Kratos

Kratos
Sprite(s)
Attributes
Type(s)	Optional Boss
Gender	Male
Weapon(s)	Blades of Chaos
Hit points
Drop(s)	2000 Grave Digger's Shovel (to craft the Armor of Chaos)
Game Information
Debut	(Sony Version)
Appears in	(Sony Version)
Stage(s)	Roaming (Curious Map)
Music Track(s)	The Blades Of Chaos

“	Prepare yourself for the Spartan wrath of the Blades of Chaos!	”
— Kratos, Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope

Kratos (Κράτος) is the protagonist of the God of War series, a Spartan warrior whose character and exploits are brutal and grim. He is exclusive to the Sony versions of Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope.

Story

Shovel of Hope

Kratos will appear on the map as a wandering encounter once the Curious Map is obtained. After defeating Kratos, the player will receive 2000 gold and the Grave Digger's Shovel, which can be taken to the Armorer at the Armor Outpost to receive the Armor of Chaos, which drastically alters Shovel Knight's play style to be more like Kratos.

If Kratos was already defeated once during a standard playthrough, during New Game Plus, Kratos will skip the first two phases of his fight, starting the battle during the falling section. He will also still reward the Grave Digger's Shovel, but if the Armor of Chaos has already been obtained, neither the Armorer nor the Shovel Smith will acknowledge its presence in the inventory.

Strategy

Phase 1

During the first phase, Kratos attacks with 6 attacks:

• Kratos attacks with his blades in both directions.
• He uses his blades to attack upwards.
• He jumps around, stunning the knight if he's on the ground.
• He spins with his blades, covering large area.
• He switches to gauntlets and charges at the pillar.
• He uses the blades to hook himself temporarily on the pillar before repeating the process two more times.

Phase 2

After Kratos is low on health, he summons lightning and small colorful dots appear on the screen. He absorbs them and is fully healed. After that he becomes faster and gains new attacks, while some of the old ones are upgraded:

• Kratos can stay in the air for a while. He uses his blades to pull 3 parts of the pillar, throwing them at the knight.
• If Shovel Knight is hit by an upwards attack, he is stunned and sent into the air. Kratos then slams him into the wall.
• Kratos' charge attack can now destroy parts of the pillar, hurling them at the knight at the process.

Phase 3

After Kratos's health is depleted, he destroys the arena and both he and Shovel Knight are sent into the air, while parts of the pillars are in the air too, acting as a platforms. Both Shovel Knight and Kratos are fully healed. Unlike the two phases before, Shovel Knight is the one with the temporarily upgrade, since he is able to took 2 hit points instead of 1 in the single hit. Kratos doesn't change his attacks in this phase.

Dialogue

Click to expand

Shovel of Hope (PlayStation) Before his fight "Shovel Knight: Black Knight, is that you?! Why have you lured me here?" "????: You know not to whom you speak, gardener. GET out of my way!! " "Shovel Knight: Nonsense! Your disguises and trickery won't deter me! Show yourself, or be gone!" "????: ATHENA!!! Is this yet another test? Am I to face this foolish peasant, without even a proper weapon?" [Kratos removes his cloak, jumps down from his platform and readies himself for battle] "Kratos: Then so be it... Prepare yourself for the Spartan wrath of the Blades of Chaos!" After his fight "Kratos: Enough! In your hands, a mere farmer's tool burns with the fury of Hades! Surely you have the gods' favor. I shall call you the Ghost of Shovels." "Shovel Knight: You as well are formidable, Ghost of Sparta. Your technique is unlike any I've seen. I bid you good fortune in your quest, whatever it may be." "Kratos: My fate lies... elsewhere. Take this gift. If properly honed, it could uproot the olive trees of Olympus."

Trivia

• Kratos is one of the 3 bosses that are only fought in Shovel of Hope. The other 2 are Remnant of Fate and the Battletoads.
• According to God of War director Cory Barlog, Kratos's appearance in Shovel Knight is considered canon in the God of War lore. A tweet made by Yacht Club Games also confirmed that God of War is considered canon in the Shovel Knight lore.
• The developers of Yacht Club Games visited the team of Santa Monica Studios in order to work on Kratos's design and animations. It also marked the 10th anniversary of the God of War series.
  • The battle's location, a snowy mountain, was a hint to the-then upcoming 2018 God of War game.
  • Santa Monica Studios expressed that Kratos met Shovel Knight on his way from Greece to Scandinavia.
• Kratos actually uses the Blades of Exile from God of War III, despite him calling them the Blades of Chaos. This makes it seem likely that his battle with Shovel Knight takes place in the city of Olympia (based on the background) soon after defeating Hermes (since he has the winged boots) and Hercules (since he has already obtained the Nemean Cestus).
  • Between after you complete the Hall of Champions and/or after the Remnant of Fate fight, the events from God of War III happen, since the Nemean Cestus was acquired after Kratos fought Hercules and they were destroyed during the final fight with Zeus.
• After the battle, Kratos will put his cloak back and walk slowly across the screen until he leaves it. During so, Shovel Knight can hit him, causing the cowl to fall back. This will make Kratos stop to put it back on. Doing this three times will ultimately cause Kratos to put the hood back on one last time before considerably increase his walking pace. After this, it is no longer possible to harass him any further.
• Due to their lack of pronouns, Kratos speeches are among the very few major pieces of dialogue to remain completely unchanged between a standard playthrough and Body Swap Mode.
• The Grave Digger's Shovel is a reference to the Grave Digger from the first God of War game, who rescues Kratos from Hades by digging a deep hole and throwing down a rope. The Grave Digger returns in Ghost of Sparta, and the shovel itself is the last item to be unlocked in the Temple of Zeus.
• This is Kratos's second appearance in a game rated E, with the first of which being in Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds. He's appeared as guest character in other games rated T or M, with Soulcalibur and Mortal Kombat being primary examples.

Gallery

Key art.

Promotional art.

Battling Kratos in-game.

The Sony version of the Curious Map.

Videos

Shovel Knight PlayStation Reveal

See Also

• For more info, visit Kratos's page on the God of War Wiki