History YMMV / GodOfWarRagnarok

** Garm, courtesy of being a frightening beast of a wolf and the battle itself being reminiscent of the VideoGame/GodOfWar battles of old.

* CommonKnowledge

* HilariousInHindsight: In the Japanese Dub of the Norse Saga, Freya's Voice Actress is Creator/KikukoInoue, whose StarMakingRole, Belldandy, in the Anime Adaptations of Manga/AhMyGoddess, is literally the Norse Goddess of The Present, with her older sister Urd governing The Past and younger sister Skuld governing the The Future; and in VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok Freya [[spoiler: gets to *meet* Belldandy (along with Urd and Skuld) when consulting the Norse Sisters of Fate with Kratos.]]

* TaintedByThePreview: As with fellow 2022 titles ''VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest'' and ''[[VideoGame/GranTurismo Gran Turismo 7]]'', the announcement that ''Ragnarök'' would be a crossgen title also targeting the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 in addition to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 disappointed some fans. Lessened a bit as many fans expected this to also come to [=PS4=] due to Sony's reluctance of clarifying things when asked directly about the game's platforms. The reveal trailer also [[WinBackTheCrowd erasing much of the concerns]].

*** Similarly, [[spoiler:while Sindri is very well-justified for the AllTakeAndNoGive relationship he had with Atreus and Kratos, it isn't the ''entire'' story. Much of his work he did without question: he made the Sonic Arrows and Compass when neither Kratos nor Atreus asked for them, and making their lanterns was because he unintentionally deprived Kratos of a light source by using the Bifrost key; had he informed Kratos about it, there would have been no need. As well, it was ''Brok's'' idea to use Sindri's house to accommodate them, and later freely offered accommodation for Freya as well, yet Brok is exempt from Sindri's frustrations.]]

* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler: ''Helios'' of all people being the main Greek God that Kratos interacts with in the ''Valhalla'' DLC was definitely something most didn't see coming, given he wasn't as personally connected to Kratos in comparison to the likes of Ares, Athena, and Zeus.]]

** [[spoiler: The real Tyr]]. You can only find and free him during the post-game, and save for some small interactions when you visit him in every realm, he has no meaningful bonding with the rest of the cast. And slightly frustratingly, during his first conversation with Kratos, he seems to recognize Kratos but can't place where he's seen him before, saying it'll come back to him later at which point they can talk. But that talk never happens. It is not until ''Valhalla'' where he gets his proper time to shine, not only getting to build a proper relationship with Kratos, but also [[spoiler:serving as the final boss]].

* UnexpectedCharacter: [[spoiler: ''Helios'' of all people being the main Greek God that Kratos interacts with in the ''Valhalla'' DLC was definably something most did not see coming.]]

* TakeThatCritics: [[spoiler: Kratos telling his younger self "You have always been more than what others saw." could be interpreted as a slight against the many reviewers who disparaged the early games in the series as juvenile power fantasies and Kratos himself as a one-note ball of rage.]]

** [[spoiler:Ragnarok itself, the Norse End of the World, is surprisingly under-utilised in the end. Much of the titular battle is fighting mooks over and over again while running to the Asgard Wall, and after the battle against Odin ends, Ragnarok itself simply goes away with little to no explanation.]]

** In the Valhalla DLC [[spoiler: the Greek Era Kratos is a static character model whom our current Kratos gives a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech. It would have been satisfying for the final encounter to have been an EnemyWithout MirrorMatch against his younger self.]]

*** Despite the fact that [[spoiler:Ragnarok is a literal ZombieApocalypse, with the characters pointing out their enemies return from Valhalla as soon as they're "killed", neither Magni, Modi, or Baldur are BackForTheFinale]].
*** [[spoiler:The issues above are somewhat justified as Ragnarok depicted in the original myths is actually a false prophecy in the game, only Asgard out of all the 9 realms gets destroyed in the end. However, this makes one wonder why Fimbulwinter would affect any of the other realms seen in the game at all.]]

* CompleteMonster: [[MoreDespicableMinion The Raven Keeper]] is a wretched hag responsible for the creation of the Eyes of Odin. To achieve this, the Raven Keeper had [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOdin Odin]]'s worshippers across the realms hang their [[WouldHurtAChild children]] to provide her their souls to twist into [[PoweredByAForsakenChild spies for Odin]], [[AndIMustScream keeping them fully aware of their torture]]. To put her depravity in perspective, the Berserkers, who are degenerate bloodthirsty maniacs who have committed practically every war crime imaginable, can unironically be considered ''morally superior'' to the Raven Keeper because at least they have positive qualities like loyalty to their king and love for their fellow Berserkers.

* CompleteMonster: [[MoreDespicableMinion The Raven Keeper]] is a wretched hag responsible for the creation of the Eyes of Odin. To achieve this, the Raven Keeper had [[Characters/GodOfWarSeriesOdin Odin]]'s worshippers across the realms hang their [[WouldHurtAChild children]] to provide her their souls to twist into [[PoweredByAForsakenChild spies for Odin]], [[AndIMustScream keeping them fully aware of their torture]].

-->'''Freya''': I confided in him that night about wanting an apology from Freyr. Odin reassured me that he'd be the only family I'd need. And I believed him."

** For that matter, Odin's personality in general captures the portray of an emotionally abusive family member, not just towards Freya but also towards the other Aesir and Atreus. He acts welcoming, friendly, and reasonable to earn their trust, and then begins manipulating them. He doesn't hold Atreus captive and force him to do his bidding, he invites him to Asgard and tells him to come and go as he pleases, while also saying and doing things to nudge Atreus into staying and working for him of his own will. His methods serve the purpose of isolating his victims from others in their social circle by turning them against other so they have only him to turn to, and he'll be waiting with a fake smile and sweetly poisoned words. And when being cordial doesn't work he'll resort to lies, gaslighting, and guilt-tripping, saying whatever he has to to keep them under his control.

** [[spoiler: The real Tyr]]. You can only find and free him during the post-game, and save for some small interactions when you visit him in every realm, he has no meaningful bonding with the rest of the cast. And slightly frustratingly, during his first conversation with Kratos, he seems to recognize Kratos but can't place where he's seen him before, saying it'll come back to him later at which point they can talk. But that talk never happens. It is until ''Valhalla'', where he not only gets to build a proper relationship with Kratos, but also [[spoiler:becomes the final boss]].

** [[spoiler: The real Tyr]]. You can only find and free him during the post-game, and save for some small interactions when you visit him in every realm, he has no meaningful bonding with the rest of the cast. And slightly frustratingly, during his first conversation with Kratos, he seems to recognize Kratos but can't place where he's seen him before, saying it'll come back to him later at which point they can talk. But that talk never happens. Subverted in ''Valhalla'', where he not only gets to build a proper relationship with Kratos, but also [[spoiler:becomes the final boss]].

** Heimdall is such an unbelievably smug and mean-spirited asshole to everyone, something done with so much earnesty that it somehow loops around to entertaining. It also makes his well-deserved beatdown from Kratos all the sweeter.

** Given her role in getting Kratos the position of Greek God of War in the the original trilogy and her ambiguous appearance in GoW 2018, one would think Athena would play a major role in the Valhalla DLC, a story that directly deals with Kratos' past in Greece and insecurities and doubts about once again taking up the mantle of God of War. [[spoiler: Instead, the main Greek God that Kratos interacts with is Helios, someone whose onscreen relationship is barely touched upon in the Greek era.]]

** In Norse Mythology, Heimdall and Týr are sometimes attested to be sons of Odin, which led to many fans believing the same within the franchise. But the relation between ''God of War's'' adaption of them and Odin is never explicitly said, instead relying on interpreting various lines differently. In short, while there is nothing saying they ''aren't'' Odin's sons, there is nothing supporting it either. In fact, when [[spoiler: Heimdall is killed]], he's described as Odin's most valuable ally rather than son.