The first story details for God of War Ragnarok were inadvertently revealed, confirming that the game will feature all nine realms of Norse Mythology.
The PlayStation Store description of God of War Ragnarok was recently updated, giving us our best look at the plot of the upcoming sequel. While brief, it goes beyond the even shorter announcement trailer that was released recently (thanks, The player (opens in new tab)).
“Fimbulwinter is well on its way,” said the Description (opens in new tab)read. “Kratos and Atreus must travel to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as the Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world.
“Along the way, they will explore stunning mythical landscapes and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. The threat of Ragnarok looms ever closer. Kratos and Atreus must choose between their own safety and the safety of the realms.”
Elsewhere, the description suggests that Ragnarok will pick up the main narrative thread left-handed in the first. We’ll be helping Atreus as he “seeks knowledge to help him understand ‘Loki’s’ prophecy and establish his role in Ragnarok.”
It looks like there will also be plenty of father-son bonding time as well, as “Kratos must decide whether to be chained for fear of repeating his mistakes or free himself from his past to be the father Atreus needs.”
New Horizons
It looks like Ragnarok is taking things to a level. God of War only includes six of the nine Norse realms, and some of them are smaller challenge areas rather than fully explorable worlds.
Midgard, the mortal realm, serves as the game’s main explorable region. Alfheim, the home of the light and dark elves, is the second zone you enter. Muspelheim, the realm of fire, contains a number of arena challenges; while Niflheim includes the Mist Echoes maze. You also readily escape Helheim, the Norse afterlife for those who die dishonorably; and visit Jotunheim in the final moments of the game.
It looks like God of War Ragnarok will complete the set. The final three realms are Asgard, Vanaheim, and Svartalfheim. Chief among these is Asgard – the home of the Aesir gods and the seat of power in Norse mythology. In many ways, it is the largest and central realm of them all, home to the most well-known Aesir gods.
It is divided into several regions of its own. Valhalla is ruled by Odin, so we might end up entering the golden hall. Bilskírnir, meanwhile, serves as the seat of Thor, who is already confirmed to appear in the game.
Vanaheim is also important. It is the homeland of the Vanir gods, a sorcerer band of deities that were once at war with the Aesir. Freya – who is set to be Ragnarok’s main antagonist – belongs to them. In keeping with God of War lore, she was cursed by Odin to keep her from leaving Midgard, but we can spend quite a bit of time in Vanaheim given her importance in the Aesir-Vanir conflict.
Finally, Svartalfheim is the homeland of the dwarves. While it received little mention in the first game, Brok and Sindri – the two dwarven blacksmiths who help him – are returning in this next installment. Maybe they’ll let us in.
There are still many questions, including how many of these realms we will see. It is likely that we will be able to explore a new area of Midgard and perhaps even return to Kratos’ forest home. Hopefully we can delve into Muspelheim and Niflheim more than the first game allowed.