Kratos’ Next God of War Game Will Pick Up Where Laufey Leaves Off: What We Know So Far

The finale of God of War Ragnarök left the Nine Realms forever changed, but the most tantalizing loose end isn’t Odin’s fall or the fate of Asgard. It’s Laufey, the Jötunn warrior known as Faye, the woman whose ghost has haunted Kratos and Atreus since the 2018 reboot. Evidence now suggests the next chapter will finally explore her untold story, shifting focus from father and son to the woman who set their entire journey in motion.

The Legacy of Laufey, Why Her Story Remains Unfinished

Faye’s role in the Norse saga is one of quiet defiance. As a Jötunn giantess, she rejected her own prophecy of destruction, befriended the World Serpent Jörmungandr, and carved a path through Midgard that would one day guide her husband and son toward their destiny. Yet the 2018 game introduced her only as a memory, a mysterious figure who left cryptic markings and a grieving family. God of War Ragnarök deepened the mystery but did not resolve it.

Key unanswered questions linger. Who were Faye’s parents? Why did she hide her identity as a giantess from Kratos for so long? And what became of the missing Jötunn prophecies she left behind? The hidden mural in Jötunheim, which showed a giant cradling a smaller figure, has fueled speculation for years. The “Laufey’s Last Wish” side quest in Ragnarök only added to the enigma, revealing that Faye had one final request for her son, to scatter her ashes at the highest peak in all the realms. Atreus’s persistent curiosity about his mother’s past suggests the developers intended her story to remain open-ended.

The 2018 game’s central mystery, who carved that path through Midgard, still echoes in the narrative. That answer was Faye, yet Ragnarök offered few new details about her motivations. A sequel that fully explores Laufey’s perspective would not only satisfy years of fan theories but also enrich the emotional weight of Kratos’s journey.

Picking Up the Threads, Where the Sequel Could Start

Ragnarök’s ending sets up a dual narrative: Atreus leaves to find the missing giants across the realms, while Kratos stays in Midgard to rebuild in the wake of Odin’s downfall. The next game could bridge both journeys through Faye’s influence. One popular theory suggests that the “giant migration” was Faye’s plan all along, a systematic dispersal of her people to protect them from the coming Ragnarök. If so, Atreus might be following a path his mother laid out long before he was born.

The sequel may feature flashback sequences or a playable prologue set during Faye’s life. Imagine taking control of her during her final battle against the Aesir, or witnessing her first meeting with Kratos in a world still scarred by the Greek pantheon’s destruction. A non-linear story structure that cuts between the past (Faye’s perspective) and the present (Kratos dealing with her legacy) would allow Santa Monica Studio to explore both time periods without abandoning the series’ current emotional core.

Fans have long speculated that the mural in Jötunheim’s hidden cave depicts Faye in a warrior stance, a hint that she was far more involved in the war against Odin than the games let on. In-depth lore analysis suggests the missing prophecies might be the key to unlocking a story deliberately kept in shadow. Cory Barlog, director of the 2018 game and Ragnarök, has stated that the story is “far from over” and that Faye was originally planned to have a much larger role. The epilogue of Ragnarök shows a mural with a figure widely believed to be Faye in a warrior stance, fueling theories that her death was not as straightforward as it seemed, perhaps she faked it, or her spirit lingers as a guardian of the World Tree. Additionally, Santa Monica Studio has filed trademarks for “God of War: Fimbulwinter” and “God of War: Aftermath,” both of which could tie into a prequel or interquel focused on Laufey’s legacy.

However, it’s worth considering alternative possibilities. What if the next game doesn’t focus on Faye at all? The mural could depict another giantess, or the sequel might leap forward in time with Atreus as the sole protagonist, leaving Faye’s story to remain a background element. Developer comments are often deliberately vague, and trademarks don’t guarantee specific content. Acknowledging these uncertainties strengthens the case for Faye’s importance, even if the evidence points strongly toward her, the door remains open for other directions.

What This Means for Kratos, Character Growth Through Grief

Kratos has always been defined by loss. From his family in Greece to his brother Deimos, the Ghost of Sparta has never processed grief without violence. But Laufey represents a loss he never fully processed, one that came before the events of the 2018 game. Exploring her past forces Kratos to confront his own role in her death. The game implies she died of an illness, but was there more? Could Kratos have saved her if he had known her true nature?

The emotional core of the next game could be this: Can Kratos finally make peace with a loved one’s memory, and learn to forgive himself for not being there? This arc mirrors his relationship with Atreus. Faye’s teachings, the “should be father to the wolf” philosophy she imparted to Atreus, could guide Kratos as a solo protagonist. Without Atreus by his side for much of the journey, Kratos would have to rely on his memories of her wisdom to navigate a world no longer defined by the Aesir.

This narrative approach reframes the original Greek trilogy’s obsession with the past as a journey of healing rather than vengeance. This is not Kratos chasing ghosts to punish them; it is Kratos confronting a ghost to understand himself.

Potential Gameplay and Setting, Beyond the Nine Realms

If the story reaches into Faye’s homeland, Jötunheim as it was before the giants scattered, we may explore new regions like the Ironwood in more depth, or entirely new lands drawn from Norse mythology. The realm of the dead giants, Helheim’s frozen expanse, and the hidden valleys of Vanaheim could all be expanded. But more compelling are the concrete gameplay opportunities tied directly to narrative.

A dual-protagonist system could allow players to step into Faye’s boots for combat flashbacks, much as they briefly did with Atreus in Ragnarök. The Leviathan Axe was originally Faye’s weapon, and a “Faye Style” alternate moveset could unlock her signature techniques: frost-enhanced attacks that freeze enemies solid, or Jötunn magic that reshapes the battlefield. Imagine a mechanic where Kratos’s axe combos gradually unlock Faye’s frost magic as a secondary resource meter, each new ability tied to a recovered memory or diary entry. This would deepen combat while tying directly to the emotional arc of reclaiming her legacy.

Environmental puzzles could also echo Faye’s journey. Players might need to recreate her path through Midgard, using her markings to solve obstacles that Kratos and Atreus originally bypassed. Each solved puzzle could grant permanent upgrades, blending exploration with narrative payoff. The Leviathan Axe itself could evolve, mirroring Kratos’s understanding of its original wielder, perhaps unlocking a hidden skill tree based on the player’s choices in dialogue or exploration.

The Unfinished Saga of Laufey

The next God of War game has a golden opportunity to do more than just continue Kratos’s journey. It can rewrite the origin of his entire Norse saga. By picking up where Laufey leaves off, the series can explore themes of memory, forgiveness, and the untold stories that shape our heroes. While concrete details remain locked inside Santa Monica Studio’s vaults, the evidence scattered across God of War Ragnarök and developer teases points to an inevitable truth: the mother of the wolf will finally have her voice. For players who have wondered about the woman behind the axe for nearly a decade, that answer cannot come soon enough.