God of War Ragnarok’s fifth chapter, The Lost Sanctuary, kicks off immediately after Kratos returns to Sindri’s House. Having narrowly escaped from the Tower of Light, the group decides to relax over a warm meal. Things get heated, however, when Kratos dismisses Atreus' talk of the prophecy.
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Atreus is understandably frustrated by his father’s remarks. He retreats to his room to get some sleep, but, sadly, he doesn’t get any. Instead, he is summoned into a dream-like world where an unknown figure refers to him as Loki. When the cutscene finishes, the player willtake control of AtreusforGod of War Ragnarok’s fifth chapter.
The Lost Sanctuary Intro
Before continuing the journey forward, Atreus needs to escape from his nightmare. With no other options available, the only way to progress is to follow the wolf in front of him. Not before long, a few more wolves join the expedition. Thanks to Atreus' ability to understand animals, he can learn where he is by talking to the wolves; he dreamed his way to the Ironwood. After assembling what feels like an army of wolves, he will need to crouch under an archway to get to the next area.
On the opposite side, he meets Angrboda, an outgoing young woman who claims she has been waiting for Atreus to arrive. Once the cutscene ends, The Lost Sanctuary quest begins. Angrboda leads Atreus deep into the forest where they encounter a group of Draugr. Like the Light Elves in the previous chapter, the Draugrs' blue attacks can be countered byrepeatedly pressing L1.
There is aRed Coffinin the next area. Once it has been searched, Atreus can resume his journey forward until he gets attacked by a group of Nightmares. He will eventually reach a dead end, but a path across the lake can be created byfiring a Sonic Arrowat the Soundstone lodged in a nearby tree. The end of this trail is home to aLegendary Chestcontaining theRampaging Ibex. After opening it, Atreus must backtrack a few steps to climb up a wall.
He will reconvene with Angrboda after he conquers the upcoming platforms. The next battle allows the player to use Angrboda’sRune Stone abilityto deal some bonus damage. To activate it, the player must aim the camera at the enemy they want to attack and thenpress Square. The encounter isn’t difficult, but it’s easy to get surrounded given the size of the battle arena.
After racing Angrboda through the next section, a prompt will pop up detailing how to summonAngrboda’s Spirit Falcon.Holding Squarewill allow Angrboda to be even more help in upcoming battles. By the end of the next road, Atreus will arrive at Angrboda’s Treehouse
Helping Angrboda
Upon interacting with the stone in Angrboda’s Treehouse, Atreus will learn what his future has in store; his destiny is to side with Odin. Losing control of his emotions, he transforms into a wolf, but Angrboda’s soothing words calm him enough to change back. To take his mind off the events to come, she asks Atreus to help her with “Giant stuff.” Following her to the nearby stream permits Atreus the chance to meet Jalla, Ambrgoda’s yak, who carries Atreus to the Vimur River.
Following the wall to the left will lead tothe first and second Greenbulbs. Some valuable crafting materials can be found in the next area beside the mouth-shaped plants. Gettingthe third Greenbulbrequires Atreus to dismount from Jalla and climb a nearby wall. Obtainingthe fourth Greenbulbwill require Atreus to repeat these steps in the next area, but this time, Jalla lends a hoof.
Taking the path to the right will allow Atreus to collect some more materials from the water before moving forward. He will need to dismount from Jalla in the next area to clear the obstacles in her way. Before venturing further, the player can scale a nearby wall to find aRed Coffin.
Upon returning to Angrboda’s Treehouse, Atreus will deposit the Greenbulbs he collected in a bucket. Investigating the wardrobe on the right will allow him to obtain theJotnar Bowand theJotnar Champion Garb. The player can then take the time to compliment Angrboda’s creations before mounting Jalla and moving on.
Next on Atreus' grocery list is some Vistroot. He finds some upon reaching dry land, but his search comes to a brief halt when a Draugr hoard attacks. During this encounter, Atreus unlocks the ability to transform into a wolf, making the fight much easier. Sadly, the change isn’t permanent, but it’s still a welcome addition to the young god’s arsenal.Pressing L3 and R3 simultaneouslywill activate it in future battles so long as his rage meter is full.
After cutting the next piece of Vistroot, a second group of Draugr attacks. Crawling through the opening they left in the wall will lead Atreus back to Angrboda’s Treehouse where she asks him to follow her for one more endeavor.
Atreus and Angrboda take a few moments to skim stones in the next area until a Draugr emerges from the water. This battle can be tough, so calling on Atreus' new wolf powers can be a huge help. Once the battle is over, Atreus can return to skimming stones. If he manages to hit the clam, it will spew out some crafting materials that can be collected on the way.
There is aLegendary Chestcontaining aRunestone Refinementto the right just after the clam. To get it, Atreus will need to climb the wall on his left before swinging over to the platform it’s on. Once it has been searched, Jalla needs to be remounted.
Valley Of The Fallen
To continue the journey, Jalla needs to be left behind while Atreus and Angrboda ride away on a lift. The way forward is crawling with monsters, but the path is very easy to follow.
Before interacting with the next barrier, the player should take a moment tosave the game, as a tough fight is coming up. The Wulver is a deceptively quick enemy with a devastating charge attack. It can be a tough battle, but the size of the arena can be used to avoid some incoming blows. A good way to ensure victory is to keep backing away while firing arrows.
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The Wulver will charge at Atreus regularly, so the player will need to dodge quite a bit. There’s no shame inchanging the difficulty levelif the player is struggling as it can be a very tough fight without the right preparations. Once the Wulver has been defeated, Angrboda will beckon Atreus to climb up to her.
Idi’s Sinkhole
The next part of the story requires Atreus to clear out the monsters lurking in the sinkhole. They’re surprisingly hard to see, but it’ll be obvious when one is near. It’s easy to get lost in this area, so the player will need to light torches as they go to know when they’ve been somewhere. Following the wall to the right and climbing up onto the ledge will lead Atreus to aRed Coffinfull of Wretches. There’s no need to open it, but it does offersome experience points.
Once the Wretches are gone,the second nestcan be found by crossing the bridge on the left and scaling the nearby cliff. After destroying it, diving off the edge andcontinuing straight will lead to another. To access it, the player will need to take a right at the intersection, shoot an arrow at the Soundstone through the hole in the wall, and then double back to find the entrance. Before searching for the final nest, aLegendary ChestcontainingRunic Potencycan be found at the end of the path to the right.
Dropping down into the lit area and turning right will lead tothe last nest. Unlike the last three, this one needs to be shot down. There’s also aRed Coffinin this room, so it’s a good idea to examine it before leaving. Once the four nests have been destroyed, Atreus should follow Angrboda into the next area where a Bergsra will attack.
The Bergsra is tough, so it’s best to approach it with caution until its moves are memorized. A good way to bring it down is to activate Atreus' rage mode while using Angrboda’s projectile attacks to keep the pressure on. Like Alva in the previous chapter, this miniboss has a habit of using blue attacks to deal damage, so the player will need totap L1to ensure they don’t hit. Atreus can climb out of the sinkhole once the Bergsra is defeated.
Saving The Wolf
The next step in progressing the story is to return to Angrboda’s Treehouse, but getting there isn’t as easy as it sounds. Upon witnessing a wolf being dragged away by Gryla, Angrboda’s grandmother, Atreus decides to take a detour. A group of Legion attacks after he enters the valley, but they are easily dealt with.
Once the coast is clear, Atreus needs to shoot a Soundstone from atop the ledge by the fallen tree. Exiting through the hole he created will permit him to repeat the process on the final Soundstone blocking the way. There’s a Wulver in the next area, but it’s not as hard to defeat this time thanks to Angrboda’s help.
Continuing down the path will lead Atreus to aRed Coffinand, finally, Gryla’s home. Sadly, going in through the front door isn’t an option, but there is a way in from the right. After reaching a dead end, Atreus will need to shoot the Soundstone inside one of the hanging crates to create a path for Angrboda.
Traversing the cellar can be tricky, but the best way forward is to follow Angrboda until reaching a blockade. Here, Atreus will need to shoot a distant Soundstone to clear the path above. Backtracking to this spot will allow him a better shot at the other Soundstone blocking his path. After the cutscene, Atreus and Angrboda will start making their way out of the cellar.
Defeating Gryla
Before getting the chance to leave, Gryla returns home with the wolf she captured. Atreus frees the wolf, but Gryla spots him doing so. With their cover blown, Atreus and Angrboda need to sneak behind the walls to reach Gryla’s cauldron, but when Atreus attempts to destroy it, Gryla attacks.
Defeating Gryla requires the player to attack the runes on her cauldron while avoiding her projectile attacks. She will also attempt to crush Atreus with her feet, but dodging out of the way prevents her from doing so. Upon depleting enough of her health, Atreus will need to dodge her AOE attack by reaching higher ground.
Angrboda suggests that attacking the candles in the room might stun Gryla, and, thankfully, it does. Once she has two bars of health left, she will enter her final phase. The worst part about this stage of the battle is that Gryla will keep her back to Atreus at all times. Stunning her with the bell, however, will leave her open to attack. So long as Atreus gets in range of the cauldron in time, the battle can be quickly won.
Back To Sindri’s House
After racing Angrboda back to her treehouse, Atreus will be given a chance to examine his prophecy once again. He then awakens back at his own house and is forced to battle a hoard of Hel-Walkers. Some of these enemies have shields, so the player will need totap L1repeatedly to disarm them. Once the group is defeated, Atreus can use the Mystic Gateway to get back to Sindri’s House.
Before he can enter, Kratos emerges from the other side and proceeds to scold Atreus for disappearing. A second wave of Hel-Walkers emerges from behind, forcing Kratos to postpone his chat with his son. Though defeating the hoard sounds like a good thing, it results in the appearance of something far deadlier.
Defeating Vanadis
Vanadis is arguably the most difficult enemy in the game so far. She’s obscenely fast and unpredictable, but her attack pattern can be learned with enough patience. Dodging her physical attacks isn’t too difficult, but avoiding her projectiles requires the player to consistently move Kratos around the battlefield. After depleting three of her health bars, she will fly Kratos behind his house and enter her second phase.
Varandis has a few more tricks up her sleeve this time around. She can cover the area in poison, so the player will need to watch where they’re walking while avoiding her barrage. She also has a habit of rapidly firing purple arrows at Kratos, so keeping a distance is no longer a viable option. Taking advantage ofher blue attacksis key to surviving this phase as it’s one of the best ways to lower her defenses. Keeping her against a wall can be beneficial too as she will bemuch less likely to dodge away.
When Vanadis has one health bar left, a cutscene will play in which she is revealed to be Freya in disguise. She comes close to killing Kratos, but Atreus transforms into a bear before she gets the chance to. After the cutscene ends, Brok will open a Mystic Gateway to Vanaheim, marking the end of the fifth chapter.
God of War Ragnarokis available now for PS4 and PS5.
