Play God Of War II Kratos GOW Olympus Station Tips

all started so simply. In the original God of War 2 , you piloted the wrathful, ashen-skinned Spartan Kratos as he tore through beasts and gods ripped from the pages of Edith Hamilton’s classic Mythology on his way to enact vengeance on the titular Ares, stopping only to deliver grim monologues about the tragic loss of his wife and child.

Now, after the ensuing avalanche of sequels, prequels and side stories, the saga of Kratos’ star-crossed life has become as tangled and complex as the mythic tales that inspired the world he’s inhabited. And though the upcoming PlayStation 4 follow-up does its best to leave the lyres and winged chariots of fantasy ancient Greece in the rearview mirror, here’s a quick primer on all the major revelations from the previous games, and how they shaped the angry antihero at the helm.

As revealed in 2007’s God of War 2 and the Portable entry God of War 2, Kratos was born in the Greek city-state of Sparta, the demigod spawn of one of Zeus’ many dalliances with mortal women. He was bred for battle in that infamously bellicose society alongside his brother, Deimos, knowing nothing of his Olympian heritage.

Early in his adolescence, Zeus learned of a prophecy that stated that one of his children would eventually slay him — just as he himself had murdered his father, the Titan Cronos, to usher in the era of the gods. Zeus sent two of his children, Athena and Ares, to find the fated offspring and kill them. Eventually, the two siblings determined that Deimos was the likely candidate due to strange markings on his body, and they stole him away from Kratos and delivered him to Thanatos, the god of death, giving Kratos a distinctive scar over his eye when he tried to stop them.

God of War 2.

Though Kratos desired retribution for his terrible acts, killing a god is no trifling matter, even for a hulking Spartan. In the interval after he first sprang from Ares’ control — as depicted in 2013’s God of War: Ascension — Kratos was hunted by the Furies, deities of vengeance that sought to bring him back into the god’s service. Though Kratos had taken back his oath, breaking free of Ares wasn’t so simple: He would have to find the “oathkeeper” who held the link between him and the god, and somehow pry it from the keeper’s grasp.

Before defeating them, Kratos learned that Ares had figured out in the intervening years that it was Kratos who was the child destined to overthrow Olympus, not his brother Deimos. Thus, Ares allowed Kratos to serve him out of his own interest: Once Kratos defeated Zeus, Ares would betray Kratos and take the throne for himself. After besting the Furies and reluctantly killing the innocent oathkeeper Orkos, Kratos finally found himself free of his vow. However, as a result of his actions, terrible visions of his past misdeeds began to haunt his sleep, which redoubled his desire for revenge against Ares.

Over the next decade, as fans of the 2008 PSP entry God of War: Chains of Olympus well know, Kratos performed various labors for the gods of Olympus, including defeating the basilisk and rescuing the god of the sun, Helios, from the escaped Titan Atlas. Though he never faltered in his service, Kratos began to sow seeds of resentment against the gods for their reliance on his impossible strength, while cursing his lack of progress toward fulfilling his vendetta. However, once Kratos defeated the dreaded Hydra in the memorable opening sequence of the original God of War, Athena finally agreed that it was time for the Ghost of Sparta to make a move against Ares, who was raising his armies against her city, Athens. With Athena’s guidance, Kratos made his way through the city and the desert beyond, eventually swiping the legendary Pandora’s Box from Cronos’ back. As Kratos finally put his hands on the prize that had eluded him for so long, Ares impaled him on a massive stone pillar, finally stealing the life of the relentless Spartan.