Kratos is going to Valhalla in a free DLC for God of War Ragnarök that will see the angry dad fight through waves of enemies in a roguelite structure. The update will come to PlayStation 5 and 4 on December 12.
The mini-expansion will take Kratos on a “deeply personal and reflective journey” in the hall of dead heroes. There, players will embark on a new adventure that revolves around mastering combat challenges with what developers Sony Santa Monica describe as “brand new elements inspired by the roguelite genre.”
Buy God of War Ragnarök: Amazon| Best Buy | GameStop
Here’s the trailer:
Over on the PlayStation blog, Sony confirmed the Valhalla DLC will be an epilogue to the game and will give players access to Kratos’ entire unlocked arsenal regardless of their progress. Every run through Valhalla will unlock new resources that can be used to unlock permanent upgrades for the mode. Players will still have to commit to a shield and path of Spartan Rage for each attempt, however, while also choosing between which stats to increase, which perks to select, and which Runic Attacks to use in each attempt. There are five difficulty settings and even new outfits for Kratos to wear.
The roguelite gameplay loop, where players effectively play through a game’s overarching progression in a much shorter period of time and lose almost everything if they die, has recently become a very popular way for blockbusters to expand their longevity. IO Interactive added a Freelancer roguelite mode to Hitman 3 earlier this year, and Sony announced The Last Of Us Part 2 would get a roguelite mode in its PS5 remaster as well.
It’s unclear if this is the extent of the DLC God of War Ragnarök will get, or if a larger story expansion or standalone spin-off is still on the horizon, as some fans had speculated. The 2022 action adventure game wrapped up Kratos and his son Atreus’ story in two games instead of a trilogy. Fortunately, it looks like the Valhalla DLC will focus on the best part of the game—its combat—and free players somewhat from its convoluted RPG progression, or at least condense it into something more arcadey.
As God of War Ragnarök is cross-gen, the Valhalla update will be coming to PS4 as well as Sony’s newer console. Hopefully, players can run it without their fan getting as hot as Kratos’ temper.