God of War Ragnarok will hit store shelves in less than two weeks, and fans of the first game are wondering how much time they’ll need to take off of work in order to get the most out of the action-adventure title. After years of waiting, early previews have let us know that there will be plenty to explore this time around. Those wanting to complete the game to 100 percent can expect to spend around 70 hours with Kratos and Atreus, while a standard playthrough is said to take around 40 hours. Nearly five hours of this is said to be made up entirely of cutscenes.

These numbers came from a recent episode of Beyond!, in which a number of IGN journalists answered plenty of spoiler-free questions about Ragnarok ahead of its release. Those wanting to hear more can check out the full episode below.

In 2018’s God of War, players could finish the game in around 20 hours if they didn’t take on a single side mission. To finish the title to 100 percent would take around 50 hours or so. In the first game, players were limited to exploring six of the nine realms of Norse mythology, while in Ragnarok, the final three areas–Asgard, Vanaheim, and Svartalfheim–will be accessible. Developers have also promised more mini-bosses to give the new title more variety.

God of War Ragnarok will take place three years after the first game. Fimbulwinter, a winter lasting three summers, is drawing to a close, and doing so will bring about the prophesied Ragnarok, or end of the world. Kratos and his now teenage son Atreus must traverse the nine realms in order to find a way to prevent Ragnarok while also attempting to learn more about Atreus’ true identity as Loki. The main source of conflict this time around will be Thor, the Norse God of Thunder who seeks revenge following the death of Baldur, his half-brother, and his sons Modi and Magni. Odin and Freya will also not be giving Kratos an easy time.

In a recent interview with Eric Williams, the new game director for Ragnarok, it’s made clear that the new game will tackle grief, remorse, and regret following the events of the first game.

“We have to have this epic backdrop – it’s Norse mythology – but you also can’t lose the heart, which was the rebuilding foundation, right? How do we make Kratos mortal again? How do you teach a boy to be a God? And in this game, it’s like, okay, they’re getting there, they’re doing better, but what happens if they’re not around each other? What if the kid’s out on his own doing some stuff? And if Kratos doesn’t have his kid, does he slip into his old ways? What will happen if you have people trying to split them up and break them up or even of their own accord? If you hold on your child too tight, do they run away?”

God of War Ragnarok is scheduled to release worldwide on November 9, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The game will be available to pre-load on the PlayStation Store on November 2, with the review embargo set to end on the same day. The title will require 90.6 GBs of space, while the original God of War only took 45 GBs.

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