Santa Monica Studio lit up The Game Awards 2023 when they announced a brand-new story DLC for God of War: Ragnarok, for free! And following its release on December 12th, it’s safe to say the DLC is nothing short of excellent. More than one year after the original game’s launch, the developer decided to expand the game in a very interesting way. The trailer for this DLC hinted at what it might be, but there’s so much more to it than fans could’ve expected.

This DLC takes Kratos to the one realm that fans have yet to see. The one area that fans have wanted to see ever since the launch of 2018’s God of War game. Here’s what Valhalla is about.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

God of War: Ragnarok Valhalla is a blast from the past

When Valhalla was announced as a free DLC, no one expected it to be anything more than a regular run of the mill expansion. What it looked like was just a basic roguelike mode for a very successful game with incredible combat mechanics. But once players start playing the game, it turns out to be something else altogether. This game is a simultaneous look at Kratos’ past and his current life.

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It opens with Kratos and Mimir heading to an unspecified location. Mimir asks Kratos if he even thought of asking for Freya’s help, and he replies in the negative. He suggests that Freya is occupied, and he would rather do it alone. And eventually, they reach a gate, which Kratos forcefully opens, and his armor, health, and rage upgrades are snatched from him.

He then meets his first two enemies. And as players attempt to block the attacks from those enemies, it turns out even his shield is missing. This leads to Kratos’ first demise in Valhalla. However, he is revived, and back at the shore. And before he can decide what step to take next, Freya and her Valkyries appear.

As she asks him why he decided to come to Valhalla, he shows her a letter that asks Kratos to master himself. Then starts the real journey.

The Valkyries teach players how they can prepare for each run. Selecting preferred perks and such. And this is where the game actually begins.

Players get to pick a preferred difficulty level. With each difficulty, the rewards increase, and with each reward, Kratos has a chance of getting back to his powerful self. Remember: Players can change the difficulty at any time. However, doing this will abandon a player’s current run and take Kratos back to the shore.

Massive surprises await.

It has an interesting premise where players fight a bunch of enemies and earn rewards. And if they die, they come back to life. In between, players get to earn fleeting echoes that can be used to upgrade Kratos’ stats during each run. However, such upgrades only last during the current run. Further, players can make permanent upgrades after each run at the shore.

Players find themselves fighting a number of different kinds of enemies. While most of these enemies are just your typical Ragnarok creatures, some are blasts from the past. For instance, there’s Barbarians, Sirens, and even the cyclops from older games like Chains of Olympus. Further, it would be very unfair to spoil this.

But how does this game justify Kratos fighting some enemies from his past? Well, Freya explains at the very start of the game that Kratos is an open book inside Valhalla. This means that everything Kratos knows, Valhalla might end up bringing back to him. Basically, Valhalla forces Kratos to face his past and the choices he’s made.

This means there are surprises galore in this game. Fans of the original God of War series will be blown away when they see what awaits them in Valhalla. From characters to music, there’s a lot to revisit.

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Interestingly, parts of the DLC also have some similarities to Ivaldi’s Workshop. Given the fact that this DLC has a very interesting story behind it.

Those overlooking this DLC as just a new roguelike mode should know that it’s not just that. It’s an expansion that answers a bunch of questions and introduces the players to something unique. Hence, it is recommended that players just give it a go without thinking twice; it’s free after all. Although, it’s highly recommended that players finish the main game first to avoid spoilers.

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