10 Details About God of War Laufey You Need to Know

After four years of waiting, the God of War franchise has finally revealed its next steps with the unexpected announcement of a brand-new entry: God of War Laufey, which has just pulled off one of the most stunning twists in recent gaming history.

That’s because Kratos is not the protagonist this time around, marking a huge first for the IP. Instead, the spotlight is shifting entirely to his deceased wife, Laufey (or Faye, if you prefer), in a brand-new, emotional journey that takes place after her tragic death – yes, you read it right, literally after her death!

And that postmortem description is certainly not a weird premise in the God of War universe, but a rather exciting one. Shifting the protagonist role to the Guardian of the Jötunn is quite the creative gamble, but the change of hero isn’t the only thing you should pay attention to regarding this upcoming PlayStation title.

So, to help you get your bearings before we step into the afterlife, I have gathered all the major details you absolutely need to know about God of War Laufey to get excited about the game as much as I am!

10 Who Is Laufey?

The Basics First

As previously mentioned, Laufey is the woman who captured Kratos' hardened heart during his self-imposed isolation in the Norse realms, had his child (the lovely and a bit stubborn Atreus), and sadly died a few years later from unknown natural causes.

But she’s pretty far from just Kratos' wife! Laufey was actually a Jötunn giant from the Jötunheim realm and a legendary hero among her people, since she was always helping the poor and oppressed – even if that meant opposing Odin and the powerful Aesir.

We first “meet” her in God of War (2018), though under bittersweet circumstances, as the entire plot is kicked off by Kratos and Atreus honouring her final wish to have her ashes scattered at Jötunheim. But later in Ragnarök (2022), we finally get to see her in Kratos’ fever dreams, where it is revealed that she has been brought to life by the actress Deborah Ann Woll, from the TV shows Daredevil: Born Again and True Blood.

Now, in God of War Laufey, the character continues to be played by Deborah Ann. Oh, and you can also call her Faye if you prefer, which is the alias she used to blend in with mortals in Midgard.

9 When Exactly Does the Game Take Place?

A Post-Mortem Parallel Journey

In the original 2018 game, Laufey’s death is basically the catalyst for everything. She left specific instructions for Kratos and Atreus to bring her ashes to the highest peak in all the Nine Realms (which ends up being in Jötunheim), a journey that ultimately reveals her prophetic murals and Atreus’ true lineage as Loki.

Because she is already dead when that game starts, many fans initially wondered if this new title would be a prequel or even a spin-off tracking her ancient wars against the Norse gods. While Kratos and Atreus are busy chopping down marked trees and embarking on their journey, Laufey’s soul is simultaneously waking up in a completely new realm of existence.

However, Santa Monica Studio confirmed that the game actually begins immediately after the opening sequence of God of War (2018) and is considered the next mainline chapter in the series.

So we don’t know exactly where in the franchise timeline God of War Laufey will ultimately wrap up, but experiencing her parallel journey right after her physical passing adds an incredible layer of narrative depth to the Norse saga.

8 Everywhen Is the Main Setting

A Multimythological Afterlife Grid

So, where exactly does a giantess go when her physical body turns to ash? Well, welcome to Everywhen, the main setting of God of War Laufey!

We haven’t seen the full scope of this realm up to this point, but details from the trailer and PlayStation Blog interviews paint a fascinating picture: this isn't just a standard underworld, but a transcendent afterlife designed specifically for deities and mythological entities.

And by that, they meant that any mythology is included. “The Everywhen is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above those we’ve come to know. A location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence,” reads the official description from the PlayStation Blog.

Basically, it is a cosmic melting pot where entities from completely different cultures cross paths. This opens up the possibility of Laufey running into ghosts from Kratos’ bloody past – just imagine her crossing paths with figures like Zeus, Hades, or Ares! If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the gods Kratos brutally slaughtered, it seems God of War Laufey is about to give us an answer.

7 Meet Your New Allies: Phranque and Rue

A Chatty Gelatinous Cube and a Magical Ribbon

It seems that Laufey won't have to navigate this hostile multimythological graveyard entirely on her own. The first trailer for God of War Laufey introduced her first (and likely only) trustworthy companions in this strange afterlife land: Phranque and Rue. And yes, they are delightfully weird, carrying that distinct Santa Monica charm.

Phranque is a sentient, gelatinous magic cube possessing a remarkably strong, witty personality. He is voiced and even motion-captured by Jack Quaid, the star of the TV show The Boys. Because a high-profile actor is attached to a literal block of jelly, the community is already drowning in theories that Phranque will eventually transform into a major mythological figure later in the game.

Rue, on the other hand, is an enchanted ribbon-like guardian voiced by the actress Perlina Lau, who is directly attached to Laufey’s devastating new sword, acting as its mystical protector. Together, this bizarre trio forms the core emotional anchor of the game’s journey through the unknown.

6 Laufey’s Gameplay

Sword Combos, Hand Magic, and Gelatinous Stuns

If you thought Laufey would play exactly like a skin-swap of Kratos, think again. The revealed gameplay footage showcases a distinct, incredibly agile combat rhythm that beautifully honors Kratos’ famous line from Ragnarök: “She used to fight beautifully.”

Basically, she relies on quite fluid ground-to-air sword combos seamlessly woven together with a mysterious, volatile magic surging through her left hand, allowing her to launch enemies into the sky for aerial magical juggles and also be able to rapidly dash to evade incoming strikes. But it seems that she’s not going to fight alone! Rue and Phranque will actually lend a hand.

Rue, the magical ribbon, will be attached to her sword, meaning it will make her able to unleash devastating horizontal area-of-effect sweeps and use magical pulls to drag targets right into her blade. Meanwhile, Phranque functions as an active companion, bouncing around to distract mobs, tackling enemies from behind to stumble them forward into your attack range, and even stepping up to help dismantle bosses. It is not known if they will be available to help throughout the entire game (like Atreus), but they seem to be an important part of Laufey’s gameplay.

Last but not least, it is important to note that Laufey’s magic seems to react strangely to the Everywhen (she literally mentions that in the first trailer), meaning that probably her toolkit will gradually evolve and grow significantly more powerful as you progress.

5 Subtle, Heartbreaking Characterization

Look at Her Golden Dress!

Santa Monica Studio is closely known for its environmental storytelling, and Laufey’s physical design in Everywhen carries a beautifully subtle, heartbreaking detail that completely connects back to the opening minutes of the 2018 game.

By watching the first trailer of God of War Laufey, we notice that her main outfit in the game is a striking yellow-gold dress. And if that fabric looks familiar to you, it is because it is crafted from the exact same golden shroud that Kratos used to gently cover her lifeless body on the funeral pyre before saying his final goodbyes!

Seeing her wear the physical manifestation of her husband’s final act of love and mourning while she navigates the afterlife is a nice emotional touch, but most importantly, it caused a lot of players to speculate that things happening back in the real world with Kratos and Atreus might actually reflect on Laufey in the Everywhen in some way – so who knows what else may pop up on her path that comes directly from the two of them!

4 Meet Begtse and Sekhmet

The Franchise Jumps into Multiple Mythologies

After the reveal of God of War Laufey, Santa Monica Studio finally answered the big fan question about which mythology the franchise would tackle next after the Norse realm, and their answer was a quite loud “Yes.”

That’s because, since the game takes place in a sort of multidimensional afterlife for deities, it opens up the possibility for Laufey to cross paths with the Greek gods Kratos slaughtered in the past. But beyond that, the very first trailer already confirmed the presence of two divinities from entirely distinct pantheons, meaning it will really tackle multiple mythologies all at once!

First up is Begtse, a fierce warrior deity from Tibetan Buddhism with an immense presence in Mongolian military tradition. Appearing as an intimidating, three-eyed powerhouse, Begtse is confirmed to be the very first major boss encounter Laufey must face during the game’s high-stakes introductory sequence – much like Baldur’s iconic entrance in God of War (2018).

Alongside him stands Sekhmet, the terrifying Egyptian goddess of war, vengeance, and medicine. Born directly from the eye of the sun god Ra, she wields the blinding, scorching heat of the sun as a devastating weapon. They look like a power couple with a strong influence over the Everywhen, and they will definitely be a thorn in Laufey’s side.

3 The Six-Legged Lion

Aker’s Mythological Guard Duty

Sticking with the mythological expansion, another cool detail from the reveal trailer that has lore enthusiasts talking is the creature that apparently serves as Sekhmet’s personal mount: a colossal, six-legged lion.

At first glance, it just looks like an incredibly cool and intimidating fantasy beast designed to make the goddess look even more badass. However, Santa Monica always hides some mythological roots in their designs, and coincidentally, there is a deity named Aker in Egyptian mythology, a lion goddescribed as the guardian of the horizon and the gatekeeper to the underworld, controlling the passage between life and death. Oh, and guess what: he actually has six legs!

That certainly rings a bell, considering where and when Laufey is found at this point in the story. Now the question that remains is whether we will fight Sekhmet with or without Aker. My money is on a multi-phase boss fight where we face her on her own and then alongside her trusty, six-legged sidekick.

2 What’s With the Mask?

Connecting the Splinters to Ragnarök

One of the biggest talking points surrounding the first trailer is how Laufey frequently mentions a “mask,” literally causing God of War fans to lose their collective minds, since a mysterious mask was constantly mentioned in Ragnarök, but nobody truly understood its purpose back then. And it looks like God of War Laufey was the answer this entire time!

Basically, what we know about that concrete mask is that Odin spent lifetimes obsessing over an ancient green artifact that he believed held the secrets to infinite knowledge and creation. However, the origins of that mask were left purposefully vague, and now we are finally about to get some real answers.

One theory that has been gaining traction is that the mask from Ragnarök is actually an alternate gateway into the Everywhen. Normally, gods enter and exit this realm through an ancient central gate, which is currently sealed shut – you can notice that, in the same trailer, the Mongolian guards frantically ask if Laufey came through it, and Begtse explicitly states that “the gateway is closed” and that “there is no escape.”

So, how did our protagonist get in? Look closely at her hand: she has a glowing green splinter embedded in her flesh, and it’s probably from the mask! It seems this splinter acted as an emergency anchor that pulled her soul to the Everywhen upon her death. And Sekhmet even recognizes it, tauntingly asking if the shard could set her free before crushing it, permanently trapping Laufey in the realm. But hey, that’s all speculation up to this point.

1 Release Date for God of War Laufey

An Optimistic Window on the Horizon

Alright, so when do we actually get to play God of War Laufey and meet a whole new bunch of Gods to kill? Sadly, the short answer is that Santa Monica Studio and PlayStation still haven't stamped an official launch date onto the project just yet.

However, we already have some promising signs that the wait won’t be agonizingly long! Industry insider and renowned Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier noted shortly after the State of Play reveal that the game has already been deep in development for a considerable amount of time and isn't far from completion – which is totally believable, considering that the mask theory draws a practically direct connection to Ragnarök, which was released back in 2022. Because of this, we can comfortably hold onto an optimistic prediction that the title will land on store shelves sometime in 2027.