God of War Walkthrough — Start to Endgame

God of War (2018) reinvented Kratos as a father navigating Norse mythology with his son Atreus. The one-take camera (no cuts from start to finish) creates unprecedented cinematic immersion. Combat revolves around the Leviathan Axe — a frost weapon that can be thrown and recalled, freezing enemies in place. Mid-game, the Blades of Chaos return, adding fire damage and grappling range. The relationship between Kratos and Atreus drives a surprisingly emotional story about grief, identity, and breaking cycles of violence. The optional Valkyrie bosses are among the hardest encounters in modern gaming.

This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. Follow this path to avoid common traps that stall most players.

Quick Progression Summary

Phase 1: Getting Started — Midgard

The central realm and main game world. Midgard contains the Lake of Nine hub area connecting to other realms and side content. Most of the main story takes place here. The Lake lowers as you progress, revealing new islands and secrets.

Level/Difficulty: All game Key Rewards: Main story progression, Lake of Nine exploration, most Nornir chests

What to Do in Midgard

1. Learn Leviathan Axe. The primary weapon with light attacks (R1), heavy attacks (R2), and throwing (L2 aim + R1/R2 throw). Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
2. Pick Runic Burst as your starting role. It's the most forgiving option.
3. Throw the Leviathan Axe at an enemy to freeze them, then switch to bare fists for stun damage. When the stun bar fills, press R3 for a devastating finisher that drops health. This is the most efficient combat loop.
4. Acquire your first weapons upgrade — Blades of Chaos or whatever's available.
5. Clear all main content before moving on.

Phase 1 Checklist

• Understand Leviathan Axe fundamentals
• Runic Burst selected and functional
• Midgard main content cleared
• Ready for Alfheim

Phase 2: Early Game — Alfheim

The Light Elf realm visited for the main story. Contains the Light of Alfheim quest with unique dark-elf enemies. Alfheim's Light Arrows unlock for Atreus after completion. Beautiful visual design with crystal-light aesthetics.

Level/Difficulty: Main story (early-mid) Key Rewards: Light Arrows for Atreus, Alfheim armor, story progression

What to Do in Alfheim

1. Work on runic attacks. Equippable special attacks (two per weapon — Light and Heavy Runic) with cooldown timers. This system becomes critical from here on.
2. Farm for Blades of Chaos if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
3. Atreus' arrows interrupt enemy attacks when commanded (Square). Use this to cancel charging enemies, interrupt unblockable wind-ups, and provide breathing room during intense fights.
4. Complete all objectives before pushing to Helheim.
5. Consider whether Melee Berserker might suit your playstyle better than Runic Burst.

Phase 2 Checklist

• runic attacks integrated into gameplay
• Blades of Chaos acquired
• Alfheim fully cleared
• Ready for Helheim

Phase 3: Mid Game — Helheim

The realm of the dead with frost-based enemies immune to the Leviathan Axe (requiring Blades of Chaos). Helheim is visited during the main story for critical narrative moments. The realm's aesthetic is haunting and emotionally impactful.

Level/Difficulty: Main story (mid-late) Key Rewards: Blades of Chaos usage, story revelations, frost-immune enemies

What to Do in Helheim

1. Master Spartan Rage. An activated super mode (L3+R3) where Kratos attacks with bare fists for massive damage and healing. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
2. Start working toward Leviathan Axe. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
3. Nornir chests (sealed by three runes) provide permanent Idunn Apple (health) or Horn of Blood Mead (rage) upgrades. Finding all Nornir chests is the most impactful progression outside of armor upgrades.
4. This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
5. Start investing in upgrade system for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.

Phase 3 Checklist

• Spartan Rage mastered
• Leviathan Axe acquired or in progress
• Helheim fully cleared
• Ready for Muspelheim

Phase 4: Late Game — Muspelheim

An optional fire realm with arena trials of increasing difficulty. Completing trials unlocks the best armor in the game (Muspelheim armor set) and powerful Enchantments. The final trial is a gauntlet of the game's hardest encounters.

Level/Difficulty: Mid-endgame Key Rewards: Muspelheim armor set, Smouldering Ember, Crest of Flame, trial rewards

What to Do in Muspelheim

1. Finalize your build. You should be running Melee Berserker or Runic Burst with optimized gear.
2. Leviathan Axe should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
3. Muspelheim trials are repeatable and provide the best endgame armor materials. Complete all trials to unlock the final challenge — Surtr's Hidden Trial — for the most powerful rewards.
4. exploration puzzles optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
5. Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Niflheim.

Phase 4 Checklist

• Build fully optimized
• Leviathan Axe upgraded to max
• Muspelheim fully cleared
• Ready for Niflheim

Phase 5: Endgame — Niflheim

An optional mist realm with a procedurally generated maze. Each run through the maze has a timer — mist exposure kills you. Farm Mist Echoes currency to purchase the Niflheim armor set and upgrade materials. The maze resets each run, requiring memorization of efficient routes.

Level/Difficulty: Endgame Key Rewards: Niflheim armor set, Mist Echoes currency, Ivaldi's Workshop materials

What to Do in Niflheim

1. Niflheim tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
2. The 9 Valkyries are the hardest optional bosses. Each Valkyrie has unique attack patterns that must be memorized individually. Defeating all 8 lesser Valkyries unlocks the Valkyrie Queen — the hardest fight in the game.
3. The endgame loop: run Niflheim, optimize gear, push harder content.
4. Experiment with Rage Tank for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
5. This is where exploration puzzles mastery separates good players from great ones.

Phase 5 Checklist

• Endgame content on farm
• Best-in-slot gear acquired
• Niflheim fully cleared
• Ready for challenge content

Common Progression Mistakes

• Not throwing the axe enough — the throw+recall loop is central to combat. Throwing freezes enemies for crowd control and the recall hit deals bonus damage.
• Ignoring Atreus in combat — commanding Atreus to shoot interrupts enemy attacks and fills the stun meter. He's a powerful combat tool, not just a story companion.
• Hoarding Spartan Rage for boss fights — Rage builds through regular combat. Use it for emergency healing during tough encounters rather than saving it for later.
• Not finding Nornir chests — each chest provides a permanent stat upgrade that compounds over the game. Missing them makes late-game and Valkyrie fights significantly harder.
• Equipping armor purely for looks instead of stats — the stat differences between armor sets are significant. A Runic-focused armor set with matching Enchantments dramatically outperforms random equipment.

Key Tips for Smooth Progression

1. Throw the Leviathan Axe at an enemy to freeze them, then switch to bare fists for stun damage. When the stun bar fills, press R3 for a devastating finisher that drops health. This is the most efficient combat loop.
2. Atreus' arrows interrupt enemy attacks when commanded (Square). Use this to cancel charging enemies, interrupt unblockable wind-ups, and provide breathing room during intense fights.
3. Nornir chests (sealed by three runes) provide permanent Idunn Apple (health) or Horn of Blood Mead (rage) upgrades. Finding all Nornir chests is the most impactful progression outside of armor upgrades.
4. Muspelheim trials are repeatable and provide the best endgame armor materials. Complete all trials to unlock the final challenge — Surtr's Hidden Trial — for the most powerful rewards.
5. The 9 Valkyries are the hardest optional bosses. Each Valkyrie has unique attack patterns that must be memorized individually. Defeating all 8 lesser Valkyries unlocks the Valkyrie Queen — the hardest fight in the game.

For detailed build optimization, see God of War builds. For quick wins, check tips & tricks.