God of War Ragnarok: Surviving Fimbulwinter - walkthrough God of War Ragnarok guide

This walkthroough from the God of War Ragnarok focuses on the first main quest - Surviving Fimbulwinter. You will learn where to find Atreus, how to defeat the bosses Bjorn and Thor, how to get the Blades of Chaos, how to kill the Huntress and how to unlock the Svartalfheim realm.

Last update: 08 November 2022

Surviving Fimbulwinter is the first main quest in God of War Ragnarok. The walkthrough explains, among other things, how to defeat Thor and the bear Bjorn, how to track Atreus, how to defeat the Huntress, how to unlock the Blades of Chaos and how to use them to solve puzzles, as well as how to reach Sindri's house and access Svartalfheim.

• Head home
• Track Atreus
• Boss - Bjorn the bear
• Return home with Atreus
• Boss - Thor
• Return home to Atreus
• Follow Atreus into the forest
• Mini-boss - The Huntress
• Follow Atreus into the forest - continued
• Return home
• Follow Sindri
• Retrieve Mimir and travel to Svartalfheim

Head home

You will start the game by controlling a sleigh. As you ride towards the home, you will be attacked by Freya. You must avoid obstacles on the road by turning the sleigh to the left or right.

You don't have a full-fledged fight with Freya - you have to complete a few QTEs by pressing the buttons displayed on the screen. Freya will fall off the sleigh - Kratos will escape her. When you reach your destination, take the path up the hill and enter the hut.

Track Atreus

In the scene with Faye, all you have to do is follow her and move the fallen tree.

After returning to the hut, Kratos will begin his search for Atreus. Follow the footprints in the snow. There are boards to destroy near the wolves. After killing them, squeeze between the rocks. You will reach the Upper Wildwoods.

You will start encountering raiders - they are one of the weaker types of intelligent opponents in the game. To kill them you can use melee attacks (light and heavy) and throw the Leviathan. You can also block their attacks, dodge them and do executions on stunned opponents. We have described all the techniques on the Combat page in the Basics chapter.

Also, during and after battles, always look for green healing items (Healthstones) to restore Kratos' health (it will restore itself only a tiny bit).

You will reach a blocked passage. Look for the fallen tree from the picture - you have to throw Leviathan at it. Jump over the small precipice.

In some of the subsequent battles, you will start encountering Scouts. They use ranged attacks. You can defeat the Scouts by throwing your axe at them or by getting closer and using melee attacks. Use blocks and dodges to avoid getting hit.

Climb the wall and reach the caves. You can use a surprise attack on the Raiders by jumping down on them.

Boss - Bjorn the bear

Shortly after exiting the cave, you will be attacked by a large bear named Bjorn - this is the first main boss. The fight with this beast is described in detail in the Bosses chapter. Below are the most important information about it.

You must start the fight by quickly pressing the X button to free yourself from the bear's jaws. The same will happen when Kratos gets caught in Bjorn's jaws.

The bear can make several attacks in a series with its paws. These can be the regular or yellow attacks - you can play more defensively by dodging all attacks or try to block the regular ones that cannot break Kratos' defenses.

During this battle, you will learn how to deal with 2 types of stronger attacks.

Attacks signaled in yellow can break Kratos' block (activated with the L1 button). Although you have stopped the attack itself , the hero will be exposed to further attacks. You can dodge yellow attacks or, after having your guard broken, quickly jump back.

Red attacks are unblockable. The only effective solution is a quick dodge to avoid being hit.

The bear has 2 types of red attacks:

1. ground strike - move away from the beast;
2. charge - it is more difficult to avoid, because you have to dodge it to the side at the perfect moment.

Attack the bear after it is done with its attacks - it's best to use only a few quick attacks. At a certain moment, you will be able to activate the Spartan Rage - press both analog sticks simultaneously. Kratos in rage mode can inflict much more damage and recover small amounts of health points on occasion. Attacking in this mode can stop the boss from using yellow and red attacks. Try to inflict as much damage on the bear as possible before the Spartan Rage ends.

At the very end of the battle, the bear will get stunned. It is signaled by the R3 icon (left analog stick). Watch the cut-scene.

Return home with Atreus

Use the axe to destroy the blockade. The game will remind you how to order Atreus to use the bow - he can help you weaken enemies and expose them to Kratos' attacks. Atreus has a limited number of arrows, but they restore fairly quickly.

Defeat more Raiders on your way home. You will return to the place where you squeezed between the rocks. Take the path up the hill once again.

Boss - Thor

The heroes will be visited by Thor and Odin - you have to fight Thor. We described the confrontation with the Norse god in detail in the Bosses chapter. Below are the most important information about it.

The fight with Thor is long and consists of 3 phases, i.e. you have to deplete his health bar 3 times.

Kratos does not start the fight equipped with Leviathan - you only have the shield. You must rely on your fists and shield. You can also charge your Spartan Rage.

Thor's yellow attacks can break through Kratos' defense. If this happens, dodge backward to avoid further attacks. You can either parry yellow attacks or evade them.

Thor's red attacks:

1. charge;
2. grab - if Kratos gets caught, press L1 quickly to defend yourself;
3. ground pound.

Avoid both attacks by perfect evades.

The boss's stronger standard attack is a clap. It can deplete a lot of health - you must hold the block button in advance.

You have to make the boss stunned - press R3.

Wrestle with the boss. Wait for the moment to summon Leviathan - press Triangle on the controller. From then on, you will be able to use this melee weapon. Keep attacking the boss until he gets stunned again.

In the second part of the fight, Kratos can throw a stone block at Thor. You can also perform similar actions later, as there are other stones in the area.

Thor will start using red ranged attacks - lightning attack and throwing Mjolnir. The only solution is to evade to the side at the perfect moment. Don't hide behind covers, because Thor's attack is able to pierce through them.

Another new red attack is Mjolnir sweeps. Thor uses this attack only if you are next to him. Evade to not get hit with the hammer.

At some point, the boss will throw Mjolnir at you - it's a scripted moment. You have to press X quickly when Kratos catches the big hammer.

At some point, Kratos will die, but don't turn off the game - this is scripted. Thor will not accept such an easy victory and will bring Kratos back to life. You will resume fighting. Deplete the health bar a second time and attack the stunned Thor.

In the third and final phase of the fight, Thor's only new attack will be bringing lightning to specific parts of the arena. This attack is telegraphed by red circles on the ground - you can easily avoid them. You can also use this moment to quickly approach Thor while he is still executing the attack.

After one of Thor's attacks, a cut-scene will start. You must be ready to throw Leviathan - press R1 after seeing the message on the screen. At the very end of the battle, Thor will destroy Kratos' shield. The opponent will be satisfied with the fight and will fly away.

Return home to Atreus

Sindri will appear - you must follow him. Use the Mystic Gateway - you can move between the gates located in the same and other worlds. After passing through the area between worlds, you will return to the hut.

Kratos will take the Blades of Chaos - this is the second main weapon. You can switch between Blades and Leviathan by pressing left and right on the d-pad.

You will get a tutorial on equipping armor pieces and modifying weapons - they can change the main character's stats. You can find more weapon modifications and armor pieces in the game world, as well as upgrade and craft them.

Follow Atreus into the forest

With Atreus, you will reach the Lower Wildwoods. You must use the Blades of Chaos to set the blackberries on fire - simply attack them. This will unlock new passages.

Another key use for the new weapon is grabbing various surfaces with the Blades. You can do that only on those objects that have the button icon (example in the picture). Pulling the object to which the Blades are attached can destroy it and unlock a new path.

You will begin to encounter Hel Raiders with blue health bars. It means that they are less resistant to fire, so you should attack them with Blades of Chaos instead of the Leviathan. Once the opponent loses the blue bar, you can use whichever weapon you like.

Along the way, you will encounter more Raiders and learn about buying skills. This requires experience points, which are accumulated separately for Kratos and Atreus (e.g. by defeating enemies, completing jobs or quests).

Continue using Blades of Chaos to clear the way. In some locations, in addition to attaching the Blades, you also have to tilt the left stick to, e.g. move the ice shelf to a spot that allows you to go further.

You will reach a chain that you need to grab onto. This is not enough to solve the puzzle - you also have to throw the Leviathan at the shield presented in the picture above while holding the chain. You will be able to slide down the rope to a shelf located farther away.

Kill more Raiders and remember to use Blades of Chaos on enemies that have a blue energy bar.

Mini-boss - The Huntress

When trying to climb one of the vertical walls, you will be stopped by a mini-boss - the Huntress. We described the fight with the Stalker in detail in the Bosses chapter. Below are the most important information about it.

The Huntress has different types of attacks. Her yellow attacks are:

1. using upper limbs to crush you - quickly jump back;
2. using rear limbs to attack you - this can happen if you stand behind the Huntress; simply avoid attacking her from behind.

The Huntress' red attack is to shoot a volley of arrows. Again, jump back after she fires arrows, as some of them will land where Kratos is standing.

The boss can also use the bow to create traps on the ground - pay attention to where they land to avoid them.

The weak point of the Huntress is her horns, but you have to wait for them to glow. Then quickly aim at them and throw the axe.

Hit the horns and the boss will fall over - quickly run up to the Huntress and use your strongest attacks. This way you will weaken her as much as possible before she gets up.

Continue the fight until the Huntress loses almost all her health bar - you will be able to attack the stunned boss (R3). Don't forget to collect the loot dropped by the Huntress. Among them will be the Leviathan upgrade component and a runic attack (you will see a short tutorial on installing modifications).

Follow Atreus into the forest - continued

Finish climbing. You will reach an overturned statue blocking the passage. Hit the tree from the picture with an axe. Then use the Blades of Chaos on the statue and move it to the right, thus unlocking the passage.

Return home

You have to watch a cut-scene showing a fragment of the Giants' story.

You will reach an area that, at first glance, has no exit. You have to climb to a higher ledge and land on a cracked piece of the floor from the picture. You will break through the floor. Go ahead and defeat the Raiders. A Chief will be among them, and you must watch out for his yellow attacks (use parrying or dodging).

Follow Sindri

After you reach the heroes' hut, go after Sindri. You will reach a Mystic Gateway and move to Sindri's house for the first time - it is treated as a separate land that is a safe haven for the main characters.

Step inside. You can check out the dwarves' store for the first time by talking to Brok. You can:

1. upgrade Kratos' weapons and shield - by defeating the Huntress, you should be able to upgrade the Leviathan;
2. improve and craft armor parts for Kratos and Atreus;
3. buy special items - currently you can only get resurrection stones;
4. sell unnecessary loot - you can sell artifacts, because you will not lose them as collectibles;
5. collect loot you missed by interacting with the chest next to the store.

Retrieve Mimir and travel to Svartalfheim

After using the store, reach the table where Sindri is standing. Return to the Mystic Gateway - you will learn about the rules for traveling to other lands. You need Yggdrasil seeds for this and you will get the first of them now.

You can now travel to Svartalfheim. Choose the first Mystic Gateway from the Aurvangar Wetlands area. Once you are there, you will begin the new main quest The Quest for Tyr.