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PC players all around can finally rejoice because God of War (2018) has arrived on the platform. The title was released on January 14, and early reviews have been glowing in praise of the technological improvements and excellent port.
The 2018 addition to the long-running series brings Kratos to the Nordic realms after fighting through the pantheons of Greek gods. Kratos, accompanied by his son Atreus, is on a quest to spread his wife's ashes at the highest peak in the nine realms.
Similar to other titles of the series, gods and monsters crop up in the game, except this time, they are part of the Norse mythology. The primary antagonist that Kratos encounters several times during the gameplay is 'The Stranger.'
Warning: spoilers ahead!
The identity of 'The Stranger' in God of War
'The Stranger' is revealed to be Baldur, the Norse God of Light. He is the son of The Allfather Odin and Vanir goddess Freya, making him the brother of Thor. Baldur is assigned the task of tracking and killing Kratos and Atreus by Odin, as he believes that the child is the harbinger of Ragnarok.
Baldur has superhuman abilities and cannot feel pain or be harmed - he feels that his condition is due to a curse put on him by his mother. Early in his life, Freya had placed a spell on him, making him invulnerable to any threat except mistletoe. The adverse effect of the spell was that Baldur was unable to feel anything physically.
Baldur in Norse Mythology
In Norse mythology, Baldur was the favorite of the gods and was known to be beautiful and kind. When he and his mother, Frigg, had a dream about his death, she made every object on earth vow not to harm him.
Mistletoe did not make any such vow; it was possibly considered too insignificant or "too young" to swear the oath. Loki made a spear out of the plant and tricked Baldur's blind brother, Hodr, into impaling him. His death leads to the coming of Ragnarok.
Baldur's death in God of War follows a somewhat similar pattern, as Loki plays a significant role yet again, but Kratos deals the final blow. Baldur states:
"Before you die, I want to thank you. Both of you. You've done what even The Allfather himself could not. I've never felt more alive! Ironic, isn't it?"
The repercussions of this action will be revealed as the end of days arrive in God of War Ragnarok, announced to be released in 2022. This will mark the end of the Norse saga of the series.
