God of War: The Journey - The Light of Alfheim
Solve puzzles and learn new gameplay mechanics in The Light of Alfheim chapter.
The Light of Alfheim is a story mission in God of War, and it’s one of the longer chapters in the game due to its numerous puzzles and riddles. This walkthrough will help navigate through all of them. Collectibles, however, will be handled in a separate guide.
Find a Way to the Light
Move forward along the bridge until reaching a knot. Atreus will call it that, which is why I’m calling it that. These knots can be severed with Kratos’ Leviathan axe. Throw the axe through the knot to destroy it and clear the path. As the mission progresses, several knots must often be destroyed in a single throw to move forward, which can get complicated.
Further along the bridge are Dark Elves that must be defeated. They aren’t particularly tough, although they can be tricky due to their flying and mobility. Learn their maneuvers, smash them to bits, and be ready for many more during this mission.
At the end of the bridge will be a door with two knots blocking it. Line up so that both knots can be hit with a single Leviathan axe throw, then let loose. Pass through when the door is cleared, then immediately look to the right and loot the chest.
Free the Boat
A very short distance ahead on the left is a boat that’s tied up with three knots. Line up the knots and throw the Leviathan axe so it passes through both in one toss, freeing the boat up for future travel. Visit Sindri if there is any crafting to be done, then push the boat in the water and head out.
Get to the Ringed Temple
There are a lot of places to explore in Alfheim, but this walkthrough only concerns itself with the main story mission. Explore as desired but follow the waypoint on the compass at the top of the HUD to reach the Lake of Light. Straight ahead will be the Ringed Temple.
After docking, dispatch the Dark Elves that attack, then spin one of the nearby wheels to raise one of the arches out of the water. More Dark Elves need to be killed, then the second wheel must be turned. There is nothing more to be done here for now, so head back to the boat.
Find a Way into the Temple
Paddle to the objective and dock the boat. Kratos is mostly along for the ride here as Atreus works on getting into the temple. When he succeeds, there will be more Dark Elves to take out, and a couple nearby rooms to explore.
Reactivate the Ringed Temple Bridge
Take the left side of the room and find a Nornir chest just ahead, as well as several enemies. There is a casket on the right, as well as a wheel that can be turned. Turn the wheel to go to the bottom level, then throw the Leviathan axe at the mechanism to lock the floor into place. One of the runes for the Nornir chest is behind Kratos. Climb up and smash it. It’s also worth noting that if Kratos stands where he smashed the first rune and recalls his axe, he can access the casket and snatch the loot.
Turn the wheel to lower the floor and lock it into place once more. Take note of how there are three pieces of the floor that can be raised up and down. There is one near the wheel, one in the middle, and one far from the wheel. The other two runes for the Nornir chest are against the near and far floor walls. Kratos must stand in the middle and recall his axe. As the floors move, smash the runes. It might take a couple attempts. Inside the Nornir chest will be an Idunn Apple.
After looting the Nornir chest, lower the floor again and head straight forward into the tunnel. Turn right, ignoring the caged enemies and wheel for now. Just push into the next room and use the Leviathan axe to destroy the two knots, opening a chunk of wall that Kratos and Atreus can climb. When given the option, initiate Spartan Rage and smash everything that moves. After the enemies are cleared, look to the right while facing Atreus and interact with the huge piece of stone. Finish off the remaining enemies and take a breath.
Standing on this platform, Kratos will see a path to a door as well as two paths that cannot be crossed at this time. There will also be a chest that is locked with two knots, although it’s tough to spot them both. Look for a small path that leads off the main platform and down a short way. It’s a dead end, but from there Kratos can hit both knots locking the chest. This throw took me north of 20 attempts, but this is the spot that the axe must be thrown from. Try using R1 to throw the axe just above and to the left of the first knot, barely catching it. When the chest is looted, take the only path to a doorway and open it.
The following room features more caged enemies that can’t be dealt with right now, so instead exit out the door on the right. Hop down from the platform to the path, then look right to see two knots. Throw the Leviathan axe to clear the knots away. This will cause a bridge to form, but it teaches Kratos and Atreus that cutting away knots will allow the light to emerge and form helpful bridges.
Take the newly formed bridge across to the other walkway and climb the wall on the left. Kill the lower level enemies that spawn, then get ready to fight a Stone Ancient. These enemies have only one real weak point, but it’s easy to exploit. Take aim at its chest with the Leviathan axe. When it opens its chest to attack, throw the axe at its heart. This will knock chunks of its heart loose, which Kratos can pick up from the ground and throw at the Stone Ancient. These will cause significant damage, often stunning it. When the Ancient is stunned, run up to it and press R3, then R1 and R2 to attack. Repeat these steps to kill not only the Stone Ancient, but any variation of this enemy type.
Go Back Up to the Ringed Temple Bridge
Chop away the crud blocking the center console, then follow Atreus across the bridge and into the room. The floor will be there now, and Kratos can walk to the center of the room and turn the wheel. After a short ride up, the objective will change to Enter the Temple. Cross the bridge and find that the door is sealed and inaccessible.
Find Another Way into the Temple
While facing the door, head down the left steps to find a Nornir chest and the three bells that are used to open it. One bell is at the foot of the path leading down, one is to the left of the door, and one is in the room and directly above the Nornir chest itself. To access this room, stand back from the door and throw the Leviathan axe through the two knots. Once the door is open, recall the axe and quickly throw it at all three bells. Inside the chest will be a Horn of Blood Mead, and for those following this walkthrough it will be the third, upgrading Kartos’ Spartan Rage.
On the right side of the steps while facing the door is Sindri, as well as a Jotnar shrine that Atreus will be interested in. Do any crafting, buying, or selling that needs to be handled, then crawl through the tunnel and into the temple.
Drop down and defeat the enemies that greet Kratos and Atreus. When it’s clear, loot anything dropped and take note of a casket on the left a short way ahead. This casket is locked behind three knots. Move past it and turn around, looking back at where Kratos dropped in originally. This is the line required to take out the three knots with a single axe throw.
A short way ahead is another casket that sits on the right. It’s locked with three knots. Ignore it and make the two jumps forward, then turn right. The three knots will be visible from here. Destroy them, then hop back to where the casket is and loot it. Make the two jumps for a third time but look to the left for the path forward. Kratos must jump to the nearby wall, then shimmy across by moving to the right.
Find a Way into the Hive
The moment that Kratos and Atreus put their feet on the ground, a fight breaks out. Truthfully, I put down the Leviathan axe here and focused on sprinting at enemies and using R2 to kick them off the ledge. It takes far less time than whittling away their health with regular combat. Recall the axe when everyone is dead and use it to chop away the junk covering the center console. Take the newly formed light bridge to the other side and push forward, killing more enemies, cutting away more crud, then take the other light bridge when it forms. Farther up the path will be a collection of knots that must be destroyed.
Break into the Hive
The knots are a tad overwhelming at first, but they aren’t hard to figure out in the end. Move around until three knots line up, then throw the axe through them all with one toss. Move around some more to line up three more knots, then destroy them. This will leave only one group of three knots which, when destroyed, will complete the objective.
Investigate the Hive
Push into the hive and squeeze through the gap. There is only one way to go, and it leads to a wall that Kratos and Atreus must climb. It’s a linear path, and it leads directly into the hive.
Destroy the Hive and Claim the Light
Take the left path up and around, then chop away at more goo, freeing the light. This will start an intense battle, but the foes are dealing with reduced health. One or two hits from the Leviathan axe will do, and in some cases I just went back to kicking them off the path with bare-handed combat. Either way, forward progress is a must since the enemies will not stop if Kratos doesn’t move forward. There should be two more knots to cut with the axe, although I managed to walk past one and just deal with the one at the end of the path. This will lead to a cut scene, then a story-based section of gameplay that requires no walkthrough, so enjoy.
When the scene ends, approach Atreus at the ledge and interact. Kratos will infuse Atreus’ bow with Alfheim Light. This will allow Atreus to shoot Light Arrows at enemies and at Light Crystals. Light Arrows can stun enemies, but they can also be used to activate Light Crystals, forming bridges and opening new opportunities for gameplay. Kratos must only aim at a Light Crystal, then instruct Atreus to shoot at it with Square to infuse it with Alfheim Light.
Find a Way Out of the Temple
Have Atreus shoot the Light Crystal ahead to form a bridge. Cross over it and drop down to the floor below. Pick up the Light Crystal and place it in the center slot. Have Atreus shoot it and a bridge will form that winds around the room. Climb up on the side of the room and loot the casket that sits on the second level.
Retrieve the Light Crystal and place it in the slot near the ledge. Have Atreus shoot this one as well, forming a bridge back to the center of the level. Climb up on the side of the room again, then walk back over to the center. Destroy the two knots on the left to access a chest there, then destroy a knot against the wall that will allow Atreus and Kratos to climb back up to where they started, although this is not necessary just yet.
Have Atreus form two more bridges that connect the center to the outer ring. One of the bridges will be consumed by knots and inaccessible. Take the other bridge to the outer ring, then move onto the one covered in knots. It’s from there that three knots can be destroyed. This will reveal a new Light Crystal. Head back to the center, climb up the wall to where Kratos originally stepped into the Alfheim Light, then have Atreus shoot the newly revealed Light Crystal. Cross the bridge that forms and loot the chest on the other side.
There is a Light Crystal hanging above the door. Throw the Leviathan axe at the mechanism above it to knock it down and open the door. Pick up the Light Crystal and place it in the nearby slot, then have Atreus read the lore that appears. Pick the Light Crystal up and head up the steps, then place it into the slot. Have Atreus shoot the Light Crystal to form a bridge above it.
There is a Nornir chest above Kratos where the bridge just formed. Head up the steps and notice that there are three bells. While Kratos is looking at the Nornir chest from the bridge, there is one bell by the chest, one out the window to the left, and one out the window to the right where he climbed up. It’s a timed event, so all must be hit in quick succession. The chest contains another Horn of Blood Mead.
Before jumping down, walk out onto the bridge and look out to where Atreus is standing. There will be three knots there. These must be destroyed from the bridge that Kratos is on, so take care of that before hopping down. Once the knots are gone, jump to the ground, grab the Light Crystal, then place it in the slot near Atreus. Have him shoot the Light Crystal to form another bridge, then hoist him up so he can reach the bowl and clear the path forward. Just keep looking at Atreus and pressing Square to get him to do his thing.
Return to the Boat
Cross the bridge and turn right. There’s an elevator there with a wheel on it. Turn the wheel to go back down into the area below the bridge leading to the temple. Kratos and Atreus will be back in some of the rooms where enemies were locked away, and some of those gates will be open now. Defeat any enemies in the first room, then make sure to loot whatever is available. Pass into the next room to see the light sucked away, then defeat the Revenants that show up.
Use the Sand Bowl Lift
This is the room with the chest that had two inaccessible bridges and a short dead-end path that lead to the knots tying the chest up. Atreus can now shoot the Light Crystals at either end of the room to form the bridges. In the room toward the objective-marker will be a Light Crystal in the ceiling. Throw the axe at the mechanism above it, then kill the enemies that are freed when the doors open. Loot the rooms that are now open.
Grab the Light Crystal and walk all the way to the northwest room. Pop the Light Crystal into the slot, then look for a door with four symbols on it. Use the Leviathan axe to manipulate the four mechanisms in the room to match the door. From left to right, the mechanisms are represented by the top left door panel, the bottom left door panel, the top right door panel, and the bottom right door panel. This is a timed puzzle, so be fast. With the puzzle solved, a lone door will open, and a casket can be looted.
Grab the Light Crystal and head back into the main room. Remember the dead-end path off the side? Head down there and place the Light Crystal in the slot. This will form a new bridge that will lead Kratos and Atreus forward on the path. Reach the sand bowl and interact with it.
Defeat Svartaljqfurr
Svartaljqfurr will attack at this point, and he comes at Kratos with a few new moves. All are tough to describe, but the main theme here is mobility. This Dark Elf is fast and can hit Kratos from a distance. None of his attacks are devastating, but his Dark Elf bombs (when he shoots at Kratos) must be avoided. If Kratos is hit with one, the room will go dark and it will become difficult to avoid Svartaljqfurr’s attacks. These Dark Elf bombs cannot be blocked, though. They must be evaded.
The key to this fight for me was Atreus, who can disrupt Svartaljqfurr by hitting him with Light Arrows. It isn’t a lot of damage, but it keeps him busy, allowing Kratos to close the distance and punish the Dark Elf. I eventually backed Svartaljqfurr into one of the side rooms, then unleashed Spartan Rage to beat the stupid out of him and finish the fight. Take the mobility away from this boss and the end is near for him.
Use the Sand Bowl Lift
Loot the ground near Svartaljqfurr carefully. There should be a Wrath of the Wolf Runic Summon there. Press the Options button on the PS4 DualShock 4 controller to get a tutorial on these, but the short version is that holding Square (rather than pressing it) will have Atreus use the Runic Summon ability, which can be a great way to deal damage in a fight. It works the same as commanding him to fire arrows, only you hold the button. It does have a cooldown, though. When ready, interact with the sand bowl.
Return to Tyr’s Temple
There is lots of room for exploration, but I’ll be sticking to the objectives here. Hop in the boat with Atreus and paddle towards the marker on the compass. This will take Kratos and Atreus back to Sindri’s shop. After such a journey, take some time to buy, upgrade, and sell.
Realm Travel Back to Midgard
Take the path back to the bridge and follow it all the way back to Tyr’s Temple. It should be smooth sailing with no enemy resistance. Just head into the realm travel room and choose Midgard. Kratos and Atreus will then need to Return to the Mountain, which is another straightforward objective. There will be some enemies along the path, but everyone has been here before, and returning will end this chapter.
That will do it for The Light of Alfheim. It’s on to Inside the Mountain, which is the next story mission for players to complete. If exploration is the desire, the God of War walkthrough and guide has that angle covered as well.
