God of War’s director and story writer Cory Barlog recently changed his Twitter account’s header image to a picture that many fans are hoping holds clues about the next game. The image shows some familiar faces from the 2018 title sitting down for a feast, and has already been dissected by fans eager to figure out the fates of their favorite characters.
ThisGod of Warimage is packed full of detail, and some fans are divided on what it might point to. Here’s a full breakdown of the teaser image, some of the secrets already uncovered, and what it could all mean for Ragnarok.
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The Characters
There are some clear references to the nextGod of Wargame written into the image. Reddit user strong_is_waifu was quick to notice a placard above the fireplace. The placard has runes on it which spell out the next game’s “Ragnarok is coming” slogan. Another Reddit user, huxainsyed, noticed the boar Hildisvini from the last game, who can be seen hidden behind Atreus in the image.
Sitting at the feast are some ofGod of War2018’s most memorable characters. There are the Dwarf brothers Sindri and Brok, Thor’s sons Magni and Modi, Baldur, Freya, Mimir, Atreus, and Kratos. The silhouette standing in the window on the right side is likely Thor. InGod of War2018’s secret ending, Thor appears wearing a hood at the end of Fimbulwinter to confront Kratos and Atreus.
The window on the left shows a snake-like eye that almost certainly belongs to Jormungandr, the World Serpent. The rematch between Thor and the World Serpent is a vital part of Ragnarok. Mimir and Freya explain in the 2018 game that Thor and the World Serpent once fought to a stalemate. In theGod of Waruniverse’s version of Ragnarok, Thor and Jormungandr will fight until the tree of life splinters, sending theWorld Serpent back in timeto the point of their original encounter.
The pair’s presence outside the house is likely also representative of the “Ragnarok is coming” slogan.Magni and Modiwere both killed in the last game, however, and Baldur’s death at the end of 2018’sGod of Waris the main prerequisite of Ragnarok. It seems strange that an image heavily hinting at the sequel would contain characters who died in the last game, but there may be a good reason for that.
The lastGod of Waris packed full of hints that the Ragnarok sequel will have some sort of time travel plotline, just as the original trilogy’sGod of War 2did. Not only is it established that the Jormungandr seen in-game was sent back in time during Ragnarok, but also that the creature is Loki’s son. Since Atreus was revealed to be Loki, this makes it seem very likely that there will be some form of time manipulation at play in the plot of the next game to explain when Loki had his children.
This could easily allow for Magni, Modi, and Baldur to make appearances in the next game. Although there are plenty ofNorse gods who haven’t appeared inGod of Warso far, there are some good reasons to think that all three characters could return.
In Norse mythology, Magni, Modi, and Baldur are among the few gods to survive Ragnarok. Magni and Modi become Thor’s successors, while Baldur is resurrected after the final battle.God of Warhas changed aspects of Norse mythologyin the past to fit its own unique narrative, but the image may be a hint that Magni, Modi, and Baldur will still appear in Ragnarok in some form.
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The Runes On The Goblets
There are nine goblets on the table, though one is barely visible in the cropped version used forCory Barlog’s Twitter image. Each of the goblets has a rune on it representing one of the nine realms of Norse Mythology. Going clockwise around the table starting with the spilled goblet, the runes represent Svartalfheim, Asgard, Niflheim, Helheim, Vanaheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, and Alfheim.
There’s clear significance to the placement of these runes around the table. Freya is sitting by the goblet with the rune representing Vanaheim, the realm she rules over. Atreus is sitting next to the goblet with the rune forJotunheim, having been revealed to be the jotunn Loki at the end of the last game. Baldur, whose death causes Ragnarok, is next to the goblet representing Helheim — the underworld. Kratos is next to the rune representing Midgard, the realm of humanity.
The fact that the Svartalfheim goblet is tipped over could be a bad omen for that realm in particular. In theGod of Waruniverse, Svartalfheim is the home of the Dwarves despite its name referencing Elves, with the Aesir having been unable to tell the Dwarves apart from the Dark Elves of Alfheim. The rune which represents the realm has a double meaning, however.
The rune is laguz, which can also mean lake or water.The Lake of Ninehouses the gateways to all of the Nine Realms in the 2018 game, and the spilling of the goblet could represent the destruction coming to all of the realms in the Norse cosmos. It could also be a reference to the flood that ends Ragnarok by putting out the fires caused by Surtr.
Though the image clearly references the upcomingGod of Warsequel, it is not a new piece of artwork. Although Cory Barlog updated his Twitter profile with the image recently, the original print, titled “Freya’s Dinner,” was licensed for the 2018 holiday season. However, while Barlog recently joked that he had “no idea” what he was doingdirecting the originalGod of War 2, the last game seemed to hint at far more thought going into the overall arc of the NorseGod of Wargames, and how the sequel will connect to the 2018 game.
The sequel toGod of Waris currently in development for PS4 and PS5.
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