God of War leakers pulled off their signature move and found files in Ragnarok that could be a clue for the series’ next setting

With God of War Ragnarok concluding Kratos’ Norse story for now, players have been discussing which setting the series will go to next. As a precedent has been set by the second series’ move from Greece to Scandinavia, many believe a third duology or trilogy would do the same, this time choosing yet another pantheon.

For a long while, many have believed that this pantheon would be Egypt. In fact, I remember many years ago, before 2018’s God of War was announced, how folks were absolutely certain that Egypt was the next stage of the saga, following Kratos’ ambiguous end at the conclusion of God of War 3. Those sentiments have remained alive and well since, and even though they were dispelled for a while by God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, they never really went away.

And it would appear that GoW Ragnarok‘s files confirm Egypt as the next stop for Kratos or, at the very least, Atreus.

A Reddit user named TheMorse_ searched through Ragnarok‘s files and discovered a batch of cut dialogue that never made it into the final game. In the scene, Atreus, a character called Mau, Athena, and a mysterious robed character engage in conversation. Atreus urges Mau to follow him somewhere, with Mau only responding “mau,” as if it were a cat. Athena says there is some problem, and a robed figure remarks that “the white snake will eat you” in Greek.

“Mau” is the Egyptian word for cat, as TheMorse_ explains, an onomatopoeic term originating from the very sound the animal produces. What’s more, Mau is one of the manifestations of the Egyptian god Ra. While small hints, it would appear that Atreus was planned to have a run-in with the Egyptian pantheon in some capacity, which could have been cut to preserve the ambiguity of God of War‘s next location.

Athena and the robed figure appear hostile to Atreus, as the latter says, “One failed us” and “One rejected us,” sentences that TheMorse_ believes refer to Odin and Atreus, respectively.

Some of the replies analyzed the text and said that the “white snake” in question could be the Egyptian god Apophis, also known as the “Eater of Souls,” as TheMorse_ explains.

This is one of the biggest and most conclusive finds related to the future of God of War. While everyone seems confident that it’ll take place in Egypt, there haven’t been many concrete hints toward it. Ragnarok and God of War 2018 both show small snippets of ancient Egyptian culture, though nothing significant enough to indicate an entire subfranchise being set there.

At any rate, the next God of War is likely going for a change of scenery. Whether that’s Egypt or another place remains to be seen, but it does appear as the most promising candidate.