From the moment you pick up the controller, you are hooked into one of the most epic stories modern videogames have told.God of War Ragnarokpicks up three years after where the first game ends and quickly thrusts you into a new, epic adventure.
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There is so much to do outside the main story, so it’s a great idea to take some time to play through the side quests. Not only are they a great way to earn materials, attachments, and a slew of other collectibles, but they are a great way to understand the history and complexities of the world you are in. Here are the best side quests you can complete before – and after – the credits roll.
10Lost Treasure
This is a relatively quick side quest to complete and has some comparative meaning to Kratos and Atreus’ own relationship. In Svartalfheim, you discover a lost soul of a father who had been hunting for treasure with his son. At one point, they had split up to go find parts of the treasure alone, all in an attempt to help keep the other out of danger. This ultimately causes them both to lose their lives for the same reason.
Similarly, Kratos and Atreus often exclude each other in an attempt to protect the other, which usually leads them into dangerous situations alone. Ultimately, the souls of the father and son teach Kratos and Atreus that it is better to be transparent with these things instead of hiding them. After the mission is complete, you will have earned a highly coveted Jewel of Yggdrasil and an Emblem of Elusion.
9Lunda’s Missing Orb
Once you reach Freyr’s camp in Svartalfheim, you’ll run into a new character, blacksmith Lunda. She has a similar temperament to Brock and is loaded with hilarious one-liners. Once you’ve become familiar with each other, she asks you to set off on a journey to find the missing orb she so desperately needs. She won’t tell you what the orb is exactly, only that it is really important.
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Upon finding and returning the orb to Lunda, she quickly throws it to her pet dog and reveals that the mysterious orb is just a dog toy, their favorite ball. As frustrating as this is for Kratos, it is also beneficial as she then informs you of her missing armor set you can acquire. You set out once again to find all the pieces, and upon your return, Lunda fixes them up for free. The armor set gives a variety of useful buffs including a 40% damage increase when barehanded and the ability to poison enemies, making this one of the best armor sets in the game.
8Eyes Of Odin
Throughout the realms are various green ravens that Odin uses to keep himself informed of everything going on. As you traverse each realm, you will naturally encounter them and destroy them. Each time you do so, the spirit of that raven is set free and arrives in Niflheim, where the collective of them sit in the Raven Tree together.
Six legendary chests can be found at the base of the Raven Tree, each one requiring a different number of ravens to be freed to be opened. The first three chests contain the pieces to one of the coolest armor sets in the game: Raven’s Tears. The final three contain runes you’re able to socket in your weapons.
7Freyr’s Gift
Possibly one of the most compelling stories told in a side quest, Freyr’s Gift takes you on an adventure to restore a giant statue of Freyr that was erected by the Alfheim elves. When Freyr first arrived in Alfheim, it was by accident, but the elves quickly fell in love with him and looked to him for his leadership.
It was only after he left that they descended back into civil war. Restoring the statue is a symbol of unity for the different elf races, and it helps you get access to important resources scattered throughout the Forbidden Sands.
6Fit For A King
Once you acquire the sword hilt, you’ll be able to battle the Berserker enemies at each of the gravestones scattered across the realms. Each battle ranges in difficulty, some being a one-on-one match and others requiring you to take down multiple enemies in addition to the boss.
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These are some of the hardest battles in the game, but they’re incredibly satisfying to win. Additionally, you get a lot of great treasures to equip, the Berserker armor set, and many other items. It might be one of the longest side quests, but well worth the time.
5Born From Fire
This side quest has you hunting down six ruthless fire drauger and eliminating them. These battles can be quite tough initially, but get more manageable once you have upgraded your Leviathan Axe a few times. Upon completing each battle, you’ll get a bunch of XP and rewards, the most important being a Chaos Spark.
This allows you to upgrade your Blades of Chaos, giving you an advantage in future battles. Because this is the only way to get those upgrade materials, it is a good idea to prioritize this side quest right away – if you can stand the heat that is.
4The Crucible
Aside from a couple of quick trips to Muspelheim for the story, most of what you’ll do in this realm is a side quest. The Crucible is a gauntlet of combat trials that will test your abilities and wits. After completing each trial, you will unlock various rewards ranging from rare upgrade materials to runes and armor.
Traversing The Crucible is entirely optional and can be done during the main game or after the credits roll. If you find you are struggling to complete the challenges when you first arrive, you might want to do other side quests or story missions first and come back when you are stronger.
3Song Of Sands
Trapped beneath the sands of Alfheim are two Hafgufa. These giant sky jellyfish are important parts of the ecosystem, and their imprisonment has caused a rapid decline in the area. You free them individually over two separate side quests, with the Song of Sands being the second of the two.
After both are free, they take to the sky to perform the Song of Sands which removes the sandstorms from the area and ushers in a new age, full of countless Hafgufa offspring to care for the desert. With the sandstorms removed, you are then able to access many other places and side quests in the area, all with various rewards.
2The Weight of Chains
As you explore Svartalfheim, Mimir asks you to help him right many wrongs he made in his time serving Odin. One of the worst of these wrongs was enslaving the Lyngbakr. This giant whale-like creature was chained in place for centuries, all while parts of its body were harvested for resources.
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The mission has you going around various islands and breaking the chains that bind it. But upon freeing the creature, it doesn’t move from where it’s been held for so many years. Kratos explains that it has gotten used to its imprisonment, and although it is now physically free, it is still imprisoned in its mind – a condition Kratos knows all too well.
1Freya’s Missing Peace
Ever since leaving Asgard in opposition to Odin, Freya has held strong feelings of resentment that have consumed her for countless years. She struggles with the inner turmoil of her hatred as well as losing everything else about her past life. To get her peace, she asks Kratos to help her destroy the remaining relics of her wedding day with Odin.
After finding and destroying the circlet and cup, Freya and Kratos discover the Asgardian sword connecting her to Odin. She tries to pull it from its place but finds she is unable to until she is truly honest with herself. In this emotional moment, she realizes how she misses her old life, her son, and the Valkyries, and at the same time hates Odin, saying “Asgard holds part of me I can’t sever.” After admitting these truths, she is able to finally pull the sword from its place and decides that is enough to sever the tie it had to Odin. She then keeps the sword, allowing you to equip it for her to use in battle.
