The God of War Ragnarok ending and secret scene explained

The God of War Ragnarok ending and secret post credits scenes tease a lot about the future of Kratos, Atreus and all the rest of the cast, even with the extra story beats of the Valhalla DLC. But obviously - just to be clear before I say anything -  there are HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD, so don't read any of this if you don't want to hear what happens in the ending of God of War Ragnarok! However, if you are still interested, let's discuss the final scenes, starting with the big events.

God of War Ragnarok ending explained

Unsurprisingly, God of War Ragnarok ends with Ragnarok and Kratos leading an assault on Asgard. After battling to the city, Kratos fights Thor but convinces him to be better for the sake of their children. Odin then kills Thor, leading to a final battle that sees Kratos, Atreus and Freya combine forces to defeat Odin in a multi-stage boss fight.

Odin is ultimately defeated but not killed and Atreus offers him a last chance to change his ways. In response Odin says he'll never give up and Atreus uses his Jotnar magic to whisper Odin's soul into one of the soul marbles he's collected (the same spell he uses on Fenrir by accident to put the wolf's soul into his knife at the beginning of the game). 

This, importantly, finally answers the question of who was in the mural from the original God of War ending: 

The image that Kratos found at the end of the last game showed Atreus cradling a man on the floor, with some sort of swirls connecting them. The initial belief was that it showed Kratos dying, although another theory suggested it might be Tyr because of how the image hid the man's arm - Tyr, in the classic myth of Ragnarok, loses an arm in the final battle. 

However, we now know it's Atreus whispering Odin's soul into a marble to finally stop him:

Odin doesn't really get away with anything though because that soul marble is immediately grabbed by Sindri, still grieving over Brok and smashed, killing Odin for good. 

However, it's not over yet. After a last minute escape from the destruction of Asgard, with Freyr sacrificing himself so that everyone can get out alive, Atreus is apparently injured but wakes up back in Midgard to say his goodbyes to the majority of the God of War Ragnarok cast. Most importantly, that includes Kratos.

Angrboda also leads both Atreus and Kratos to a new, previously hidden Jotnar shrine. It's Atreus' shrine created by Faye that shows the events of Ragnarok's story as they actually happened, and not the previously prophezied versions. 

This leads Atreus to explain to Kratos that there are other giants still out there and he needs to find them, alone. Kratos says to Atreus that if it frightens him, that is why he must do it, and the pair exchange a sad farewell. "Loki must go but Atreus will remain", Kratos solemnly states before watching him leave with Angrboda.  

With Kratos alone, he then discovers a second shrine behind Atreus' one, that lays out his own journey all the way from from Greece to Midgard. The final panel shows him being worshiped as a god, in his Spartan form but holding the Leviathan axe - so a mix of who he was and who he has become. 

When asked about what he saw, Kratos explains it was 'a path I had never imagined'. The implication being that he will become a figure of reverence as a benevolent god, loved and worshiped by people. The Spartan outfit indicates that he can never change who he was, but he can change who he will become - a theme referenced several times during the story. Kratos, Mimir, and Freya then regroup and head into the endgame, saying there is much to rebuild. 

God of War Ragnarok secret endings and post-credits scenes

While the story 'ending' releases you back into the world to chase endgame stuff and finish up loose ends, there's another secret God of War Ragnarok ending that will roll the final full credits and play the Blood on the Snow God of War Ragnarok ending theme. 

As well as a fairly significant final moment there are also a number of smaller things and to find that will resolve certain characters and events. Here's what to look out for, and how to see everything the God of War Ragnarok secret ending has to offer: 

1. If you speak to Lunda, who now runs the Dwarves' forges, she'll tell you they're saying goodbye to Brok in Svartalfheim. That will start the Favor, A Viking Funeral, which leads you initially to Raeb's Tavern and then Sverd Sands for the funeral proper. Sindri makes a reappearance here but quickly vanishes soon after and this will fade the game to black and roll the lengthy final credits.
   
   
2. Return to Sindri's house and speak to Ratatoskr the squirrel to get a pouch of Yggdrasil seeds that will open travel up to all the realms, as well as activate any Mystical Gateways you might have missed. You'll also find any Stags you've returned visible from the side gate to the right of the house.
   
   
3. Return to your old house in Midgard and you'll find a memento from Atreus' journey.
   
   
4. Lunda will also tell you to visit the workshop in the Alfheim Canyons where you can see Thrud start her own journey with a certain hammer.
   
   
5. If you visit Jotunheim you can talk to Angrboda and, more importantly, pet Fenrir.
   
   
6. Visit Niflheim and you'll find a new pathway that leads to a wrecked Aesir prison where you can find and release the real Tyr. Freya says he can go to Sindri's house but he actually goes to Freyr's camp and practices tai-chi. You can find him meditating and relaxing in most of the other realms too, so have a look around and see where you can spot him.
   
   
7. At Freyr's Camp you'll find Birgir once you've rescued him. If you talk to him, you can suggest he goes to Chaurli (Freya's tortoise house) to look after him. You'll find him there later.
   
   
8. Also at Freyr's Camp, you'll find Hildisvini and Sif. The pair are working together to bring the Agardian refugees to Vanaheim, and hopefully create peace between the two factions.
   
   
9. If you head to the Derelict Outpost Mystic Gateway in Midgard and then head back towards the Lake of Nine you'll find Skjoldr, Atreus' friend from Asgard, by a stone pillar trying to remove the coin from Odin that Kratos threw away earlier in the game.

And that, as far as we know, are all the God of War Ragnarok secret endings bits and extras. They're small touches but it's nice to get some closure and see more of the characters' lives post-Ragnarok.

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