Comprehensive guide to God of War Ragnarok’s epic conclusion with character arcs and hidden endings explained
The Road to Ragnarok: Story Foundation
God of War Ragnarok delivers an intricate narrative filled with unexpected developments and emotional depth. This analysis explores the complete storyline and ultimate resolution of Kratos and Atreus’s Nordic saga.
Understanding Ragnarok’s conclusion requires appreciating the journey’s foundation. Kratos and Atreus’s adventure culminates in a transformative experience that redefines their relationship and purpose, while delivering one of gaming’s most satisfying narrative payoffs.
As 2022’s most anticipated release, God of War Ragnarok built upon the groundbreaking 2018 reboot that reimagined Kratos as a reluctant father grappling with his destructive past while guiding his son through a dangerous world.
This guide provides comprehensive analysis of the complete narrative arc. If you haven’t completed the game and wish to avoid major story revelations, this serves as your final spoiler warning – turn back now to preserve the experience.
The foundation begins with the 2018 game’s conclusion, where Kratos and Atreus fulfilled Faye’s final wish by scattering her ashes from the highest peak.
Their journey introduced pivotal characters including Freya, the woodland goddess, and her son Baldur. The tragic confrontation resulted in Kratos killing Baldur to protect Freya, creating an eternal enemy sworn to vengeance.
At the journey’s climax, they discovered Faye’s prophetic murals revealing she had foreseen their entire adventure. The artwork disclosed that Baldur had been hunting Faye, unaware of her death, and depicted Kratos’s prophesied death in Atreus’s arms.
Critical revelations emerged about Atreus’s heritage as half-Giant, quarter-mortal, and quarter-god, with the Giants referring to him as Loki – establishing his mythological identity.
Baldur’s death triggered the three-year Fimbulwinter, prophesied to culminate in Ragnarok – the apocalyptic end of days. Returning home, Atreus experienced a vision of Thor confronting them as Fimbulwinter concluded.
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Main Plot Developments and Twists
As Ragnarok commences, Fimbulwinter’s harsh conditions force Kratos and Atreus into a secluded camp, where they train for impending conflict while evading Freya’s relentless assassination attempts. Tragedy strikes when Atreus’s wolf companion Fenrir dies, leading to an unintentional spell that traps the wolf’s soul within his knife.
Thor’s arrival matches Atreus’s vision, appearing alongside Odin who proposes a ceasefire contingent on no further bloodshed. Kratos rejects the offer, triggering combat with Thor while Odin tempts Atreus with an invitation to Asgard, home of the Aesir gods.
Recognizing their vulnerability, the pair relocates to Brok and Sindri’s dwelling, the endearing dwarves from their previous adventure. Here they strategize against Odin’s forces, despite Kratos’s insistence that his god-killing era has concluded. However, newly discovered Giant prophecies, concealed from Odin, indicate Kratos will indeed slay gods again while suggesting Atreus will emerge as Ragnarok’s Champion.
Their mission evolves into a prison break, with the duo and Mimir liberating the former God of War Tyr, only to discover he has embraced pacifism.
Following a dream visitation to the mythical Ironwood region, Atreus encounters Angrbodha. She illuminates Giant culture and reveals surviving Giants concealed within marbles scattered across realms. Her mural portrays Atreus as Ragnarok’s Champion cradling his dead father. During an encounter with a soulless serpent, Atreus employs magic to implant a Giant’s soul. Revealing Fenrir’s soul remains in his knife, Angrbodha extracts a promise to protect Ironwood’s secrecy, though Kratos fears his son has journeyed to Asgard.
Their conflict escalates, prompting Atreus’s departure, where Odin recruits young Loki to help assemble and decode an artifact offering limitless knowledge – a mask bearing mysterious inscriptions. During this separation, Atreus befriends Thrud, Thor’s daughter, while attracting Heimdall’s hostility. Their actions accidentally unleash Garm, a soulless colossal wolf capable of tearing through dimensional boundaries.
Simultaneously, Kratos travels to Vanaheim assisting Freya’s brother Freyr against Aesir oppression, finding him severely outmatched. Despite the odds, Kratos and Mimir support the resistance, gradually repairing their fractured relationship with Freya.
Seeking to circumvent prophecy, Kratos consults the Norns, enigmatic beings governing divine and mortal destinies. They suggest prophecies stem from predictable behavior patterns but confirm Heimdall will murder Atreus.
Kratos collaborates with Brok to forge the Draupnir Spear, a revolutionary weapon designed to counter Heimdall. During construction, Brok’s history emerges – he previously died but was resurrected by Sindri fearing loneliness, though his soul lacks essential components for wholeness or afterlife.
Strategic Tip: The Draupnir Spear becomes crucial against fast-moving enemies like Heimdall. Practice its wind-based mechanics to master area control and precision throws.
The Climactic Finale Explained
After angering Odin by freeing Garm, Atreus returns to Kratos and they repeatedly battle the giant wolf, discovering its immortality stems from soulless existence. Atreus cleverly transfers Fenrir’s soul into Garm’s body, granting the wolf Fenrir’s characteristics and loyalty to Atreus.
Kratos and Atreus venture to Vanaheim to liberate Freyr from Aesir imprisonment. Here Kratos confronts Heimdall, attempting negotiation before combat becomes inevitable. After Heimdall vows to kill Atreus, Kratos reluctantly executes him and claims Gjallarhorn, the legendary horn audible across all realms.
Atreus persuades his father to let him secure Odin’s mask, receiving hesitant approval. He collaborates with Thor to retrieve the final mask fragment before Thor turns hostile. Atreus escapes with the artifact, and the team prepares for their ultimate confrontation with Odin when the shocking revelation emerges: Tyr, rescued earlier, was actually Odin in disguise. The imposter stabs Brok, fatally wounding the dwarf, who comforts Sindri by forgiving the resurrection secret.
Kratos and Atreus seek Surtr, the final Fire Giant, who can metamorphose into a colossal monster to initiate Ragnarok by demolishing Asgard when combined with Kratos’s Blades of Chaos flames. Meanwhile, Kratos’s allies mobilize armies from various realms for support.
These events culminate in the final Asgard assault, with combined realm armies marching on Odin’s domain accompanied by the transformed Fenrir, the World Serpent, and numerous allies. Thrud, initially feeling betrayed by Atreus, accepts her mother Sif’s counsel that Odin represents the greater threat.
Atreus, Thrud, and Kratos battle through Odin’s defenses, while grieving Sindri demolishes Asgard’s protective walls. Kratos confronts Thor, advocating that both must improve themselves for their children’s futures.
Common Mistake: Many players underestimate Heimdall’s reading abilities. The key to defeating him lies in unpredictable attack patterns and utilizing the Draupnir Spear’s duplication mechanic to create visual distractions.
True Ending and Character Resolutions
Thor finally recognizes Odin’s manipulative abuse in his power quest, refusing to combat Kratos, prompting Odin to murder Thor and wound Thrud.
Kratos, Atreus, and Freya ultimately battle Odin, with Atreus destroying the mask before defeating Odin and imprisoning his soul within a marble. However, grief-stricken Sindri seizes and shatters the marble.
As conflicts resolve, Angrbodha unveils another Faye mural showing she deliberately destroyed a prophecy to enable Kratos and Atreus to craft their own destiny.
With Atreus determined to locate remaining Giants with Angrbodha, Kratos discovers a second mural depicting him as Ragnarok’s champion, implying his perpetual destiny as a warrior. He, Freya, and Mimir return to the nine realms to rectify Odin’s damage in God of War Ragnarok’s authentic conclusion.
The true ending’s brilliance lies in its subversion of expectations. Rather than fulfilling the prophecy of Kratos dying in Atreus’s arms, Faye’s intervention demonstrates that destiny isn’t fixed. This thematic resolution completes Kratos’s transformation from destructive force to protective guardian, while establishing Atreus’s independence as he embarks on his own journey.
Optimization Tip: After completing the main story, revisit previously inaccessible areas with new abilities to discover hidden lore and powerful equipment that enhances New Game+ experiences.
Secret Ending and Post-Game Content
Surprisingly, additional post-game content provides an emotional epilogue resembling a secondary conclusion.
After Atreus and Angrbodha depart, visit any realm and locate Lunda at Brok and Sindri’s workshops (any location suffices).
She recommends Kratos visit Raeb’s tavern in Svartalfheim (the Dwarven realm), initiating a new side quest titled A Viking Funeral.
Follow the waypoint to witness a poignant moment where Kratos, Mimir, Freya and dwarves honor Brok’s memory. Sindri remains conspicuously absent.
Proceed to Sverd Sands, where Kratos positions Brok’s body on a ceremonial boat for water burial. Naturally, Sindri appears to mourn his brother, then he and Kratos push the vessel shoreward. Freya ignites the pyre with her arrow, after which Sindri teleports away.
Players can encounter the authentic Tyr during realm exploration, where he expresses recognizing Kratos from elsewhere. He materializes in various realms as Kratos and Freya continue their journeys!
Practical Strategy: Complete the “A Viking Funeral” quest before pursuing other post-game content, as it provides emotional closure and unlocks additional dialogue options with remaining characters. The real Tyr encounters offer fascinating lore expansions about the Norse pantheon’s future.
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