When this series started all the way back in 2005, who would've thought it would eventually use other mythologies in its grand story? After all the atrocities Kratos has committed in Greece, he's finally atoning for them in the Nine Realms. With his move to a different pantheon, God of War has now given us many 'new' gods, from Norse mythology, who all are beautifully written characters themselves.
These gods have all appeared in Ragnarok but have all been adapted from Norse folklore and mythology. They aren't all faithful adaptions, but they have quality nonetheless.
There are spoilers from both of these games here.
11 Magni And Modi
Considering they work as a team, and spend much of their time together it is hard not to pair these two together. Modi, or Móði, stands for Wrath, and Magni stands for Strength. They're not very famous, and there aren't even a lot of myths about them, so it isn't surprising that they are somewhat minor characters in Kratos' Norse story.
However, they are notable because their deaths mean more to the plot than the characters themselves. Ironically, while they instigate much of Ragnarok in these games, they are one of the few people to survive Ragnarok in the myths.
10 Lady Sif
Sadly, Lady Sif doesn't appear as much in Ragnarok as you might hope. Her appearances are good, but there aren't enough to make her prominent. She's here mostly to give us a better glance at Thor and Thrúd, showing their family dynamics. It's also a bit odd how quickly she accepts Kratos and Atreus, who killed two of her children. She blames Odin in the end, but it's a bit sudden.
Regardless, having her constantly fighting for her husband to take his stand, all the while not wanting her daughter to be a servant of Odin like Thor, made her an endearing character in the end.
9 Freyr
This is another interesting character who sadly feels underused. He's also here to further develop Freya's character rather than being a full-fledged character himself. Still, he's very charismatic, and he's just too lovable and charming to be simply ignored.
His sacrifice to save everyone is also not something that can be taken for granted. However, he appeared so little that it wouldn't be surprising if most players got more attached to Ingrid than him.
8 Tyr
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Considering that most of the time we spent with the character wasn't him, in the end, his appearances don't do much to the story. Still, finding him across the realms is a fun task to do, even if it's just for the sake of curiosity.
What puts him in a higher position isn't what he does in the game, but everything he did before it. His importance is great, being a god who only fought for the sake of peace despite being a god of war. It's a very interesting way to interpret this character, serving as a role model for what Kratos could be. Hopefully, he'll appear more in the future; the series will leave Norse Mythology after this one, but Tyr is an experienced traveler who has been to other mythologies, so who knows?
7 Heimdall
A ne'er-do-well that enjoys gloating constantly and pisses you off every chance he gets is always a good villain. A nuisance from beginning to (his) end, he's just a fun enemy to beat. And his arrogance isn't just for show, as he can be quite a menace, at least for characters who aren't used to killing gods, like Atreus and Thrúd.
Thanks to him, we got one of the coolest new weapons from the series, so there's nothing to complain about here.
6 Baldur
Baldur was designed to mirror Kratos, a man who serves the gods to get rid of a 'curse' they possess, and that was a brilliant move. Add that to his rage, one that he can't control like our protagonist now can, and it's understandable why Kratos can sympathize with him.
At the same time, we can fully understand where his hatred comes from, thanks to his fractured family. It's not very faithful to the source, but he is a fascinating character. His fight also marked the true beginning of the journey, as well as its tone.
5 Thrúd
Another fascinating character is the daughter of Thor, especially considering many may not have even known he had a daughter before playing this game. Sony Santa Monica did a great job of making these obscure characters engaging and easy to empathize with or even hate.
Take that and add a nice interpretation of the character, as a young warrior who wants to be a Valkyrie, and we have an amazing god that is easy to become invested in. In legend, there is a Valkyrie named Thrúd, and historians still discuss whether it's the same person or not, which is probably where Santa Monica got the idea from.
4 Thor
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And now, the father. Visually, he's probably one of the most faithful adaptations of this character in media. Story-wise, he does share some similarities too, but his relationship with Odin takes an interesting turn, depicting him as constantly full of rage and just a somewhat broken man.
He feels like what Kratos would've become if he never sought out his freedom. He deserved better than what he got. Still, he's the third person who managed to kill Kratos, so that's something.
3 Odin
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Odin is Ragnarok's big bad - he is a knowledge seeker who goes a bit too far for his own good, making him a unique antagonist in the series. He's a character that appeared constantly during the game, which is good considering Ragnarok was his first and only appearance.
Using Tyr is devilishly deceptive and even when fought directly he puts up a good fight, despite not being the brawler type. Odin has already become an iconic video game villain.
2 Freya
In a journey to let go of her revenge, Freya goes through tremendous character development. From changing the focus of her revenge against Kratos to against Odin, she doesn't even care about giving the final blow, only showing us how great of a character she has become. Regardless of where the new game takes place, not having Freya would be a waste.
1 Loki
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Though this might be the least faithful adaptation of this character in any media, MCU included, he fit into the series in a very organic way. Making Loki the son of Kratos was a masterful choice, as Fárbauti, Loki's father in Norse myths, isn't a prominent figure. The way he interacted with the other Gods, and "fathered" Fenrir and Jörmungandr too was a very clever way to adapt things. Now it remains to be seen when Loki's journey will take him.