Santa Monica Studio has put a date on the first real commitment of the God of War Laufey cycle. Pre-orders for the PS5 exclusive open tomorrow, September 29, at 10:00am local time, and Sony has now spelled out exactly what comes with an early order and what the pricier Digital Deluxe Edition adds on top. The game itself remains set for February 16, 2027, and alongside the edition breakdown the studio has also given the clearest look yet at how Faye fights, centred on a new weapon called the Serpent Bow.
What a pre-order gets you
Anyone who orders God of War Laufey before launch receives three items: the Last Wish Armor Set for Faye, a cosmetic called the Phranque Golden Leaves Appearance, and an in-game resource pack. The bonus applies to both the digital version and the physical Standard Edition, although buyers of the boxed copy receive it as a download code rather than on the disc, which means an internet connection and a PlayStation account are needed to redeem it.
One detail worth knowing before you order: the armor and the Phranque appearance are not handed over the moment you boot the game. Sony notes that these in-game items unlock through story progression, so they slot in once the campaign reaches the point where they become usable rather than front-loading the opening hours with endgame-looking gear.
The Digital Deluxe Edition
The Digital Deluxe Edition is built around a single matching theme called Dark Alchemy. It bundles the full game with the Dark Alchemy Armor Set, the Dark Alchemy Blade, Dark Alchemy Bow Scales and a Dark Alchemy Catalyst, plus its own in-game resource pack. On the non-gameplay side, it adds a digital mini artbook and the official digital soundtrack.
The naming matters more than it might in other games, because each of those Dark Alchemy pieces maps onto one of Faye's customisation slots, described below. Rather than a single cosmetic skin, the Deluxe set touches her armor, her sword, her bow and her magic. As with the standard bonus, the in-game items unlock via story progression. Sony has not published prices for either edition in its announcement, so expect those to appear on the PlayStation Store listings when pre-orders go live.
Faye's Serpent Bow
The more interesting half of the announcement is the combat detail. Faye, the warrior known to series fans as Kratos's late wife and Atreus's mother, carries a new enchanted weapon into the Everywhen, the afterlife of the gods where the game takes place. The Serpent Bow is designed to shift from dormant to drawn almost instantly, so it can be woven between melee strikes rather than reserved for standing back and sniping.
It has two distinct aim modes tied to how far you press the aim trigger. A full press enters precision mode, which tightens aim and extends draw distance. Hitting specific points on an enemy's body in this mode can hamper its movement or its ability to attack, opening it up for a melee follow-up. Holding the charge lets Faye stack up to five arrows into a single volley, which the studio pitches as a natural partner to Phranque's ability to launch enemies into the air.
A half press of the trigger switches to hip-fire mode, a more mobile stance that sprays a cluster of arrows for heavy damage at close range. Between the two modes, the bow is meant to keep airborne enemies juggled and extend combos as Faye swaps between weapons and abilities. On top of the fire modes, she has several arrow types to choose from, covering rapid fire, explosive detonations and shots that hit multiple targets.
Scales, Blades and Catalysts
The customisation layer is where the edition items make sense. The Serpent Bow takes interchangeable Scales, which alter both the look of the weapon and its specialty through a unique perk. The Dark Alchemy Bow Scales from the Deluxe Edition are one example. The bow also has its own unlockable skills separate from the Scales, so its capabilities keep growing as the game goes on.
Faye's wider kit follows the same pattern. Her armor choices trade off gameplay perks, stats and appearance. Her sword has a customisable Blade element, the bow has its Scales, and Catalysts are artifacts that channel the magic of the Everywhen, each with different effects. Put together, it reads as a build system with four main axes, which suggests Santa Monica Studio is leaning into the loadout experimentation it introduced with Kratos's gear in the Norse games.
What happens next
Pre-orders open on September 29 at 10:00am in each region's local time, and God of War Laufey launches exclusively on PS5 on February 16, 2027. Santa Monica Studio thanked players for the response since the June reveal and promised more news before long, closing the update with a handful of new screenshots from the afterlife of the gods, including a reunion between Faye and Kratos. With the launch less than five months away, the next beats are likely to cover the story and more of the Everywhen itself. For now, the choice facing early buyers is simple: the standard bonus, or the full Dark Alchemy set.
