2018's soft reboot of the God of War saga not only gave a fresh perspective on the characters and themes established in the original series but also provided players with a brand new mythological playground ripe for exploration, investigation, and occasionally destruction. With God of War came new enemies, new allies, and new lands courtesy of Norse mythology's unique concept of the universe as being composed of nine distinct realms, each with its own character, function, and purpose.
2018's magnificent tale of fractured fatherhood and generational trauma may have taken Kratos and his young son Atreus to many of the realms teased by the established Nordic canon, but there are still new lands yet to be trodden by godly Spartan feet. In their quest to stop Ragnarök, or quite possibly usher in its arrival, the father and son duo will traverse the lands beyond Midgard in search of answers, adventure, and, one can hope, peace.
6 Himinbjörg
Those of us without a PhD in the ins and outs of Norse mythology might not be immediately familiar with the name Himinbjörg, but even casual players will know the god who calls the place his home. Himinbjörg is essentially the residence of Heimdall, the watcher god who oversees Asgard and controls access to the rainbow bridge, AKA the Bifröst.
It might not seem particularly essential to actually visit the home of one of the more significant figures within the Nordic pantheon, but Heimdall's role in Ragnarök could end up being seismic. According to myth, the guardian of the Asgardians is set to kill and be killed by Loki when the end of the world finally comes, meaning that Atreus will need to be a few steps ahead of his yet-unrevealed rival in order to keep himself alive. Either that or simply prevent Ragnarök from occurring in the first place.
5 Asgard
Asgard is perhaps the most famous of the nine mythological Norse realms, and yet despite its prominence, one of the few that players failed to catch even a glimpse of during 2018's God of War reboot. Home of the Aesir, Asgard is a heavily fortified settlement whose name literally derives from the old Norse for "god enclosure," a near impenetrable fortress-cum-city that houses the likes of Odin, Thor, and the rest of the Aesir.
The great thing about Asgard from a creative perspective is that there's no one true version of the settlement, meaning that artists, writers, and, more recently, cinematographers, directors, and game designers have been free to interpret the aesthetic and layout of the godly realm with a degree of artistic license. Marvel's interpretation sees Asgard as a resplendent city shining with a golden hue, whereas Assassin's Creed: Valhalla saw the realm as a more ethereal place seemingly inspired by Medieval architecture and European folk mythology. With darker sensibilities but boasting no less ambition or creativity, expect the team at Santa Monica Studio to offer something that is, in turn, as unique and awe-inspiring as any other.
4 Vanaheim
In many ways, the parallel or equivalent to the Aesir home of Asgard, Vanaheim is the home of the Vanir, the other tribe of Norse gods most strongly associated with magic and fertility, often depicted as the rivals of Odin and the rest of his obedient Aesir clan. Not much is known about Vanaheim within Norse mythology, although it is mentioned by Snorri Sturluson in both the Prost Edda and the Poetic Edda, often in reference to the conflicts endured by both tribes as one sought supremacy over the other.
Vanaheim is not a realm yet visited in the God of War series, so Ragnarök will be the time for Atreus and Kratos to make the journey to a place so often overlooked in favor of more mainstream or recognizable realms. Perhaps the pair will seek out Vanaheim in order to gain further insights into the Aesir from the perspective of their great rivals, especially as many sources depict the Vanir as having the rather handy power of precognition up their sleeves.
3 Svartalfheim / Nidavellir
The relation between Svartalfheim and Nidavellir in Norse mythology is complex, so much so that the pair have been amalgamated into a single entry for the purposes of this list. Scholars are divided on whether the two realms can actually be regarded as separate at all, with some attesting Svartalfheim to be the realm of the Dark Elves and Nidavellir to be the home of the Dwarves, while others claim that the former could also be regarded as a primarily dwarven kingdom.
Academic and scholastic debates aside, the fact remains that we haven't really seen much of the dwarves' designated realm, or indeed a hint of a so-called Dark Elf thus far in Atreus and Kratos' Nordic adventures. Sure, Brok and Sindri have been erstwhile aides in providing gear and upgrades from their Midgard forge, but venturing into the dark, smoky lair of the diminutive craftsmen has been a pleasure afforded to neither protagonist nor player.
2 Valhalla
An odd choice of location and by no means a guaranteed one, Valhalla is the hallowed resting place where Vikings and any other subscribers to the Norse mythological canon supposedly arrive at when, and only when, they die a most glorious death by being slain in battle or armed combat. According to most interpretations and accounts in works such as the Poetic and Prose Edda, Valhalla is akin to a great hall in which the dead continually drink, feast, and (most likely) fight in the presence of Odin himself.
This seems like an odd place for Atreus and/or Kratos to end up, but there are strong indications to suggest that Valhalla could appear within Ragnarök's tantalizing narrative. For a start, Kratos has sent a number of Norse deities to their deaths already, including Thor's sons and the god of light Baldur, all of whom have presumably ended up in the revered great hall. Secondly, Valhalla has inherent links to Asgard and to Odin, so getting there may be a way of accessing the all-Father himself.
Thirdly, and say it quietly, Ragnarök might be the last hurrah for the bare-headed god-slayer who has acted as the face of PlayStation for the last fifteen years or so. If Kratos does end up meeting his end come November, it would be a semi-ironic twist of fate to see him end up in the hallowed halls of his slaughtered enemies.
1 Ancient Greece
The transition that 2018's God of War took from Greek mythology to that of established Norse myths and legends was something of a masterstroke for the series. Just as Santa Monica Studios and Sony were looking to move away from the top-down hack-and-slash revenge tales that had defined the fantastic original trilogy by making the soft reboot a heartrending third-person tale of redemption and fatherhood, so too did it make sense to break with the past and introduce the snow-dusted setting of Scandinavian Midgard as a means of distinguishing old from new.
God of War (2018) took the series to new heights, reinventing the franchise for a new audience while never betraying the themes and characters that had made the original saga so beloved. A return journey to Kratos' home, perhaps, or a look at the state of the lands that the Spartan god of war left behind following his ousting of the Olympians, would make for a compelling return to God of War's roots.
God of War: Ragnarök is scheduled to release on November 9, 2022, on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5