God of War Ragnarok is a dynamic and moving work of fiction that bravely tackles subjects like love, identity, and death. These themes come together in Ragnarok’s grand conclusion, which sees the seeds Sony Santa Monica sowed throughout both God of War and Ragnarok come to fruition, bringing the Norse Saga of God of War to an enormous yet poignant close.
There are many threads to untangle because God of War Ragnarok’s spectacular conclusion is crammed with so much information. So let’s examine what transpired after Ragnarok, what it means for the characters, and what its implications are for the future of the God of War series.
Google of War When you begin reading The Realms at War chapter, Ragnarok’s conclusion truly begins. Kratos and his trusted companions camped up at T’r’s temple in Midgard before the Battle of Ragnarok. Kratos and Atreus depart to their tents for the night, knowing what is to come, leaving Mimir with the former Valkyrie Queen and lover Sigrun.
Kratos has a visitor while he tries to fall asleep. Atreus, who has grown considerably in maturity, slips inside his tent to fall asleep. He is terrified by what is about to happen and needs his father’s support. To ease him into falling asleep, he requests that Kratos tell him a story. Kratos starts his story by describing an elderly guy who had to drag large wood logs daily.
Kratos claims that the man wished to die since the logs were just so heavy. And then Death showed up one day. As soon as Kratos senses Atreus is dozing, he ends his narrative. He begins to sob as he observes his son sleeping inside the silent tent. Kratos will perish if the seer Groa’s prophecy comes to pass, leaving Atreus alone.
Kratos finally falls asleep, and it appears that his dream is only a memory. He follows his deceased wife Faye about Midgard as she paints trees with yellow paint on her hands, which is how the yellow handprints in God of War came to be. Faye tells Kratos her final wants as she does this. She says that the plot of the last game, which called for Kratos and Atreus to scatter the deceased’s remains from the highest mountain in the Nine Realms, will be carried out when she is burned on a pyre.
Upon awakening, Kratos realizes the moment has come: it’s up to him to launch the epic chain of events and finally vanquish Odin. After addressing his supporters in the temple’s Realm Travel Room, Kratos blows the Gjallarhorn he obtained from killing the arrogant deity Heimdall, calling his allies from all the worlds to Asgard for the decisive conflict with Odin and the Aesir.
In Norse mythology, Heimdall is supposed to sound the horn to alert the gods that the major battle of Ragnarok is approaching them when he sees the Giants coming toward Asgard.
As soon as Kratos and his trusted companions land in Asgard, chaos break out. The epic climax of God of War Ragnarok’s war of the realms is what the entire game has been leading up to. Even though Tr is Odin all along in disguise, Kratos is the one leading this battle instead of Tr. With Freya by his side, Kratos rushes directly toward Odin’s war engines, which the Dwarves constructed.
Atreus swiftly grasps the horrors of battle and worries about the helpless Asgardians Odin has stationed in the front position to halt the attack against him. He wants to aid them but is reminded of his father’s advice to “shut your heart to it” as he worries about their well-being. Unexpectedly, Kratos acknowledges that he erred in teaching Atreus that. Because it is what Faye desired, he had been open to it and everything.
Atreus must also worry about Third after ensuring Sindri’s safety. The fact that Loki has deceived them and is determined to bring down her grandfather, who in her eyes can do no wrong, infuriates Thor’s daughter. Sif intervenes to clarify the situation just as Third is about to lose Hel on Atreus. She claims that the primary motive for Sif’s attempts to prevent Third from turning into a Valkyrie was her desire to prevent her from supporting Odin in battle. Third is persuaded by her mother’s arguments and decides to go on the hunt with Atreus, Kratos, and Mimir for the All-Father.
Only one issue exists her father. Because they persuaded his daughter to join their cause, Atreus and Kratos have earned Thor’s displeasure. He has a grudge against his father, Odin, for treating him like an attack dog, and he wants Kratos to suffer as a result. Kratos chooses to spare the God of Thunder after a difficult struggle. No more, declares Kratos. “We must improve for the benefit of our children.” Thor concurs.
Odin is not pleased with his son’s refusal to carry out his orders and kill people as he pleases. He’s so angry that he pierces Thor with a spear, killing him.
Then another challenging combat, this one against Odin, starts. Freya enters and casts a binding spell on the All-Father after Kratos knocks Odin out. She has been waiting for her retaliation for a while because she still has a grudge against her ex-husband. She expects him to submit to her right now, though. Odin casts a raven at Freya to break her enchantment, releasing himself. After losing, Odin begs Atreus to assume the mask he had been looking for, the one that will let him see through the world’s tears.
Atreus is torn and turns to Kratos, who assures him that, in the end, it is his decision to do. Odin implores Atreus to put his soul in the Loki Giant marble that Angrboda had earlier given him before he cracks the mask. Kratos gives the marble to Freya by his pledge to just let her be the one who will kill Odin, but she decides she doesn’t want it. But someone else does: Sindri grabs the marble, breaks it with his hammer, and then he vanishes.
But the situation is not yet over. The creature that Surtr, a fire giant, evolved into is called Ragnarok and is still at large. From a tear he tore in the realm, Fenrir emerges with Angrboda on his side. Freya’s brother Freyr sacrifice himself in order to delay Ragnarok so that everyone has time to flee. Atreus urges Kratos to cross the tear and stay with Freyr since she doesn’t want to see her companion abandoned. It’s not entirely obvious what occurs.
The Valkyrie Eir then wakes up Atreus. He needs to locate his father while in Hoddmimis Holt. He passes his remaining allies, such as Third, Sif, Linda, and Mimir, while he searches for Kratos. They say his dad is searching for him, so he can’t spend too much time with any of them.
When Kratos arrives at Angrboda and Fenrir, he discovers Atreus. Fortunately, she needs to demonstrate them both something. Atreus asks for the conclusion to the tale Kratos was telling him as he was drifting off to sleep as the father and son follow her. The elderly guy wanted to die, but when Death showed up, he realized he didn’t want to. This is what Kratos explains. Instead, he requested assistance from Death to lift the bulky logs onto his back.
They eventually arrive where Angrboda intended to lead them. Another Giant temple, but this oracle differs slightly from the one they previously saw. This one depicts what truly transpired, namely their triumph at RagnarokKratos is left in charge of the shrine as Atreus departs on his own. He discovers another panel behind it that features a large image of him being revered as a god. He sobs and tells Mimir and Freya that he has witnessed “a path he never imagined” as he breaks down in grief.
Kratos is left in charge of the shrine as Atreus departs on his own. He discovers another panel behind it that features a large image of him being revered as a god. He sobs and tells Mimir and Freya that he has witnessed “a path he never imagined” as he breaks down in grief. There is plenty to analyze here, but if you’ve been following the hints Sony Santa Monica dropped throughout God of War and God of War Ragnarok, everything starts to make sense.
Atreus & Kratos
The bond between Kratos and Atreus has endured a lot. In God of War, the father and son had many tense conversations as they began to understand one another. However, by the time they dispersed Faye’s ashes, they had formed a bond. A few years after the conclusion of God of War, at the beginning of God of War Ragnarok, we discover that the two have a much closer bond, with Kratos grumblingly putting his faith in Atreus and letting him spread his wings.
However, throughout Ragnarok, we see that freshly stronger bond put to the test as Atreus tests the limits (as many teenagers do) to understand how his identity as Loki works into his job. The tension between Atreus and Kratos reaches a breaking point as a result of Atreus’ drive to show that he no longer requires his father’s guidance and Kratos’ overly careful efforts to keep Atreus safe. But in the end, it’s something that strengthens their bond and helps them appreciate one another even more.
By the time God of War Ragnarok is over, the two have grown to respect and comprehend one another. While Atreus now respects his father’s guidance, Kratos has acknowledged his past mistakes and accepted the emotive qualities of Atreus that he once found repugnant.
This all comes to a head in the closing moment of the main plot, when Atreus decides it’s time to go out on his own, with Kratos standing by his side. Kratos may now have faith in his parenting skills because he has produced a warrior who is just as strong and kind. He performed better than he likely anticipated. It’s time to put his lessons in Atreus to use and believe that even without Kratos, they will keep him safe.
The Secret Prophecy
The key message of Ragnarok’s conclusion is that Kratos, not Atreus, was The Champion the entire time, and Faye was aware of this. She even went against her tribe and ruined the Jotunheim shrine to shield Atreus and Kratos by preventing them from discovering the true prophecy. Why? she wanted them to choose their destiny.
Ragnarok frequently touches on the idea that prophecy isn’t everything and that we can control our destiny. Not all predictions come true. Thus, we shouldn’t be bound by them. Examples include Third seeking to be a Valkyrie against her parents’ desires, Angrboda continuing to assist Atreus after her job appeared to be over, and Tr eventually playing no part in the fight of Ragnarok. Despite his confession that the buried prophecy is not one he saw for himself, Kratos is upset by it since Faye has always known what he is capable of.
The Flash From The Past With Faye
While it takes Kratos some time to accept that he is a decent father, his late wife Faye rarely appears to have any doubts about it. It appears that Faye may know information that Kratos does not—namely, that she may pass away sooner than he might believe—during the flashback where she leaves her handprints on the trees.
She explains to her complaining husband that grief is the culmination of love before pleading with him to keep Atreus secure. While having previously said in memory that he worries for Atreus and believes it would be best if his son did not know him, Kratos accepts the conversation despite appearing uneasy about it.
Faye never appeared to question Kratos’ ability to raise children well. Because of the prophecy that was given after the game or perhaps just because she realized her husband wasn’t just the gruff warrior that everybody else saw, she appeared to know that he would undergo the change that we see in God of War and Ragnarok.
The Norse story of the God of War trilogy concludes with Ragnarok, but it’s unclear what comes after that. Greek and Norse mythology has already been covered in God of War, but because there are so many mythologies, it’s difficult to say with certainty what the theme will be moving forward if there is one.
The conclusion of Ragnarok does, however, suggest that Atreus might be the main character of a subsequent installment. After all, he is going off by himself to find the giants when we last see him. He might be the upcoming God of War. At the climax of Ragnarok, Kratos’ adventure did appear to already have come to an end. However, this is only conjecture, and we may pick up with Kratos again a few years from now when a grownup Atreus has arrived from his adventure. Kratos hasn’t quite gained Death’s favor, so anything is possible.