Like its predecessor, God of War Ragnarok features a companion mechanic as Kratos is usually accompanied by his son and mentee, Atreus. Since the events of the first game, Atreus has grown into a competent warrior in his own right, using his dexterity and wiles to complement his father’s strength and brutality in combat. However, at certain points in the game Atreus will be absent, and Kratos will instead be accompanied by his rival-turned-ally, the Vanir goddess Freya. For those wishing to master Ragnarok’s combat, it’s arguable that Freya outmatches Atreus in her abilities.
Freya first appears as a companion when Kratos travels to Vanaheim during the main story of Ragnarok, after the quest “The Reckoning”. By this point, Atreus has been able to keep enemies off Kratos’ back, stun enemies, and use Sonic arrows. Freya introduces Hex arrows into this repertoire, which enhance elemental damage, but this is only a small aspect of the larger combat bonuses that Freya provides in God of War Ragnarok. Hex arrows provide synergy with Kratos’ weapons, but the core of her potential lies in two key abilities: her Vanir Magic skills, which inflict the Poison status effect, and her weapons, which can inflict Bifrost.
Freya's Posion Magic Is A Godsend In God Of War Ragnarök
On the left side of Freya’s skill tree is the Vanir Magic path, which allow Freya to summon vines that keep enemies out of the way, deal stun, and importantly, inflict Poison. God of War Ragnarok’s new moves and combat mechanics include many status effects that can turn the tide of battle, and Poison is quite unique compared to other games. In Ragnarok, it lowers an enemy’s power level, essentially lowering their health, damage resistance, and damage output all in one. It works especially well on big, tough enemies like Wulvers that might be a problem for an under-leveled player.
Poison is incredibly useful, especially when playing Ragnarok on higher difficulties, as it levels the playing field for Kratos and allows the player to focus on a single, weakened enemy. Since Freya joins the party in Vanaheim, players will be able to acquire Lunda’s Lost Armor Set at around the same time, one of the best armor sets in God of War Ragnarok. Lunda’s Set inflicts poison and enhances Kratos’ damage against Poisoned enemies, meaning it has incredible synergy with Freya’s Vanir Magic skill tree. If players are looking to beat the game on the “Give Me God of War” difficulty, focusing on these skills should make it a lot easier.
Freya's Bifrost Abilities In God Of War Ragnarök Are Unmatched
On top of this, Freya has two tools at her disposal to inflict the Bifrost status effect. Bifrost damage adds a purple bar to the enemy’s health pool. If Kratos deals a follow-up hit on a Bifrosted enemy, the purple damage detonates, dealing huge damage. It’s best used in conjunction with big, single-target attacks, such as heavy runic attacks in Ragnarok, which also have the benefit of dealing their respective elemental damage (usually Burning or Frost). Relic Abilities are a source of Bifrost damage, but they usually have large cooldowns, meaning Freya’s Mardoll Sword and her “Steel Harmony” Runic Summon are reliable ways to keep Bifrost damage going.
To get both the Mardoll sword and “Steel Harmony”, players will need to complete the Vanaheim favor “Freya’s Missing Peace”, which delves into Freya’s experiences while married into the Aesir family. Mardoll deals Bifrost on every melee hit she pulls off, meaning investing into Freya’s Valkyrie skill tree will enhance its output and make Freya’s melee damage more consistent. Meanwhile, the “Steel Harmony” Runic Summon deals a large amount of Stun and Bifrost at the same time. Combined, this outmatches Atreus’s best skills in God of War Ragnarok as it allows Kratos to focus on dealing massive elemental damage to a single enemy.
All-in-all, Freya’s skill set has incredible versatility; Poisoned enemies are decidedly squishier, Bifrosted enemies are vulnerable to massive damage, and Hex arrows enhance big elemental attacks. Although Atreus is still the fan favorite due to the strong bond between father and son, Freya allows a smart player to synergize their skills and obliterate enemies on God of War Ragnarok’s hardest difficulties.