God Of War Ragnarok: How To Unlock All Realms

As we travel back to the Norse world, it’s time for Kratos and Atreus to explore the Nine Realms. In God of War, players were not unable to visit every realm, and the game only featured six of them. Fortunately, that is not the case in God of War Ragnarok. Now you can travel to all the realms, which include; Midgard, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, Jotunheim, Alfheim, Muspelheim, Vanaheim, Helheim, and Asgard. Today we will talk about How you can Unlock all realms in God of War Ragnarok.

[Note: The Realms Guide may contain Light Spoilers]

All Realms In God Of War Ragnarok

We mentioned earlier that God of War Ragnarok features all 9 realms in the Norse world. You can almost freely travel to these realms (with some exceptions). Now, Kratos will experience the 6 previous realms in more detail in addition to three new ones. Some realms are quite brief. However, others offer a considerately big open world, like Svartalfheim, Alfheim, and Vanaheim.

Players can earn the Yggdrasil Seeds while playing through God of War Ragnarok, which will allow Kratos and Atreus to travel to various Realms. Mostly all of these seeds can be found as you progress through the main story. Thus, you won’t need to search for them.

You will be able to access all these regions as you progress through the Missions in God of War Ragnarok. Therefore, none of the realms are missable in the game; one way or another, you will experience all of them. Before we learn how you can unlock each of them. Here is a quick rundown of all the Realms in God of War Ragnarok:

• Midgard
• Svartalfheim
• Niflheim
• Jotunheim
• Alfheim
• Muspelheim
• Vanaheim
• Helheim
• Asgard

Now let’s review each Realm separately, along with How to Unlock them in God of War Ragnarok.

Midgard

Midgard is the central realm in the God of War series. The realm holds the Lake of the Nine along with the Tyr’s Temple. It is also home to Kratos and Atreus. God of War Ragnarok begins in Midgard, just like the previous game. Most of the first chapter, “Surviving Fimbulwinter” takes part here. However, you won’t be able to explore Midgard until much later freely.

The realm doesn’t really require you to do any specific task to unlock it since it’s the first realm you will experience in the game. Although, as you progress through the story, more and more areas of Midgard will continue to unlock in God of War Ragnarok.

Svartalfheim

Svartalfheim is the first realm that you will unlock in God of War Ragnarok as you progress through your main story. The realm will become available to you within the first two chapters of the game. Svartalfheim is home to the Dwarves, and it is where Kratos and Atreus suspect that Tyr is locked up.

Kratos and Atreus will travel to Svartalfheim in chapter two of God of War Ragnarok. During “The Quest for Tyr“, Sindri will set up a traveling method using Mimir so that Kratos and Atreus can make their way to the realm of Dwarves to search for Tyr. Svartalfheim is a huge realm that the players can explore freely, although some areas within the realm unlock as the story progresses.

Niflheim

Niflheim is home to the Raven Tree. Each Odin’s Raven you kill in the other realms will end up here. By killing a specific number, you will be allowed to unlock the Raven chests that hold many valuable things, such as the Raven Tears Armor. Niflheim is more of a side-quest and collectible-focused realm.

Once you complete your endeavors in Svartaldheim during your first visit, you will ultimately get the choice to travel to Niflheim or Alfheim or to stay at Svartalfheim. If you choose to go to Alfheim, you will progress the story ahead. However, choosing Niflheim will give you access to the realm in God of War Ragnarok and also only take very little of your time since it holds nothing related to the main storyline. In addition to that, it will also provide you with stat-boosting opportunities for Kratos and Atreus.

Jotunheim

The land of the Giants, also known as Jotunheim unlocks as you play through the main story in God of War Ragnarok. In the previous installment, the realm only featured in the final moments of the game and was not explorable. However, this time around, you get to explore it thoroughly. Since it appears within the main storyline, there is no way that you can miss out on the realm.

Jotunheim unlocks during “The Lost Sanctuary” quest, which is the Fifth chapter in God of War Ragnarok. The quest will get initiated after the sequence of Atreus where he is following Angrboda in the Ironwood. Make sure you properly explore the realm during the main story because you can’t visit it again until the game ends.

Alfheim

We mentioned earlier that you would get the choice to travel to Niflheim, Alfheim, or Svartalfheim. Regardless of what you choose, Kratos and Atreus will eventually travel to Alfheim in order to continue their storyline. Hence, there is no way that you can miss out on this realm in God of War Ragnarok.

The fourth chapter of the game will begin once you’re in Alfheim. The “Groa’s Secret” will keep you within the realm for more than an hour of gameplay. During this time, you will not be able to travel to any other realm. Alfheim had considerably changed since the events of God of War (2018) when Kratos and Atreus unknowingly gave the realm’s control to the Light Elves.

Muspelheim

Muspelheim unlocks after you’ve played through half of the storyline. Once you conclude your trip to Asgard, the Eighth chapter of God of War Ragnarok will begin. During the “Into The Fire” quest, Atreus will travel to Muspelheim along with a companion. Hence, the quest will automatically unlock the fiery realm for you in the game.

The Realm of Fire is home to many fire giants, most prominently Surtr. There is another key piece of information that you should know. It also holds The Crucible, which are Trial challenges that require high-tier Combat skills in God of War Ragnarok.

You can unlock The Crucible in Muspelheim by collecting the Muspelheim Seeds. You can find the Muspelheim realm seeds in Svartalfheim. The first seed can be acquired in the Modvitnir’s Rig during the second chapter of the game. Whereas the second seed can be found at the Dragon Beach in Svartalfheim, but you can only go there after getting the Draupnir Spear. 

Vanaheim

In God of War Ragnarok, the players will also get to visit the lands of Vanir Gods and be home to Freya. Vanaheim is filled with green and lush forests and holds many collectibles. The realm unlocks as you progress through the main story; there aren’t any side-quests you need to complete in order to reach Vanaheim. 

You can access the Vanaheim in God of War Ragnarok when you reach chapter six, “The Reckoning”. There is a lot you can do in the Lands of Vanir. Apart from having tons of side content, the realm also features an all-new day/night cycle. The big realm features areas like the Southern Wilds, Freyr’s Camp, and Western Barri Woods.

Helheim

Helheim is also known as Hel and is the land of the dead in God of War Ragnarok and Norse mythology. Players were able to visit the realm in God of War as part of the main story. In the new installment, you will visit the unforsaken land twice. First, you will go there as Atreus, and on the second visit, you will take control of Kratos.

As Kratos, you can complete the lore and collect all the items in Helheim. The Hel is a smaller realm as compared to the other areas in God of War Ragnarok. Similar to other realms, Helheim can be unlocked by progressing through the main story and reaching Chapter 11 in God of War Ragnarok, which is named “Unleashing Hel”.

Asgard

In God of War Ragnarok, players will have the opportunity to visit the Realm of Gods, Asgard. While Asgard was off-limits during the first installment of the game, it becomes accessible in the sequel due to the central role of characters like Thor and Odin. However, it’s important to note that Asgard cannot be freely explored like the other realms in the game.

You will unlock access to Asgard briefly during Chapter 7, titled “The Runaway.” However, once you complete the game, you won’t be able to travel back to Asgard for reasons that we won’t reveal to avoid spoilers. Nevertheless, the opportunity to explore the home of the Aesir adds depth to the God of War Ragnarok experience.

How To Travel Between Realms In God Of War Ragnarok

In God of War Ragnarok, traveling between realms is similar to the system used in the previous game, with a few changes to note. Players can use Mystic Gateways to journey to different realms, much like in the previous installment. These gateways are scattered throughout the game world, with many of them found within each realm.

The first Mystic Gateway players will use is located next to Kratos’s house in Midgard. As you progress through the main storyline, you will unlock additional Mystic Gateways that allow you to teleport to other realms. Unlike the first game, where Tyr’s temple was used for realm travel, you can now choose your desired realm directly when you encounter a Mystic Gateway.

This updated mechanism makes realm travel smoother and more convenient in God of War Ragnarok, allowing players to easily access the various realms in the vast Norse landscape.