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The Nemesis Whip is yours, Kratos. Those who stand in your way will feel its electric sting.

–-Athena

The Nemesis Whip was a weapon in God of War III given to Kratos after defeating the likes of Hephaestus after the God betrayed the Ghost of Sparta in a feeble attempt upon his life. 

In the God of War Series[]

God of War III[]

Nemesis Whip

The Nemesis Whip in God of War III.

The Nemesis Whip consists of a pair of chains, each ending in three claw-like daggers that gave off a teal Colored aura. When deployed, each of the daggers extend outward from the connecting pommel, flailing around in a whirlwind of blades that can strike multiple times in a single attack while at the same time, inflicting electrical energy damage. It was crafted for Kratos by Hephaestus after he brought him the Omphalos Stone, a decoy that Cronos originally mistook for baby Zeus and swallowed many years ago. Initially, Hephaestus intended to use them as a conduit for his own powers in order to kill Kratos, but the Spartan threw off the attack, turned the Whip against its creator, and killed the Smith God. The Whip was then used to power the bridge that allows Kratos to enter into Daedalus' Chamber. Like all other weapons, they were ultimately destroyed by Zeus in his Astral Form.

Gameplay []

The Nemesis Whip attacked in a similar fashion to the Blades of Exile, but were faster and weaker, with a focus on multiple hits instead of single, powerful blows. It had the power to conduct electricity and electrocute whomever stood in Kratos’ way. The blades were useful when they were leveled up to recharge the Rage of Sparta while fighting opponents.

Despite the weak power per hit, unlike other weapons, the launch attack does not require "hold button" input, making it the quickest (almost instant) weapon in terms of throwing launch-able airborne. Combine with the range, the Nemesis Whip possess a superior capability in counterattacks and setting up enemies for combo, making it the most effective weapon against elite and agile enemies that can block/parry, such as the Satyr, Siren and Elite Minotaur.

Like most of Kratos' Weapons, excluding the Blades of Exile, the Blade of Olympus, and the Boots of Hermes, the Nemesis Whip was destroyed by Zeus' Astral Form during his final attempt to defeat Kratos.

Orb Costs[]

  • Level 1 - n/a
  • Level 2 - 3,000 Orbs
  • Level 3 - 5,000 Orbs
  • Level 4 - 5,000 Orbs
  • Level 5 - 8,000 Orbs

Damage Multiplier[]

  • Level 1 - 100%
  • Level 2 - 110%
  • Level 3 - 120%
  • Level 4 - 130%
  • Level 5 - 140%

Attacks[]

Level 1[]

  • Furious Contempt - Quick combo that damages all surrounding enemies. Square, square, square, square, square
  • Righteous Tirade - Kratos throws the Nemesis whip in front of him and holds it in front of him like a blender. Hold square at any point during Furious Contempt
  • Righteous Ascension - Launch enemies into the air and grind them up with your blades. Hold triangle
  • Harsh Penance - A short combo that launches you and your enemies into the air extremely quickly. Triangle, triangle
  • Surging Lash - Whip an enemy, delivering a deadly shock. L1 + O
  • Nemesis Rage - Shock all enemies around Kratos with a powerful lightning surge. Similar to Cronos' Rage. R2

Level 2[]

  • Increased Damage
  • Severe Judgment - Lash enemies and launch them into the air. L1 + square
  • Severe Judgement (Air) - Midair combo not unlike Apollo's Ascension from GoW 1. Continue to hold L1 + square after Severe Judgement
  • Increased Righteous Tirade/Ascension Duration

Level 3[]

  • Increased Damage
  • Avenging Strike - Deliver a powerful spinning attack after evading. R3 + triangle
  • Nemesis Rage Lv. 2 - Shock all enemies around Kratos with a powerful lightning surge. R2
  • Increased Righteous Tirade/Ascension Duration

Level 4[]

  • Increased Damage
  • Deadly Reprisal - Kratos leaps forward, hitting all enemies in his path. L1 + triangle
  • Deadly Reprisal (Air) - Slash enemies back down to the ground and slash again. L1 + triangle, hold to continue spinning blades on ground, release to slash
  • Increased Righteous Tirade/Ascension Duration

Level 5[]

  • Increased Damage
  • Nemesis Rage Lv. 3 - Shock all enemies around Kratos with a powerful lightning surge. R2
  • Increased Righteous Tirade/Ascension Duration

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Nemesis Whip was most likely named after Nemesis, the Greek Goddess of Retribution and Revenge, and showed in the way that Hephaestus referred to it as 'retribution'. Its element was also an apparent attempt at ironic revenge against Zeus.
  • That was the only weapon that Kratos ever consistently held in a reverse grip, i.e. with the blade that pointed downwards.
  • Also, along with the Nemean Cestus, the Nemesis Whip were the only weapons in which Kratos stepped/leapt to dodge attacks rather than rolled as with the Blades of Exile/Blades of Athena/Blades of Chaos or pulling himself to avoid as with the Claws of Hades.
  • The Surging Lash (L1 + O combo of the Whip) was actually identical to the Hyperion Ram (L1 + O of the Blades of Exile). The only difference was that, by holding down the buttons, the Surging Lash could be used consecutively against enemies and the Hyperion Ram could be done only once each time that the buttons were pressed and held. By using that grapple move with the Nemesis Whip in the second battle with Zeus, it was possible to circle the entire arena without touching the ground and without letting Zeus counter-attack. See here.
  • The greenish-blue color of the Nemesis Whip seemed to be shared with a great many things, but most probably it represented Mount Olympus in the series, since the bridge mechanisms in Olympus' Garden, the electrical currents of the Bronze Talos, the Hyperion Gates, Hephaestus' Ring, the Flame of Olympus, and even the Blade of Olympus shared the same color. That specific blue shade was different from one of the electrical currents of Poseidon and the Titan, Oceanus, which were darker.
  • Megaera, a Fury in God of War: Ascension, was seen wielding the Nemesis Whip as her weapon in one of her Concept Art, but apparently the idea was scrapped. The most probable reason for that was the association between the Furies and Nemesis, since both represented justice and retribution. It's unlikely that such connection existed in the series or that even another Fury wielded the Whip in the game, but that idea may have been recycled for another character in Ascension.
  • The idea that this weapon was given to Kratos had some analogous to the connection of him being the son of Zeus, mostly because it granted him the ability to manipulate electricity and matched him as the Son of the God of Thunder.
    • It could also symbolize his total severance from his familial predecessors; in the previous main games, Kratos gained lightning-based powers from Zeus and Cronos respectively as his alignment shifted from being with the Olympians and later the Titans. The Nemesis Whip was obtained after he became an enemy to both factions, granting him lightning-based powers independent from either forces.
      • The Whip being made of the Omphalos Stone, which was a crucial object in the history of both Cronos and Zeus, adds to the irony.
  • Like the Blades of Exile, the Nemesis Whip had no backstory as of the events of God of War III, as both were created within the time-frame of the game's event.
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