It’s always interesting seeing what catches fire across the internet. With a character like Thor that has so many great depictions in pop-culture, people grow a special connection to them. So, in that way it’s understandable a discussion is prompted when a new take on that type of character comes out. We wanted his look to reflect those aspects and multiple artists did work with that in mind. As the designs began to evolve and various elements began to resonate with the team our art director Rafael Grassetti did a pass and that is the final design of Thor seen in game. Grace Orlady: At the end of the last game, Freya undergoes a traumatic event with the death of her son – changing her from friend to hunter, vowing vengeance on Kratos. How did the team want to go about changing Freya’s visual look to represent her emotional state at the start of God of War Ragnarök? When it comes to visual storytelling, what aspects of Angroboda’s character are the most important to convey through her design? If you decide to cosplay a character from God of War, make sure you tag Santa Monica Studio on social or use the hashtag #GodofWarRagnarok! We always love to see your work.

I know the amount of work that goes into making things this complex, so I thank you and appreciate every single one of you. Smaller elements of her costume like the weaving and shawl also remain consistent in her God of War Ragnarök design.We also wanted to keep the “X” shape on his chest, as that was one of the most memorable visual elements from his outfit as a kid. From that base, we explored a lot of different variations. The new designs for Kratos and Atreus you’ve seen for God of War Ragnarök are a culmination many months of iteration among the talented character and concept artists here at Santa Monica Studio. Atreus especially posed a unique challenge and opportunity for us with several years having passed since the last game. In God of War (2018), the team significantly changed Kratos’ look to match the new setting while still maintaining the iconic elements of the character that make him instantly recognizable. To discuss the Fimbulwinter-ready looks of our heroes in God of War Ragnarök, Art Director Raf Grassetti walked us through some of the key choices that were made along the way. Is there any aspect of Kratos’ design for God of War Ragnarök that you are especially proud of or want players to notice?

The influence of his father is shown in the red waist cloth piece, the aggressive red arrows, and the red in his bow – you will be able to see how that influence impacts his future upgrades in God of War Ragnarök. In addition to the new guides, we’ve once again partnered with members of our extremely talented cosplay community to provide resources and tips on creating three of the characters from the updated guides – Freya, Angrboda, and Thor. Freya – Ibelinn Cosplay From a story perspective, Atreus is the humanity that Kratos lost. He's helping Kratos understand what it was like to be a human and Kratos is trying to help the kid understand what it means to be a god. The kid has no idea about any of that stuff. They're both sort of teaching each other a little bit and kind of helping each other hobble through a very difficult emotional journey." We incorporated a lot of elements to illustrate the characters journey from the end of God of War (2018) to the beginning of God of War Ragnarök. The cold weather was definitely a very important factor, you can see on Atreus’ costume, for example, the inverted pelt to protect him from the cold and Kratos using a bear pelt as well. To become the God of Thunder, we partnered with The Ronin Cosplay, who has been a longtime pillar of the God of War cosplay community. From Kratos to Sigrun, Ronin has taken on some of the most complex character designs in our games and made them look absolutely incredible.To provide insights into the three characters we’ve partnered with community cosplayers to make, we’ve sat down with Dela Longfish, a lead character artist on God of War Ragnarök, to discuss how these designs came to be. Freya Atreus is a teenager and we wanted to make his outfit an avenue in which he could express himself, especially since he makes a lot of his own clothing. It’s important to us that our character designs reflect the times they are living in, so the use of materials, stitching, and coloring of the costume need to be grounded, but not so much as to be overly limiting. Some fans will notice elements from Baldur’s costume throughout her designs, such as the Twilight Pendant and the orange warps he wore around his legs that she now wears. These are mementos she carries with her to always remember her son. Thor Dela Longfish: After the events of the last game, we knew we would be seeing a completely different side of Freya in God of War Ragnarök.