A GoW led by Atreus must follow a thread hinted at in Ragnarok

July 6, 2024

The future of God of War is uncertain, but it’s safe to say that players have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this modern incarnation of the series. God of WarThe Norse saga of introduces massive changes to the long-running story, not only altering the mythological backdrop by moving it to the far north, but also upending the cast of characters and the general narrative direction. These new characters, along with their mythological counterparts, will form the brunt of the series’ narrative approach going forward.

Of all the new characters and concepts introduced during the Norse saga, none is as important as Kratos’ son Atreus, also known as Loki. Admittedly, Santa Monica Studios took some creative liberties with their portrayal of the god of mischief: he is not the son of Laufey and Farbauti, but of Laufey and Kratos, who is of course a figure of Greek rather than Norse mythology. But there are still some important parallels between God of War Loki and mythological Loki, especially in terms of his powers and relationships with key characters. This is something that a future God of War The game will probably be expanded.

The next God of War has to make an important decision regarding his version of Yggdrasil

GoW Ragnarok had players traverse realms on the branches of Yggdrasil, but the frustrating nature of this feature presents a big decision for the next title.

A war god led by Atreus must capitalize on Ragnarok’s teasing of Hela

God of War Ragnarok prepares for Hela’s introduction

Although it is not yet confirmed, many believe that Atreus will be the next God of War game. This is mainly due to Ragnarok contains a number of sections in which Atreus is a playable character, and the story ends with him embarking on a pilgrimage to find the giants while Kratos seemingly retires. For the God of War In the franchise, Atreus represents the future and leads his own new, bold adventures.

There are a number of directions that Atreus’ theoretical game could take, but Ragnarok offers a key opportunity: the introduction of Loki’s children, namely Hela, the ruler of Helheim. At the end of Ragnarokreveals to Mimir that he has promised Hraesvelgr to help in the search for a new ruler of Helheim, and since Hela has not been seen or mentioned in God of Warit is likely that she will be this new ruler. Hela is the child of Loki and Angrboda according to Norse mythology, and with Angrboda accompanying Atreus on his new adventure, there is a very good chance that her children will show up at some point. This is especially plausible when Atreus gets older again next year. God of Warwhich makes him at a more suitable age for fatherhood.

The introduction of Hela in God of War should be accompanied by some clever subversions

With Ragnarok Since Hela’s arrival is hinted at so directly, it is safe to assume that she will arrive sometime in God of War story, possibly as Atreus’ daughter. This would be particularly interesting as it would allow players to see what Atreus is like as a father, drawing on what he learned from his relationship with Kratos. This would deepen and complicate Atreus’ journey of self-discovery, raising the stakes of his story while also helping him mature as both a human and a god.

But as with the rest of God of Wara possible Atreus-Hela connection might not be that easy. God of War Ragnarok is all about the rejection of fate and prophecy, which further underscores the series’ intention to set itself apart and not be a strict adaptation of Norse mythology. So if Hela is introduced as the child of Atreus and Angrboda, it’s unlikely that she’ll just stroll into Helheim, take the throne, and all will be well. There will likely be an unexpected twist in her traditional, mythological portrayal and lore.