I'm not a big fan of the rogue lite/like genre, but I have to admit that this surprisingly works pretty well! I enjoyed the experience and I think it takes the biggest strenght of the core game (the combat system) and brings it in a very different context, but it still doesn't feel forced at all.
The thing I was most interested in though was the story, and even if it didn't deliver the ending to Ragnarok i would have hoped for, it still brought a satisfying sense of conclusion to Kratos' story and struggles. I appreciated it a lot, but I think this will hit much harder for those who have played the og games.
Most impressive thing is they decided to give this DLC for free; it feels criminal to play this without paying for it

A free DLC that goes into Kratos' remaining inner conflict, I enjoyed the story that was told here, they are fully embracing the past games and reflecting on all the events that led Kratos to where he is. The hybrid of the Greek and Norse mythologies is really cool and the acting was great.

I have to say, as a part of a game I loved, I do not love this expansion much. It's basically a very lite rougelike experience, where your perks and special attacks are randomised to present a "different" challenge each time you enter Valhalla. Except it's not that different since you have all your weapons and skills unlocked, and you can choose your shield, rage moves and sub ability before even entering.

The areas are not randomised. While it shuffles what order locations show up in, they are still the exact same areas every time you enter them. Considering this is a delve into Kratos' past, it's lame that there's only 1 Greek area, compared to the many realms from the Norse era.

Honestly I just got bored, you do the same thing, over and over again until the credits roll. You can get permanent upgrades to help, but you still have most of your stuff anyway. There are some cool new abilities, and the bosses are the highlight.

It's also totally free... so its harmless, but outside of a good story, I felt this DLC was disappointing. - 5/10

I played it a little long after i finished the game, for a free dlc, i can say i was surprised.

The story is not so awesome, it has a few throwbacks to the original trilogy that serves for what they were trying to tell.

But the DLC focus and picks what is best in God of War (the combat) and upgrades it, adding a new mechanic to the mix: roguelike based gameplay. That alone could sold the entire DLC for me! If you played God of War: Ragnarok, it is worth trying the Valhalla expasion, it’s free! Go test it!

One of the best DLCs ever probably! I don't like roguelite hell I hate it even! But with this I saw it through most of it. Story content was good enough to drive my desire to continue and the boss fight was fun everytime. Feeling like it's hard at first but getting stronger and understanding the patterns, areas, powers etc felt good. Homages to og trilogy, some new backstory bits about it are all nice additions to the franchise. Gameplay is solid as always and may I say that I enjoyed Valhalla much more than main campaign of Ragnarok. It was just more enjoyable without all those slow ass parts that dragged the main game. Stil nice story plus more frequent action, best of both worlds! Also I don't think it's unfair to compare this to No Return of LoU-Part II and man this just sweeps the floor with that. So I guess I can give roguelites a try more often if they have a good story to tell with a combination of good gameplay. But not one without the other please, right Naughty Dog?

Valhalla is a cool way of getting more milage out of the stellar combat system found in the base game through well implemented rogue like elements. The references to past games and the end boss fight being one of the series best definitely makes this worth a few playthroughs. The story is nothing special but seeing more of these characters is always a plus. Doesn't quite have the special sauce to keep players coming back again and again like the peak of the genre but still worth playing for anyone itching for more after beating the main game

GOWR: Valhalla is the best DLC I have ever played and it probably will stay that way for most of my life. I cannot believe how amazing this DLC is. It is UNREAL how incredible and fun this DLC is. I am just in genuine awe how amazing the existence of this is.

To put things into perspective, God of War Ragnarök is one of my favorite games of all time. I had finally finished this game a couple months before the DLC came out and felt very content and satisfied with my experience. So when it was announced at the Game Awards that it was getting a FREE DLC in just a week or so from the game awards, I was ecstatic. Like, I had never thought that GOWR would get a DLC, and I was totally okay with it not having any expansions, the game was already perfect. So, to see Santa Monica Studio announce a FREE expansion to an already amazing game in an age where corporate greed is seeping into the video game industry, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Just this expansion EXISTING for FREE is a gift from the heavens, but what's even crazier (but not unexpected) is that it's actually really fun.

The roguelike mechanics work really well here, I feel like most players tend to lean towards one or two builds and stick with them in the base game, so there's not much motivation to change things up in terms of Kratos' armor and augments. In Valhalla, you're constantly pushed into creating different builds and there are so many resources at your disposal to acquire these upgrades. It shares a lot of mechanics with Hades, but Hades is pretty much the perfect roguelike, so it's a good game to take inspiration from.

The combat is the same as it was in the base game, so it's still very enjoyable. However, there are some new additions to the areas and enemies. There's new maps which are like these mashup versions of the different realms, which I liked, but there's also an entirely new Greek inspired area which was so cool. This game goes back to Kratos' roots and because there is an entire Greek arena to explore and fight in, there are also Greek enemies, which was really cool. Fighting Greek soldiers, harpies, cyclops, sirens, minotaurs, wraiths, and centaurs was really fun. I also love that we got to see parts of Kratos' Greek past realized in the modern age of God of War.

The story and writing is as good as ever. It's a very introspective and personal journey for Kratos, so for the most part it's just him and Mimir, but I appreciated the reflective, kind of laid-back vibe that the story had. However, that does not mean this story is without drama. There are some powerful moments in this story that add a lot of weight to the plot. I was impressed by how much effort was put into the storytelling as well. This game isn't just a few new maps either. There are full-fledged cutscenes and everything, this feels like a genuine continuation of the base game's ending.

My favorite part by far though, is the final boss. I don't want to spoil anything major, but all I will say is that the boss was the one part of the base game that I felt slightlyyyy dissatisfied by, but honestly it wasn't a problem in the main game and I could overlook it. However, Valhalla not only fixes my minor issue, but makes it the highlight of the DLC and gives us one of the coolest boss fights in the series. I was so impressed by the final boss fight on all fronts. From a story, gameplay, and cinematic perspective it was perfect.

Overall, Valhalla is a very rare and special kind of DLC that we probably won't see again for a very long time, so cherish it. I would be okay paying $30 for this so the fact that it's free still blows my mind.

Thank you Santa Monica Studio. You are incredible and I love you so so much.