Before God of War Ragnarok was released, there was much speculation among fans. Some fans were convinced that Kratos would die at the hands of Thor in the opening, while others believed that Atreus would be punched into the past by Odin. However, while the integrity of these theories varied from fan to fan, most players believed there would be at least one scene in the game where the legendary hammer, Mjolnir, would be wielded. That didn’t happen, however, and while some fans are still a bit disappointed, the result was a wise choice for “God of War Ragnarok.”
The Mjolnir has become one of the iconic weapons of the mythos thanks to its appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the past decade. It is only natural that players seeing such an iconic weapon for the first time in the game would want to use it themselves. Thankfully, however, Santa Monica Studio exercised restraint, and its decision not to allow players to use Mjolnir in God of War Ragnarok was right.
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God of War Ragnarok
There is no denying that it would have been fun to wield the Mjolnir in “God of War Ragnarok”. One of the most infamous weapons of all time, the Mjolnir is inherently very cool, as it can engulf an opponent like a boomerang and can be controlled by lightning at will. However, in “God of War Ragnarok,” using the Mjolnir makes little sense gameplay-wise or story-wise, and Santa Monica has chosen a more difficult but rewarding path.
From a gameplay standpoint, wielding Mjolnir is not as special as players might first think. The main feature of the Mjolnir is that it can be thrown and invoked, something that the Leviathan Axe already achieves. Apart from that, the weapon itself would not need a unique technique, or at least not one that is sufficiently different from the axe.
Furthermore, the player would not be able to unleash lightning from the Mjolnir since the Mjolnir is a tool to convey Thor’s inherent power. So, in the end, the player would be left with a weapon similar to the Leviathan Axe.
Mjolnir is passed to Thor’s daughter Surdo
From a narrative standpoint, not allowing Kratos to use Mjolnir would have been more satisfactory. If Kratos could wield Mjolnir in Ragnarok, that game version would probably result in Thor dying and Mjolnir being passed to him. Instead, in the events of Ragnarok, Mjolnir is passed to Thor’s daughter Surdo, whose postgame appearance implies that she will use the hammer to carry on her father’s legacy (at least a good part of it). Santa Monica could have made a compelling story of Kratos’ use of Mjolnir, but this version is more than satisfactory.
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But the best result of Kratos’ inability to wield Mjolnir in God of War Ragnarok is that the Spartan ghost finally has a weapon of his own. Around the midpoint of God of War Ragnarok, players will receive a new weapon, the Draupnir Spear. This weapon brings many benefits to both story and gameplay.
Gameplay-wise, the Draupnir controls quite differently from the Blade of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe and has a unique and versatile ranged attack. And story-wise, Kratos finally has a weapon of his own. No longer needing to use his wife’s axe or Ares’ cursed blade, he can finally wield a weapon that represents his true nature.
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PS4 and PS5.
