One of the best parts about God of War Ragnarok is that Kratos and company visit the many Realms of Norse Myth. Whether that be the craggy moats of Svartelheim or the snow-capped forests of Midgard, each Realm has a little something special for you to explore. And one of the most essential Realms in God of War Ragnarok is that of Muspelheim.
Players who first travelled with Kratos and Atreus in God of War (2018) will no doubt remember the fiery kingdom of Muspelheim. This is where you went to test your combat prowess in a variety of challenges and trials, culminating in a fight with one of the Valkyries (powerful bosses sprinkled throughout the world). In God of War Ragnarok, Muspelheim returns more devious combat challenges and trials for you to undertake.
Unlocking Muspelheim this time around, though, will require a bit more action. Before undertaking the trials in the Crucible, you must first find a way to the Realm.
Here’s how to unlock Muspelheim and the Crucible in God of War Ragnarok.
Want more God of War or PlayStation articles? You can find more here on KeenGamer:
- God of War Ragnarok: Where to Find All Draugr Holes
- God of War Ragnarok: Across the Realms Quest Guide
- What Norse Mythology Tells Us About God of War Ragnarok
- Ranking the God Of War Games from Worst to Best
How to Unlock Muspelheim
To unlock Muspelheim in God of War Ragnarok, you’ll first need the Muspelheim Seed.
To travel to other Realms, Kratos first needs to get his hands on the Seed of Yggdrasil that is associated with that Realm. These are most often handed to through the story, where new Realms are unlocked. This includes the likes of Svartalfheim and Vanaheim.
Meanwhile, the Muspelheim Seed must instead be found. You actually find yourself in Muspelheim during the story, but the Mystic Gateway that unlocks doesn’t allow you to access the Crucible, the key mechanic of Muspelheim. To unlock that, you will need to find the two halves of the Muspelheim Seed.
Muspelheim Gateway
First Half of the Muspelheim Seed
The first half of the Seed can be found in Svartalfheim, the Realm of the Dwarves. You can pick this up almost immediately on your first visit to the Realm. You may find it naturally while doing a Favour for some Dwarves.
The place you will want to go is the Bay of Bounty area after the main Dwarven city of Nidavellir. You’re asked to come here to speak with Durlin during the main story, at which time the Bay of Bounty and its many explorable locations become unlocked as well.
Once at the Bay of Bounty, make your way to the Modvitnir’s Rig, one of the three Mining Rigs that you are asked to clear as a part of the In Service of Asgard Favour. Once on the beach, make your way up the normal path, complete with a series of jumps and a wall climb up a decrepit wooden silo. Waiting at the top will be a Legendary Chest and within it the first half of the Muspelheim Seed.
Picking up this Seed will start The Crucible questline. You won’t be able to get the next Seed until a fair bit later in the game.
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- First Seed Chest
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- First Seed Map Location
Second Half of the Muspelheim Seed
This section will contain some spoilers post The Path: Forging Destiny story mission. Do not continue if you do not wish to be spoiled.
Spoilers Ahead
The next half of the Seed cannot be unlocked until after the Story quest Forging Destiny.
After you get the Draupnir Spear, you can return to the Bay of Bounty and unlock more areas to explore. This includes Dragon Beach, an island on the Southern part of the Bay with a massive Dwarf statue at its rear. Before this point, the island contained a few enemies and a Nornir chest to unlock. With the Spear, however, the Beach opens up a lot more.
Once you get to the Beach, look for a large wooden structure. This should be near the Nornir Chest. You’ll be able to climb up the first part normally. To reach the higher ledge, Kratos will need to use the Draupnir Spear to create a foothold. You’ll know that you’re going the right way when you spot a spirit with a Favour.
Climb over to the bridge in front of the massive Dwarf statue and make your way up to it. You can get another quest item here, but to get the Seed, go left into the cave by the statue to find yourself in a new area called Alberich Hollow.
When you enter the Hollow, many sections and areas will be blocked by golden ore that can only be broken using Fire Bombs. One of these locked items is a Legendary Chest. Inside that chest will be the second half of the Muspelheim Seed.
Return to any of the Mystic Gateways and you will unlock access to Muspelheim and the Crucible.
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- Second Seed Chest
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- Second Seed Map
The Crucible
As previously stated, the Muspelheim Seed unlocks access to the Crucible portion of the Muspelheim map. The other areas are unlocked via story progression.
Just like it was back in God of War (2018), the Crucible is a series of combat challenges. Each Trial has various modifiers and requirements attached to them, such as not allowing any enemy to damage you or keeping them outside of a specific. Completing these Trials will reward you with a variety of items and rewards, including the {—} armour set and special crafting materials used for endgame armour and weapons.
The Crucible
Clearing the first six challenges will unlock a Nornir Chest at the centre of Muspelheim, as well as unlocking The Undying Pyres Armour Set for Kratos and completing The Crucible Favour. These challenges are:
- Weapon Mastery: Defeat all enemies within the time limit.
- Flawless: Avoid taking damage.
- Ring Out: Opponents rapidly regenerate from any damage.
- Feed the Rift: Throw orbs into the realm tear to close it before time runs out.
- Population Control: Kill the elite while keeping the population under the limit.
- King of the Hill: Keep enemies out of the rings until the time expires.
After beating these, go back to the Norn Chest to begin a new Favour called The Final Challenges.
Trials of Muspelheim
Final Challenges
New Trials have been unlocked in the previous rooms, one per room. You can complete two of these Trials before the central sword becomes active.
This central Trial will be different depending on what order you battled the previous Trials in. In total, there are 6 combinations, all with their own rewards:
- Left Room > Middle Room: Endurance Challenge
- Left Room > Right Room: Shield Breaker Challenge
- Middle Room > Left Room: Ring of Fire Challenge
- Middle Room > Right Room: Onslaught Challenge
- Right Room > Left Room: Phantom Challenge
- Right Room > Middle Room: Boss Rush Challenge
Complete one Trial in each room to lock the seal and unlock the corresponding Trial at the centre. Beat them all and congratulations: you’ve beaten all the Trials of Muspelheim.
Now that your Trials are done, one final challenge has been unlocked: a boss fight with the Valkryie Queen, Gna. You can find our boss fight guide on Gna here.
Tear It Down
That is how to unlock Muspelheim and the Crucible in God of War Ragnarok.
