God of War Ragnarok Ending Explained

God of War Ragnarok is finally out around the globe, which means that a number of players are surely rushing to get through the game’s lengthy story. And while spoilers for Ragnarok have been running rampant for a little more than a week, that hasn’t prevented many from ducking and hiding from said spoilers. If you’re reading this article, though, you might be simply wondering what ends up happening at the conclusion of Ragnarok. To that end, we have your answers. 

Spoiler Warning: Do not read onward unless you want to have the end of God of War Ragnarok ruined for yourself!

As the title of the game suggests, God of War Ragnarok wraps up with the titular cataclysmic event taking place. Following the death of Heimdall, Kratos sounds Gjallarhorn and descends upon Asgard with Atreus, Freya, and the armies of the Nine Norse Realms to take down Odin once and for all. Ragnarok itself ends up being a massive war, with the likes of Surtr and The World Serpent (Jormungandr) backing up Kratos and Atreus as they look to reach Odin. 

While making their way to where Odin resides, Kratos gets snatched away by Thor and begins battling the God of Thunder. Kratos eventually bests Thor, but rather than killing him, he spares his life and tries to find common ground with his fellow god. As Thor begins to see reason, Odin enters the fray and commands Thor to kill Kratos. When Thor refuses, Odin then kills Thor himself. Afterward, Atreus and Thrud (Thor’s daughter) catch up to Kratos and witness the death of Thor. Ready to end this once and for all, Kratos and Atreus then team up once again and attack Odin. 

After fighting and defeating Odin (with some assistance from Freya), Atreus holds the “All Father” in his hands and absorbs his soul, placing it in one of the marbles that come from the Giants. Atreus gives the marble to Freya and allows her to determine what she wants to do with it. Expressing that she previously wanted nothing more than to kill Odin, Freya finds that she can’t carry out her task. Soon after, Sindri appears and quickly snatches the marble and destroys it, completing his own path of vengeance that began after Brok’s death at the hands of Odin. 

Despite taking down Odin, Surtr is still on a war path and is looking to destroy Asgard. Caught up in the midst of Surtr’s assault, Freyr (Freya’s brother), protects the group as they find a way to escape back to Midgard. Freyr himself dies in the midst of this, but his sacrifice allows the rest to live. 

Back in Midgard, Atreus awakens and finds Kratos waiting at the top of a mountain. While here, Angrboda appears and informs Kratos and Atreus that one more shrine remained that they previously didn’t know about. After viewing the shrine, the two realize that Faye previously destroyed the shrine on the wall in Jotunheim that predicted the death of Kratos, making it known that the father and son pair were free to make their own destiny. Atreus then informs Kratos that he feels the need to go off on a journey of his own and find any remaining Giants in the Nine Realms that might still exist. Although the decision is a difficult one, Kratos gives Atreus his blessing and tells him that he is ready to adventure onward by himself. 

After Atreus leaves, Kratos finds one remaining portrait on the backside of the shrine. This image depicts him as the savior of Ragnarok, with many denizens from the various Nine Realms praising him for his leadership in the conflict. Knowing that what he has seen on this portrait has actually come to fruition, Kratos becomes emotional and realizes that he has finally changed from the person that he once was.