of the game there.

Despite being dead, Ares played a small role in the third game, as he was mentioned by Athena, Hephaestus, Hera, Cronos, Zeus, and Kratos, and was also shown in flashback scenes. There was also a large fresco of Ares in the upper part of the Chamber of the Flame, which showed him wielding his trademark sword. That fresco was located right next to a fresco of his mother, Hera. Ares' voice was heard when Kratos ended up in his psyche.

With the death of Zeus and the near destruction of the world, Ares' plan for Kratos to take down the Olympian Gods and Mount Olympus came to full fruition, though not as he originally planned nor hoped.

Multiplayer

“

Once your soul is in my grasp, warrior, I will grant you the strength to crush your enemies.

”

Ares was one of the mentors of God of War: Ascension's Multiplayer and the only mentor who was not a son of Cronos. His statue was the first one in the Rotunda of Olympus.

Overview

"With the powers of the god of war, a warrior of Ares is what some might call a "glass cannon": the best physical damage dealers from the game, but also the least resistant to damage. This makes Ares the opposite of Poseidon in Multiplayer. His warriors also have a natural bond with fire and heat, which makes them even more fierce by allowing them to keep burning and harming enemies even after an attack."

A Warrior of Ares could annihilate his enemies in a matter of seconds but must watch out for incoming attacks. The God of War's servants could survive in hordes of enemies by themselves, which made that the best class for Trial of the Gods.

Warrior

Dominant physical powers.

Fire Magic

Damage over time and disable enemy defenses.

Ares Items

Enhanced melee combat.

Ares Weapons

Grant damage bonuses and burn enemies over time in certain special attacks.

Ares Armors

Focus on enhancing physical powers.

Ares Symbols

Spear, helmet, dog, vulture, and flaming torch.

Appearance

Ares appears as a giant warrior god. He wears a brown sleeveless tunic, shoulder pieces with cerberus faces built into them, and has bracers and boots with chains on them. His boots go up to his knees. He has long hair and a beard, which seem to be made of fire. He can grow bladed spider legs from his back.

Personality

Being the God of War, Violence and Bloodshed, Ares is cruel, sadistic, and violent, as seen by him caring only about spreading chaos and conflict across the world. According to Zeus, Ares only feels joy when destroying cities and nations. Ares is also extremely greedy and power hungry, as exemplified by his desire to destroy his father, so he can replace him as the new king of gods and the ruler of Olympus. However, all his attempts to overthrow Zeus failed. He was even arrogant to the point of openly calling out Zeus and challenging his rule.

Ares also considered love for one's family a weakness, which is evident by how he tricked Kratos into murdering his family, as he believed they hindered his servant from becoming a great warrior. He would later learn the hard way that he should have been careful with his expectations for Kratos, who slaughtered Ares in turn once he became aware of his machinations. This shows that Ares never cared much for his own kin, as he plotted to kill his father Zeus and disowned his son Orkos after he could not meet Ares' expectations. His relationship with his mother Hera and brother Hephaestus was unknown as he was not shown despising them.

Ares envies his sister Athena, as she was favored by Zeus and was always trying to prove himself as superior to her in every way, such as creating the perfect warrior for example. Eventually, his hatred and jealousy for his sister makes him attempt to destroy the sacred city Athens; however he was stopped and killed by Kratos, with the support of Athena herself.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

As the original God of War, Ares possessed a formidable arsenal of superhuman and magical abilities - all in correlation with combat and warfare, as these were his spheres of influence. His powers were considerably stronger than lesser gods. Befitting his name, Ares was a mighty fighter and one of the most powerful Olympian Gods.

• Pocket Dimension Manipulation: Ares was seemingly able to create what appears to be a physical pocket dimension that he could control completely. Ares demonstrated that during his battle with Kratos, where he trapped him in inside his own dimension, where he was forced to protect his family from doppelgangers, only for Ares to kill them after all, and almost broke his spirit. It should be noted that this was confirmed to be a real physical action rather than a illusionary creation as seen within God of War 2, as seen in a third person perspective. Furthermore, Ares was able to steal Kratos's weapons and magic from within the pocket dimension entirely.
• Enhanced Senses: Ares was able to sense how Kratos retrieved Pandora's Box while being dozens of miles away from the Desert of Lost Souls.
• Immortality: As a God, Ares was innately immortal; neither aging beyond his prime nor succumbing to mortal frailty such as disease or impotence of any sort. He could not be slain by earthly weapons; only divine forces and weapons such as the power of Hope, Blade of the Gods or other immortals such as Titans could slay him.
• Flight: Ares was seen descending down from Olympus when Kratos called for his aid, showing that he may have the ability to fly.
• Superhuman Strength: As a God of War, Ares has immense levels of godly strength, which allows him to be able to crush buildings effortlessly, make the ground shake by stomping and fight with Kratos after he was strengthened by Pandora's Box on equal terms.
• Superhuman Durability: Ares possesses incredible durability as a God of War. During his battle with Kratos, he withstands an immense amount of punishment from him including being impaled his own back protrusions which only infuriated him more. Ares also shows to be very resistant even against divine weapons like Blade of the Gods although he was ultimately killed with said weapon.
• Power Bestowal: Ares was able to grant the chosen warrior with a large variety of abilities and weapons, a power common among the Gods. It was he who gave Kratos his original blades, the Blades of Chaos. He also granted the Redeemed Warrior, if he chose to follow him, the highest amount of attack power as well as the ability to empower their weapons with fire to burn enemies.
• Pyrokinesis: Ares possessed the ability to manipulate fire, in every way possible. Ares was able to infuse it in his weapons, throw fireballs from his hands, and ignited people at will. Ares often used that ability to kill those who opposed him. Ares also used it in an aesthetic way, as his hair and facial hair were made of fire. Ares could also create homing fire projectiles in the shape of hounds.
• Weather Manipulation: When Ares descended from Olympus to help Kratos, the clouds split apart, and began to swirl around him, showing that he has some degree of weather control.
• Astral Projection: Ares was able to project an image of himself out of the fire to communicate to Kratos after the Spartan killed his family.
• Shapeshifting: As an Olympian, Ares was able to alter his appearance at will.
  • Size Alteration: Ares was able to alter his size, and often increased it to titanic proportions, as he did during the Battle of Athens.
  • Transformation: Ares was able to sprout large, spider-like protrusions from his back that could be used in combat to hit and impale his enemies. Based on the fact that his statue in God of War: Ascension bore those "claws", it is implied that this was a trademark feature of the War God.
• Telepathy: Ares was able to talk to people through their minds, without physically getting involved with his target.
• Telekinesis: Ares was able to move objects and people with his mind and did that on a massive scale. Ares used the ability to rip the Blades of Chaos from Kratos' arms, and, during the Battle with the Barbarians, he lifted people in the air and broke them in half along with making their heads explode.
• Prayer Empowerment: Should be comparable to other gods such as Athena, who can gain power from mortals praying to them.
• Self-Sustenance: Should be comparable to other gods such as Kratos, who did not need sustenance.
• Acausality: Similar to Athena, the Gods of Olympus function on a different level of space and time compared to the normal laws. Furthermore, all Gods of Olympus were not affected by the changing of the timeline caused in God of War 2.
• Sound Manipulation: His mere roar alone shook the Heavens.
• Teleportation: Throughout his battle with Kratos, Ares was able to teleport all around the area very quickly.
• Geokinesis: Ares would occasionally summon enormous volcanic rock structures to try to harm Kratos, as well as demonstrating the ability to shoot fiery rocks out of his hands.
• War Embodiment: As the original God of War, Ares was the embodiment of War itself and was able to draw power from it. In combination with his other abilities, Ares was able to lay waste to huge armies with little to no effort. When he died, Ares' body exploded like a nuclear bomb.
• Precognition: Should be comparable to Kratos, who when sitting on the God of War Throne, was able to see visions of wars up to 4000 years into the future, such as Normandy or Desert Storm.
• Weapon Creation: During his final fight with Kratos, Ares has shown the ability to materialize various weapons such as a gigantic war hammer, an axe, and a sword, all of which were enveloped in flames.
• Cloning: When Ares teleported Kratos to his own personal dimension, he also produced numerous clones of Kratos, all of which were stronger than him.
• Underworld Control: Ares seems to have limited power over the forces of the Underworld. The vast majority of Ares' army was made of undead monstrosities, hinting that he has limited necromancy, and it was stated in the Codex, that Ares can summon the dead to serve him (Though they were without souls).
• Monster Control: Ares could control over a vast legion of monsters which served as the backbone of his army. In conjunction with his undead troopers, he was able to command Harpies, Minotaurs, Gorgons, and Cyclops.
• Supernatural Marksmanship: As a God of War, he possessed a greater level of marksmanship as he was able to perfectly hurl a large pillar from Athens to the far-off Pandora's Temple in the Desert of Lost Souls to fatally impale Kratos.

Abilities

• Master Combatant: As an Original God of War, Ares was one of the most imposing and skilled warrior of Olympus, surpassed possibly only by his father, uncles and his rival, Athena. He had mastered all weapons used in the war including swords, axes, war hammers and his back spider-like blades which coupled with his godly powers and physical prowess made him even more formidable. Even after Kratos gains power from Pandora's Box, Ares proved himself to be an extremely hard adversary, fighting with the Ghost of Sparta on equal terms most of their battle and at one point nearly killed him despite ultimately losing to him.

Gameplay

Ares is the final boss of God of War and is easily one of the most difficult bosses in the entire series. Being faced in a series of three consecutive battles with no respite between them, Ares has by far the longest boss sequence of the whole franchise.

Battle 1

Ares has very large HP so this fight can take a while. He also employs a wide arsenal of different and punishing attacks, the vast majority of which can be blocked, although he attacks fast and can be hard to predict. Ares will spend most of the beginning of the fight between axe swings, hammer pounds, spider claw stabs and tackles. Out of all of these the hammer pound is the most troublesome as it uses a ground shockwave that cannot be blocked and must be evaded or jumped, beware that it comes with a hammer swing afterwards. The axe swings and tackles are combo attacks, if the player get shit by a tackle, it will be followed by a claw stab and a punch sending them backwards.

As Ares loses HP, he begins incorporating new attacks. He utilizes a new hammer attack in which he charges at Kratos frontally before using the back of the Hammer which lets out a vicious wave of flames from the hammer's "mouth". He can also now use his spider claws more aggressively, extending them at Kratos in a multi-hit attack that can be used twice (one series per each of his right and left sides). Ares can also defend himself with his claws at times, which will be followed by the aforementioned claw attack. Both of these new attacks can be blocked.

Finally, as Ares has small HP left, it uses a new attack in which he teleports and starts bombarding Kratos with fireballs. These fireballs cannot be blocked and must be dodged repeatedly as they are launched rapidly. Ares is out of reach while using this attack. While the battle will be long, Ares will drop large amounts of Green Orbs and to a lesser extent Blue Orbs, allowing the player to regain their strength and keep in the battle.

Strategy

Ares is fierce and his attacks can do a lot of damage and leave little room to defend or evade while attacking him. It is better to tackle this fight defensively as Ares can brutally punish players who neglect defense, which is especially true in higher difficulties in which he can end the fight in a few blows. The Blades of Chaos are the preferred weapon as it is fast and has range that allows players to evade easier and be more on the alert of Ares' attacks.

It is possible to somewhat stunlock Ares with an aggressive approach. The Army of Hades is by far the best option for quick and dirty damage that can keep Ares locked due to the number of hits. This in conjunction with the Blade of Artemis can greatly damage Ares while limiting his attacks, although this relies on luck and the player being able to react in time and either block or evade whenever necessary.

All of Ares' attacks can be blocked except the hammer pound and the fireball attack. His attacks are executed quick but are also telegraphed by certain actions. His axe swing is announced by summoning his axe before slicing with it. His hammer pound has him summon his hammer with his arms above his head, this attack cannot be blocked but can be parried, however it will follow with a hammer swing, so players should evade as soon as they parry, or they will be stunned. The hammer pound is often used when Ares runs towards Kratos. His claw attacks are all announced by moving his claws in some fashion such as moving his claws to the front before trying to stab with all of them or moving his back to either the left side or right side, as he readies to extend his claws or block some attacks with them which is always followed by a side claw attack. All claw attacks have extreme range. His second hammer attacks have him summon his hammer while rotating it, he will charge Kratos with it before trying to burn him with the flamethrower at the back, the flamethrower, contrary to appearances can be blocked. Whenever Ares rises his hands with no weapon summoned, he will try to tackle Kratos which initiates a combo. Finally, when Ares uses his fireball attack, he will typically glow in flames before teleporting. This attack cannot be blocked and can be either evaded or interrupted via Zeus' Fury.

The Rage of the Gods can be used with impunity here as it will be refilled at the end of the fight. Use it for a large amount of damage, even more so if the unlimited magic bonus has been unlocked. Players are encouraged not to utilize burn their Magic meter too much, as it will be necessary to make the next battle easier. Ares doesn't drop as many Blue Orbs as he does Green Orbs, so preserving some Magic is encouraged. Ares will continuously stand still use this chance to attack and deal large damage to Ares.

The final sequence of the fight is tricky as it involved Kratos engaged in a strength contest with Ares which requires extensive O button pressing. The tricky part comes soon after, as the player is prompted into a Quick Time Event in which the correct button must be pressed twice to end the fight. The transition between O button and QTE is quite short, and it is common for players to press the O button during the QTE, which often means the sequence is broken, allowing Ares to regenerate, some HP, although the player can attack him before he restores too much. All in all, one should pay careful attention.

Battle 2

Kratos now faces doppelgangers of himself which intend to kill his family. If either him or his family die, it is a game over. The copies are not that durable, but they appear in swarms and there is a large number of them before the battle is over. As the battle progresses the house will break apartand the overall map will be reduced. A floating platform at the back will spawn a copy which periodically used Zeus' Fury to stun the player, allowing the rest of the copies to attack the family with impunity. Closer to the end of the battle, copies wielding Blade of Artemis will appear. These are extremely dangerous as they deal considerably more damage to the family than the other copies.

Strategy

Magic will come in handy here, which is why the player should have preferably a full meter bar from the previous battle. Army of Hades will be the player's best tool in keeping the clones at bay. Rage of the Gods with Magic Unlimited will also be a tremendous help, as the player can repeatedly spam Army of Hades and Poseidon's Fury, letting them crowd control effectively. Defeated clones will yield blue orbs. The Blades of Chaos are also the better weapon for crowd control here through Plume of Prometheus (Square, Square, Triangle).

Don't let the clones, close to you as it can trigger a grab sequence in which you must shake them off, losing you precious time and momentum. Grabing the clones is an instant kill but is ill-advised as it takes a long time to kill one and there is a swarm to fend off. Simply spam the strongest attacks available and save nothing, for neither the Magic nor Rage meter will be necessary for the next battle. It is, however, a wise idea to reserve a cast of Army of Hades in case the family needs healing as the clones can interrupt you.

If one doesn't not succeed, they should not be discouraged, as the battle does rely quite a bit on luck. If they feel like they don't have enough magic at the start, consider restarting the first battle and ending it with more magic.

Battle 3

The final battle and a potentially frustrating one. The fight is a tug of war between both fighters as they try to fill their own bar at the expense of the other, this leaves ample room to recover for both parties. However, Kratos has neither Magic nor Rage meter and his attacks with the Blade of the Gods are far simpler than Ares' attacks which are more complex and far more devastating. Ares' new attacks include a sword combo that can be blocked. His own version of Army of Hades which can be blocked as well. A magic attack in which Ares will teleport before summoning 4 giant rocks which will collide and explode, which cannot be blocked. By far his worst attack is a hand blast that cannot be blocked and will leave Kratos stunned, which is always followed by a claw multi hit attack which Kratos will not be able to evade or block while stunned resulting in unfair one-sided damage that can let Ares gain a lot of advantage or regain a lot of his own lost gauge. In higher difficulties this combo can instantly turn the tide of the battle or be an instant kill. Ares will continuously run towards the player which is almost always either a sword combo or a hand blast. He will periodically roar after using some of these attacks.

Strategy

Players should prioritize defense here as offense is not in their side, evade Ares and attack only when an opportunity rises as you do not want to risk a hand blast or the claw attack that comes after. Do not bother with the Blade of the Gods' techniques as they aren't as powerful nor nearly as effective at draining his gauge and are slow in nature. By far the best way to deal damage against Ares involves a sequence in which Kratos clashes swords with the God of War, this allows the player a QTE in which they are prompted to spam the O button. Should they succeed, Kratos will perform a series of sword attacks which will deal enormous damage to Ares and leave him stunned afterwards allowing one to deal more damage.

In order to trigger the sequence, one must attack Ares until he blocks with his own sword and keep attacking until the O button prompt appears. There is a caveat, however, Ares can block Kratos' attacks in a way that the sequence won't be triggered and will result in a counter. The best way to determine whether the sequence will be triggered is if Ares was made to flinch before he blocked, if he took damage but did not flinch and blocked, then evade, as the sequence will not be triggered. If Ares flinched, took damage and decided to block, then continue. Take advantage of whenever Ares roars at the end of some of his attacks to slam him and trigger the sequence. Another chance to deal damage comes when he teleports. He will always teleport to the upper part of the map in the middle before casting his rock attack. There is quite a delay before the rocks are summoned, use it to land anywhere between two and three hits before rolling away. There is also some room for damage right after the rocks explode as he won't attack immediately. Worth noting that, although rare, Ares gauge can be depleted as he readies this attack, if this happens the battle won't end until he finishes this move. Once he is hit one more time the battle should end.

Relationships

Zeus

Unlike most of the other gods, Ares ignored Zeus's orders and had no fear of Zeus's wrath, to the point that he challenged his father several times while mocking him for sending a "broken mortal" to fight him, instead of facing Ares by himself.

Athena

Ares has a deep hatred for his sister, as he refuses to even stay in Olympus when she is around. Ares considers Athena weak and is always trying to prove himself as superior to the goddess of war, or attacking her in every opportunity, as when he would command Kratos to attack the villages and cities that were sacred to the goddess. Ares envies the amount of respect and worship that Athena receives from other deities and mortals, while he himself is hated and despised.

Kratos

Back in the days when Kratos was still his servant, Ares considered him an almost "perfect warrior", possibly because they both shared the same rage, hatred and love for bloodshed. However, unlike Ares, Kratos still loved and cared deeply for his family; feelings that were considered a weakness by the god of war. After Kratos abandoned Ares, the warrior god started to despise Kratos, considering him just a "broken mortal" with no value and saying he was every bit as weak as the day the Spartan begged Ares to save his life.

Gallery

Tomb of Ares

Ares, the fallen God of War

Ares in God of War Ascension

Ares as he appears in multiplayer

Ares undistorted

Concept art

Ares effigy in GoW: Ascension

Trivia

• Ares is technically responsible for the events of the Greek-era games of the series: by tricking Kratos into killing his family, he would set him on the path that would lead to Olympus' destruction.
• Ares is among the very few characters to successfully kill Kratos like Charon, Zeus and Thor.
• A secret video of the original game had Kratos revealing that he trapped Ares' soul inside a secret room, and he will eventually use it against the gods. It is never mentioned again and by the end of the third game, it is unlikely it will be brought up ever again.
• Ares was voiced by Steven Blum in God of War and God of War: Ascension, and by Fred Tatasciore in God of War III. Interestingly, he shared the same voice actor (Steven Blum) as Lucifer from the animated movie of Dante's Inferno, a game that shared many gameplay mechanics and themes.
• Ares' appearance changed dramatically during the development of God of War. Originally, David Jaffe had intended for the god to appear as "ninety percent energy and ten percent material", but because of the limited power of the PS2, Ares' appearance was gradually stripped back to the warrior seen in the final product.
• During the final battle, after Kratos is robbed of his blades and magic, Ares will use the Army of Hades ability, implying he has some degree of power stealing or perhaps, with him being a God, can also withdraw blessings or powers other Olympians have given him.
• Because he was killed by Kratos, it was rather unlikely that Ares had a chance to be affected by the evils of Pandora's Box, as he did not truly display any characteristics of the evils the Box contained. As such, Ares' threat to attack Olympus as well as his bloodthirsty ways were already part of his own character.
• Ares is technically responsible for Kratos' standard appearance (with the exception of the scar on the latter's abdomen). He attacked Kratos when the latter was a child, giving him a scar on his right eye and then took Deimos away, leaving Kratos to think his brother was dead and thus causing him to tattoo himself in a way similar to Deimos' birthmark. He also tricked Kratos into killing his own family, thereby causing their ashes to attach themselves to his skin. He even gave Kratos horrific burns on his forearms upon searing the Blades of Chaos to them.
• It is unknown why, even if he was an enemy of Kratos, his illusion was used by Gaia in God of War II to encourage Kratos to fight back and revive himself after his death at the hands of Zeus.
• Ares' human-sized avatar was only seen in Ghost of Sparta: in flashbacks that showed him taking Deimos away and scarring Kratos.
• Ares was one of the mentors for God of War: Ascension Multiplayer. That made him the only mentor who wasn't a son of Cronos: he's his grandson instead.
• Strangely, when Ares is killed, there is no Earthly consequence of his death as was the case for other Gods, such as Poseidon's death causing massive flooding or Helios' death causing the world to be covered in darkness. While this phenomenon was only implemented many games after the original God of War when Ares was killed, no explanation is provided for the lack of consequence of Ares death.
• Ares was depicted as having hair and facial hair made of flaming energy, although when his corpse is seen in God of War III, his hair is simply normal red hair.
• Ares was ranked on 55th place of the Top 100 Video Game Villains on IGN.
• Ares was the only God in the series shown with the ability to grow retractable blade-like spider legs from his back. It remained unknown if there were other Olympians with that ability or if it's unique to Ares. Megaera, one of the Furies, had spider-like legs growing out of her back: their appearance was very similar, though more insect-like, compared to Ares' but they were not on fire, and they seemed to be truly a part of her physiology.
  • Based on Ares' appearance in God of War: Ascension, his ability to grow those spider legs wasn't a secret to the Champions of Ares. In other words, Kratos would have known that Ares had that ability as was implied by Kratos' complete lack of surprise. The legs were mostly a surprise for the gamer.
• The Champions of Ares had a natural bounding with fire and gained energy from battle as revealed in Ares' Trailer of Ascension.
• In God of War: Ascension, Ares was seen with shorter hair and beard than in the other games. The reason of the change was still unknown.
  • It was most likely, however, that Ares, like the other Gods, could change his appearance depending on whatever suited him.
  • Since Ares' appearance in Ascension is shown in flashbacks, it is possible this was Ares' appearance prior to Kratos' birth or as the game took place ten years prior to the original game.
• Ironically, Ares lacks a mustache with his facial hair, a gesture which is seen by most cultures as a symbol of non-violence and pacifism. Mustaches are strongly associated with military services and thus removing them was considered a symbolic gesture of rejecting militarism.