God of War guide: Witch’s Cave walkthrough and collectibles (2024)

In God of War, once you’re free to explore all there is to offer on the Lake of Nine, you’ll likely head to the various towers and landmarks shrouded in the mist throughout the body of water. Each of these has various items, enemies and more to explore. We’ll breakdown what you can find at one of these such locations, the Witch’s Cave, located south of Tyr’s Temple. If you can’t find the entrance, it’s behind the massive statue at Muspelheim Tower.

You’ll return to areas many times throughout God of War, and at certain points during the campaign, you can explore deeper and find new items to collect. In this guide, we’ll show you everything — treasure chests, hacksilver, pure collectibles and more — in the Witch’s Cave. Think of it like a walkthrough focused on making Kratos rich and powerful.

Early game

When you make your way there in the early game, there isn’t much to see yet. You can open up a Mystic Gateway back to Brok’s shop at Tyr’s temple and stare at a door that you cannot open in the early part of the game.

SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

During “A New Destination”

We’re going to talk about this section as if you’re coming back to it from the Lake of Nine during God of War’s main story journey goal, “A New Destination.” You can’t actually get back into the Witch’s Cave before then, so you’ll almost definitely be approaching the cave from this direction.

Items in this area: Legendary chest (Muspelheim cipher), Nornir chest (Horn of Blood Mead), coffin (soft Svartalfheim steel), treasure map (The Turtle’s Tribute), hidden chamber door, coffin (soft Svartalfheim steel), wooden chest, Legendary chest (Murder of Crows runic summon)

This will be your first time back to the Witch’s Cave since Atreus got his exciting new arrows, so there’s a few new things you can pick up now.

When you dock, have Atreus blow up the red sap wall blocking your path. On the other side of the wall, take the elevator up.

Turn to the right at the top of the elevator for another sap wall. Blow this one up as well. There are some reavers and a revenant to handle, and then you can start working on loot.

Run into the tunnel you just opened and turn right. There’s a mysterious green orb you can ignore, but right next to it is a Legendary chest with a piece of the Muspelheim cipher inside — if you’ve been following our guides and exploring a lot, this should be the last piece you need.

Nornir chest

Much of the rest of your exploring will be in service of opening a nearby Nornir chest (that you haven’t even seen yet). Since you’re right here, head back to the left of the Legendary chest you just opened, then turn right. The first seal is just above your head in the wall of the well.

Head back to the elevator area, then turn right. Drop down off the ledge — you may have picked up an artifact and a coffin down here earlier. Turn a little to the left and look for a light crystal for Atreus. Shoot it to create a light bridge across to the Nornir chest.

Turn to the right to find another light crystal. Shoot this one to create a bridge to a shatter crystal dispensing root. We’ll be coming back to this a bunch, so remember where it is. For now, grab one, then run back across both bridges. Toss the crystal at the coffin you see there and have the boy shoot it to free the coffin (we’ll get to it in a second). To the right of that coffin is the second seal.

Take a couple steps to the right out onto the stone pallet you pushed off the first time you were here. Turn left and look below where you were just standing to find another light crystal. Create a bridge and cross to the coffin for some solid Svartalfheim steel.

Head back and grab another shatter crystal. Run back past the Nornir chest and stop at the top of the ramp down. Look ahead of you for another sap wall to blow up. Run down the ramp and turn to the left for some hacksilver. Climb up the wooden wall through the opening you just created.

There are five things right in this room:

1. High on the left side of the wall in front of you is the third Nornir seal.
2. Next, most obviously, is a hidden chamber door.
3. Next to that is a wooden chest.
4. Turn toward the right wall. In the middle is The Turtle’s Tribute treasure map. (Check out our guide for The Turtle’s Tribute Treasure map to find the loot.)
5. In the right corner is a coffin with some more solid Svartalfheim steel.

Drop back down and open the Nornir chest for your Horn of Blood Mead, then come back here.

Sand bowl puzzle

On the left side of the hidden room with the hidden chamber door, there’s a gate you can open. Go through it and fight the revenant that pops up to say hi. Look along the wall on your right for some smashable planks. Toss your axe, then hoist the boy up to the level above.

Turn left and look for more smashable planks across a large gap, then grab the big stone-filled pallet and slide it to the right. Wait for Atreus to climb on top, then you can shuttle him all the way to the left.

He’ll run over to your left to find a sand bowl. Keep turning left and look in front of Atreus to find a few more breakable planks along the ceiling. Smash these three squares to reveal some runes and give Atreus the solution. When he’s done playing in the sand, the podium he’s on will lower enough that you can jump to it. Hop across, then turn right to find a Legendary chest. Inside, you’ll get the Murder of Crows runic summon for the boy.

SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

After ‘The Sickness’ Journey

Items in this area: Legendary chest (Rampage of the Furies light runic attack)

After God of War’s “The Sickness” Journey, you can open doors locked with the Winds of Hel (and Hidden Chambers), so there’s a couple more things to take care of when you return to the Witch’s Cave.

When you exit Freya’s house, walk down the ramp and turn left. Walk past the lift and head over toward the well you climbed up earlier, then take a right. There’s an active Wind trap where you found that Legendary chest earlier.

Run back and put the Wind in the trap in the middle of the cavern.

Move to the right a bit toward the path that leads to the Nornir chest and the hidden chamber — you need to move the Wind down here, but it’s kind of a long trip, so every little bit helps. Before you drop off the ledge, grab the Wind and turn around. As soon as you drop down, turn left and run out onto the stone pallet from your first trip here. Throw the wind into the Wind trap across the gap.

Back up and follow the path that runs past the Nornir chest and up into the room with the Hidden Chamber door. Turn left, go through the doorway, and turn left again — you’ll end up on the other side of the Wind trap.

Grab the Wind again, then turn around. Above the Hel bramble, there’s another trap. Stash the Wind there, then burn the bramble.

Before you climb up, continue to the left and move the stone pallet to the middle of the gap between the platforms — you need to be able to jump across it. Run back and climb up onto the ledge you exposed and grab the wind. Turn left and jump across the gaps.

On the other side, turn right to find one final Wind trap that will open a door and reveal a Legendary chest. Open it to pick up the Rampage of the Furies light runic attack for the Blades of Chaos.

SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

On your way back out, you can open the Hidden Chamber you found earlier. Ride the elevator down to unlock the Mystic Gateway and, if you’re feeling up to the challenge, take on the Valkyrie Kara.