God of War guide: A New Destination walkthrough and collectibles

In God of War, after you meet your new friend on the top of the Mountain, you’ll have to return to the Witch of the Woods. There’s no way down off the Mountain except the Mystic Gateway, so we’re going to pick up the journey at Tyr’s Temple/Bridge.

A note on God of War spoilers

God of War is full of surprises, and that makes guides particularly tricky to write. We want to help you with the game. We don’t want to spoil it. So we want you to know that we’ve written every guide with spoilers in mind. 

If our guide doesn’t appear to get you every item (a chest, for example), there’s a reason for that. Rather than spoil that reason, our tables of contents and a big image in the guide indicating spoilers ahead will tell you when and why you find yourself in that situation — in the least spoilery way possible. 

Table of contents

• Tyr’s Bridge
• Witch’s Cave
• Nornir chest
• Sand bowl puzzle
• Climb the well
• Talk to the Witch in her house

Tyr’s Bridge

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Exit Tyr’s Temple and head to any of the nearby boat docks. You’re looking for the tunnel you came out of earlier during the Path to the Mountain journey goal. Paddle south from the bridge toward Muspelheim tower. Look for the statue of Thor. The tunnel entrance is between the left side of the tower and Thor’s foot.

Witch’s Cave

Items in this area: Legendary chest (Muspelheim cipher), Nornir chest (Horn of Blood Mead), coffin (soft Svartalfheim steel), treasure map (The Turtle’s Tribute), hidden chamber door, coffin (soft Svartalfheim steel), wooden chest, Legendary chest (Murder of Crows runic summon)

This will be your first time back to the Witch’s Cave since Atreus got his exciting new arrows, so there’s a few new things you can pick up now.

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

When you dock, have Atreus blow up the red sap wall blocking your path. On the other side of the wall, take the elevator up.

Turn to the right at the top of the elevator for another sap wall. Blow this one up as well. There are some reavers and a revenant to handle, and then you can start working on loot.

Run into the tunnel you just opened and turn right. There’s a mysterious green orb you can ignore, but right next to it is a Legendary chest with a piece of the Muspelheim cipher inside — if you’ve been following our guides and exploring a lot, this should be the last piece you need.

Nornir chest

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• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Much of the rest of your exploring will be in service of opening a nearby Nornir chest (that you haven’t even seen yet). Since you’re right here, head back to the left of the Legendary chest you just opened, then turn right. The first seal is just above your head in the wall of the well.

Head back to the elevator area, then turn right. Drop down off the ledge — you may have picked up an artifact and a coffin down here earlier. Turn a little to the left and look for a light crystal for Atreus. Shoot it to create a light bridge across to the Nornir chest.

Turn to the right to find another light crystal. Shoot this one to create a bridge to a shatter crystal dispensing root. We’ll be coming back to this a bunch, so remember where it is. For now, grab one, then run back across both bridges. Toss the crystal at the coffin you see there and have the boy shoot it to free the coffin (we’ll get to it in a second). To the right of that coffin is the second seal.

Take a couple steps to the right out onto the stone pallet you pushed off the first time you were here. Turn left and look below where you were just standing to find another light crystal. Create a bridge and cross to the coffin for some solid Svartalfheim steel.

Head back and grab another shatter crystal. Run back past the Nornir chest and stop at the top of the ramp down. Look ahead of you for another sap wall to blow up. Run down the ramp and turn to the left for some hacksilver. Climb up the wooden wall through the opening you just created.

There are five things right in this room:

1. High on the left side of the wall in front of you is the third Nornir seal.
2. Next, most obviously, is a hidden chamber door.
3. Next to that is a wooden chest.
4. Turn toward the right wall. In the middle is The Turtle’s Tribute treasure map. (Check out our guide for The Turtle’s Tribute Treasure map to find the loot.)
5. In the right corner is a coffin with some more solid Svartalfheim steel.

Drop back down and open the Nornir chest for your Horn of Blood Mead, then come back here.

Sand bowl puzzle

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

On the left side of the hidden room with the hidden chamber door, there’s a gate you can open. Go through it and fight the revenant that pops up to say hi. Look along the wall on your right for some smashable planks. Toss your axe, then hoist the boy up to the level above.

Turn left and look for more smashable planks across a large gap, then grab the big stone-filled pallet and slide it to the right. Wait for Atreus to climb on top, then you can shuttle him all the way to the left.

He’ll run over to your left to find a sand bowl. Keep turning left and look in front of Atreus to find a few more breakable planks along the ceiling. Smash these three squares to reveal some runes and give Atreus the solution. When he’s done playing in the sand, the podium he’s on will lower enough that you can jump to it. Hop across, then turn right to find a Legendary chest. Inside, you’ll get the Murder of Crows runic summon for the boy.

Climb the well

Items in this area: artifact (Faces of Magic), buried treasure (The Turtle’s Tribute), Odin’s raven, Legendary chest (Storm of the Elks runic summons)

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Now you can leave the cave area and climb out to the Witch’s front yard. Head back to the elevator and the area where you found the first rune seal for the Nornir chest (above). Climb up the well. Have the boy read the runes on your way past to pick up another lore marker.

At the top, turn left and run around behind the well to find a light crystal. Carry it back around front and place it next to the lore marker to read some more.

Head down the ramp at your right to get down to Chaurli and the Witch’s house. Grab the Faces of Magic artifact along the way.

After you fight off a bunch of draugr, face the front door. A little to the right, look around the rocks to find The Turtle’s Tribute buried treasure. You’ll get an oblivion stone crafting resource, a Stone of Frost Mastery enchantment, some hacksilver and some soft Svartalfheim steel.

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Turn around and look for another lore marker written on a rock face next to a chain. Have the boy read it, then climb up. At the top, turn right and handle the draugr. On your left, look for an outcropping of rock with an Odin’s raven at the tip. At the end of this ridge, look down over the Witch’s yard. There are a few runes scattered around that you can have Atreus read. This is a clue for a sand bowl you’ll solve in a second.

Drop back down the chain. Look across the yard to make sure you got the runes written on the wall below the lore marker you read when you first came out of the well.

Turn toward Chaurli the turtle and run around to the left. The boy will run up to the sand bowl and solve it. It will reveal a Legendary chest with the Storm of the Elks runic summon for Atreus.

Talk to the Witch in her house

Since you’ve already gotten everything down in the cave, all that’s left for you to do is finish off the story beats for this part of your journey. We’ll be here to help you when you get back to the Lake of Nine.