OVER REALMING
With all nine realms available to explore, here’s what we know about them so far
THE NEW
01 ASGARD
Inevitably where the game will reach its zenith as Kratos brings the fight to Valhalla – Asgard’s the seat of the Aesir gods’ power, and Odin himself. We know little of God Of War’s interpretation of the realm, other than that it’s an impenetrable, deadly fortress, prophesied only to fall when Ragnarök finally comes and the Jötnar invade. And that Asgardians zap down the Bifröst to brain you.
02 VANAHEIM
Where the Aesir rule Asgard, the Vanir gods rule Vanaheim. Ruled by Freya’s brother, Freyr, only through her marriage to Odin did this realm find peace with the others. With blue grass, short-branched trees, weird mushrooms, and strange jellyfish creatures, it’s a trippy place. Freya’s nostalgic for her home; you can spot a viewing portal to the realm in her house in 2018’s game, despite never being able to go there.
03 SAVRTALFHEIM
The dwarves keep themselves to themselves, and their realm is locked down tightly. Even the Aesir don’t visit, out of a rare respect for dwarven ingenuity. And as the magical race can travel between realms, they don’t need a grand entrance themselves. Svartalfheim’s off the grid, and as Kratos and Atreus are mates with Brok, Sindri, and new dwarf Durlin, this could end up being a rare safe haven on their quest.
THE OLD
04 MIDGARD
Where a lot of the first game takes place, especially in the beginning, this is a sort of a hub world from where Kratos and Atreus can travel to the other realms via the temple in the Lake Of Nine. Even though you don’t see many humans around, this is the realm in which they live. Thanks to Fimbulwinter, it’s now a harsher environment than it was before. Even the Lake Of Nine has frozen over. Sledding can help get you around.
07 JOTUNHEIM
The ultimate destination in the last game, this is where you go to scatter Faye’s ashes from the tallest peak. It’s full of mountains, fitting for its Jötnar inhabitants, yet devoid of life. Having fled Odin and Thor, the only remaining giants are scattered among the rocks. The realm is hidden from Odin, but revisiting it could reveal it, so Kratos and Atreus will need serious reason to return. Perhaps they need to uncover big secrets?
05 ALFHEIM
A beautiful, lush world on the surface, it’s actually home to constant warring between the light and dark elves, something Kratos and Atreus accidentally stumbled into in the last game. After the pair killed the dark elf king, the light elves reclaimed control. The dark elves no doubt want vengeance (especially against Kratos), so whether you’ll be welcomed or hunted on your next journey here remains to be seen.
08 MUSPLEHEIM
The impressive fiery realm was only a series of combat challenges in the first game. It’s the home of the fire giants, but Kratos has yet to encounter any of them. This seems to be because they’ll only appear when Ragnarök comes, as the realm’s fire is prophesied to bring the heat to Asgard. Should the big event kick off this time around, you can expect Musphelheim to factor into the story in a much bigger way here.
06 HELHEIM
The realm of the dead pushed Kratos to the limit in the last game, as he had to accept his past and once again wield the Blades Of Chaos in order to begin to master this domain and help Atreus. Haunted by visions of his violent Greek past, it might be something he needs to square up to again. Or perhaps it’s where he’ll learn more about the deceased Faye, who was keeping some serious secrets from ol’ Kraters.
09 NIFLHEIM
Niflheim was home to a loot-centric side-activity in the first game. Originally an icy realm, here it’s been turned into one plagued by a poisonous fog thanks to the meddling of legendary Dwarven alchemist Ivaldi. We’ve not seen much beyond his workshop, but the deadly mist is realm-wide. Will we need to journey through it once again, or perhaps work to dispel the curse to access new areas?
person who constructed the temple at the Lake Of Nine that you used for place. Notably he’s the god not just of war, but also of law and honour. Towering over even Kratos, he will assist in Kratos and Atreus’ journey to dig through the mysteries of Ragnarök, and help Kratos come to terms with what it can mean to be a god of war.
WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
Kratos spent a lot of the last game running from his bloody past, before learning to accept that it was a part of him. But that still doesn’t make it easy for him to move forward. The optimism Atreus’ shows in the trailer might be what shines a light on his path ahead. When pondering how to stop Ragnarök from destroying the lives of many ordinary people, he asks “What if the only way to do that is war?” Sure, Kratos’ history is a bloody you.
"WE'VE SEEN KRATOS PULL OFF SOME AERIAL SLAMS THAT LOOK LIKE BEING PAERT OF HIS STADARD MOVESET."
One way or another, Kratos can rise standard arsenal returning, albeit with some neat tweaks. As before, he’ll be hurling the frosty Leviathan axe and calling it back into his hand, through the chains of the Blades Of attacks and pushing them back with his wrist-mounted, collapsible Guardian Shield.
Both father and son appear to have fresh abilities, ensuring a greater sense of freedom to the combat. Perhaps Kratos took up yoga during Fimbulwinter to keep his joints from getting too frosty, because he’s really nimble. It’s emphasised especially on PS5, from which we’ve seen the most footage, as the game runs at a high framerate. While the game is cross-gen, we can expect to get the most from the version on the more advanced console, though 2018’s God Of War remains one of the bestlooking games on PS4.
A range of fresh forms for the Guardian Shield tease extra function, with Kratos able to stay on the move while repelling enemies, and the Blades Of Chaos’ Hyperion Grapple, previously an upgrade, now appears to Kratos use the Hyperion Grapple to stun enemies from a distance, he’s also able to quickly pull himself to grapple points. More than a simple change to the weapon, it could completely alter the structure of many encounters, with Kratos more easily able to reach high points during comes up must come down, and we’ve that look like being part of his standard moveset too. Once Kratos comes out swinging, don’t expect him to have to stop.
In terms of brand-new weapons, nothing’s been revealed so far.
Though we do have to wonder what would happen if Kratos tried to lift Mjölnir… Perhaps only Atreus would be able to manage it? The lad has Not only can he hunt deer for dinner all on his own, but his spells can help him get stuck into the action, like summoning a mountain goat he can ride on. His connection with nature and animal spirits, in particular, is coming to the fore, and with larger arenas sporting more enemies more common, Kratos could use the help.
Everyone and their pet wants a piece of daddy Kratos, however. Plenty of enemy types return, including Alfheim’s buzzy, bug-like dark elves, alongside the new, centaur-style stalkers which threaten to trample all over you, dashing about the arenas. The large, alligator-like Dreki launch themselves, large jaws wide, from quite a distance, and Asgardian warriors can literally beam themselves down via the Bifröst to run right at you.
You’ll always need to be ready for ready for war. Like it or not, Kratos needs to answer the call, and rediscover what being the god of war means when you want to protect instead of destroy. We’ll have the answers when Kratos’ Norse Saga comes to a close in 2022.