All Realm Tear Locations in God of War
Where to find all the realm tears hidden across Midgard, Alfheim, and Niflheim in God of War.
There’s a lot of fighting to be done in God of War, and one of the more challenging fights that are dotted around the map are realm tears. These black dots grab Kratos’ arm and spit out a high-level enemy, or more, for him and Atreus to dispatch, with the reward being a valuable resource to level up gear. Finding all the realm tears is important if you want to 100% the game, but some can be a bit tough to track down.
All Realm Tear Locations
There are dozens of realm tears across Midgard, Alfheim, and Niflheim, and although not all of them are counted on the in-game counter, it’s worth tracking them all down for the rewards they hold. Before you decide to go off and fight whatever the realm tears spit out, make sure you’re well-equipped with high-level gear. It appears that realm tear enemies can sometimes be random, so what you might face during one attempt might change if you return later.
Midgard Realm Tears
There are more than 9 realm tears that can be found in Midgard, though they do not all contain enemies and only the ones with enemies seem to count toward the total. Taking on the ones with enemies requires a fair amount of work, so it’s best that these are attempted later in the game when Kratos is at least level 6 or even 7.
Realm Tear 1
Another realm tear that is easy to find is located on the top of the Alfheim tower. Similarly to the previous realm tear, this one is available practically as soon as you reach the Lake of Nine. It’s a good idea to wait until later to attempt it. Reaching this realm tear requires rowing the boat to the elevator and using it to reach the top.
Realm Tear 2
This realm tear is extremely easy to find as it sits on the Niflheim tower. To reach this realm tear, row the boat to one of the sides and use the elevator to make your way to the top. It is available practically the moment you reach the Lake of Nine, though it’s worth waiting until later in the game to attempt it.
Realm Tear 3
This realm tear can be found in Midgard, directly across from Tyr’s Temple on the way to the Foothills. Enter the room and look above the doors to see Light Crystals. Direct Atreus to shoot them using Light Arrows, and the realm tear will appear in the middle of the room. Two poison revenants spawn from this realm tear.
Realm Tear 4
Another realm tear can be found at the top of The Mountain during the main story mission, Return to the Summit. You will inevitably encounter this realm tear as you progress through the alternative path to the top. After reaching Sindri’s shop, continue on and outside to reach an open area below the snowy bridge to where Mimir’s tree is located. A realm tear will be in the middle of the arena and nearby is a chest that contains one of the Niflheim ciphers.
Realm Tear 5
This realm tear can be found just to the north of the Alfheim tower, below the golden circle of the Council of Valkyries. The water will need to be lowered twice before a beach can be accessed. The tear is a short walk up the beach.
Realm Tear 6
A realm tear can be found behind Svartalfheim tower once the water has been lowered a second time. Enter the cave system through the water and turn left to find a place for the boat. Climb the wall and turn right at the top, the realm tear is overlooking the Forgotten Caverns.
Realm Tear 7
This realm tear can be found in Veithurgard on the cliff near the main beach. From the pier, go right toward the large statues at the entrance to find a chain. Use the Leviathan axe to the right of the chain to lock it in place, then follow the wall around the way you came to find a climbable block. Climb to the top to find this realm tear, which thankfully contains no enemies.
Realm Tear 8
To find this realm tear, you will need to head to Konunsgard in the north-west of the Lake of Nine after finishing all of Brok and Sindri’s side quest Favors. Proceed through the entire area as part of the quest, Hail to the King, and on the way back to the Dwarves, you will come across the realm tear before using the chain to drop back down to the mystic gate.
Realm Tear 9
Another realm tear can be found on Light Elf Outpost to the north of the Lake of Nine. This is located at the very top of the island and can only be reached after solving the light bridge puzzle to reach the top. Kratos and Atreus will need to traverse the island around the outside, activating light crystals in order to reach the top. At the top of the island is a socket for a light crystal, there should be on nearby to slot into it. Get Atreus to shoot the crystal and the realm tear will appear. This realm tear contains a few enemies to fight.
Realm Tear 10
Finding this realm tear requires backtracking to Kratos and Atreus’ home in the Wildwoods and gaining access to the hidden chamber there. This realm tear contains three level 8 revenants. To find the hidden chamber, go to the back of Kratos’ house and climb the ladder that is covered in black vines. Continue forward, drop down to the next area and turn left to face the chamber.
Realm Tear 11
This realm tear can be found in the very center of the Council of Valkyries after placing all eight Valkyrie helms. Touching this tear summons Sigrun the Valkyrie Queen, the toughest boss fight in God of War.
Realm Tear 12
This realm tear can be found in the Thamur’s Corpse region of Midgard during the main quest. When you enter the snowy area for the fight time, stick to the right-hand side to come across this rift. It does not contain any enemies.
Realm Tear 13
Another realm tear can be found in Thamur’s Corpse after the throne room. Look to the ceiling of the hallway to see a light crystal stuck in some vines that can be freed using Atreus’ arrows. Free the crystal and put it in the nearby slot to summon the realm tear.
Realm Tear 14
This realm tear is located on the Iron Cove island to the south-west in the Lake of Nine, behind the Niflheim tower. It can only be accessed when the water has been lowered a second time. This realm tear does not contain any enemies.
Realm Tear 15
Another realm tear can be found in the Iron Cove, in the south-west area of the Lake of Nine. Kratos must scale the island, and reach a series of gondolas. Use the Leviathan axe to spin the gondolas to raise or lower them, creating a zipline for Kratos.
Alfheim Realm Tears
Realm Tear 16
This realm tear can be found by making your way to Alfheim, getting into the boat, and reaching the large body of water near the temple. Go to the right-hand side of the temple to reach a beach where a Nornir chest can be found and a legendary chest. This beach contains a gate on a timer that opens by using a switch. Use the switch, go through the gate and turn right to see a similar setup. Activate the switch and destroy the vines to completely free the gate. Go through the gate to find the realm tear.
Realm Tear 17
Another realm tear in Alfheim can be found to the left of the temple. When you reach the big body of water by boat, go left to reach a beach. From the beach, go left again toward the hollowed-out tree, in the ground are three light crystals. Use Atreus’ light arrow on the crystals to summon the realm tear.
Niflheim Realm Tears
Three realm tears to be found in Niflheim, and they are all located in the same area: right in the middle of the labyrinth. To reach these, you will need to find all Niflheim ciphers and gain access to the misty realm. Run straight, pass Sindri, and into the first area. There is a socket in the middle of the area that can only be opened using a key that is earned by clearing the labyrinth. You will need to begin grinding for mist echoes in order to purchase the Ivaldi armor to allow Kratos to survive in the mist for longer.
After clearing enough rooms, you will receive a key to use in the middle socket, granting you access to the vault room. In this room are several chests that require mist echoes to open, as well as three realm tears. These realm tears can only be opened by paying a large sum of mist echoes and only if you have an Anchor of Fog key. These keys are earned by clearing enough rooms – a high-level enemy will drop them.
You will need a key for each of the realm tears and enough mist echoes for each of them. The enemies include ogres, revenants, and a soul devourer.
Finding all the realm tears in God of War can be a bit bothersome, especially if you’ve found one early on but have forgotten where it was located after you’ve grown stronger. With all the realm tears closed, you’ll be one step closer to crossing all the collectibles off the list and getting that Platinum trophy. Check out our God of War guide for more helpful collectible guides and walkthroughs.
