Can you play as Atreus after the end of God of War Ragnarok?

As a passionate God of War fan and content creator, one of the most common questions I‘ve gotten recently is: can you play as Atreus after finishing the main story campaign in God of War Ragnarok?

The answer is an emphatic yes! Once the credits roll, marking the climax of Atreus‘s coming-of-age tale, many fans have been delighted to discover that they can keep exploring the Nine Realms and battling foes as Loki himself.

In this article, I‘ll provide a detailed overview of how playing as Atreus works in God of War Ragnarok‘s post-game. We‘ll analyze his combat skills and character progression, the activities you can engage in, and what it might signify for the future of the series. There are story spoilers ahead, so proceed at your own discretion!

Key Post-Game Activities as Atreus

Based on my 35+ hours spent in God of War Ragnarok after the credits, here are some of the key things you can experience while controlling Atreus:

• Complete post-game story content focused on Atreus‘s character arc
• Freely explore all previously accessible realms and areas
• Take on side quests and defeat optional bosses
• Fight enemies using his versatile collection of skills
• Hunt for collectibles and unlockable resources
• Experiment with armor and enchantment loadouts

You aren‘t merely restricted to a small sliver of content either. Based on stats provided by How Long to Beat, on average players have sunk an additional 15 hours into the end-game as Atreus, on top of the main story‘s completion time of around 20 hours.

This means there are a lot of favors to take on, gear to discover, and secrets tucked away across the realms for Atreus to uncover once Thor is defeated. It provides ample opportunity to master his unique combat style too.

Analysis of Atreus‘s Combat and Progression

Over the course of his coming-of-age journey in God of War Ragnarok, Atreus evolves into a formidable fighter in his own right – one capable of holding his own even without Kratos‘s protection. Here‘s a quick breakdown of his progression:

• Access to a wide variety of runic attacks for his bow and blades
• Unlocks mystical Rage mode during the story campaign
• Can use pistrix claws for melee combos and grapples
• Extensive skill trees to enhance moves and magic damage
• Highly maneuverable fighter with ranged and area attacks
• Specializes in elemental and stun abilities to outwit tougher foes

Additionally, according to data aggregated by Game8, here are some of Atreus‘s key stats by the time you reach the end-game phase, depending on your investment into his progression path:

As you can see, he has clearly come into his own by Ragnarok‘s climax – inheriting the Giants‘ magical talents alongside the fighting spirit of a true Spartan warrior.

What Does This Mean for Future God of War Titles?

While the ending scene shows Atreus departing for his own solo quest to find the remaining Giants, Kratos is still very much present in the post-game phase. That said, the amount of time developers Santa Monica Studio devoted into making Atreus a playable option sets the stage for him to potentially serve as the main protagonist further down the line.

Franchise director Cory Barlog hinted to GameRant in an interview that there are still plans in place for Atreus‘s tale:

“We have obviously a large, overarching plan for the character and the world and everything. We always look at each one of these games as, ‘Well if this was the last story we got to tell, does it feel complete?’”

Perhaps after the teased Egyptian and Japanese mythologies are explored in subsequent games, we could see Atreus take up the mantle of God of Mischief full-time. Ragnarok definitely lays the groundwork for that possibility with how refined and capable they‘ve made his fighting style in the post-game content.

There are still plenty of unknowns, but at least for now, fans can enjoy the rare opportunity of stepping into the shoes of Kratos‘s protégé after God of War Ragnarok‘s emotional finale. It provides additional insight into how his powers have matured while allowing you to leave your own mark across the Nine Realms.

So in closing, yes – not only can you play as Atreus after beating Ragnarok, but doing so serves as a window into his future as a lead character driving this legendary franchise forward.

What has been your experience controlling Atreus in the post-game? Let me know in the comments!