There was a modest amount of content in God of War 2018. You could squeeze 25-30 hours of main missions and side quests out of that game. However, God of War Ragnarok definitely decided to give fans their money’s worth. GoW Ragnarok boasts over 50 hours of content and more than double the amount of side quests, now called favors, compared to its GoW 2018. With so many favors to choose from, these are the fifteen most exciting favors you can play.
15. A Viking Funeral (Svartalfheim)
To start this list off is the honorable funeral for Brok after the events of Ragnarok. There’s no action or fighting in this favor but it is a great cherry on top for the ending of the game. After the destruction of Asgard, have a chat with Lundra at any shop and she’ll inform you of the funeral in Svartalfheim. Travel to Raeb’s Tavern to chat with the dwarves then meet them at small Sverd Sands island. The party will lay Brok to rest with an honorable Viking’s funeral.
What we love about A Viking Funeral
- It’s the secret ending to God of War Ragnarok that you may overlook. It gives the players the peace of knowing how Brok’s and Sindri’s story ends.
- You also get to reunite with the few dwarves that you interacted with throughout the game one last time, except Lundra.
A Viking Funeral walkthrough: https://youtu.be/v_9o6alnhJA
14. Secret of the Sands (Alfheim)
After completing the main story mission Groa’s Secret in Alfheim, you’ll gain access to The Canyon region. And you’d have to be blind to not instantly notice the blazing sandstorm making it quite hard to see. You can solve this problem quickly by clearing the storm by freeing the creature trapped underground that Atreus senses in pain. The creature is a giant flying jellyfish called the Hafgufa that will clear the storm as it flies away.
What we love about Secret of the Sands
- You see how deep the bond between Kratos and Atreus has become. Kratos doesn’t care to aid others when they don’t have to. But, he insists on helping Hafgufa, when Atreus senses the creature in pain, just so he can spend more time with Atreus.
- The scene of the Hafgufa flying out of the underground trap into the sky was a key moment in the story trailer presented at the Playstation State of Play. Completing the favor to see how it actually turned out was even more incredible!
Secret of the Sands walkthrough: https://youtu.be/Q8lCmwjz6Gg
13. Animal Instincts (Midgard)
Animal Instincts is one of the earliest favors that you can do as soon as you gain access to Lake of Nine area in Midgard. During Fimbulwinter, a small army of hostile Kol Raiders have made the frozen Lake of Nine their new home. Unfortunately, these Raiders have resorted to being as savage as animals and they’re causing alot of trouble. Take a visit to their four camps and have fun clearing them out before they get out of hand.
What we love about Animal Instincts
- Humans were the least common enemies in the previous installment as there was only one fight between Kratos and regular people. That’s been flipped around this game with the arrival of the Kol Raiders, who are more barbaric than actual animals.
- Kratos and Atreus start this mission to exterminate the Kol Raiders due to their sled dogs' fear of approaching them after coming across a very bloody scene.
Animals Instincts walkthrough: https://youtu.be/eIsvyLIkTXU
12. Born from Fire (All Realms)
Draugrs were the most common and simplest enemies that you faced in God of War 2018. That’s not the case in God of War Ragnarok as you’ll rarely see them unless in Muspelheim. Except, the explosive The Hateful bossfight that can be found in multiple realms. The Hateful is a dual axe wielding Draugr with incredible speed, large amounts of health, and highly aggressive combat. Defeat The Hateful and obtain a Chaos Flame after closing all six Draugr holes.
What we love about Born from Fire
- The Hateful was a very common enemy in the previous installment so seeing it as a miniboss is a nice surprise.
- There’s a few Draugrs that’ll randomly appear to make the fight more challenging. Most fans of the series would very easily take out The Hateful on its own.
Born from Fire walkthrough: https://youtu.be/GtngUyp7AOA
11. For Vanaheim! (Vanaheim)
During the rescue of Freyr in Vanaheim, the party faces a near fatal situation while escaping through the sky against pursuing dragons. Birgir, an ally Traveler, sacrifices himself to save them by jumping off and bringing the dragon down with him. Somehow that tough guy managed to survive!
After gaining access to The Crater area of Vanaheim, you’ll see the rescue flares from Birgir because he’s trapped in a tower guarded by the Crimson Dread dragon. Return that heroic favor by killing the dragon and getting your comrade back to safety.
What we love about For Vanaheim!
- It’s nice to see that sometimes a hero’s great sacrifice doesn’t always equal their death. They’ll just be trapped in a tower for a while.
- There’s a Mystical Stag that's right next to the tower immediately after freeing Birgir.
For Vanaheim! walkthrough: https://youtu.be/ETKps76cLcw
10. The Broken Prison (Niflheim)
Unlike the previous installment of God of War, Nifilheim has become a training grounds for whenever you want to practice against enemies and try out new moves and attacks. As well as being the location of Odin’s ravens after you’ve killed and the loot that you can earn from it. But after the ending of the main story, you will return to Niflheim to find a prison that has appeared after the final battle. There’s some good loot to find and a few challenging enemies to face. Most importantly, you find the real Tyr locked up in the bottom cell. Once you’ve freed him, you can find him in the other realms afterwards.
What we love about The Broken Prison
- As mentioned before, you find the real Tyr this time. No more of Odin’s tricks and disguises. This also gives a glimpse into Odin’s disguise magic since he apparently needs the person alive that he is mimicking.
- It’s a good opportunity to put all that combat practice to good use since the training arena is right next to the prison.
The Broken Prison walkthrough: https://youtu.be/efBj189rLy4
9. Freya’s Missing Peace (Vanaheim)
Vanaheim will become wide open for exploring after Kratos has helped Freya break free of her curse after defeating the Yggsdrasil monster. There’s alot of rewards and XP to earn from this favor. A new outfit for Freya, a special runic summon, and her old sword Madoll that deals Bifrost damage will be waiting to be picked up at Freya’s old wedding ceremony. All you have to do is take out the many tough enemies, solve all the puzzles and defeat the surprise boss battle as you exit. Nothing you haven’t done before.
What we love about Freya’s Missing Peace
- Mimir talked about all the relationship between Odin and Freya. Now, you get the chance to see where it all started as Freya tells her side of the story.
- This favor rivals main quests with all of the diverse enemies that you face and rewards that you can reap.
Freya’s Missing Peace walkthrough: https://youtu.be/pGJUpaMZjxM
8. Song of the Sands (Alfheim)
Once you’ve completed the Secret of the Sands and The Reckoning main quest then you’ll be able to access The Forbidden Sands area of Alfheim. Yet again, you’ll find another blazing sandstorm so find the entrance to the second Hafgufa cave. Make your way to trapped creature through all of the Dark Elves and destroy the bindings. Once thats done then prepare for the show as the two Hafgufas finally meet again and sing their sacred song together.
What we love about Song of the Sands
- The storm in Alfheim is cleared for good. No more having to barely see 15 feet in front of you.
- Stick around and watch the two Hafgufas dance together while singing their song. Eventually, the two merge together release thousands of baby Hafgufas throughout Alfheim.
Song of the Sands walkthrough: https://youtu.be/R4yBqAqG53U
7. Hel to Pay (Helheim)
Gram’s rampage through the realms after Atreus freeing it results in various Realm Tears connecting to Helheim. This is a big no-no. Hraesvelgr, the Giant Bird guarding Helheim, demands Kratos and Atreus fix the problem that they’ve caused by sealing the Realm Tears. Hraesvelgr says you won’t get a reward for doing so since the Realm Tears should’ve never existed. Well, it must’ve changed its mind since you’ll earn a hefty amount of XP, an Essence of Hel and 6 Frozen Sparks(one Frozen Flame) to upgrade the Leviathan Axe.
What we love about Hel to Pay
- It’s your time to see what all you can do with just Kratos because Atreus or Freya have to close the tear on their own.
- Helheim is one of the least visited realms that you’d have to go to. So, this a good way to Hel to you, instead.
Hel to Pay walkthrough: https://youtu.be/1nfFGr9SQPQ
6. Sigrun’s Curse (Midgard)
Ask anyone who played God of War 2018 “Who’s the most difficult enemy?” and Sigrun will be the number one answer you’ll get. But getting the chance to look into the fearsome Valkyrie Queen’s past is a delightful surprise. If you can look past the strong Hel-Raiders occupying Sigrun’s home kingdom. There’s two different locations you’ll need to search through to complete the quest.
What we love about Sigrun’s Cruse
- You’ll learn about the mighty warrior’s kingdom and her secret past relationships that not even Mimir knew about.
- If you finish this favor before completing the final story mission then you’ll unlock special dialogue when you talk to Sigrun.
Sigrun’s Curse walkthrough: https://youtu.be/k7WUXfVHWAQ
5. The Crucible (Muspelheim)
Once you’ve found the two Muspelheim Seeds to gain access to the realm, you’ll be greeted with The Crucible set in three arenas. Although, there’s an interesting twist where you get a different set of challenges depending on the order of the arenas that you go to. So, if you start at the third arena first then go the second arena, you’ll get a different challenge than if you went to the first or second arena before that.
Needless to say, the trials of Muspelheim are much more diverse than they were in God of War 2018. Consequently, these trials are far more enjoyable as well.There’s a total of six Crucible Trials before you can start The Final Challenges.
What we love about The Crucible
- The trial arenas are more traversable and offer more ways to quickly get rid of enemies without using too many attacks.
- Complete The Crucible to earn the Sutr’s Armor set, which is one of the most powerful armor sets in the game and is very useful in the Final Challenges.
The Crucible walkthrough: https://youtu.be/aLdcfGEBfKE
4. The Last Remnants (All Realms)
After completing the main story, there’s are wreckage sites of the remaining Asgard forces. These Einherjar are fighting to the very end and each site scattered throughout different realms. Luckily, you didn’t have to fight some of these Einherjar in the final Ragnarok battle because these are some of the strongest enemies yet.
What we love about The Last Remnants
- It’s a great end-game challenge as some enemies are stronger than some of the Berserkers and other minibosses.
- There’s an aura of Bifrost that surrounds these bases so that you don’t accidently walk into a fight you're not ready for.
The Last Remnants walkthrough: https://youtu.be/dQ-V9x3V4jI
3. The Final Challenges (Muspelheim)
Drop down to the main arena once you’ve completed of six Crucible trials for the final set of trials. There are nine of these final challenges and each presents a different challenge with different requirements to win. Such as the Rampage challenge where you must kill at least twenty enemies in 150 seconds. After each final challenge, you must complete two Crucible trials in order to start another round of Final Challenges.
What we love about The Final Challenges
- This quest is great for players who love a grind due to replaying the Crucible trials to unlock new Final Challenges.
- The replayability of the Crucible and Final Challenges are limitless.
The Final Challenges walkthrough: https://youtu.be/zT56w0ydKpU
2. Defend Your Valor (Muspelheim)
“Oh my goodness, I hope I don’t have to fight her!” is more or less what everyone was thinking when you see Gna for the first time. Gna is the new Valkyrie Queen that Odin recruited after Sigrun’s corruption. Naturally, Gna uses some of the same attacks as Sigrun, such as the Valhalla jump attack, while using new attacks based on Sonic and Hex magic. Fortunately, you don’t have to beat 12 Valkyries like last time to fight the Queen. All you have to do is beat the main story and Gna will be waiting patiently on a cliff in Muspelheim. Be well prepared as she’s possibly the hardest boss in the entire game.
What we love about Defend Your Valor
- Gna is angry at Freya for “abandoning the realms” and you can hear their argument all throughout the fight.
- Since you have to get close to Gna for the fight to start, you can stand back and Gna will only throw insults at Kratos’ and Freya’s status as warriors. Hence the name of the favor.
Defend Your Valor walkthrough: https://youtu.be/1o_DVgP5HiM
1. Fit for a King (All Realms)
During The Word of Fate main quest, you’ll interact with a Berserker Gravestone to acquire the Hilt of Skofnung. The only thing that this Hilt can do is to activate the other Gravetones to face the wicked Berserker spirits trapped inside. There are nine Gravestones but 12 Berserkers you must fight against because of mult-boss fights. Certain Berserkers drop incredible items such as different pieces of the Berserker Armor set, amulet enchantments, weapon upgrade materials and a lot of XP.
Once you’ve defeated all of the Berserker then return to the original gravestone to face King Hrolt the Berserker King. Hrolt utilizes the same attack moves as the other Berserker but does so with more aggression and a larger pool of health. Once you defeat him then you’ll be able to use the Hilt of Skofnung’s true power, which summons the trapped Berserker spirits to help battle against enemies.
What we love about Fit for a King
- As a whole, this favor is the ultimate challenge. Each Berserker possesses their own unique powers and personalities that they’ll gladly display as they chop you down.
- It’s surprising to see Mimir has a hatred of the Berserkers almost on par with Odin with the tales of wickedness and horror that he has about them.
Fit for a King walkthrough: https://youtu.be/7mm7D5y-q_Y
