God of War III/Weapons

You start out the game with the Blades of Athena from God of War II, but you won't have them for long. There are four main weapons in the game, each acquired at different times. Three of them are chain-based ones and one is a heavy melee weapon. You'll receive the weapons as part of the story and each can be upgraded four times to level five. Each level costs more orbs than the previous, and some weapons are more expensive to upgrade, even at the same level. While a certain weapon is equipped, your magic attack changes to suit the weapon.

Blades of Exile
This is the first weapon you receive in the beginning of the game, replacing the Blades of Athena. The magic associated with this weapon is Army of Sparta, which is a group of shielded warriors with spears that surround you and jab their spears outward at nearby enemies.

Level 1
You start out at level one with the following moves and the first level of the Army of Sparta magic.

Level 2
The second level gives you increased damage along with the following move and Argo's Ram.
 * Cost: 4,000 red orbs

Level 3
Along with the following moves, your magic is also upgraded to Army of Sparty Lv. 2 at this level.
 * Cost: 7,000 red orbs

Level 4
This level increases the damage of the blades and gives you Argo's Rise.
 * Cost: 8,000 red orbs

Level 5
At the final level to max the Blades of Exile, you'll receive increased damage and fully upgrade Army of Sparta to level three.
 * Cost: 10,000 red orbs

Claws of Hades
The Claws of Hades are literally taken from Hades, god of the underworld. These blades allow you to attach enemies' very souls. They are much like the Blades of Exile, with slightly longer range in the light attacks and a slightly higher impact position. You'll find that this weapon isn't very good for breaking jugs and crates to get red orbs, as it often hits too high above them.

The magic you'll get with this weapon is Soul Summon, which summons a monster's soul to attack your enemies. Leveling up the weapon will give you access to more souls, and they all act somewhat differently. You'll want to face Kratos in the direction of the enemy when summoning most souls, as the ones that move to an enemy seem to go almost directly out in a straight line from the front of you.

Level 1
At the starting level, the Claws of Hades will allow you to perform only Argo's Return and you'll have access to the following souls: Cerberus Mongrel, Olympus Sentry and Olympus Archer.

Level 2
This level gives you increased damage, the one extra move and Argo's Ram.
 * Cost: 3,000 red orbs

Level 3
This level adds some moves, increased damage and upgrades your magic to Soul Summon Lv. 2, adding Chimera, Gorgon Serpent and Olympus Fiend to your menagerie.
 * Cost: 5,000 red orbs

Level 4
At level four you get increased damage, the following move and Argo's Rise.
 * Cost: 6,000 red orbs

Level 5
Along with increased damage, maxing this weapon out gives you Soul Summon Lv. 3, which unlocks the souls of the Cyclops Berserker, Centaur General and Siren Seductress.
 * Cost: 9,000 red orbs