It just so happens that one of the major players in God Of War Ragnarök, and in the Norse pantheon, was hiding in plain sight when the player rocks up to Svartalfheim at the start of the game. Yes, blink and you'll miss him, but Odin was waiting for Kratos and Atreus there.
This realm was revealed in its predecessor, however, the characters couldn't visit it yet due to Odin's magic blocking the realms in the World Tree room. Thanks to Brok and Sindri's engineering though, the father and son are able to land in the home of the dwarves, arriving at the Aurvangard Wetlands to a not so warm welcome.
Those Valkyries taught me a lesson or two about pain and perseverance, and I was only playing with a PS5 controller. Check out this streamer who beat the Valkyrie Queen on a... dance mat:
Obviously, some slight spoilers for Ragnarök follow, but nothing seismic that will affect your enjoyment of the story.
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The game's director, Eric Williams, appeared on IGN's Podcast Beyond and shared the Easter eggs that the team left for players to find, the lessons they'd learned from the series as a whole, and this special secret that we're now like, oh, obviously that was Odin.
When the two approach the bridge while rowing into the heart of Svartalfheim, there's a dwarf that leans over and spits at Kratos and Atreus. One of the reasons why this realm was locked off in the 2018 title is due to the fact that the dwarves are extremely loyal to Odin and he didn't want to open up the opportunity for them to change their minds. So, a rude dwarf isn't too surprising, but Williams confirmed that this is the only instance where Odin disguised himself as another to spy on Kratos and Atreus.
There are even similarities between this dwarf and the Norse god - they share a missing eye and eye patch on the same side that Odin lost his. Next time you play through the game, let us know if you spot him.
Topics: God Of War