God of War Ragnarök continues to sell well and receive excellent reviews since its release on November 9th. The Game Awards will be taking place on December 8th to crown the Game of the Year alongside the winner of several other categories. Ragnarök stands a great chance at winning the most categories thanks to it having more nominations than any other game.
In God of War Ragnarök, the players can explore the Nine Realms and perform various quests or simply take in the beauty of the world. Each realm is unique and distinct from the others receiving heavy improvements from the previous title, God of War (2018).
9 Asgard The Home Of The Aesir
Asgard received the least amount of effort put into it, and it's the only realm that players can't actively go to during the post-game content. The journey to the city as the player plays as Atreus is absolutely breathtaking and the great wall surrounding the home of the gods is both intimidating and fun to climb.
The beauty really stops there when Atreus makes it to the top as the home of the god is far more disappointing. While Heimdall claims Odin doesn't need a fancy large palace to live in, the Great Lodge and the surrounding area of Asgard are pretty disappointing. Especially when compared to Olympus in God of War III.
8 Helheim The Realm Of The Dead
Helheim received some major improvements from God of War (2018) and feels far less dull. It remains a smoky and mysterious area, but there's more to see with plenty of enemies sprawling around to fight.
The aesthetic of the landscape was breathtaking during the boss battle against Garm, one of the hardest bosses in God of War Ragnarök, with the gray ruins and the green-gray smoke surrounding the world.
7 Midgard The Home Of Humans
Midgard is where the journey begins and is essentially Earth. Despite this, the land is fun to explore and is easier to navigate as opposed to God of War (2018). Thanks to Fimbulwinter coating Midgard in snow and freezing the lake around Tyr's Temple, the player is offered a completely new view of the area that is far more breathtaking to behold.
There are also various snow-peaked mountainous areas to climb that give the player a true Nordic feel. One of the most breathtaking designed areas in Midgard was when one of the best God of War characters, Kratos visits the Norns and sees the long golden threads surrounding them.
6 Muspelheim The Realm Of Surtr
Fire and lava areas are always some of the coolest locations in video games and Muspelheim is no exception. This realm is far more expanded than in the previous title and gives stunning visuals of roiling lava waterfalls and volcanic landscapes.
One of the best transitions is when Kratos and Atreus step from Muspelheim into where the realm merges with Niflheim giving an incredible cosmic setting. While the Surtr's Gauntlet arenas are great visually, there's nothing better than the setting where players fight Gná, the hardest god players fight in GoW Ragnarok.
5 Alfheim The Home Of The Elves
Right away, Alfheim is far more interesting than it first was. However, most of what the player needs to do in the story are fairly similar to the time they spent in Alfheim in God of War (2018). But once the player finishes this part of the story they can freely roam a new area of two large deserts in Alfheim.
These are gorgeous zones where the player can ride on sleds to navigate through quickly. Players must free the Hafugas, however, if they want to be able to see clearly and truly appreciate the world fully.
4 Jötunheim The Home Of The Frost Giants
Players get their first of Jötunheim in Ragnarök when Atreus falls asleep and teleports there. This is a fantastic adventure as Atreus spends time bonding with Angrboda and explores the land.
The world of Jotunheim is visually striking, and the player can sit back and relax to enjoy the world as they travel on Jalla's back through swamps and up trees while complimented by brilliant dialogue. Another great addition to the world design is Grýla's home, which heavily contrasts with the characters due to the size of the home due to Grýla's size.
3 Niflheim The Realm Of Mists
Niflheim was originally a rather bland and boring realm to visit in God of War (2018). It was both visually unappealing and difficult to traverse through. However, in Ragnarök, this changes as players can freely travel through this ice-sculptured land.
Niflheim beautifully contrasts with Muspelheim's lava realm as a picturesque icy landscape. While there isn't much to do in Niflheim as opposed to the other realms it's one of the best realms to simply stare at thanks to its excellent design.
2 Svartalfheim The Home Of The Dwarves
Svartalfheim is one of the most refined realms players get to visit in the game, and it's no surprise considering it's one of the first realms players visits. It offers a great vibrant world that contains swamps, volcanoes, mines, a large lake, and mountains.
There is so much exploration to be done in Svartalfheim and every step of the way is fantastic to view. One of the best areas is when Kratos receives Draupnir and is traveling through the mountains, leaping with his new spear, one of his best weapons in God of War Ragnarök, the Draupnir Spear.
1 Vanaheim The Home Of The Vanir
Players will go to Vanaheim twice in the main story and every time they complete it more areas will be opened up to them for exploration. The ingenuity and design that went into creating Vanaheim is insane, and it's arguably the best-designed location a God of War game has ever had.
The rivers and islands of Vanaheim make for a visually interesting level design and overall its just a pretty area to traverse. However, the best part lies in the Sinkholes. Here, players can release a floodgate that will make the Sinkholes even better as they increase the way they can navigate through the dangerous land fraught with fire-breathing dragons.