God of War Ragnarök

=== Setting ===
Ragnarök is set in the world of Norse mythology, taking place three years after the previous game. Unlike that prior entry, all nine realms of Norse mythology are visited as part of the story. Midgard is the primary realm which has become a frigid wasteland, dramatically changed by Fimbulwinter, a three-year long winter that began upon the conclusion of the previous game. The Lake of the Nine, previously navigable by means of a boat, is now frozen over, with Kratos making use of a sleigh and two pet wolves to navigate around the area. The other returning realms include Alfheim, the mystical home of the dark and light Elves; Helheim, the icy land of the dead; Jötunheim, the land of the Giants; the fiery realm Muspelheim, and the fog realm Niflheim, now covered with ice and snow—the latter two were previously optional to explore. The three new realms for Ragnarök include Svartalfheim, the industrial abode of the Dwarves; Vanaheim, the lush home of the Vanir gods as well as the giant wolves Sköll and Hati; and Asgard, the humble home of the Aesir gods that is only visited as part of the story and cannot be accessed after its conclusion. The DLC pack Valhalla adds Valhalla, a remaining area within Asgard where warriors go after death. Within Valhalla are small recreations of the previous realms based on Kratos's memories, as well as areas from his homeland of Greece.

Characters

The main protagonists are Kratos (played by Christopher Judge) and his teenage son, Atreus (Sunny Suljic). Kratos is the former Greek God of War, while Atreus is half Giant, one-quarter god, and one-quarter mortal and is also referred to by his Giant name, Loki. Since the conclusion of the previous game, Kratos and Atreus have been in hiding at their home in the realm of Midgard, training for the inevitable battle ahead of them. They are often accompanied by the head of Mímir (Alastair Duncan), who claims to be the smartest man alive and is a loyal companion who provides knowledge and counsel. Other major returning characters include Freya (Danielle Bisutti), a Vanir goddess, former Queen of the Valkyries, and Odin's ex-wife, who seeks revenge against Kratos and Atreus for the death of her son, Baldur; and the Huldra Brothers, Brok (Robert Craighead) and Sindri (Adam Harrington), a pair of dwarven blacksmiths who assist Kratos and Atreus by forging new gear and also found a way to travel to other realms without using the realm travel table in Týr's Temple. A new character is Angrboda (Laya DeLeon Hayes), one of the last remaining Giants hiding in Jötunheim in a secluded forest called the Ironwood, protecting its animals. Other allies include Ratatoskr (SungWon Cho), the squirrel guardian of the World Tree; Lúnda (Milana Vayntrub), a dwarven blacksmith who is part of Freyr's resistance army; and Skjöldr (A.J. LoCascio), a Midgardian refugee who has settled in Asgard.
The game's primary antagonist is the Aesir god Odin (Richard Schiff), the king of Asgard and Allfather of the Nine Realms. An unseen character in the previous game, he is a pathological liar and manipulator obsessed with preventing his death at Ragnarök and will take any means to stop it. He lost an eye while looking into a rift between worlds in hopes of finding answers to prevent the catastrophic event. His ravens, including Huginn and Muninn, allow him and the Aesir to travel freely to any realm, and they are his watchful eyes over them. Thor (Ryan Hurst), the Aesir God of Thunder and eldest son of Odin, serves as a secondary antagonist; he is the half-brother of Baldur and father of Modi and Magni, all of whom Kratos and Atreus killed in the previous game. He wields the hammer Mjölnir with which he slays Giants, despite being part-Giant himself, and does the bidding of his father although constantly belittled by him. Another antagonist is the Aesir god Heimdall (Scott Porter), another son of Odin and half-brother to Thor who has a superiority complex and believes himself untouchable due to his foresight ability. Known as the "Herald of Ragnarök", he watches over Asgard for threats, rides atop a graðungr, a large, horned, lion like beast named Gulltoppr, and possesses the magical horn Gjallarhorn that signals the start of Ragnarök and opens simultaneous realm travel to Asgard.
Other characters include Freyr (Brett Dalton), Freya's Vanir twin brother who has been leading a resistance against Odin and the Aesir in Vanaheim; Týr (Ben Prendergast), the Norse God of War but a peaceful one who was thought to have been killed by Odin prior to the events of the previous game; Sif (Emily Rose), Thor's golden-haired Aesir wife who wants Thor to stand up to Odin; Thrúd (Mina Sundwall), the daughter of Thor and Sif who dreams of becoming a Valkyrie and is unaware of Odin's true nature; and Surtr (Chris Browning), a fire Giant who lives in Muspelheim. The three Norns also appear, who are the Fates of Norse mythology—Urð (Kate Miller), the Norn associated with the past, Verðandi (Emily O'Brien), the Norn associated with the present, and Skuld (Shelby Young), the Norn associated with the future. Kratos's second wife—Atreus's mother—Laufey (Deborah Ann Woll), a Giantess who goes by Faye for short and had died shortly before the start of the previous game, appears in flashbacks to Kratos, preparing him for her death and her final wish, which was the basis of the previous game.
The DLC expansion Valhalla sees the return of the Greek Sun god Helios (Crispin Freeman), who appears as an illusory head during Kratos and Mímir's journey in Valhalla, briefly taking Mímir's place; Helios mocks and taunts Kratos about his past and his desire for redemption. Former Valkyries Sigrun (Misty Lee), Gunnr (Anna Campbell), and Eir (Sarah Sokolovic), rechristened as Shield Maidens and who had minor roles in Ragnarök, act as guides for Kratos and Mímir in Valhalla.

Plot

Near the end of Fimbulwinter, Kratos and Atreus return home—fending off an ambush by a vengeful Freya—only to find their wolf, Fenrir, dying. Atreus's grief transforms him into a bear, and he battles Kratos before returning to his senses. Thor arrives with Odin, who proposes leaving them alone and keeping Freya away if Atreus abandons searching for Týr. Kratos refuses and duels Thor to a stalemate. Odin tells Atreus he will leave Kratos alone if the former comes to Asgard. Kratos, Atreus, and Mímir take refuge at Sindri's home on a branch of Yggdrasil and rescue a pacifistic Týr in Svartalfheim. In Alfheim, they discover that only Asgard is doomed to fall, while the other realms will endure under a new champion, hinted to be Atreus as Loki. Kratos and Atreus clash over his alleged destiny.
Atreus is transported to Jötunheim. He meets Angrboda, who shows him a mural seemingly foretelling Kratos's death in Ragnarök and Atreus serving Odin. Sworn to secrecy, Atreus is entrusted with spiritual stones containing Giants' souls, putting one into a snake's body, before returning to Midgard. Freya attacks but relents, agreeing to spare Kratos if he breaks the curse binding her to Midgard, which she temporarily circumvents by transforming into a falcon. In Vanaheim, Kratos opens up to Freya about his family's deaths in Greece, his vengeance against Olympus, and the emptiness of revenge. After breaking the curse, Freya and Kratos make amends.
Kratos confronts Atreus over his deceit, prompting Atreus to flee to Asgard in hopes of preventing Kratos’s death. There, he teams up with Thor and Thrúd to stop Ragnarök by piecing together an ancient mask for Odin that supposedly grants limitless knowledge. The Norns reveal to Kratos, Freya, and Mímir that Heimdall is fated to kill Atreus. Kratos and Brok journey to Svartalfheim to forge the Draupnir ring into a spear capable of harming Heimdall. After crafting the spear, Brok discovers he had once been revived by Sindri without part of his soul, meaning he could never reach an afterlife if he dies again. Before leaving, Kratos encounters Odin, who mocks his godhood, noting no one ever worshipped him. In Helheim, Atreus unleashes the soulless giant wolf Garm, who rips holes between realms. Reunited, Kratos and Atreus restore Fenrir by transferring his soul into Garm, reconciling in the process. In Vanaheim, Kratos kills Heimdall after he threatens Atreus and claims Gjallarhorn, setting Ragnarök in motion.
Atreus heads back to Asgard, puts the mask together, and escapes with it. Týr agrees to join the fight and asks for the mask, but Brok grows suspicious when Týr calls Atreus “Loki,” as the Asgardians do. Suddenly, Týr fatally stabs Brok, revealing he’s actually Odin in disguise before being forced to leave. Devastated and blaming Atreus for Brok’s death, Sindri leaves the group. Determined to bring about Ragnarök, Atreus and Kratos travel to Muspelheim to help Surtr take on his destined primordial form to destroy Asgard.
The realms' united forces gather under Kratos's leadership; he sounds Gjallarhorn to begin the siege of Asgard. It begins poorly, but the tides turn when Angrboda arrives with Fenrir and the snake, now grown into Jörmungandr, who battles Thor while Sindri destroys Asgard's wall. Thrúd and Sif defect after discovering Odin used Midgardian refugees as shields. Thor knocks Jörmungandr back in time and battles Kratos, who convinces him to stand down for his family; Odin kills Thor for disobeying. Kratos, Atreus, and Freya fight Odin, defeating him after Atreus shatters the mask. Atreus traps Odin's soul in a stone, which Sindri smashes. Freyr sacrifices himself, buying time for the group to escape to Midgard as Surtr destroys Asgard.
Angrboda reveals to Kratos and Atreus a mural that Faye had destroyed, allowing them to choose their own fate. Atreus decides to seek out the remaining Giants and says goodbye to Kratos, who finds a mural portraying him as a revered god of hope, peace, and justice. Filled with emotion and newfound optimism, Kratos enlists Freya and Mímir to help restore peace. Asgard’s Einherjar are driven out; Freya defeats the vengeful Valkyrie Queen Gná and reclaims her mantle; the Aesir move to Vanaheim, making peace with the Vanir; Thrúd takes up Mjölnir in honor of Thor; and the true Týr is discovered and freed in Niflheim. In the secret ending, Kratos, Freya, Mímir, and a bitter Sindri attend Brok’s funeral in Svartalfheim.

Valhalla

Some time later, Kratos receives an anonymous invitation to Valhalla. He and Mímir break in, only for Kratos to lose his equipment and magical abilities before being defeated in battle. Upon waking on the shores outside, they meet Freya and Sigrun. Now Queen of the Realms, Freya invites Kratos to join her council as the new God of War, but he refuses, unwilling to wield such power again after the destruction he caused in Greece.
After battling through Valhalla, Kratos encounters Týr, the sender of the invitation. Týr urges him to face his past, but Kratos is held back by his anguish. To master himself and accept his history, he undergoes more trials, confronting manifestations of past foes like Modi and Magni, as well as the illusory head of Helios. One trial goes awry when Sigrun breaks Valhalla’s rules to save Kratos and Mímir from certain death, weakening her bond to the land. Týr helps Kratos face a vision of his younger self, overcoming fear and self-loathing. Kratos realizes that while his younger self was cruel, he also sacrificed himself to release hope back to humanity, proving there was always good in him. Understanding the difference between serving others and being of service, Kratos makes peace with himself and agrees to join Freya’s council as a Norse God of War, championing hope.
Through more trials in Valhalla, Mímir admits his deep romantic feelings for Sigrun. In the secret ending, Sigrun chooses not to endure the trials to restore her bond with Valhalla, leaving her role as Shield Maiden to travel the world in search of her purpose, promising to return to Mímir someday.