‘God of War Ragnarok’: What Story Points To Remember Before Playing

The tip is right here. On Wednesday God of Battle: Ragnarok hit the PS4 and PS5, the largest PlayStation unique since The Last of Us Part 2 again in 2020. Ragnarok is well worth the wait, because it’s one of the best games of 2022. The God of Battle sequel options dazzling realms and exhilarating fight, however its biggest power could also be its story. 

The connection between Kratos and his son Atreus is the inspiration of this story, which sees the pair sort out the specter of Ragnarok — the conflict to finish all wars.

Anybody can benefit from the sport’s gorgeous graphics and considerate puzzles — and anybody who can abdomen the violence will take pleasure in its fight. The story, nonetheless, would require some brushing up on historical historical past. Gamers of earlier video games may have some reminders on key plot particulars earlier than diving into the brand new blockbuster, and people new to the franchise will completely have to know the 411 earlier than coming into the cataclysm of God of Battle: Ragnarok. 

God of Battle: Ragnarok is nice however, belief me, it is dense. (Read our God of War: Ragnarok review here.)

Kratos was initially from historical Greece, proper? 

He positive was. Although God of Battle: Ragnarok takes place within the Norse realms, Kratos’ first adventures have been all rooted in Greek mythology. He began out as an everyday Greek warrior dude however, going through close to demise amid a brutal battle, he known as out to Ares, the god of conflict, with a suggestion. Give him power, and Kratos will without end be in Ares’ debt. 

Seems, promoting your soul to the god of conflict is a short-sighted transfer. Kratos, with the Blades of Chaos seared round his wrists, is put to work — and by work I imply “ruthlessly plundering villages.” Ares deemed Kratos however not nice super-soldier, so hatched a plan: If Kratos killed his spouse and daughter, he’d be freed from ties to the mortal world and would grow to be the coldest of killers. So Ares tricked Kratos into murdering his family. Fairly terrible boss, that Ares — fortunately labor legal guidelines have come a great distance since historical Greece. 

Ares’ plan works, for some time. Kratos serves the gods dutifully for a decade, however is haunted by nightmares of his household’s demise. He calls for Athena, the goddess of knowledge, take away his nightmares, and he or she provides him a suggestion. If Kratos kills Ares, who’s gone rogue lately, she’ll cleanse Kratos’ mind of his nightmarish previous. 

Thus begins Kratos’ god-killing methods. Over the course of the unique God of Battle trilogy, Kratos kills Ares and takes his place as god of conflict, is betrayed by Zeus and despatched to the underworld, murders Hades to get out, learns Zeus is definitely his dad (!), demolishes your complete Greek pantheon and finally kills Zeus. God of Battle 3 ends with a vista of a chaotic, godless horizon.

Fairly heavy stuff. 

How did Kratos get to Midgard?

Quick reply: He walked and sailed. About 100 years separate God of Battle 3 and 2018’s God of Battle — greater than sufficient time to succeed in a brand new land the ol’-fashioned means.

Having wrought chaos and killed so, so many individuals, Kratos needed a brand new life. As revealed within the Darkish Horse God of Battle comics, Kratos fled Greece after the occasions of God of Battle 3 and roamed the overseas Land of the Pharaohs — Egypt is not that removed from Greece, in any case. Kratos tried time and time once more to rid himself of his Blades of Chaos, however each time he went to sleep, he’d get up to search out them returned to him.

Kratos desires to go away his outdated methods behind, however is stricken by the unshakable Blades of Chaos. He meets an outdated man who tells Kratos that he is the reply to the locals’ prayers: They have been threatened by two Chaos Beasts, and future has despatched Kratos there to slay the fiends. Kratos remains to be an enormous downer at this level and says he simply desires to be left alone. He is confronted by the Chaos Beasts, however refuses to make use of his Blades of Chaos. He manages to kill one, however the different, bigger one knocks him unconscious.

The outdated man reveals himself to be Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge. Between Thoth and Athena, who has a behavior of showing to Kratos in visions, Kratos is satisfied to not run away from his future. He wakes up, grabs his Blades of Chaos and slays the beast. That permits him to maneuver past the Land of the Pharaohs. 

After his detour by means of Egypt, Kratos walks and walks and walks. He finds himself within the northern Norse lands. He lives in solitude for 75 years, in accordance with the comics, throughout which period he works on his anger points, attempting to purge himself of the reminiscences that also hang-out. After that point, he meets a girl known as Faye. She teaches him to open up his coronary heart, and the 2 have a boy collectively. Kratos names him Atreus, after a Spartan soldier Kratos battled alongside a few years prior.

Is that the place God of Battle 2018 begins?

A little bit bit additional on. We do not ever get to know Faye, as she dies proper earlier than God of Battle 2018 begins. That is what precipitates Kratos’ mission within the sport. Faye’s final request was that he unfold her ashes from the very best peak within the 9 realms. Easy, proper?

The search is sophisticated instantly when a wierd man knocks on Kratos’ door. He confronts Kratos, and the 2 brawl. However the fellow is resistant to ache, although Kratos is ready to quickly get rid of him by snapping his neck and rolling him off a cliff. We quickly discover out that the person is Baldur, the son of Odin. Odin is the all-father of the Nordic gods, the Zeus of those lands, making Baldur a god too.

So Kratos and Atreus go off in quest of the very best peak within the land, however with Baldur following them for unknown causes. Kratos is uneasy about his son becoming a member of him — Atreus has a wierd sickness that usually makes him weak — however permits it anyway. The Blades of Chaos are conspicuously absent, as Kratos and as a substitute wields the Leviathan ax, a weapon given to him by Faye.

They quickly meet The Witch of the Woods, a form woman who nurtures the native wildlife. She helps information them by means of black mist blocking the ascent to Midgard’s peak. After they get there, they discover Modi and Magni, sons of Thor and grandsons of Odin, questioning a one-eyed man who’s caught in a tree. After they vanish, Kratos and Atreus chat with the tree prisoner. He is Mimir, the so-called smartest man alive and former righthand man to Odin. 

Mimir reveals that the place they’re standing will not be the very best peak within the 9 realms. The best peak is definitely in Jotunheim, the Land of the Giants. These giants, having confronted genocide by the hands of Thor and Odin, blocked all journey there. Typical.

Wait, why was Mimir caught in a tree?

As famous, Mimir was once an adviser to Odin and ambassador to different realms. Odin proved to be a tough man to work with, although. The Giants prophesied Ragnarok would see Odin killed, which made him one paranoid all-father. Odin had Thor go on a Big-killing spree, which is why there are not any Giants strolling about. 

Mimir bought on nicely with the Giants, a lot in order that they took out one among his eyes and changed it with a Bifrost that allowed him to journey between realms with ease. Seeing Mimir’s shut relations with the Giants, Odin started to suspect betrayal. He imprisoned Mimir within the tree on Midgard’s peak for all eternity — till Kratos and Atreus arrived on the scene. 

How do Kratos and Atreus get into the Land of the Giants?

Mimir says that he is aware of a means in, however that his physique is trapped. He proposes an apparent answer, getting Kratos to decapitate him. From then on, Mimir’s head dangles from Kratos’ waistband as he offers all types of historical past and exposition in regards to the Nordic realms. 

With Mimir’s assist, Kratos and Atreus collect the gear wanted to reconstruct the portal into Jotunheim. Sadly, simply as they get the portal all arrange, Baldur reappears and spoils the occasion. One other brawl breaks out, and the portal is destroyed. Nice. 

Mimir has one other answer, however it requires them to retrieve his different eye, which is definitely a Bifrost that allows interrealm journey. To get it, Kratos and Atreus journey contained in the stomach of the final large, the world serpent Jormungandr. 

They handle to attain this and are in a position to reopen the portal to the Land of the Giants. A bunch of loopy stuff occurs in between all of this, and it’s best to find out about all of it.

What kinda loopy stuff are we speaking about?

Mimir reveals the Witch of the Woods to really be Freya, a goddess. We discover out that Freya is the ex-wife of Odin and the mom of Baldur. Baldur is invincible as a result of Freya, having seen a prophecy that Baldur will at some point die a useless demise, put a spell on him that makes him impervious to ache, or some other sensation. 

In the meantime, Freya revealed that Atreus is sick is as a result of he is a god who thinks he is a mortal. The answer is for Kratos to cease hiding their divinity from Atreus, however Kratos does not heed the warning. Kratos and Atreus do battle with Magni and Modi, a showdown that leaves Magni lifeless. Within the scramble, Atreus faints and goes lifeless. To save lots of his son, Kratos has to journey to Helheim and retrieve a troll’s coronary heart. As a result of Helheim is ice chilly, rendering his ax ineffective, Kratos retrieves his Blades of Chaos from below their Midgard shack. That is the most effective scene within the sport. It guidelines a lot.

Kratos goes into Nordic hell, slays the troll and revives Atreus, then lastly tells his son that they are each gods. They’re attacked by Modi, who Kratos bests. Atreus kills the wounded Modi, incomes the ire of Kratos, who says there was no have to kill the clearly defeated foe. 

After Kratos and Atreus retrieve Baldur’s second eye from the World Serpent, they battle Baldur once more. A mistletoe arrow that Atreus beforehand acquired pierces Baldur’s invincibility spell, permitting him to really feel ache and die. Kratos and Atreus beat him down, however Freya stops them from killing him. 

However Baldur, indignant that Freya’s spell restricted him from not solely ache however any earthly pleasure, begins strangling his mom. To save lots of Freya, Kratos kills Baldur. He places him in a chokehold and, earlier than snapping his neck for actual this time, utters “we have to be higher than this.” So in the long run, Baldur did certainly undergo a useless demise.

The mom is not grateful in any respect about her life being saved. Freya swears she’ll get vengeance on Kratos if it is the very last thing she ever does. 

So what occurs as soon as Kratos and Atreus attain Jotenheim’s peak?

Kratos fulfills Faye’s dying want, scattering her ashes from Jotenheim’s peak. Regardless of all of the brutal killing, he is truly a very nice man.

Earlier than they get to the height, nonetheless, Kratos and Atreus discover a mural that gives some startling revalations. First, the Giants prophesized their journey way back. Their journey is depicted on the temple partitions precisely because it occurred. It revealed that Baldur wasn’t after Kratos, he was after Faye — as a result of Faye was a large. That makes Atreus half large, half mortal and half god. What’s extra, Atreus is known as on the mural as Loki. 

After Atreus scampers off, wind blows and divulges a ultimate a part of the mural, a piece Kratos sees however Atreus does not. It reveals Atreus mourning over the lifeless physique of Kratos. Kratos grunts, as he does. As they’re returning dwelling, Mimir says Baldur’s demise has disrupted the pure order of issues. Fimbulwinter, the nice winter that precedes Ragnarok, has begun 100 years early. 

That is not a foul omen in any respect.