Cover-Credits:
Sony’s Santa Monica Studios have launched the first biggest DLC for God of War Ragnarok and numerous players are excited to get their hands on it. This expansion titled Valhalla will act as an epilogue, following the events of the base game after the decisive battle against Odin and Atreus’ departure. Although the DLC emphasizes roguelike gameplay and does a lot in terms of combat by introducing new enemy types, its enticing plot is still connected to the main game, so if you want to catch up with the lore, it is advised that you complete the main storyline of Ragnarok before jumping into Valhalla. However, we’ve got you covered if you want to know the expansion’s story right away. Let’s take a look!
God of War Ragnarok Valhalla Plot Explained (Contains Spoilers)
If you consider yourself a God of War veteran, you would’ve definitely noticed the elements from the game’s Greek era in this new DLC. Taking a look at the official synopsis also gives us an idea, as it says that “Kratos will enter its unknown depths to overcome trials within himself and face echoes of his past”. Furthermore, the trailer for this expansion also plays the iconic ‘Vengeful Spartan’ theme song from 2005’s God of War, confirming that this DLC certainly digs up Kratos’ past, something that he tried to completely neglect in the last two games.
Entering Valhalla
The story begins with Kratos and Mimir traveling to the shores of Valhalla while conversing about a strange invitation that proposed a challenge for the God of War. As we already know, the Ghost of Sparta never shies away from a challenge and so he reaches the shores of this mysterious realm. Upon entering, his powers, weapons, armor, shields, relics, runes, etc, are all taken away leaving him with just three base weapons. After entering the realm, he attempts to explore the realm and encounters various enemies on the way. Soon he comes across a few aggressive Einherjars and Kratos with his weak weapons and being stripped of his powers, falls to his knees.
Kratos and Mimir wake up on the shores of Valhalla again and prepare themselves to enter again, but they are stopped by Freya and the Valkyries who persuade him not to enter this uncanny realm. Kratos pulls out the invite he received and upon seeing it, Freya is immediately convinced that Kratos must embark on this self-reflective journey. Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen is also present there and she is surprised at Kratos’ ability to forcefully enter Valhalla. She advises that doing so will be futile and orders the Valkyries to prepare a ritual for him, which will now allow him to take his shield along with his Spartan Rage ability.
Valhalla’s Mystery Uncovers
From the conversation between Freya and Kratos, we get to know that she offered him the position of being the God of War for the Norse Pantheon which he has apparently denied for the time being. Kratos is also informed that Valhalla will show him visions from his past and the realms he is about to explore will be shown to him in whatever way he interprets it. With this newfound knowledge, Kratos steps into Valhalla once again. At this point, you must start familiarizing yourself with the game’s roguelike elements and figure out how to progress through various doors in the realm, that offer new discoveries. You will have to defeat the realm’s chosen defenders and mini-bosses along with unlocking more of your skills to make significant progress. Upon defeating a certain mini-boss, Kratos will be able to see his old throne while Mimir’s head will turn into the head of Helios, the sun god.
Kratos and Helios engage in a conversation about his rampage at the Greek Pantheon and suddenly he is faced with the world of Olympus. He is transported into a Greek era of sorts, where he combats familiar enemies. Similar to his past, he puts Helios’ head into a cage and is ready to sacrifice him, but suddenly, he notices that the head has transformed back into Mimir. He stops the ritual which breaks the rules of the realm and just when Kratos and Mimir are about to be engulfed by flames, they are rescued by Sigrun and come back to the start, yet another time.
As you continue progressing and defeating a few more mini-bosses, you will uncover the mystery behind the invite that Kratos receives. You will find out that the person who invited you to Valhalla and put you through these trials is none other than Tyr, the previous Norse God of War. Your attention is also diverted toward the room behind him and you find out that defeating Tyr is the only way to get through.
From this point, you unlock numerous other quests spread across the realm of Valhalla. These include:
Finding all 3 Boat Captain Keys
Completing 9 Mastery Quests
Reclaiming Pandora’s Statue
Retrieve Kratos’ Oath Stone
Forum Arena Battles
Unlocking 9 Realms within Valhalla
While attempting to engage in these activities, you will encounter numerous Greek and Norse enemies and even artifacts like the Blade of Olympus.
The Ending: God of Hope and Peace
As you go through the story, Tyr will be a recurring character and you will have to fight him thrice (excluding player deaths and re-attempts). He will be wielding weapons from various Pantheons he has visited over the years. Through each battle, Tyr will attempt to teach you valuable lessons through this encounter, and you unlock new abilities and powers for Kratos. After defeating Tyr in the third and final battle, he will once again preach about love, fear, hope, and hate and finally allow Kratos to enter the room behind him.
Once you finally enter the room, you will find a young Ghost of Sparta sitting on his old God of War throne. While this younger version of him does not utter a word, we see the impact this has on Kratos, as he expresses all his anger and frustration toward his past self. While he was unable to confront himself in the last two entries, all of his hidden emotions come out and ultimately, he forgives himself for his mistakes. There is a genuine and captivating Kratos monologue delivered by voice actor Christopher Judge, who has knocked it out of the park with this one as well! At the very end, Kratos confirms his decision to become the God of War for the Norse Pantheon but there is one slight change. He is now the God of Hope and Peace!
