God of War Ragnarok Valhalla DLC announced and it's coming next week

At Thursday's The Game Awards, Sony's Santa Monica Studio surprised God of War fans with free DLC for God of War Ragnarök. A second surprise awaits – it will be available in just a few days.

Ragnarök: Valhalla will send Kratos (and Mimir) to Valhalla on what Sony Interactive Entertainment characterizes as a "deeply personal and reflective journey towards a future he never thought possible." The unfolding journey is claimed to combine the new God of War games' fighting with additional components "inspired by the roguelite genre." The Valhalla reveal trailer depicts Kratos engaged in fight with a variety of Ragnarök adversaries, collapsing in battle and attempting again and again.

Santa Monica Studio shared its plans on the PlayStation Blog.

Kratos will have access to all his weapons and fully-upgraded skill trees at all times, but must commit to a shield and path of Spartan Rage for each attempt. As you overcome the trials of Valhalla and explore its depths, you will make choices between temporary Glyphs for which Stats to upgrade, which Perks to select, which Runic Attacks to wield, and more. Each attempt can play out differently based on the rewards you choose, so keep your strategy in mind when making selections!

Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarök will be available for free download via the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It will be released on December 12th.