God of War Ragnarök Walkthrough#

Walkthrough Overview#

The main story of God of War Ragnarök is divided into a dozen-plus chapters. Kratos and Atreus set out from Midgard in the grip of Fimbulwinter, travel across the nine realms, and finally confront Odin face to face during Ragnarök itself. The campaign is not a straight push forward — it sends you back and forth between several realms, and you will switch to controlling Atreus for his own solo stretches. Knowing each chapter’s unlock order and how freely earlier areas can be revisited before you push on will save you from backtracking on exploration and collectibles.

The table below lists the main story chapters in the order you actually play them, along with each one’s location, its central event, and the key ability it unlocks.

Chapter-by-Chapter Progression#

Survivor’s Epos (Prologue)#

The opening puts Kratos hunting through a snowy forest, where Atreus finds the wounded Fenrir. The chapter’s tutorial walks you through blocking, dodging, and the rhythm of throwing the axe — follow along seriously, because later boss fights lean on these fundamentals constantly. After Fenrir is gravely wounded, Atreus seals his soul inside his knife, and soon after a mysterious figure in black claiming to be Tyr pays a visit. The chapter ends with a fight against Thor and his sons; this battle has no strict victory condition — survive long enough and the story moves on by itself, so there is no need to retry over and over for a clean win.

From Svartalfheim to Alfheim#

A large chunk of the main story takes place in the dwarven realm. The sluice system is the heart of this region: turning the gates changes the water level, opening up new waterways and caverns — the prerequisite for unlocking plenty of fast-travel points and chests. Over this stretch you will see Groa’s prophecy murals in the mines (foretelling Kratos’s death), meet Groa’s soul at the Temple of Light, and fight Grýla. The Temple of Light in Alfheim is built vertically, with many chests tucked into mezzanines that require pushing and pulling platforms to reach. On the enemy side, the ravens in the Dark Elf nests tend to perch at the top of pillars and beams, so you will need precise thrown-weapon hits to knock them down.

Helheim and Midgard#

After claiming the Eternal Flame, the story briefly shuttles between Helheim and Midgard. Helheim is the realm of the dead, and the main story only lets you visit part of it; the environment is dominated by ice and wandering spirits, visibility is dim, and keeping close to Atreus’s glowing hint markers is enough to avoid getting lost. The Midgard chapters revolve around tracking down the World Serpent, so come prepared with tools that can handle large targets and long-distance repositioning.

Ironwood (Playing as Atreus)#

This is a standalone chapter with a character switch. Atreus meets Angrboda in Jötunheim, and together they ride through Ironwood on horseback, explore the giants’ burial grounds, and — in a pivotal story beat — toss a giant marble into the past, where it becomes the World Serpent of later ages. The chapter leans on story and exploration with low combat density; what matters is understanding Atreus’s identity as Loki and the full story behind the prophecy. Atreus fights mainly with his bow, relying far more on positioning and runic summons than Kratos’s melee does.

Vanaheim and Forging the Spear#

Vanaheim is the largest region among the nine realms, divided into plains, jungle, and volcanic terrain. The jungle’s routes are tangled and frequently blocked by vines and fire walls; only by pairing the Blades of Chaos with the spear can you explore it fully. Across this stretch you will rescue Freya and complete the Forging Destiny chapter, gaining the third weapon, the Draupnir Spear. The spear complements the early-game axe and the mid-game Blades of Chaos: thrown and detonated from afar, it is the key answer to shielded and airborne enemies late in the game.

Before the Final Battle#

The Reckoning and Refuge chapters temporarily split Atreus from Kratos as everyone gears up to take on Asgard. Before starting Into the Fire, upgrade all three weapons to their current level cap and make sure you are carrying resurrection stones. Muspelheim’s main story previews the trial mechanics, and learning the rules early pays off directly once you start grinding trials after the credits.

Key Combat Checkpoints#

The main story’s difficulty curve jumps noticeably in Vanaheim and in the final chapter in Asgard. The fights below are the ones worth preparing for, and you can find fuller strategies for each on the corresponding boss guide pages.

Weapon and Ability Unlock Reference#

As the main story advances, Kratos and Atreus unlock new abilities one by one — and those abilities in turn decide whether you can reach areas that were previously out of bounds. The table below lists the core abilities in unlock order along with what each one opens up for exploration. When a mechanism will not respond, check this table first to see whether you have simply not reached that point of the story yet.

The sluices and the spear are the two that most visibly reshape exploration. Sluices are everywhere in the dwarven realm — one water level adjustment often reroutes the paths of an entire district. The spear exists specifically for golden-rift obstacles, and legendary chests usually wait behind them. If a realm still shows unexplored areas on the map but you cannot find a way in, odds are you are missing one of these two abilities.

Collectibles and Backtracking#

The main story never locks away most of the collectibles, and after the credits you can freely return to every realm to fill in the gaps. Two categories deserve early attention: first, the Idunn Apples and Horns of Blood Mead that are available right away — they directly raise your max health and rage, and the earlier you grab them, the more room for error you will have later; second, a few time-limited side quests (such as the story quest tied to Sindri) must be triggered before you assault Asgard — miss them and they cannot be recovered.

For players who care about completion, the habit to build is checking each realm before leaving and sweeping up the easiest chests and Odin’s Ravens along the way. A practical rule of thumb: any chest you can see but cannot open yet usually needs a late-game ability (blasting golden rifts with the spear, or swinging across chasms with the Blades of Chaos) before you can return for it — just note the location instead of forcing it open on the spot.

Post-Game Content#

Once the main story is done, the trial grounds in Muspelheim and Niflheim open up, along with challenge targets such as Valkyrie Queen Gná and the Berserker Gravestones (defeating them all unlocks the Berserker King’s tomb on top). Together with collectibles and gear upgrades, these form the complete endgame and are the main destination for anyone chasing the platinum trophy and 100% completion. Once New Game Plus is enabled, you can carry over your upgraded gear and skills into a fresh run at higher difficulties.

Three Tips for New Players#

1. Do not skip the tutorial prologue. Parry windows, the slow-motion on perfect dodges, and the axe throw-and-recall — these three fundamentals carry you through the entire game.
2. Do not neglect any weapon. All three weapons have their own roles; the spear’s detonation breaks shields and the Blades of Chaos’ wide-area burn is nearly irreplaceable against certain late-game enemies. Upgrading only one will cost you in some mandatory fights.
3. Upgrade gear sensibly. When you get new armor, head back to Sindri’s shop to reinforce it, and dismantle old gear you no longer use into upgrade materials instead of letting resources pile up.