How to start the God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC

So, a funny thing happened to me on the way to Valhalla the other day. I downloaded the God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC, but I didn’t know how to start it. For me, anyway, I wasn’t able to simply begin the DLC.

Let’s start with how to get the DLC in the first place. You need to download the God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla DLC within the game itself — there might be an update first. If everything is good, an option for ‘Valhalla’ (in golden text) should show in the God of War Ragnarok menu. Hit the ‘X button’ to enter the sub-menu and choose the option to download the DLC. It should be around 8 GB, which is honestly quite fair for a new mode containing some juicy story bits.

If you can’t start the DLC once you download it, then you may have ended up in the same boat as me. Navigating to the Valhalla sub-menu will once again take you to the download page, but it’ll show the download as complete. Here’s what to do next: Exit God of War Ragnarok by going back to the PlayStation menu, force the game closed by hitting ‘Options’, and choose ‘Close Game’. Next, open up the game and go back to the Valhalla option. If it hits you with a warning on Ragnarok spoilers, you did it right. Press the ‘X button’ if you wish to play the DLC, and it will begin.

Do you need to finish the God of War Ragnarok story before you start Valhalla?

If you glossed over the aforementioned warning, then yes, you should finish the God of War Ragnarok story before you start the Valhalla DLC. Simply put, the DLC takes place shortly after the ending of Ragnarok. The DLC spoils the story pretty much in its entirety if you haven’t experienced it first, and it does so almost right away.

Valhalla also exists to clue you in on the series’ future. The DLC is a launch pad of sorts, bridging the gap between Ragnarok and what’s next. If you don’t care about the base game’s story, then that may not concern you. But if you’re still making your way through the realms, then you should get that out of the way first. Valhalla is a free DLC and it’s not going anywhere.