Golden Fleece

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The original design of the Fleece in the GoW II demo.

“	This Golden Fleece has the power to deflect approaching weapons and thrust them back to those who deliver them.	”
–Gaia

The Golden Fleece is a powerful golden armlet, which once belonged to the Argonaut Jason. Kratos defeats the Mole Cerberus that partially ate Jason and obtains the Golden Fleece.

Greek Mythology

In Greek myth, it is the literal fleece of a golden-haired, winged ram that was sired byPoseidon upon a nymph named Theophane. It was retrieved by Jason, of the Argonauts, as a show of proof to King Pelias that he is the rightful heir to the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly.

God of War Series

God of War II

File:Golden fleece.jpg

Upon retrieving the Fleece from the Cerberus, Kratos becomes able to not only block and counter enemy attacks, but to also deflect enemy projectiles and throw them back at his attackers. The Fleece is incredibly useful in situations involving large groups of enemies including Gorgons. If a Gorgon uses its stone stare and Kratos successfully deflects it, every enemy on screen will turn to stone, including the one who cast the attack. After obtaining it, Kratos must then use the Fleece to solve various puzzles on the Island of Creation, which mainly consist of reflecting the beams of statues blocking his path. The Fleece can also be a very useful item in fights against bosses such as Euryale's beams, Perseus' slingshots, Lahkesis' magic and Zeus' bolts. The Golden Fleece is actually 3 separate pieces of armor.

God of War III

Kratos with the Golden Fleece in God of War III.

In God of War III, Kratos still wears the Fleece, using it in the same way as the previous game. It is undamaged by his trip through the River Styx (unlike the Blades of Athena), although it does lose most of its abilities. The Fleece's growth is tied to the Blades of Exile, gaining new moves as the weapons are leveled up. Like most of Kratos' items and weapons, the Fleece was finally destroyed when Zeus' spirit launched a surprise attack on the Ghost of Sparta.

Abilities

God of War II

• Argo's Return - Press L1 before being hit to reflect an attack, projectile, or beam. L1
• Argo's Revenge - After a successful parry, press Square to do a powerful counterattack, damaging all nearby enemies. L1 + square.

God of War III

• Argos Ram - Parry an enemy with the fleece and ram into them. L1 + square
• Argo's Rise - Parry an enemy with the fleece and send them flying straight up. L1 + triangle

Trivia

• The Fleece is powerful enough to deflect a blow from the Blade of Olympus itself.
• During the God of War II demo, the Fleece had a different model, sporting small spikes and only covering part of Kratos' arm. Instead of ripping it out from the cerberus, he took it from a pedestal.
• Interestingly, the Golden Fleece has a spot of blood on it in God of War III. The reasons for this are unknown, although this could be because the developers didn't have the necessary tools to make this spot appear in God of War II, and they had to abandon it. It is probably from Jason's arm, the Mole Cerberus' body, or any of the many bloody battles Kratos participated in.
• In God of War III, Zeus wears a similarly designed armlet on his left arm, somewhat fitting since Kratos wears the Golden Fleece on his right arm. It is very likely that this is Zeus' Aegis.
• Deimos wears an armlet similar to the Golden Fleece on his right shoulder.

Kratos wearing the fleece in Mortal Kombat.

• Kratos also wears the Golden Fleece during his appearance in Mortal Kombat. Much like in God of War II and God of War III, it is able to reflect almost all forms of projectiles and counter against physical attacks. It is also used in PlayStation Allstars Batle Roal.
• In God of War II, during the cutscene when Kratos had a vision of his wife, the fleece is on his arm, but in one instance, the fleece is gone.
• In God of War III, the Golden Fleece still keeps its power even after Kratos swam through the River Styx, but in a much lesser degree. As Kratos' blades are level 1, it only can reflect projectiles and Gorgon beams. The power of the Fleece is now more connected with his blades than it was in God of War II.
• The Fleece was constituted of 3 main parts: The upper shoulder section, at the side of Kratos' head, the biceps section and the lower arm section. The design seen in the two lower parts resemble to horn images, representing the animal which the fleece came from (In the original mythology): The ram. While in-game all the 3 parts can be seen, in some cutscenes, the lower arm section is not there anymore.
• The Golden Fleece appears in the God of War demake Bit of War.
• In God of War Ascension, the Armor of Morpheus has the upper section of the Golden Fleece on both shoulders.

Gallery

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