God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is now out! The Free DLC can be played at any time during the game however, it is recommended that you play it after the main story. This is because it serves as an epilogue to God of War: Ragnarok. As you may know, in Ragnarok, Odin turned out to be Tyr as he was deceiving our heroes. However, the real Tyr was later rescued by Kratos in one of the side quests and then he could be found analysing Ragnarok all across the nine realms. So, technically Tyr didn’t do much in the game and fans of course, wanted to see more of him. Well, as it happens, the DLC features Tyr as a main character and the driving force behind Kratos’ journey. Beware that MASSIVE SPOILERS for the DLC follow below, so read at your own risk.
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla – Kratos Needs to Fight Tyr 4 Times
Since, this is a journey of Kratos’ self improvement, his exploits at Greece play a huge role in the DLC and Tyr plays a valuable role in this. In fact, that is what this DLC is all about as Tyr teaches Kratos many valuable lessons and helps him make peace with his troubled past. Kratos soon finds out that it was Tyr who invited him to Valhalla and train him to be the next God of War of the Nine Realms. During every new attempt, Kratos has to begin at lower realms, ascend to the higher realms which lead him to timed trials in Greece, and finally face Tyr at the end of it all. This is what the game refers to as “The Cycle”
Now, even if you play without dying in between, the story requires you to fight Tyr 4 different times and each time, he engages you with a different combat styles and weapons. Honestly, we are glad Tyr was on our side and the side of peace in the Norse saga, otherwise it would have been nearly impossible for Kratos to defeat him in a death battle. At the end of all these fights, Tyr teaches Kratos an essential lesson required to be the next God of War and helps Kratos make peace with himself. As it happens, Tyr has some amazing surprises packed for the fans as he uses the weapons and powers he gained during his time at other lands. So, here are all 4 times you are required to fight Tyr.
First Encounter – The Host
The Host is the third main quest of the DLC and when Kratos finally decides to sacrifice himself at Greece instead of Helios/Mimir, he ascends to the next level. Over here he encounters Tyr and finds out that Tyr was the host of Valhalla and the one who invited Kratos. Here, Tyr explains he wants Kratos to be the next God of War but first, he must confront his past and prove himself worthy. They proceed to fight as Tyr wields a Spear and a Shield and after making Tyr yield, he allows Kratos to open the door behind him. However, as Kratos reaches the door, he himself realizes he isn’t ready and hence ends up on the shore again.
Second Encounter – The Work Part 1: Acceptance
After completing The Cycle one more time, Kratos faces Tyr once again. Tyr points out Kratos is not the only one who wields weapons and knowledge of other pantheons. In this fight Tyr wields a Macuahuitl, which is a classic weapon from Aztec Empire. He also does blood magic throughout the fight which was also a essential part of Aztec Mythology. At the end of this fight Tyr helps Kratos accept that young Kratos did what he did because at that time it seemed right. He made him realize that Kratos doesn’t need to excuse himself but merely accept that he had his motivations and reasons.
Third Encounter – The Work Part 2: Vigilance
After completing The Cycle third time, Kratos faces Tyr once again. In round 3, Tyr unleashes a pair Khopesh, which is an ancient Egyptian weapon characterized by its distinct curved blade with a flat edge on one side and a convex edge on the other. We also saw him cover Kratos in darkness which is an important element of Egyptian Mythology as the darkness was considered the principle enemy. At the end of this fight, Tyr explains to Kratos that when he killed Helios, he wasn’t being indifferent to the suffering it would lead to, but was deeply hurt and acted unskilfully. He further explains that Kratos had done many good deeds at Greece but his misfortune drove him to darkness but now he has more wisdom and vigilance than before.
Final Encounter – The Work Part 3: Benevolance
After completing one more Cycle, Kratos has to battle Tyr one last time! In the final round, Tyr wields a Katana which is a traditional Japanese longsword characterized by its distinctive appearance and sharpness. His combat style was totally Samurai like which includes tons of flips, throwing projectiles, and even creating fake shadows of himself. At the end of this final fight, Tyr explains that by sacrificing himself at the end of GOWIII he showed character and that ever since then he gave a lot of hope to Midgard and the nine realms. After this he deems his journey complete and allows Kratos to walk through the door where he encounters Young Kratos and makes peace with himself once and for all.
Aside from these encounters, in case you fall to Tyr in any of the battles, you’ll have to fight him again after completing the cycle . Let us know your thoughts and progress in the comments below! God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is now available to play for free for anyone who owns the game.
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