As the hype for God Of War: Ragnarok begins to build, there may be some who are looking to jump into the next adventure of Kratos and his boy but aren't familiar with the story of the previous game. So, in case you run out of time to play through 2018's God Of War, here's a quick rundown of the entire story.
An End And A New Beginning
As 2018's God Of War begins, Kratos has somehow traveled to the realm of the Norse gods. He lives a quiet life in the wilderness with his new wife, Faye, and their son, Atreus. Instead of the Blades Of Chaos, he now wields the magical Leviathan Axe. Unfortunately, this new life is shattered when Faye dies. Kratos burns her body in a funeral pyre and gathers her ashes.
Soon after, an odd, tattooed man arrives at their home. He has godlike powers of his own, and he and Kratos engage in a brutal fight that destroys much of the nearby landscape. Kratos snaps the man's neck and dumps his body off of a cliff. Afraid that their home is no longer safe, Kratos tells Atreus to pack his things. They're going on a quest to fulfill Faye's last wish: to have her ashes scattered from the top of the highest mountain in all of the nine realms.
Moving Forward And Getting A Head
During their journey, they run into a few colorful characters, such as the massive World Serpent, Jörmungandr, and the mysterious Witch Of The Woods. The Witch helps Kratos and Atreus navigate through the mist blocking their path to the mountaintop. Upon reaching the summit, the two overhear a conversation above them. It turns out that the tattooed man is the Norse god Baldur. He somehow survived the fight with Kratos and is joined by Modi and Magni, the sons of Thor.
After they leave, Kratos and Atreus discover that the man they were talking to is Mimir, a wise fae who has been imprisoned in a tree. He reveals that the tallest mountain in all of the nine realms is actually in the realm of the Giants, Jötunheim. He's the only person who knows how to get there, but he requests to have his head chopped off so he can escape his eternal prison. Kratos obliges.
Kratos and Atreus bring Mimir's head to the Witch Of The Woods so she can perform a spell to revive him. Upon waking up, Mimir reveals that the Witch is actually the goddess Freya, the former wife of Odin. Kratos isn't happy about this revelation considering his history with his fellow gods and storms out in anger.
On The Road To Jötunheim
The now alive and bodiless Mimir tells Kratos and Atreus what they need to do to reach Jötunheim. However, along the way, the trio is attacked by Modi and Magni. Kratos manages to kill Magni and Modi runs away in fear. Atreus begins coughing up blood after the battle but insists that he's fine. Modi later returns to ambush Kratos. When he makes some rude comments about his dead mother, Atreus slips into a coma after being overcome with godlike rage. Kratos scares Modi off again and takes Atreus to Freya for help.
Freya tells Kratos that Atreus' illness is the result of Kratos never telling him that he is a god. Atreus' belief that he is mortal is conflicting with his godhood and causing his body to shut down. To cure him, Freya tells Kratos that he must retrieve the heart of a troll located within the realm of the dead, Helheim. But since that realm is extremely cold, his frosty Leviathan Axe will be useless there. Luckily, Kratos still has the Blades Of Chaos hidden within his home and he manages to retrieve the heart.
Dysfunctional Families
Freya cures Atreus and Kratos tells him that he is a god. This revelation soon goes to his head. He starts thinking of mortals as lesser than him as his ego grows larger and larger. When they come across a battered and bloody Modi — who was beaten by Thor who blamed him for Magni's death — Atreus goes against Kratos' wishes and stabs him in the throat.
Just as they open the portal to Jötunheim, Baldur arrives to battle Kratos again. In the ensuing fight, Kratos accidentally destroys the Jötunheim portal and Baldur kidnaps Atreus. They jump off of the mountain onto the back of a dragon. Kratos and Baldur continue to fight, which causes the dragon to crash-land at the Bifrost. Before Baldur can use it to summon the forces of Asgard, Kratos sends them back into Helheim.
While there, they witness Baldur having a vision of a past argument with his mother, who is revealed to be Freya. She cursed him with an immortality spell so he can never die. Upon seeing this familial fight between gods, Atreus apologizes to Kratos for his behavior.
Ragnarok Is Coming
Mimir reveals that he knows another way into Jötunheim. They have to retrieve his lost eye, which was swallowed by Jörmungandr. They get the eye, but Baldur attacks once again. Only this time, Freya attempts to intervene. When Baldur punches Atreus, he pierces his hand with one of Atreus' mistletoe arrowheads, which breaks his immortality spell. Kratos kills Baldur and Freya vows revenge.
Mimir opens the portal to Jötunheim and Kratos and Atreus enter a temple that has a painted mural that depicts all of their adventures. The entire journey was foretold by the Giants. Furthermore, it is revealed that Faye was a giant. The mural also seems to show Kratos' death. The pair scatters Faye's ashes and Atreus mentions that the mural called him by a different name: Loki. As they return home, Mimir tells them that Fimbulwinter has begun and that Ragnarok will be coming soon after.
After the credits roll, we see a final scene where Atreus has a premonition of a future encounter with Thor, who is likely a little miffed that Kratos killed his sons.