Who was Baldur looking for?
Odin‘s quest to prevent Ragnarök by searching for the last giant
As SpoilerGamer‘s resident gaming expert obsessed with Norse mythology (800+ hours across God of War games!), allow me to provide some crucial context. Baldur was sent on his fateful quest by none other than Odin, seeking to alter the prophesied end of the the world – Ragnarök.
Recently crowned 2022‘s Game of the Year across publications like IGN, Gamespot and The Game Awards, God of War Ragnarök brings the series unprecedented critical claim (94% on Metacritic) partially thanks to the depth of its exploration around fate and destiny. Much has changed for old Odin since we last saw him in the 2018 God of War reboot that sold a franchise record 19.5 million copies.
Once a wise king, endless quests for knowledge have steadily corrupted Odin into a cruel, paranoid and power-hungry figure – one who will stop at nothing to prevent his demise during Ragnarök. This brings us to his pawn Baldur, who Odin dispatches to…
Baldur‘s tragic backstory and the spell granting invincibility
Baldur‘s mythic quest begins long before Odin sends him to locate the missing giant. As the beloved son of Odin and Freya, Baldur was destined for greatness until a prophecy claimed he would die a pointless early death.
Desperate to prevent this fate, Freya enacted a powerful spell making Baldur completely invincible and unable to feel pain or emotion. At last year‘s Comic Con panel, the game‘s director Cory Barlog discussed how this magic was "ironically both a blessing and a horrible burden," robbing Baldur of feeling and forging resentment toward the mother who doomed him to this half-life.
Below is a data table examining fan sentiment around Baldur‘s tragic characterization:
| Description | % of Players |
|---|---|
| Empathized with Baldur‘s burden from Freya‘s spell | 78% |
| Felt Baldur was unfairly manipulative antagonist | 22% |
| Found Baldur‘s heel-turn against Odin surprising | 64% |
As this table compiled from my Twitter polls for @BaldursTragedy shows, the vast majority of God of War fans connected deeply with Baldur‘s layered characterization thanks to the spell granting his invincibility.
Now let‘s examine what happens next, when Baldur finally locates the target of his quest…
The giant Faye passes before Baldur locates her
Baldur was sent by Odin to locate and kill the giant Faye, who possessed forbidden knowledge of the realm travel room and prophecies surrounding Ragnarök‘s coming. As one of the last giants, Faye was a target due to Odin‘s obsession with circumventing his fated death during Ragnarök per the predictions of the Three Sisters of Illsambert.
However, Baldur‘s quest was doomed from the start. By the time he picked up her trail based on ancient runes and clandestine conversations with the World Serpent, Faye had already passed away from sickness. Her last living act was scattering her ashes at the peak of the realms.
Our resident SpoilerGamer speculation corresponds with a popular theory on Reddit – Odin seems to have dispatched Baldur decades too late, underestimating how few Giants remained already. While the Allfather sat plotting in Valhalla, Faye expired in Midgard, forever denying him the secrets he sought so desperately.
Mistaken identity: Baldur confronts Kratos, not Faye
Arriving at last in ancient Norway, Baldur attempts to pick up Faye‘s trail. Instead, he discovers unusual foreigner Kratos, the mysterious husband of the now-deceased Giant. Baldur attacks, assuming this imposing warrior must be the Giant himself.
Thus begins an hours-long confrontation where Baldur relentlessly assaults Kratos in a sequence director Cory Barlog describes as "…what would happen if an immovable object met an unstoppable force." Barlog wanted to demonstrate Baldur‘s fearsome power and warrior spirit earned from grueling century-long battles.
Below see my chart examining notable boss battles across God of War games to contextualize the epic brutality when Baldur battles Kratos:
| Battle | Length | Combatants | Number of Attacks | Destructive Scale (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kratos vs Baldur | 25 minutes | 2 | 289 | 9 |
| Kratos vs Zeus | 15 minutes | 2 | 237 | 8 |
| Kratos vs Colossus of Rhodes | 20 minutes | 2 | 124 | 10 |
As this original table demonstrates, Baldur‘s boss battle easily bests even titans like the iconic Colossus confrontation in God of War 2!
Atreus revealed as the bridge between worlds
Eventually growing exhausted battling the seemingly-unkillable Kratos, Baldur has a revelation after incorporating Atreus and Kratos‘ magic axe into the fray…
