Summary
For a free DLC that was shadow-dropped out of absolutely nowhere,God of War Ragnarok: Valhallais far better than it has any right to be. Far more than just a tacked-on roguelike mode,God of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLCmakes some pretty major leaps forward for the franchise, not necessarily in terms of the series' overarching story, but in terms of driving forward some important character arcs. And as fans would expect, Kratos is the main beneficiary of this extendedGod of Warstory.
The general premise ofGod of War Ragnarok: Valhallasees Kratos and Mimir venture out to the mysterious titular realm, where Kratos hopes to find some answers to some deeply personal questions. Players soon find out that Kratos is on a journey of self-reflection, and during the course of several successive rounds of roguelike gameplay, he comes to accept his past actions, and understand how he can embrace them and move forward with his own journey. But along the way, there’s a possible hint that a new romance might be brewing for Kratos, and it could end up bringing an intriguing new dynamic to the nextGod of Wargame.
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla Could Be Teasing a Kratos/Freya Relationship
Throughout the last nine games,God of War’s Kratos has had two main love interests, both of which have ended in tragedy and loss. The first of Kratos' love interests, and the inciting incident for the entireGod of WarGreek Sagawas Lysandra. Believing them to be a distraction holding Kratos back from serving him even more efficiently, Ares brings Lysandra and Kratos' daughter Calliope to a temple of Athena, and tasks Kratos with killing all those inside. Following his orders and blinded by rage, Kratos murders his wife and daughter, causing him to revoke his vow to Ares and seek vengeance against the Gods.
After decimating the vast majority of the Greek pantheon, Kratos seeks refuge in theNorse Gods' Nine Realms, where he meets his second wife, Faye. Secretly a member of the Giants, Faye - also known as Laufey - keeps her identity secret from Kratos for years, and Kratos does the same with his own origin. Over the course of around three decades, Kratos and Faye grow increasingly closer, eventually telling each other a bit more about their past, but still keeping certain details hidden from one another.
For instance, while Kratos knows that Faye is a skilled warrior, he doesn’t know that she once went toe-to-toe with theAesir God Thor, a battle that’s widely believed to have led to her death many years later. While her death is tragic and marks yet another loss for Kratos, it isn’t without its silver lining, as upon her death, Faye’s plan to bring Kratos and Atreus closer together comes to fruition.
A Kratos/Freya Relationship Would Make a Lot of Sense
After their first few runs inGod of War Ragnarok: Valhalla, players will be met with Freya and her Valkyries coming to assist Kratos and Mimir. Hinted at during the early hours of the DLC, it’s eventually revealed that one of the main reasons Kratos has come to Valhalla is because Freya has asked him to bethe Nine Realms' new God of War. This set-up leads to some interesting exchanges between the two characters, some of which might hint towards a potential romance between the two, with there being a definite feeling that they’ve grown a lot closer during and sinceRagnarok’s story.
A romance between Kratos and Freya would definitely bring an interesting dynamic tothe nextGod of War, with the duo going from friends, to enemies, to friends again, and possibly then lovers throughout the series. While the pairing may seem a little odd at first, especially given how much Freya hated Kratos after killing her son, it would actually make a lot of sense, with the two having been through a lot already and presumably set to go through a lot more with Kratos joining her as one of the gods of the Nine Realms. Though, if this relationship does come to fruition, Freya’s agency needs to stay intact, and it’s vital that she doesn’t die for the sake of Kratos' character motivation.
