What the Next God of War’s Setting Could be

God of War Ragnarok launched on November 9th for PS4 and PS5 and sold a whopping 5.1 million units in five days. But according to PlayStation Trophy data, only 49.5 percent of players have completed the main story till now. Roughly 28.47 percent of players have unlocked the Platinum Trophy and done everything, more or less. There’s plenty that most players won’t know about without seeing everything the game offers, and there is a lot to see.

Whether you’ve played the game or not, the question is where the story goes from here. Where will Kratos go next? What could serve as the next game’s setting? Which deities will he run afoul of? Before discussing that, it’s important to note the aftermath of Ragnarok. Major spoilers follow for the ending, so beware.

After defeating Odin, an out-of-control Surtr – who becomes Ragnarok with the help of Kratos and his Blades of Chaos – destroys Asgard. Kratos, Atreus, Freya, Angrboda, Fenrir and Mimir flee while Freyr stays behind, seemingly sacrificing himself to give the group a chance to escape. Afterwards, Atreus and Kratos are shown a mural which Faye destroyed, thus allowing them to create their own fate. Upon further investigation, Kratos discovers a mural depicting him as a peaceful god, which some speculate heralds his ascension as the new All-Father of the Nine Realms.

Atreus and Angrboda embark on a journey to find the other Giants (after their spirits were transferred to spirit stones to prevent total annihilation at the hands of Odin and Thor). The surviving Aesir relocate to Vanaheim and are at peace with the Vanir. Afterwards, Kratos, Freya and Mimir venture through the Realms to bring peace. There are a fair number of threats, from dragons and the Berserkers to Gna, the Valkyrie Queen who seeks vengeance.

It’s also worth noting that Tyr, the Norse god of war that stuck with Kratos and company throughout the story, wasn’t really Tyr. Instead, it was Odin in disguise, and he kills Brok before escaping, leading to Sindri abandoning the group. He does help out in the final battle against Asgard, using a Sonic device to destroy its walls. Other than that, his whereabouts are unknown.

Thankfully, the real Tyr is still out there, and Kratos and Freya manage to free him from his prison in Niflheim. He knows about Kratos but is content to wander Niflheim and the other Realms.

With all this in mind, one would think that Kratos and company would settle down peacefully. The threats to the Nine Realms have been dealt with, after all. The developer also noted many times that this is the end of the Norse saga. However, some other settings and pantheons could potentially become involved down the line.

Before traveling to Midgard, Kratos went to Ancient Egypt after the events of God of War 3. As revealed in Dark Horse Comics God of War: Fallen God, Kratos attempts to rid himself of the Blades of Chaos fail, but the weapon finds its way back to him every time.

Throughout his travels, he also meets a man that recognizes him as the Greek god of war and speaks of destiny. This person would appear in various forms, telling Kratos that he can’t escape destiny. It notes that destiny is the “destination you reach, no matter what direction you travel. At your journey’s end, you find that you are exactly where you belong.” After this, Kratos stops running from his “destiny” and ventures to Midgard, taking the Blades of Chaos with him.

All said and done, it’s a pretty terrible comic book series that does little more than establish that Kratos is alive and still has the Blades of Chaos. However, some theorize that the mysterious entity is an Egyptian deity. Why would they constantly hound him, reminding Kratos of destiny? There are many potential reasons.

The first is that this entity could be Thoth, the Egyptian god of the moon. He was also the god of reckoning, the creator of all languages, and, most importantly, an adviser of the gods, representing the Sun God Ra. He’s depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or baboon, two forms the comic’s mysterious entity used to appear in front of Kratos. Not only does he lead the Ogdoad, a pantheon of primordial deities, but also arbitrates disputes between the gods. He appears in many tales as a counselor and was even equated to Hermes by the Greeks.

It’s more than likely that Thoth knew everything about Kratos, from his past to the imminent future. He knew that Kratos was a threat following the destruction of the Greek pantheon and steered him towards the Norse gods instead. While this may have been to protect Egypt from the godslayer’s next rampage, there may have been a bigger game at play.

It’s possible that Thoth knew of Ragnarok and foresaw a result that would end with Odin’s demise and a marginally happier ending for all involved, one that saw Kratos as the new All-Father. Based on what we know about the real-world myths of Thoth, it’s unlikely that he’s manipulating Kratos. Instead, he likely knows his role in the grand design and is simply playing it whenever required.

What could the potential grand design be? It could be gods from other pantheons that come after Kratos, potentially attacking Midgard after they hear of Odin’s fate. After all, he’s already rewritten history in several different ways. Fimbulwinter occurred far sooner due to Baldur’s death. Surtr and Sinmara were both destined to become Ragnarok, but thanks to Kratos, it was only the former, with the latter still alive and grieving in Niflheim. Perhaps the other deities are becoming antsy that Kratos could rewrite their status quo if left unchecked.

This opens up the opportunity for Kratos to visit various other settings in addition to Egypt, like Japan, China, the Maya Region, and much more. Perhaps he could battle against Guan Yu, China’s god of war, or run afoul of Hachiman, a Shinto deity and god of war for Japan. There are all manner of possibilities that would further expand on the scope that the previous games have established.

How established characters like Atreus, Angrboda, Tyr, Mimir and Freya would factor in remains to be seen. It wouldn’t be strange for Kratos and his son to cross paths again, with the latter being older. Perhaps if Kratos were to fight against Raijin and Fuujin, Thrud could arrive with Mjolnir to back him up as the new Norse god of thunder. The possibilities are endless.

It’s anyone’s guess what the overarching story would be for the next God of War, especially with the Norse saga over and done. Who knows? All this may have been foreseen by Thoth. Perhaps the other major deities like Amaterasu Omikami or Ra are also aware, and simply playing this giant cosmic Game of Thrones, waiting to see where the chips may fall. Kratos could rewrite more major mythological events. Everything could end with his demise, or his legacy could carry on, perhaps with Atreus in a starring role.

A new God of War will happen at some point, whether it’s with or without Kratos in a starring role. Whatever the case, with how critically and commercially acclaimed God of War Ragnarok has been, fans aren’t tired of its brand of story-telling and action.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.