Quest Realm: Svartalfheim
Given this is one of the first side quests you’ll actually get and be able to complete, here’s some instructions on tracking them, in case they’re needed. This instructions pick up just after leaving the Raeb’s tavern, having taken the optional conversation in chapter 2 that gives you this quest.
Tracking the quest
Press the touchpad to go to your weapons tab and press L2 twice to get to goals.
From there, go down once to get to your various favours (i.e. side quests), then press right once to get into the list itself.
At this point in the game, just after you meet Raeb, you should be able to press triangle on the first item in the list. You should hear a sound like pieces fitting together, indicating you’re tracking this quest (In Service Of Asgard).
With this done, back out of the menus with a few circle presses and continue to follow the nav assist as usual.
The Quest Itself
As a part of the main story, row for a while and you’ll get what seems like a choice where Atreus asks so which way do we go
.
Quest tracked, if everything’s working as expected, continue rowing, following your nav assist, which should be tracking the side quest.
You’ll likely hear dialogue about a huge geyser to which Kratos responds that they can see it fine from the boat. This indicates you’re going the right way and references a side quest called The Weight Of Chains
, which you can also undertake here should you wish, even before completing the currently tracked favour should you find the entry point discussed in its own section.
Seeing this geyser also means you should be near to the first of the 3 rigs.
Alfjof’s Rig
Nav assist until you reach a dock. Once on solid ground, you’ll hear a raven in the distance that you can’t hit yet.
Ascend the chain via the interact prompt and traversal you’ve used previously, then aim as the raven should be in the centre of your auditory field of view. You should be able to throw from here and hit it, meaning one less feathery annoyance to find later.
The next interact prompt has you moving a platform via pushing forward on the left stick. If you’ve pushed it all the way forward, you can pull it back to move the opposite way.
This part is a little tricky as there’s a specific orientation you have to get it in to progress. Move the platform all the way forward, then pull back for 1 movement or 1 strong vibration, stopping before the platform moves any further backwards.
If done correctly, Atreus should say “that’s gotta be the right spot once you disengage.
Now nav assist, which has previously prevented you from progressing, should allow you to continue onward.
Nav assist forward from here, though a little rolling may be required as well to line yourself up correctly and get you away from the platform prompt. Interacting should let you pull backwards on a different object with the blades, after latching onto it.
Now move forward again and swing over a gap via an interact prompt. Mimir should point out the barrells in the environment, at which point you’ll be instructed to equip the blades.
Roll back once when an interact is on your left, which is the blade point you’ve just used; don’t interact with this.
If you’re correctly positioned, aim and ignite, as you would when brambles block your path.
Be careful though as these barrels are explosive and will light you on fire, so roll away so as not to get burnt.
Atreus will remark that you can break through the ground here if you stand around long enough. To do so, nav assist forward, interact to swing over a gap, then continue and unlock a blade shortcut via its own prompt. The prompt for PC may be 90 segrees to your right, near another pickup you can find after swinging over using the aforementioned blades prompt.
After this, nav assist and interact. If you’ve hit the platform prompt, pull backwards slightly on the left stick for the shortest movement possible.
This is to get the platform in position for the next step.
Disengage with circle and turn to your left 90 degrees.
Note that if the nav assist brings you back to the platform then it’s still in the wrong position.
Find a second interact after that 90 degree turn and hit it to swing over to the next area.
If that second interact doesn’t appear, then without using nav assist, go immediately forward until your footsteps stop. Move slightly to your left with left stick and then turn to your left until you get an interaction prompt.
Nav assist your way onwards and interact to be able to proceed, you’ll hear a grinding of wood if you’ve found the correct prompt.
From here, nav assist and drop down and after some periodic aiming you’ll find another blades prompt.
You are in another very close confined space with a fiery object, a roll right might get you out of harms way, though it may not be needed. Ignite to continue.
If you can’t find the next prompt, which is not a blade swing, restarting the checkpoint might help you.
Nav assisting from here should take you to a climb, during which it’s mentioned that some dwarves tried to shut down the rigs. Move through this including nav assisting where required, until you reach the top.
Here, you should be pretty much on top of an interact prompt to allow you to smash into the ground, starting combat. Depending on when you do this quest and your chosen difficulty, these will either be annoying enemies or very easy to deal with.
90 degrees to your left from where nav assist directs you, with a little movement forwards and to your left, is a rune read for some extra XP.
To the right and behind you from where nav assist attempts to direct you, you’ll also find a hacksilver chest as well.
Both of these can be very hard to find, so don’t worry if you miss them. However, if you can or are lucky enough, I’d recommend claiming both of these before progressing, because free bonus loot.
Finally, navigating to the blade latch, move the left stick up to manipulate the platform from underneath. Atreus will say That should help
to indicate success.
Nav assist back and grapple up through the hole you just made, then roll left once and nav assist to orient yourself back in the correct direction.
Nav assisting onward and picking up the free hacksilver via the interact, another grapple prompt will allow you to swing onto the main platform. You’ll know you’re in the correct place if you hear loud, industrial-style sounds. On PC, this setup might be difficult to find, as some of the interacts are on your right rather than in front of you at points.
Nav assist onwards to a climb and progress as usual.
Once you’ve reached the top, after a short pause, enemies will be in combat range. Deal with these and Mimir will remark about the rigs being full of material that could help.
Nav assisting to the interact that was revealed at the fight’s conclusion, hitting it gives you a stick prompt. Once this is completed you’ll get some loot including Nidavellir ore (a crafting resource) and the next rig will track.
Nav assist your way back, reversing a climb, finding a grapple point etc, until you come to the chain and rolling left when you reach the bottom. Navigate whilst more dialogue continues, and if you haven’t already, get back in the boat.
Radsvinn’s Rig
After you reach solid ground, you can stop off at a shop if needed. You can even craft the first piece of your new armour set that you get from this quest and equip it, should you have OCR available.
Upgrades done or not as the case may be, continue via some interact prompts and you’ll get into a long, protracted, multi-level arena fight.
Deal with the large number of enemies the same as you would normally and, once removed, nav assist and you should be able to find the interact for the rig shutdown.
Complete this as before and you’ll get more loot, including yet more Nidavellir ore.
Nav assist should take you straight from here back to the boat, after some autotraversal. However, there’s also a mystic gateway roughly opposite to the shop here should you wish to refill health and or rage.
Note that you can craft the second piece of your new armour set if you have OCR available, now that you’ve just claimed the resources to do so.
Back in the boat, journey to the final rig.
Modvitnir’s Rig
After rowing then landing on solid ground once again, nav assist will take you into battle with some wretches.
Those taken care of, nav assist your way through an interact prompt.
As you nav assist past an Orma on your left, aim and throw at a distructible object, your first introduction to what will later become spinners.
Nav assisting your way onwards after a successful throw will see you interact for a climb. Reaching the top will again see more wretches enter the fray.
Those defeated, there’s an opportunity for a legendary chest.
Hitting nav assist and then turning a little over 90 degrees to your left from the interact the game leads you to, after some forward movement, should allow you to open the chest and reveal the contents, that being devine ashes (a resource material and a seed, discussed in dialogue).
From here, nav assist takes you through a grapple prompt and to what should be an aim setup.
Nav assist until your feet stop moving, roll back once and hit nav assist again.
Now, Whilst aiming, look slightly to your left. You should see an aim cue and if not, rolling left once might align you correctly.
Throw for this and, if you hear a long, creeking grinding noise, you’ve hit the correct point.
Press nav assist once and aim again and you should see your new hit marker, throw at this to move an interact to the necessary location for you to actually use it.
Atreus will give success dialogue and there should be a metallic clank to your right.
From here, nav assist to an interact and you’ll grapple into a fight with more wretches.
After that fight, nav assist will take you to a chain, climb this and reach the top to get into the final battle of this quest, against a Bergsra.
Given I wrote these instructions late in one of my playthroughs, this was much easier than it otherwise would be, but just take your time and listen to the cues.
Miniboss defeated, nav assist to the final rig shutdown prompt and input the stick prompt to finish what you’ve started.
Hitting this will give you loot as usual, in addition to completion dialogue and the associated sound cue.
If you want to get back to the boat, start by following nav assist.
Go down the first chain, press nav assist once when you reach the bottom, roll right twice and then walk forward, passing the interact on your left without using it. After a short while, an interact should appear on your left.
On both builds, this interact actually ends up being in front of you or to your right if you use this same strategy at times, without a clear explanation as to why.
Hit this to kick down a second chain and save yourself 5 minutes of extra trouble with moving the crain.
If you don’t end up kicking down your new chain, restarting the checkpoint will put you back before the first one so you can attempt it again.
Once you’re back in the boat, you’ll get some dialogue talking about the fresher air. This clearly indicates that you can now return to whatever else you were doing in-game.