God of War’s Kratos has had a busy life: he’s birthed a teenager, slain the gods, and grown the kind of luscious beard that would make a lumberjack flush with jealousy – all that and he’s only 20 years old! And to celebrate Kratos and the God of War series’ big two-oh, Sony is releasing a free update for 2022’s Ragnarök that’ll include some classic skins.
Starting next Wednesday, 20th March, God of War Ragnarök players on PC and PlayStation can download a free update adding (among other things) the Dark Odyssey armour and appearance for Kratos – both inspired by the classic black-and-gold skin players could unlock after beating 2007’s God of War 2 on God Mode difficulty. There’s the swirly shoulder sheen and glowing white eyes of the anniversary skin itself, plus the Dark Odyssey Breastplate, Dark Odyssey Bracers, Dark Odyssey Belt – all of which can be accessed from any Lost Items chest in the base game or automatically while in Valhalla.
Players can also apply Dark Odyssey appearances to the Guardian Shield, Dauntless Shield, Stone Wall Shield, Shatter Start Shield, Onslaught Shield, Spartan Aspis Shield, and Rönd. And over in the weapon corner, there are Dark odyssey appearances for the fully upgraded versions of the Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and Draupnir Spear. All these come with their own Dark Odyssey attachments, so if you fancy giving Kratos a Dark Odyssey Knob, have at it. Sony notes all the above will gain the ‘Edit Appearance’ feature in next week’s patch.
And as for companions, the black and gold aesthetic carries over to two bits of Dark Odyssey armour for Freya and Atreus. There’s the Dark Odyssey Witch Frock for Freya, which comes with some fetching golden tassels, and the largely leather-based Dark Odyssey Vestment for Atreus.
That’s it for God of War Ragnarök’s free update but the 20th anniversary celebrations are set to continue in other realms – most specifically, the real-world one. As detailed in Sony’s announcement, there’s a two-volume God of War retrospective book on the way, alongside art prints, t-shirts, an exhibition at California’s Gallery Nucleus, and 67 inches of World Serpent to enjoy. The latter comes in the form of a Jörmungandr plushie that’s also a hand puppet and even comes with a a little magnetised Leviathan Axe crammed into its gob too.
“Back in 2005 when the first God of War released, no one at Santa Monica Studio anticipated the success this series would have,” adds Sony. “Every creative endeavour carries the hopes of those who shaped it that they might be able to carve a legacy in the industry. What makes those hopes a reality has always been the support of players who chose to pick up the game and go on a journey with us.” Here’s to another 20 years Kratos; may your beard never retract inward.