God of War is a video game with a rich story, and it has left many players wondering why Baldur attacked Kratos before his death.
In God of War, players can experience action-adventure elements. The game is part of the classic God of War franchise, and therefore, you will likely experience similar elements throughout the series.
Although its predecessor, Ascension, introduced multiplayer to the series, God of War is single-player only. While you advance in the main story arc, you will learn new secrets, solve mysteries, and discover the background of various characters.
Since the game is based on Norse mythology, you will encounter Norse characters, including Kratos, Odin, Baldur, Freya, and Loki, among others. Near the end of God of War, Baldur will attack Kratos, and many players have wondered why he attacked him.
Who is the villain in God of War?
Like other role-playing titles, God of War has a well-known villain, but you may not expect to discover that Odin is the big, bad guy in the story.
Even though he is not always present in the game, every character knows him and their conversations give players insight into his personality.
At one point in God of War, Mimir informs you that Odin hanged himself in an attempt to die and walk the land of the dead until he was thrown out and brought back to life.
Allegedly, he just did this to learn the secrets of death. Odin portrays an evil personality that will do anything to succeed.
God of War: Why did Baldur attack Kratos
As you progress in the main arc of the game, you will find that Baldur is a mysterious stranger, whereas Frey is a witch, and they are related. Freya has numerous talents, as she healed Atreus and brought Mimir back from the dead, and she is also Baldur’s mother.
Although Freya is Baldur’s mother, she cursed him to prevent him from dying a needless death. The curse is created to make the recipient invulnerable to any and all injuries no matter how minor or serious. However, this comes at the cost of being unable to physically feel anything.
Baldur is Odin’s best tracker, and he is a vicious fighter as he cannot feel pain. He is sent with his nephews, Magni and Modi, by his father, Odin, to hunt down and kill Kratos.
While his motives are unclear for the most part, Mimir revealed that Odin may have tricked Baldur into thinking that defeating Kratos is the only way for him to feel anything.
However, Odin believes Kratos and Atreus to be the bringers of Ragnarök, searching for the cure of his curse that his mother placed on Baldur.
Another theory suggests that Freya tried to make peace with her son, but Baldur simply stated that he did not need her before he started a battle. Kratos, however, stopped Baldur and told him that he would not find peace in vengeance. Baldur ignored this and attacked Kratos.
Throughout God of War, Baldur is invincible, but he is not fond of it, despite shrugging off entire sections of rock that were thrown at him, and surviving his neck being snapped during battle.
In Norse mythology, this is because Freya makes every object in the world swear an oath not to harm Baldur, except the humble mistletoe. This oversight ends up resulting in Baldur’s demise.
What does Baldur want from Kratos?
While it is thought that Baldur’s target is Kratos because he was a god from another land, it is later revealed that Baldur is looking for a giant who lives in Midgard. The giant turns out to be Fay, Kratos’ wife, and she is one of the last living giants of Jotunheim.
Baldur is chasing Kratos, because Odin has convinced him that defeating Kratos will make him feel something for the first time in his life. However, Mimir speculates that Baldur believes that Kratos or Jotunheim can cure his curse.
Is Baldur stronger than Kratos?
Baldur had super strength, just like Kratos. However, his inability to feel anything, including pain, tiredness, and emotions, has given him an extra edge. Because of the curse, or blessing, that Freya placed upon him, Baldur is unkillable.
However, it took being stabbed by Mistletoe to finally defeat him. Without Mistletoe, Baldur would likely have defeated Kratos.
Who is responsible for Baldur’s death?
Early on in the game, Atreus receives mistletoe arrows from a dwarf merchant named Sindri, as a reward for saving his life from a giant dragon.
Later in the game, players witness a battle between Baldur and Atreus and Baldur punches Atreus in the same spot where the mistletoe is, which breaks the spell on him and renders him mortal.
Kratos later chokes Baldur to death as he tried to kill Freya for inflicting him with the invulnerability that robbed him of any sense of feeling.