God of War Ragnarök‘s free Valhalla DLC isn’t just an excuse to throw Kratos into a roguelike and give players new combat challenges to complete. It serves as an epilogue to the main story and while the stakes may not be as high, it offers a more personal tale centered entirely around Kratos himself.
Although the amount of new story content is minimal, Valhalla makes for a satisfying conclusion to Kratos’ character arc, and its ending may very well set up the future of the God of War series.
How does God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla end?
For context, Valhalla is ultimately one big therapy session for Kratos. With help from Tyr, the Norse god of war who was mostly absent in the main story (on account of being replaced by a disguised Odin), Kratos finds himself reflecting on his actions in the original Grecian God of War games; a time when he was driven by fury and revenge against the Greek gods.
After defeating Tyr for the fourth time, Kratos is deemed ready for one final confrontation—himself. Or rather his past self from the original games, sat on his throne from back when he was the god of war. Although Kratos doesn’t quite forgive himself, it seems he’s finally ready to accept what he did and move past it so he can become a leader once again, and help rebuild the realms and restore peace alongside his friends.
He does worry that, should he lose everything he cares for yet again, he may slip back into the man he once was, but he holds onto hope that he won’t. The other version of himself vanishes, and Kratos takes his seat on the throne. After the credits roll, Kratos leaves Valhalla, and well and truly pledges himself to “be what the people need.”
What does the ending of Valhalla mean for future God of War games?
God of War Ragnarök‘s main story already pointed towards Kratos finding redemption. After Odin’s defeat, Kratos was shown a mural that depicted his future as a god of peace—one revered out of love rather than fear. Valhalla only cements that and firmly sets Kratos on the path to becoming that god. If the trophy you unlock for completing the DLC is any indication, Kratos has already shed his title as the god of war and become a god of hope.
So, where will the God of War series go from here? With God of War Ragnarök serving as the conclusion of the Norse saga, the most common theory is that Kratos will move on to another pantheon of gods to fight. The 2018 game already alluded to the existence of Egyptian, Celtic, Mayan, and Shinto gods, but with Kratos remaining in the Norse realms to ensure peace, what reason would he have to go anywhere else and pick a fight with more gods?
It has been suggested in some circles that the next God of War (which is rumored to already be in development) could/should focus on Kratos’ son Atreus instead, perhaps depicting his search for the Giants or some wholly new adventure set in another realm. It would be thematically appropriate and help avoid undermining the closure Kratos received. The last thing anyone would want is for Kratos to slip back into his old habits and walk back all his character development.
