| God of War Ragnarök | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Take on the mantle of the God of War Kratos and lead your son Atreus through the dangerous world of Norse mythology and its impending doom from Ragnarök. Read on to learn how it plays, what it’s about, and everything else we know so far.
God of War Ragnarök Gameplay
God of War Ragnarök is a third-person action-adventure game where players take control of Kratos, wielding his legendary weapons as he journeys across the Nine Realms. The gameplay emphasizes combat and exploration, inviting players to traverse richly diverse biomes, from Vanaheim’s lush forests to Alfheim’s star-lit sands.
Combat in Ragnarök is combo-driven and highly dynamic, capturing Kratos’ relentless fighting style as he seamlessly switches between his iconic Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and the all-new Draupnir Spear. Players are encouraged to stay on the offensive, using aerial combos and stagger mechanics to overpower enemies with ease while also avoiding or parrying their attacks.
Kratos’ combat arsenal has been expanded in Ragnarök to include a variety of shields and enhanced Spartan Rage abilities, as well as new spirit summons and a fleshed-out upgrade tree for Atreus. These auxiliary options are unique to Ragnarök, building upon the foundation set in God of War (2018).
Progression-wise, the game is almost completely linear, guiding players through the main storyline with occasional side activities, including collectible hunts, secret boss fights, and hidden areas for those eager to explore beyond the primary path.
Combat Basics, Weapons, and Environmental Attacks
Combat in God of War Ragnarök is designed specifically to evoke the feeling of being relentless. As such, what starts off as simple weapon strikes become combos, and as Kratos gains new weapons, the player learns to string them together to make use of their strengths.
Although combat is a constant state while enemies are alive, it is essentially split between three main facets: weapons, defenses, and environmental attacks. Weapons are the most straightforward to use, offering light and heavy attacks, as well as specialized moves depending on what the player inputs and what weapon Kratos is wielding.
With the Leviathan Axe, Kratos has reliable but slow, short-range damage with his axe-swings. Since the weapon can be recalled to his hand at any time, fighting with the Leviathan Axe utilizes a lot of axe throws as well. Most importantly, the axe channels the powers of frost, granting it the ability to impart that status effect on enemies per hit, or manifest area ice attacks when needed.
The Blades of Chaos provide a weaker, but more area-focused way to deal with enemies with its sweeping attacks and explosive fire moves. The Blades of Chaos don’t really have much ranged options apart its normal reach, but can ensnare and grapple enemies into one another or towards Kratos. They hit faster, and are generally best for groups of small enemies, although the weapon’s Burn status effect does help whittle down bigger foes.
Lastly, we have the brand-new Draupnir Spear, introduced midway through the campaign and made out of an endlessly duplicating ring. The Draupnir Spear is designed for quick and ranged engagements, endlessly copying itself whenever Kratos throws it and detonating on impact. It also harnesses the elements much better than the other weapons, letting it suck in status effects and impart it to others.
The flow of combat is also dependent on how players string together attacks. God of War Ragnarök features a non-linear way to incorporate various moves with limited input variety. Instead of every new move or skill requiring a new input, new combos can be unlocked based on Kratos’ current or previous action.
Attacking while sprinting performs a different move if you have that move unlocked, as does attacking with a light attack first and pausing. Aiming down sights while throwing an axe or holding a sweep with the Blades of Chaos also performs different moves. This keeps things fluid and prevents the need to memorize whole strings of combos as if this were a fighting game.
Kratos also has defensive options in combat for times when pressing the attack is impossible or inadvisable. Kratos
Lastly, Kratos has access to environmental attacks, which are just parts of the map he can use to attack enemies with like uprooted trees, boulders, and pitfalls. These often deal massive damage and impart powerful status effects, but are generally less common and do not replenish. Larger enemies can also be ridden and used as environmental attacks when staggered.
Skill and Weapon Upgrades
Progression in God of War Ragnarok revolves around two core systems: skill upgrades and weapon upgrades. Skill upgrades expand Kratos and Atreus’s combat capabilities, enhancing existing combos or unlocking entirely new ones. These upgrades are purchased with XP earned through battling enemies.
Once unlocked, skills can progress through three tiers—Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each tier adds bonuses, with Gold unlocking a Mod Slot that allows further customization. Players can use XP to modify skills, tailoring their effects with options like increased damage, elemental power, stun, or protection. Progressing a skill’s tier requires consistent use, with each action contributing to its upgrade counter. However, some skills remain locked until the corresponding weapon is upgraded to a specific level.
Weapon upgrades complement this system, boosting each weapon’s base stats and unlocking higher-tier skills while giving it a new look. Upgrades are performed at blacksmiths by spending Hacksilver and rare materials obtained through exploration and story progression. Weapons can be enhanced up to level 7 in the base game and level 10 in New Game +.
Items and Armor
Kratos’ stats in God of War Ragnarök are primarily determined by his weapons and gear, each contributing to one of six core attributes: Strength (STR), Defense (DEF), Vitality (VIT), Runic (RNC), Luck (LCK), and Cooldown (CLD). Armor pieces often come with passive abilities, which either trigger automatically or require equipping matching set pieces. These passives typically enhance specific stats under certain conditions or provide unique effects.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the stats:
⚫︎ Strength: increases weapon damage, with higher scores delivering stronger base attacks
⚫︎ Defense: reduces the damage Kratos takes from enemy attacks.
⚫︎ Vitality: boosts overall health and stagger resistance.
⚫︎ Runic: amplifies the damage and elemental effects of runic attacks.
⚫︎ Cooldown: shortens the recovery time for runic attacks after use.
⚫︎ Luck: influences the quantity and quality of loot dropped by enemies.
Beyond armor, Kratos can equip attachments, relics, and resurrection stones to further customize his capabilities. Attachments slot into weapons or shields, offering minor stat boosts and additional bonuses. Relics, on the other hand, are activated to provide temporary stat boosts or offensive capabilities, such as the Sword Hilts—legendary relics tied to Norse mythology, including Dainsleif and Skofnung.
Lastly, resurrection stones, purchasable from blacksmiths, are consumables that revive Kratos upon death. Each stone restores a portion of his max health, with higher-tier stones offering greater recovery or unique perks like Spartan Rage recharge. However, Kratos can only carry one Resurrection Stone at a time and must buy more whenever one is used.
Exploration
Exploration in God of War Ragnarök goes far beyond simply wandering and collecting items. Players will solve puzzles, navigate branching paths, and revisit earlier locations to unlock new areas using newly acquired tools.
Interactivity is woven into the environment, especially in the starting areas, where basic controls allow players to engage with the world. Kratos’ arsenal plays a key role in exploration, enabling players to open hidden paths, solve puzzles for valuable upgrade materials, or reach previously inaccessible collectibles.
Each of Kratos’ three main weapons offers unique interactions with the world:
⚫︎ Leviathan Axe: Perfect for ranged tasks, such as destroying Odin’s Ravens or unlocking Nornir Chests.
⚫︎ Blades of Chaos: Transfer fire between sconces to activate secrets or grapple far-away interactibles.
⚫︎ Draupnir Spear: Jam it into cracks in walls to create climbing bars, granting access to high platforms and unreachable areas.
Surviving Valhalla
The aptly named Valhalla
free DLC for God of War Ragnarök introduces a fresh roguelike twist to the game’s core gameplay loop. Players battle their way through a gauntlet of stages filled with enemies from across the Nine Realms while upgrading their arsenal through a unique system of Glyphs.
At the start of every run, players select their preferred shield and Spartan Rage ability, setting the foundation for their strategy. As each run continues, Kratos will encounter chests offering a choice between two Glyphs.
These upgrades are randomized and cater to various playstyles, granting bonuses to specific weapons, skills, or elemental attacks. Glyphs often appear alongside runic attacks, enabling players to diversify or specialize their combat approach with each decision.
Progression doesn’t end there—meta upgrades can be unlocked using Mastery Seals, earned during Valhalla runs, providing long-term improvements that carry across attempts.
God of War Ragnarök Story
God of War Ragnarök picks up several years after the events of God of War (2018), following the fallout from Baldur’s death. This fateful act has set in motion a chain of events leading to Ragnarök—the prophesied end of all things.
As Kratos and Atreus endure the harrowing final stretch of a three-year blizzard, they face an uncertain future. Determined to prevent yet another apocalypse, father and son must navigate their strained relationship with the goddess Freya while confronting powerful new foes, unraveling prophecies, and grappling with the weight of destiny itself.
Enduring Fimbulwinter
The story opens with Kratos and Atreus enduring the bitter end of Fimbulwinter, a relentless three-year blizzard prophesied to signal the arrival of Ragnarök. As the icy winds strip Kratos of his strength and his once-mighty magical artifacts, he and Atreus are thrust into a desperate struggle for survival. Their challenges grow fiercer when Freya, consumed by grief and rage over the death of her son Baldur, relentlessly hunts them down.
Amidst the turmoil, Thor and Odin make a dramatic appearance—not only to settle old scores but also to warn the pair against delving deeper into Loki’s true identity and his fateful role in Ragnarök. Kratos, defiant as ever, rejects their warnings, igniting a chain of events that sets the stage for an epic and inevitable confrontation.
The Search for Tyr
Driven to uncover Loki’s true identity and his role in Ragnarök, Kratos and Atreus embark on a perilous journey across the realms in search of answers. Along the way, Atreus becomes convinced that Tyr, the long-lost Norse god of war, holds the key to averting the apocalyptic prophecy. Their quest leads them to Svartalfheim, where they discover Tyr imprisoned within the depths of a dwarven mine. Freeing him, they secure a powerful new ally to guide their next steps.
As Atreus grapples with his emerging role in the unfolding events, he sets out to find any remnants of his kin who survived Odin’s brutal extermination of the giants in Jotunheim. His search brings him to Angrboda and her hidden sanctuary, offering him a rare glimpse of hope and understanding amidst the chaos.
Atreus’ Journey to Asgard
Following the advice of Tyr and Freya, Kratos travels through the Nine Realms, rallying allies for the looming battle of Ragnarok. Meanwhile, a frustrated and rebellious Atreus, disillusioned by his father’s decisions, ventures to Asgard alone to confront Odin.
While Kratos undertakes a daring mission in Vanaheim to rescue Freyr and strengthen their forces, Atreus falls under Odin’s sway. The All-Father convinces him to aid in his efforts to prevent Ragnarok and safeguard Asgard’s current state, even revealing a mysterious mask said to grant ultimate knowledge—an artifact that fuels Odin’s obsession.
However, their paths converge once more after Odin’s treachery shatters Atreus’s trust. Father and son reunite, their resolve stronger than ever, as they prepare for the climactic assault on Asgard on the eve of Ragnarok.
Ragnarök
The end of days has arrived. Surtr marches upon Asgard, his fiery form destined to raze its walls, while Jormungandr coils in wait to fulfill his prophecy and strike down Thor. At the same time, the armies of Kratos and Freya stand united, ready to breach Asgard’s defenses and bring an end to Odin’s reign of tyranny.
The battle is brutal and devastating, leaving countless lives lost in its wake. Yet, in the midst of the chaos, Odin falls, his obsessive grip over the Nine Realms finally broken. From the ashes of the old world rises a new order—one founded on compassion, unity, and the promise of peace, ushering in a hopeful future for all realms.
Forgiveness in Valhalla
In the wake of Odin’s defeat and Atreus’s departure to carve out his destiny among the Nine Realms, Kratos returns to a quiet, solitary life—until a cryptic note, nailed to the door of his cabin, calls him to “master thyself” through the trials of Valhalla. Determined, Kratos ventures into the realm of the Einherjar, confronting relentless challenges and the lingering shadows of his past.
As he battles through these trials, Freya presents him with a life-altering proposal: to take up the mantle of the Norse God of War. Haunted by echoes of his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece, Kratos is forced to confront his deepest regrets and learn to forgive himself for the destruction he once wrought. Only after this journey of self-discovery does he find the strength to accept Freya’s offer, embracing his new role as a protector and leader—a God of War reborn, not through violence, but through wisdom and redemption.
