Santa Monica Studio's Ragnarok reached PC on 19 September 2024 with the free Valhalla add-on included in the package. Kratos and Atreus travel all Nine Realms during Fimbulwinter, and the Draupnir Spear, forged at Surtr's fire in Muspelheim, joins the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos as a genuine third weapon rather than a gadget. There are 35 Nornir Chests scattered across the game and 30 of them are enough to cap health and rage, which leaves room to skip the worst puzzles.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Svartalfheim | Three weapon rotation basics | Blades of Chaos Burn Build | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Alfheim | Stun meter and grabs mastery | Blades of Chaos Burn Build | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Vanaheim | Shield loadouts + gear | Leviathan Axe Frost Build or Blades of Chaos Burn Build | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Helheim | Build optimization | Leviathan Axe Frost Build | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Asgard | Min-max | Leviathan Axe Frost Build or Luck Perk Build | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Svartalfheim)
The dwarven mining region and the first large open area, built around Nidavellir, the Bay of Bounty and a set of rigs connected by boat. Water levels change with the tide, which opens and closes routes as the story moves.
Level/Difficulty: Gear level 1 to 3 Key Rewards: Nidavellir shops, early Nornir Chests, the Applecore route, Brok and Sindri's forge upgrades
What to Do in Svartalfheim
- Learn Three weapon rotation. The Leviathan Axe applies Frost, the Blades of Chaos apply Burn, and the Draupnir Spear plants explosive charges you detonate on command. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Blades of Chaos Burn Build as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Nornir Chests are the only permanent health and rage increases, and there are 35 of them. Thirty is enough to cap both bars, so the five most annoying puzzles can be skipped without penalty.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Blades of Chaos or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Three weapon rotation fundamentals
- Blades of Chaos Burn Build selected and functional
- Svartalfheim main content cleared
- Ready for Alfheim
Phase 2: Early Game (Alfheim)
The elf home split between the Light and Dark Elves, with The Barrens desert sitting between the Temple and the Forbidden Sands. It is far larger here than it was in the 2018 game and holds a heavy share of the optional content.
Level/Difficulty: Gear level 2 to 4 Key Rewards: The Barrens Berserker Gravestone, Legendary Chests in the Forbidden Sands, Light and Dark Elf gear
What to Do in Alfheim
- Work on Stun meter and grabs. Every enemy carries a health bar plus a separate stun meter beneath it. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Blades of Chaos if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Swap Spartan Rage at any workbench, for free, as often as you like. Valor for its healing shockwave carries hard runs, Wrath suits boss damage windows, and Fury suits crowds, so treat it as a per fight choice.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Vanaheim.
- Consider whether Leviathan Axe Frost Build might suit your playstyle better than Blades of Chaos Burn Build.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Stun meter and grabs integrated into gameplay
- Blades of Chaos acquired
- Alfheim fully cleared
- Ready for Vanaheim
Phase 3: Mid Game (Vanaheim)
The largest area in the game, green and overgrown, with Freyr's Camp as its hub and the Crater opening up as a post story region. The Sinkholes and Noatun's Garden hold some of the best optional fights.
Level/Difficulty: Gear level 3 to 5, with the Crater at 7 and above Key Rewards: Shatter Star Shield in the Abandoned Village, the Crater side content, Nidhogg, multiple Berserker Gravestones
What to Do in Vanaheim
- Master Shield loadouts. Five shields play completely differently. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Leviathan Axe. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- Upgrade one armour set to its maximum rather than spreading resources across three. Enemy scaling in Ragnarok tracks your gear level, so half upgraded gear across three sets leaves you underlevelled everywhere.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Armour stats and Enchantments for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Shield loadouts mastered
- Leviathan Axe acquired or in progress
- Vanaheim fully cleared
- Ready for Helheim
Phase 4: Late Game (Helheim)
Cold, grey and built around the Garm storyline. It is more linear than Vanaheim and it holds one of the game's better boss fights, along with the shield that most aggressive builds end up wearing.
Level/Difficulty: Gear level 4 to 6 Key Rewards: Onslaught Shield after the Garm fight, Hel Tears, King Hrolf Kraki's gravestone and the Hilt of Skofnung
What to Do in Helheim
- Finalize your build. You should be running Leviathan Axe Frost Build or Blades of Chaos Burn Build with optimized gear.
- Leviathan Axe should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Blunt damage builds the stun meter far faster than blade damage. Shield bashes, the axe's heavy attacks and the spear's shaft strikes open grab finishers that skip the rest of an enemy's health bar entirely.
- Spartan Rage modes optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Asgard.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Leviathan Axe upgraded to max
- Helheim fully cleared
- Ready for Asgard
Phase 5: Endgame (Asgard)
Odin's seat, visited under a truce that nobody is honouring, with heavily armoured Einherjar guarding every hall. The story chapters here are tightly scripted, which makes them the point where a weak build finally fails.
Level/Difficulty: Gear level 5 to 7 Key Rewards: Heimdall's fight, Asgardian armour sets, late story Legendary Chests
What to Do in Asgard
- Asgard tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- The 48 Odin's Ravens are not just a checklist. Turning them in at Ratatoskr rewards materials and Enchantments that are difficult to obtain any other way, and they cluster near main story paths.
- The endgame loop: run Asgard, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Luck Perk Build for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Spartan Rage modes mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Asgard fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Sticking to the Leviathan Axe because it feels familiar from the 2018 game, then hitting Asgard's armoured Einherjar with no Draupnir Spear skills invested.
- Ignoring the stun meter and grinding enemy health bars down with light attacks, when a grab finisher after a shield bash would have ended the fight in half the time.
- Spreading upgrade resources across several armour sets so no set reaches its full stat block, which leaves your gear level lagging behind the region you are in.
- Leaving Spartan Rage on Fury for the whole campaign without ever testing Valor, whose healing shockwave is the single biggest survivability change available.
- Attempting Berserker Gravestones at the gear level of the surrounding area, when most of them are tuned several levels above the story content around them.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Nornir Chests are the only permanent health and rage increases, and there are 35 of them. Thirty is enough to cap both bars, so the five most annoying puzzles can be skipped without penalty.
- Swap Spartan Rage at any workbench, for free, as often as you like. Valor for its healing shockwave carries hard runs, Wrath suits boss damage windows, and Fury suits crowds, so treat it as a per fight choice.
- Upgrade one armour set to its maximum rather than spreading resources across three. Enemy scaling in Ragnarok tracks your gear level, so half upgraded gear across three sets leaves you underlevelled everywhere.
- Blunt damage builds the stun meter far faster than blade damage. Shield bashes, the axe's heavy attacks and the spear's shaft strikes open grab finishers that skip the rest of an enemy's health bar entirely.
- The 48 Odin's Ravens are not just a checklist. Turning them in at Ratatoskr rewards materials and Enchantments that are difficult to obtain any other way, and they cluster near main story paths.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More God of War Ragnarok Guides
- God of War Ragnarok God of War Ragnarok Overview
- God of War Ragnarok Best Builds
- God of War Ragnarok Tier List
- God of War Ragnarok Beginner's Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Tips & Tricks
- God of War Ragnarok Weapons Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Combat Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Boss Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Maps & Locations
- God of War Ragnarok Crafting Guide
- God of War Ragnarok Classes & Characters
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