As with many popular video games anticipating a sequel, theories about the next God of War Ragnarök are numerous, even if most of them are likely to be contradicted. These theories tend to be based on small things – a glimpse of a tapestry, a hole in a story, a psychological analysis of character motivations. Theories like these can work on players’ imaginations and get them excited for the game to come, but in the absence of hard evidence, most theories ultimately prove unfulfilled.
It is perhaps not surprising that God of War Ragnarök – scheduled for release on November 9, 2022, by Santa Monica Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment – should inspire a multitude of theories about its content. Set three years after 2018 God of the war, from Ragnarok The story features Kratos and Atreus at a time when the Fimbulwinter is coming to an end. This marks the impending Ragnarök, an apocalypse that will destroy the earth and the gods who rule it. Kratos and his son Atreus – revealed in the previous game to be the reincarnation of Loki, the trickster deity of the Norse pantheon – will travel the Nine Realms, seeking help from the god Tyr and coming into conflict with Thor, Odin and Freya. as they search for a way to prevent the end of the world.
As elements of its setting and history were revealed in an explosion God of War Ragnarök gameplay trailer that appeared as part of Sony’s State of Play showcase in September, there remains a huge amount of ambiguity surrounding the game as a whole. Faced with the apocalypse and battling some of the most renowned and powerful deities in the Norse pantheon, players have every right to wonder how the protagonists will meet these challenges, where their journey might take them, and what kinds of puzzles, weapons and characters they might encounter along the way. While most, if not all, gambling theories are likely to prove wrong in the end, it’s fun to review a few major ones and imagine, albeit briefly, the possible worlds. that they evoke.
Theory: Father-Son Tension Erupts In God Of War Ragnarök
With Atreus now a teenager, it’s no exaggeration to predict that tensions will flare between the boy and his overbearing father Kratos in God of War Ragnarök. The theory goes that fatherhood will be a major theme in the upcoming game, given the difficulties established in God of the war between Kratos and Atreus, including the fact that Atreus is a half-giant known to his mother as Loki, a fact Kratos was unaware of. The new game is also known for featuring Odin, the leader of the Norse gods who – despite being called the Allfather – is a notoriously horrible father (e.g. imprisoning his son Tyr and telling the world he’s dead as a punishment for challenging him). Based on unauthorized excerpts posted on Reddit from the Ragnarok art book, fans speculated that Odin would come between father and son, trying to woo Atreus to join the Aesir and embrace his divinity as Loki.
The theory is alluring for the tension it would create between Kratos and his son, but Odin (who was first revealed in a God of War Ragnarök trailer last summer) is less likely to want Atreus on his side than to want him dead, given the latter’s role in bringing about Ragnarök. Atreus, as Loki, is the father of Fenrir, the giant wolf who is ultimately destined to kill Odin during Ragnarök; and while it would require an alternate timeline or else some form of time travel to make sense, killing Loki as a boy would prevent him from siring Fenrir later. Proponents of the theory may argue that Odin’s scheme to win over Atreus is a prelude to killing him without having to deal with Kratos, but it seems like a rather elaborate escape for the god of gods. While the tension between Atreus and Kratos is a foregone conclusion (and was depicted in the September trailer) and Odin may indeed be involved in it, how and why this happens is likely to differ from the original lore theory. fans on God of War Ragnarök.
Theory: Kratos and Atreus return to Greece at Ragnarök
YouTuber Kaptain Kuba came out with an interesting theory in early 2022, suggesting that Kratos and Atreus will return to Greece in God of War Ragnarök to retrieve an item Tyr gave to the Greeks following the destruction of their lands by Zeus and Kratos and the collapse of their pantheon. This theory stems from a tapestry shown in the previous game in which Tyr is seen presenting people in togas with an unidentified oblong object. Kaptain Kuba theorizes that Tyr will send Kratos and Atreus to Greece to retrieve this item in order to restore the Norse pantheon in the aftermath of Ragnarök.
The theory is intriguing, based on a lot of research and a good understanding of ancient mythology. However, while the new GoW Ragnarok The trailer shows the role of Tyr’s story, it makes no reference to Greece and contains no suggestion that the protagonists will travel there. Instead, the trailer makes it clear that the game will follow Atreus and Kratos as they work to prevent Ragnarök, rather than trying to save the world as a result, which makes this theory hard to sustain.
Theory: Thor’s Mjölnir will be a usable weapon in Ragnarök
Mjölnir, the mighty hammer wielded by the god Thor, will be equippable by players in the upcoming God of War Ragnarök, according to a popular but unsubstantiated theory. The claim is based on a 16-inch replica of the hammer included in the God of War Ragnarök Collector’s and Jötnar’s Editions, available for PS4 and 5. Fans noted that the replica contains rune slots that would allow customization of the weapon, suggesting that it will be available for players to use for in-game combat.
The idea is attractive, because the opportunity to wield Thor’s Mjölnir would allow many players to realize their dream. But Thor and Mjölnir, it’s well known, are inseparable, meaning the only way a player could use the weapon would be to pull it out of Thor’s cold, dead hand. And, if Thor is the game’s main antagonist (as the commercial suggests), he’s highly unlikely to lose his weapon before being defeated in a final boss battle. If taken from Thor, Mjölnir (against this GoW Ragnarok theory) would only be available towards the very end of the game, when players would have few opportunities to use it. It is more likely that the people who made the replica knew little about the content of the game and left players with an attractive red herring in the form of runic slot machines.
In some ways, fan and internet theories of an unreleased game speak to the quality of the game itself. In the case of God of the war franchise, game world, storyline, and characters are so fully realized and compelling that they inspire fans and writers to dream, speculate, and hope. When he finally appears, God of War Ragnarök may disappoint some theorists, but will likely surprise most players with how its story ultimately turns out.
Source: Kaptain Kuba/YouTube
