God of War Ragnarök finally introduces players to the lush jungles of Vanaheim, homeland to Freya’s and the rest of the Vanir gods. This realm wasn’t part of God of War (2018), but has a huge presence in the sequel. It’s not only the biggest realm in the Ragnarök — seemingly packed with more side content than all of God of War (2018), with even more to do than both Svartalfheim and Alfheim — but it features a unique day/night cycle that opens and closes different paths depending on the position of the sun and the moon.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to find all of the collectibles in Vanaheim, from each Nornir Chest down to every last one of Odin’s Ravens.
Note: This guide will show you everything that you can do on your first visit to Vanaheim, sans the massive side quest section at the end. As you might expect, you’ll be back later in the game and be able to access previously inaccessible areas with new equipment. If you reach the end of one of the sections in this guide and still notice “undiscovered” stuff on your map, it simply means you can’t get that item yet. We’ll update this guide to include information about the second visit to Vanaheim — as well as the River Delta — by the time you need it.
The Southern Wilds
The Southern Wilds is your first big taste of the lush jungles of Vanaheim. It’s also the first place where you’ll be introduced to the mostly-cool day/night cycle of Vanaheim.
You’ll eventually be able to control this cycle for yourself, which dictates which traversal routes are accessible to you depending on the time of day. But if you want to grab everything you can as early as you can, we recommend following our directions below carefully. It’ll be daytime the next time you come through here, and will remain as such until way later. When Vanaheim is bathed in daylight, you won’t be able to get to many of the collectibles below.
Odin’s Raven
When you first enter The Southern Wilds from the mystic gateway, keep left until you reach a small archway under some roots. Go through.
You’ll find yourself next to a small lake. Flying around above the lake is one of Odin’s Ravens. Take careful aim and kill the bird.
Legendary Chest – Wrath of the Frost Ancient light runic attack
Note: You can only access the following item at night.
Proceed forward through The Southern Wilds, and head through the crack in the wall. When you reach the ruins, fight off the enemies.
With the coast clear, hug the left side of the area until you find a small hole that you can crawl through. Go inside and you’ll find the Legendary Chest at the other end, which contains the Wrath of the Frost Ancient light runic attack for the Leviathan Axe.
Kvasir’s Poem (Image Spoiler Warning)
Note: You can only access the following item at night.
Make your way to the ruins, which we mention above. Jump along the pillars until you reach the one with the ornate metal workings around its base. Jump on top of it.
Instead of proceeding forward to the wooden path, turn left and look down to the floor below. You should see a giant square patch that’s cracked (see the earlier image). Use your Blades of Chaos to grapple into it, breaking it and revealing a pit underneath. Here you’ll find one of Kvasir’s many poems.
Nornir Chest
Note: You can only access the following item at night.
Continue along the path, toward Freyr’s Camp, until you reach the Nornir Chest sitting against the rock — you can’t miss it.
This is a switch chest, meaning you’ll need to match all three switches to the runes on the Chest to open it. The runes you’re looking for here are C, R, and n.
Switch 1
The first switch is up and to your left from the Nornir Chest. Aim at it with your ax and hit it until it displays the Rune that looks like a C.
Switch 2
From the first switch, do a complete 180º and face behind you. Here you’ll find the second switch. Hit it until you get the rune that looks like a lowercase n.
Switch 3
For the third switch, you’ll need to backtrack a bit. Look at the Nornir Chest, turn around, and start walking backward. Before you turn the corner back to the ruins, look up and you’ll see the switch covered in some bramble. Before you do anything else, light the bramble with your Blades of Chaos. When the plants whither away, use your ax to hit the switch so it displays the R Rune. Now you’re free to open the Nornir Chest and secure its treasures.
Freyr’s Camp
Freyr’s Camp is the hub for Vanaheim, a place you’ll come back to quite a bit to grab new quests and talk to familiar faces. However, the entire left side of it is barred off during your first visit, as you won’t have the proper tools to access it.
Lore – Freyr’s Lament
Once the cutscene introducing you to Freyr’s Camp is over, head left into the little alcove.
Here you’ll find a lore scroll. Grab it to get the “Freyr’s Lament” entry.
Lore – Vanaheim Lullaby
Take the left path out of Freyr’s Camp until you hit a ramp and some mossy rocks. Stop.
Turn around and you’ll see some runes carved into the wall between some canoes. Read them to get the “Vanaheim Lullaby” entry.
Odin’s Raven
Note: You can only access the following item at night.
Walk out of Freyr’s back door and into his backyard.
Walk forward and to the left. You’ll see a giant blue ring entangled in some vines above you. To the left of the ring you’ll find one of Odin’s Ravens perched on a tree. Throw your ax at it to kill it.
Artifact – Family Crests (Image Spoiler Warning)
Proceed through the main storyline until you unlock the mystic gateway at Freyr’s Camp, which is where you’ll exit Vanaheim during your first trip.
The Artifact — part of the Family Crests set — is just ahead of where you’ll park your boat on this small island, to the right of the portal if you’re looking straight at it.
The Abandoned Village
The Abandoned Village is the largest area you’ll visit during the main quest on your first journey through Vanaheim. It’s also an area you’ll come back to later in the game for story reasons, which will allow you to access more collectibles (and nab any you miss).
Draugr Hole
Walk forward along the main story, largely ignoring the nooks and crannies (there’s not a lot to explore here just yet). When you reach a gap that you can’t cross at the opening of the area, turn left and hit the crane to make a grapple point. Cross to the next building and then turn left. Turn the crane again and use the grapple point to reach the left side of the village.
When you land, take a left and walk into the cave across the bridge. Kill the monster that appears to destroy the Draugr Hole.
Legendary Chest – Rond of Restoration
Follow the path to the Draugr Hole above.
After you kill the draugr, walk up to the nearby wall and crawl through the hole in front of you.
When you emerge, walk forward into the small hut. You’ll see an opening for you to drop back down into the village and a Legendary Chest sitting against the wall. Open the chest for the Rond of Restoration Shield attachment.
Lore – Chores
Follow the path to the left side of the Abandoned Village, where you’re able to access the Draugr Hole. Return to where you first landed when you jumped from the crane.
Look immediately to your right and you’ll see some green rocks and some barrels. You’ll also see a lore scroll. Grab it to get the “Chores” entry.
Lore – Prayer to Freya
From the left side of the village, take the zipline to reach the large arena structure ahead of you. (Or, if you skipped the left side of the village, just press on ahead.)
Walk up to the giant gate, which is closed. Look to the left of the gate and you’ll see some runes written on the wall. Read them to get the “Prayer to Freya” entry.
Legendary Chest – Shatter Star Shield
Proceed with the story and fight your way through the fortress.
When you’re finished, take the back door out and hang left. Make sure to avoid the frozen pole by freezing it and detonate the pustule plants before they can explode on you. Climb the chain. Walk forward on the landing and look to your right. You’ll see an area shrouded in poison. Look right again and use your Leviathan Axe to freeze the poison pole. Jump down and open the Legendary Chest to claim the Shatter Star Shield. Be careful not to recall your ax until you’re safe, as the poison will kill you very quickly.
Nornir Chest
Proceed along the linear path through the story, taking the zipline to the next section of The Abandoned Village. Walk forward until you reach another crane puzzle.
This puzzle, when done correctly, will allow you to get another Nornir Chest. This is a brazier Chest, which means you’ll need to light three torches to get the treasure inside.
Brazier 1
Free the giant lantern that hangs from the crane and position it so it’s just to the left of the walkway in front of you. Use your Blades of Chaos to swing the lantern to the left, causing it to swing into and ignite the first brazier.
Brazier 2
While the lantern is still in position for the first brazier, use the grappling hook to jump to the small island with the dead soldier. Rotate the crane twice, bringing the lantern toward you and then moving it in front of the boardwalk ahead of you. When the lantern is in position, use the Blades of Chaos to push it to your left, into what looks like a normal tree. This will light the brazier hidden among the roots.
While you’re here, use the lantern to burn the bramble on the other side so you can proceed with the main story.
Brazier 3
Return to where you started the crane puzzle and then rotate the crane so you can grapple across. Jump across to the other side, walk forward, take a right, and walk down the ramp. On the right, you’ll find the Nornir Chest itself. On the left, you’ll find the last brazier. Light it with your Blades of Chaos and collect the loot.
Legendary Chest – Helios Fire Light Runic Attack
Continue forward until you reach yet another crane. Turn it until you can grapple across to the other side. Walk forward and to your right, along the back path. When you emerge on the other side, you’ll be able to see the Legendary Chest sitting across from you.
Move the crane into position so the grapple is in front of you. Leap over to the other side and claim the Helios Fire Runic Attack.
Western Barri Woods
The Western Barri Woods mostly serves as an intermission. Even on subsequent visits to Vanaheim, there isn’t a lot to do here. But it’s very pretty to look at, and gives you a great view of the western mists of Vanaheim. I wonder if there’s anything beyond that? Hmm…
Lore – Harmony
After freeing Freya, follow her along the newly revealed daylight path, using Hex arrows — now part of your arsenal for the rest of the game — to solve a variety of puzzles.
Eventually you’ll come across a massive wooden bridge that winds its way through the sky, leading back to Freyr’s camp. Before you walk onto it, look to your right and you’ll see a lore tablet. Read it to get the “Harmony” Entry
The River Delta side area and quests
After you defeat Nidhogg and rescue Freya, you’ll be able to leave Vanaheim and continue to story or adventure into the River Delta.
An adventure for another time
The River Delta area of the game is extremely dense, and contains tons of hours of stuff to tackle. You can do most of this now, but there are some activities here that you’ll need to wait until later in the game to finish. And since the segment is can only be traversed by boat, it can take a while to get anywhere. You’d be well within your rights to forge ahead on the main story.
By completing the Freya-issued side quest and a variety of others, you’ll nab a ton of powerful collectibles. Heading back to Sindri’s Treehouse, meanwhile, will kickstart the next chapter of the main story.
We’ll update this guide with all the collectibles, Odin’s Ravens, Nornir Chests, and other activities for Vanaheim’s River Delta area at a later date.