God of War: Laufey
Faye, the Jötunn warrior who was already dead when God of War (2018) began, takes the lead in this action-adventure from Santa Monica Studio. The story opens at her funeral and moves into the Everywhen, a realm full of gods and creatures from several mythologies, where the safeguards she arranged for Kratos and Atreus have come under threat.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
- Faye holds the sword. The Norse games showed her as a corpse in 2018 and as a figure in Ragnarök's cutscenes. Laufey is her first turn as a playable character in the series.
- A faster fighting style. Santa Monica pairs the Greek-era games' mobility with the combat system of 2018 and Ragnarök. Next to Kratos, Faye moves more freely, shifting between ground and air attacks mid-combo.
- An answer to Odin's question. In Ragnarök, Odin fixated on the prophecy of his own death and on whatever lies beyond the afterlives of mortals. Laufey takes up what becomes of gods once they die.
Story and Lore
The opening scene is borrowed from God of War (2018): Kratos and Atreus cremate Faye in Midgard and set out for the highest peak in the realms to scatter her ashes. Faye, meanwhile, wakes somewhere she does not recognize.
That somewhere is the Everywhen, a realm above the Nine Realms that serves as the origin and final destination of magic. Gods and creatures from separate mythologies share it, mostly without goodwill, and the usual flow of magic there has been disturbed. Leaving is harder than arriving while that disruption lasts, and Faye has to work out whether the place is a refuge or a cage.
Her story runs at the same time as God of War (2018) and Ragnarök. The name carries its own mythology: in Norse sources Laufey is mainly known as Loki's mother, a link the series keeps through Atreus, who is also Loki.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Faye's main weapon is a sword she picks up soon after waking in the Everywhen. It is a one-handed weapon, which leaves her other hand free for magic such as blocking incoming attacks, and Rue's ribbon stretches out during strikes to catch enemies at range. Speed, control and momentum set the tempo, with each attack meant to flow into the next.
Her soul magic grows stronger in this realm. A blow from the golden palm separates an enemy's soul from its body, and Faye can then attack the soul directly or knock it into other enemies, which turns single targets into combo starters or a way to thin a crowd.
A second weapon, the Serpent Bow, covers ranged and close-quarters fights, and how far the aim trigger is pressed decides how it behaves.
- Full press: precision aim with a longer draw. Shots at particular points on a body can hinder an enemy's movement or attacks, leaving a gap for a melee follow-up. Holding the shot stacks up to five arrows into a volley, a good partner for Phranque launching enemies skyward.
- Half press: a mobile hip-fire stance that releases a cluster of arrows for close-range damage and keeps airborne enemies juggled.
- Arrow types: rapid fire, explosive and multi-target variants.
Customization runs through armor, which trades perks and stats against looks, along with a blade slot for the sword, Scales for the bow, and Catalysts, artifacts that channel the Everywhen's magic with a range of effects. Scales change the bow's appearance and attach a perk tied to a playstyle, and the bow has unlockable skills of its own.
Characters and Factions
- Faye (Laufey): known among the giants as Laufey the Just and as the Golden Hand of the Jötnar, their most powerful protector. She led a rebellion against the Æsir, guarded the Wildwoods alone, held the Leviathan Axe before the sword, and has gone toe to toe with Thor.
- Rue: a set of enchanted ribbons charged with keeping the sword's power from the wrong hands. Fiercely protective and slow to trust, she lends Faye the blade to break out of imprisonment.
- Phranque: a cosmic cube with deep ties to the Everywhen, committed to shielding its creatures from further harm.
- Kratos and Atreus: the reason for the whole journey rather than characters the player controls.
- Sekhmet and Begtse: the first rival gods shown, both openly hostile to a newcomer.
Faye's own people, the Jötnar, wield magic strong enough that Odin counted them among the gravest threats to his rule over the Nine Realms, and she sided with them against the Æsir. The Everywhen offers no such clear lines. Gods and creatures from different traditions pull in separate directions there, and the realm has native inhabitants of its own.
Editions
God of War Laufer offers two main editions. Standard with only the base game and Digital Deluxe Edition, which offers:
- the Dark Alchemy Equipment Set (armor set, blade, bow scales and catalyst),
- an in-game resource pack,
- a digital mini artbook and the official digital soundtrack.
Pre-ordering either edition adds the Last Wish Armor Set, Phranque's Golden Leaves Appearance (a cosmetic) and an in-game resource pack. The in-game items unlock through story progression.