God of War Ragnarok Valhalla release time, date and new features for FREE update

God of War Ragnarok developer Santa Monica Studio is back with some brand new DLC for the hack and slash action game. A year after launch, God of War Ragnarok will receive a major post-release update in the form of the free Valhalla add-on. Announced at last week’s Game Awards ceremony, God of War Ragnarok Valhalla has a December 12 release date on PS4 and PS5. According to Sony, the update will go live at 5pm GMT UK time.

Taking place after the events of the main campaign, Valhalla is a roguelite mode in which Kratos takes on increasingly powerful enemies.

Players will be rewarded with permanent upgrades based on how far they manage to make it within Valhalla.

Sony explains more: “Each attempt in Valhalla will encourage you to master different aspects of Kratos’ arsenal as you face new combinations of enemies and some surprises along the way!

“In Valhalla, defeat in combat is not the end of a warrior’s spirit. If Kratos falls, he will reawaken outside the doors ready for the next try.

“During each attempt, you will learn and adapt to the challenges Valhalla has to offer. The more you overcome, the more resources you’ll gain that can be put towards permanent upgrades that affect both Kratos and even Valhalla itself.”

While Kratos will have access to his weapons and fully-ugraded skill tree, players will need to select a shield and Path of Spartan Rage for each attempt.

Kratos can unlock temporary Glyphs, which can be used for stat upgrades, perks and Runic Attacks.

Interestingly, fans will be able to customise Kratos’ armour, albeit for appearance only.

Valhalla will also come with five different settings for difficulty. Harder settings will give players superior rewards.

Finally, while the DLC takes place after the main campaign, fans can play Valhalla without completing the story.

“However, if you are concerned about narrative or gameplay spoilers, we do recommend that you finish God of War Ragnarok first as God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla serves as an epilogue to the story of the base game,” Sony adds.