What Is God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla?
Released as a free update to God of War Ragnarök, Valhalla is a roguelite epilogue that follows Kratos as he confronts his past through cycles of combat and reflection. It's a remarkable piece of storytelling — combining mechanically challenging roguelite gameplay with some of the most emotionally resonant writing in the God of War series.
If you've finished the main game and want more Kratos — or if you're simply a fan of the roguelite genre — this guide will help you understand the systems and get started on the right foot.
Core Gameplay Loop
Valhalla operates on a classic roguelite structure:
- Enter a run — choose your starting boons and dive into the arena.
- Progress through combat rooms — each room offers enemies and optional challenges.
- Collect Boons and Hex upgrades — these modify Kratos's abilities for the current run.
- Die or complete the run — either way, you return to the Hub and spend permanent upgrade currency.
- Unlock story content — completing runs and reaching new thresholds unlocks narrative scenes between Kratos and Mimir (and others).
Understanding the Upgrade Systems
Permanent Upgrades (The Crucible)
Between runs, you spend Shards of Vanaheim at the Crucible to permanently improve Kratos. Prioritize these early:
- Health increases — survivability above all else in early runs
- Boon slot upgrades — more boon slots mean more powerful run builds
- Weapon-specific passives — invest in whichever weapon feels natural to you
Boons (Run-Specific)
Boons are temporary power-ups that define your build for a single run. They fall into categories tied to the Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and Kratos's bare-handed attacks. The key is synergy — look for boons that interact with each other rather than picking the highest individual numbers.
Tips for Your First Few Runs
- Don't rush. Valhalla rewards methodical play. Use your parry window — it's generous.
- Shield choice matters. The Dauntless Shield's parry timing is different from the Guardian Shield. Experiment early.
- Boss patterns are learnable. You'll face the same bosses across multiple runs. Treat early attempts as scouting missions.
- Talk to Mimir. Between runs, Mimir has a lot to say. The narrative content is worth engaging with — it's the heart of the DLC.
The Emotional Payoff
What makes Valhalla special isn't the roguelite mechanics — it's the story they're in service of. Each run peels back another layer of Kratos's psychological armor. The structure of dying, returning, and trying again becomes a literal metaphor for confronting trauma and guilt. By the time you reach the final narrative beat, the gameplay and story have merged into something genuinely moving.
Valhalla is free, emotionally powerful, and mechanically satisfying. If it's been sitting in your library unplayed, now is the time.