God Of War Ragnarok: Here’s Everything We Know So Far
God Of War Ragnarok is poised to be one of the year’s biggest releases. Announced during Sony PlayStation’s 2020 PS5 showcase event, the game is set to launch this year and will continue Kratos and Atreus’ journey through Norse mythology. Ahead of its release, we thought we’d compile everything we know so far about the title.
When Is God Of War Ragnarok Coming Out?
In early July 2022, PlayStation and Santa Monica Studio announced that God Of War Ragnarok will launch on November 9th, 2022, for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. Pre-orders are available now with several editions available, including a Launch, Digital Deluxe, Collector’s, and Jotnar – we’ve detailed all of the God Of War Ragnarok pre-order editions and what they include here.
When it was first announced in 2020, the game had a planned release date of 2021 but in Jun 2021, Santa Monica Studio delayed Ragnarok to 2022, stating the studio was “focused on delivering a top-quality game while maintaining the safety and wellbeing” of the team.
What Is God Of War Ragnarok All About?
God Of War Ragnarok follows immediately after 2018’s God Of War, which acted as a reboot for the franchise as it transitioned from Greek to Norse mythology. The 2018 title followed Kratos and son Atreus as they embarked on a journey through the nine realms to scatter the ashes of Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother, all while facing monsters and gods from the Norse mythos and bonding together.
The sequel will continue their story, which takes place three years after the first game during Fimbulwinter, a winter spanning three summers that, when ends, brings about Ragnarok, a world-ending event that leads to the deaths of several Norse gods.
In the game, Kratos and Atreus embark on a journey to prevent Ragnarok while uncovering the truth behind Atreus’ identity as Loki. Along the way, the pair will befriend and face Norse gods, including Thor, Freya, and Odin.
The sequel will also include several familiar faces from the 2018 title, including Mimir, Sindi, and Brok, and it will see both Kratos and Atreus make new allies on their journey. The sequel is set to include new characters like Angrboda, one of the last remaining giants; Tyr, the Norse God of War; wolf giants Skoll and Hati; giant wolf Fenrir, and dwarf Durlin.
Gameplay: What’s Changed?
One of the reasons 2018’s God Of War was so heavily praised was due to its combat, and Ragnarok will reportedly expand on that. Like its predecessor, the game will see you face ordinary enemies – humans and strange creatures from the nine realms – and take on “big, show-stopper” bosses too.
The game has seemingly diversified the enemies and main and mini-bosses you’ll be required to battle in the sequel, which was a major complaint from many players on the first game.
Sony and Santa Monica Studio themselves have confirmed that enemies in the game will be more varied and “harsher” with more influence from Norse mythology. So far, we’ve seen centaur-like creatures with antlers known as Stalkers, bipedal lizard creatures known as Grims, and mermaid-esque creatures from gameplay trailers.
Following the original game, Kratos will continue using his Blades Of Chaos and Leviathan Axe, which can be used for other means alongside combat, such as using the Blades Of Chaos to close the gap between yourself and enemies, to throw flaming boulders or use them as grappling hooks to cover long distances.
Alongside using the above weapons, Kratos can also perform Weapon Signature Moves, which, as explained by GameInformer, add elemental damage to weapons; ice with the Leviathan Axe (A move known as Frost Awaken) and fire with the Blades Of Chaos (Whiplash). Kratos also has access to numerous shields that can be found throughout the game.
Two prominent shields described by GameInformer from their August preview of the game are the Stonewall and Dauntless shields which are geared toward different playstyles.
The Stonewall Shield can be used for blocking enemy attacks and absorbing kinetic energy that can then be used against the enemy to knock it off its feet. Meanwhile, the Dauntless Shield is used for parrying, and performing a parry at the last second can allow Kratos to smash enemies with the shield to stun them.
Atreus will also play a role during combat. Similarly to the 2018 title, Atreus will use his Talon Bow to shoot enemies, summon spectral enemies, and stun opponents by filling their stagger bars to lock them in place.
Alongside all of the above, the game includes a brand-new form of traversal through wolves Speki and Svanna, who can pull Atreus and Kratos across the frozen Lake Of Nine – an improvement of rowing everywhere!
Finally, although there are a total of nine realms, 2018’s God Of War only explored six of them, and some more extensively than others; Midgard, Alfheim, Helheim, Muspelheim, Niflheim, and Jotunheim. However, as explained in a PlayStation blog post, Ragnarok will allow you to explore all nine realms, including Asgard, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim for the first time, and explore new locations from previously visited realms.
New Limited Edition DualSense Controller
During the September 2022 State Of Play event, PlayStation aired a brand-new Story trailer for God Of War Ragnarok (Embedded at the top of the page). The tech giant also announced a limited edition God Of War Ragnarok-themed DualSense controller.
As shown in the video above, the DualSense controller features a two-tony design of cool blue on icy white, and features a wolf and bear insignia on the touchpad, representing Atreus and Kratos.
That’s everything we know about God Of War Ragnarok so far. We’ll make sure to update this page as frequently as possible, particularly in the run-up to launch. In the meantime, why not replay 2018’s God Of War and take a look at our guides on the best talismans in God Of War and how many chapters are in the game.
