God of War: Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLC has a significant amount of narrative as Kratos and Mimir embark on a roguelike adventure through the renowned Hall of Heroes. As Santa Monica Studio presents the sequel as the conclusion of the Norse mythology storyline, there has been a persistent question about what lies ahead for Kratos, his son Atreus, and the future of the God of War narrative. While fans have been discussing the implications of Ragnarok’s conclusion for our heroes for the previous year, Valhalla provides some insight into Kratos’ upcoming activities.
Valhalla serves as Kratos’ treatment.
The Valhalla downloadable content (DLC) addresses the emotional aspects missing in Kratos’ story in both the 2018 reboot and Ragnarok. In the initial game, the main focus was on Kratos attempting to conceal his history of violence from Atreus. However, in Ragnarok, a shift in perspective prompts us to ponder the significance of Kratos’ role as the God of War when he lacks followers. The All-Father Odin challenges him on this matter, asserting that he is unaware of the bond between humans and deities and the assistance they offer in return. In principle, at least. It is simple to make generic statements about helping humans while causing chaos in the Nine Realms due to the impending disaster of Ragnarok. However, his point is accurate. What did godhood mean to Kratos other than power? The title indicated that his focus was mainly on defeating his adversaries rather than his interest in the less violent aspects of being a deity.
Ragnarok concludes with Kratos encountering a Jötnar shrine that portrays him as a deity revered by the inhabitants of the Nine Realms. The discovery brings Kratos to tears, but he has a lot to process before he is prepared to be a kind leader of people. Therefore, most of the tasks in Valhalla have titles that are some form of “The Work. Valhalla serves as a prolonged therapeutic experience for Kratos. He needs to face the terrible things he did throughout the Greek storyline of God of War. He goes to Valhalla and confronts his inner struggles as his memories generate settings to go through, adversaries to confront, and embodiments of his past, such as Helios, the Greek deity of the Sun, taking the form of a speaking, detached head throughout the expansion.
During his time in Valhalla, Kratos reflects on his history as a brutal ruler and questions if he deserves to serve the public in any capacity, considering his actions. Freya has requested him to assume the role of the new Norse God of War, and his progress through Valhalla primarily involves him resolving his conflicted emotions by engaging in combat with adversaries and confronting Tyr, the former God of War, at every summit. After repeating this action several times, Kratos eventually faces a representation of himself, and actor Christopher Judge delivers an outstanding speech as he decides not to pardon his actions but to progress despite them as the God of Hope. He will prioritise serving the people rather than himself and will actively defend the Nine Realms alongside Freya. Will it suffice to be a deity deserving of the designation? He is unaware, yet he remains optimistic.
Valhalla might be a fresh start.
Although we can accept Santa Monica Studio’s statements that Ragnarok marks the conclusion of the Norse mythology narrative, there are still many uncertainties at this stage. As many have noted, the original ending of Ragnarok establishes certain storylines for the next game to continue, and Kratos will remain present for the foreseeable future. After Brok dies in the main game, Kratos and Atreus’ relationship with the dwarven blacksmith Sindri is in disarray. If Kratos wants to continue helping the people of the Nine Realms, it is worth considering whether he should still maintain a relationship with his friend and ally despite the tragic loss of his brother.
However, the more obvious sequel/spin-off setup doesn’t include Kratos in any way. After learning more about his heritage as one of the few remaining Giants, Atreus chooses to separate from his father to search for the remaining members of his community. Kratos’ son currently has a more precise and tangible objective that may propel the storyline of a video game. It remains to be seen whether there will be a spin-off game in the vein of Spider-Man: Miles Morales or if Atreus will take on the lead role in a mainstream God of War game.
Although Atreus’ near future appears more confident, supporters remain unconvinced that he will become a prominent figure in the story in the future. Indeed, Santa Monica Studio has stated that Ragnarok marked the conclusion of the Norse narrative. However, Kratos remains securely seated on the throne of the God of War in Norse Mythology following Valhalla. Atreus has gained popularity over time but has a different cultural significance than Kratos. His playable sections in Ragnarok received mixed reactions, and some fans believe that the series cannot move forward without the angry elderly character. An Amazon TV show based on God of War is also being produced. It wouldn’t be very logical to discard the main character of the series right before exposing him to an entirely new audience.
There are indications that a possible God of War game would be set in Ancient Egypt and centre around the gods of its mythology. Kratos has previously visited Egypt in the Fallen God comic series, and there are more subtle allusions to it throughout the series. In the 2018 remake, several Egyptian artefacts, such as a pharaoh’s crook and scarab, are discovered in Tyr’s Temple. Ragnarök also includes an Ankh as one of its valuable Stolen Treasures. Mimir is aware of this object and refers to Egypt as the “River Empire,” indicating that it is a familiar entity in the Nine Realms. Although there is no explicit confirmation, it does indicate that there has been a previous occurrence of Kratos exploring this particular mythology.
Regardless of what is ahead for Kratos and Atreus, Valhalla does seem to be the ultimate conclusion of the Norse series’ storyline for the God of War. He has overcome feelings of humiliation and wrath and has now achieved a state of acceptance. Can Kratos, a figure primarily characterised by internal conflict and anger, function when he has achieved complete tranquillity? I’m excited to find out.