Midgard Nornir Chests - God of War Ragnarok Guide - IGN (2024)

Nornir Chests are puzzle-based chests that ask you to locate and either activate or destroy three Runes in the nearby environment. Nornir Chests will alternate between giving Idunn Apples or Horns of Blood Mead, which can increase Kratos’ maximum Health and Rage, respectively. This page of IGN’s Ragnarok guide reveals all Nornir Chest locations and solutions in Midgard.

The sections on this page are ordered by when you can visit them earliest in the game.

Use the list below to jump to a specific region of Midgard:

• Raider Hideout
• The Oarsman
• The Lost Treasury
• Well of Urd Nornir

Raider Hideout - Nornir Chest 1

• Type: Torch

This Nornir Chest is found inside the Raider Hideout cave. It’s in the Eastern area of the Lake of Nine, at the feet of the two huge doors. The Nornir Chest will be at the very back of the cave.

The R Rune is located behind the Red Fungi Bramble to the left of the Nornir Chest. Place a Hex there with a Sigil Arrow and then ignite it with a Blazing Surge to burn it down. The easiest way to light the torch itself is to grab a lava rock from the dispenser and throw that at it.

The N Rune is to the right of the Nornir Chest, behind the gold rocks. Look for the lava rock dispenser in the main plaza of the room, then throw a lava rock at the gold rocks to destroy them. Light it by throwing a second lava rock at the torch itself.

The C Rune is the most devilishly located: it’s at the far end of the chasm that’s directly in front of you when coming down the entry stairs. To light it, grab a lava rock from the dispenser in the lower plaza, then set up a few Hex Bubbles leading down from the torch. Throw the lava rock while your aim is level with the torch, and the lava rock will collide with one of the lower Hexes, setting off a chain reaction that lights the torch!

The Oarsmen - Nornir Chest 1

• Type: Bell

This Nornir Chest is in The Oarsman, an underground area you can access from the Shores of Nine, the Northern area of the Lake of Nine. Look for the wall of Hel’s Bramble you can burn down, allowing you to jump a gap to this region.

The Nornir Chest can be spotted in the back-right corner of the starting room, when you first head down the stairs. The tricky part however is that the Bells ring for differing amounts of time: the C Rune’s bell rings for an extremely long time, while the N and R Rune Bells are very short. So, you should hit them in a C-N-R order.

The R Rune is just to the right of the Nornir Chest. Normally it’s blocked by a gate; if that's the case for you, climb up the wall to the left of the Nornir Chest and make your way back around and open the gate from the other side. The R Rune stops ringing the fastest, so it should be the last one you hit.

The C Rune is to the left of the Nornir Chest; it’ll be in a dark chasm to the right of the Mystic Gateway. This bell rings the longest of the three, so you should hit this one first, then quickly whack the other two bells.

The N Rune is located in the area between the two staircases of this lower tomb area.

The Lost Treasury - Nornir Chest 1

• Type: Torch

This Nornir Chest is a lengthy one, because you have to complete it while you’re in the middle of solving the Tyr’s Shield puzzle that is the showcase of this area. The goal is to roll the shield just enough that a hole at the bottom lets you enter the gate of the building. This requires moving a makeshift stopper into position.

To begin, latch the Blades of Chaos onto the grapple point on the right-hand side of the shield, then yank it to the left. This will reveal the C Rune’s torch: set up a chain of Hex Bubbles using Sigil Arrows and set off a reaction with a Blazing Surge.

With that done, yank the shield back to the right, then climb up it to the right-hand side of the ruins. At the top, break the black pot to destroy the gold rocks, felling a stone column. While you can try and move the column with the Blades of Chaos, Tyr’s shield is in the way!

Head through the open doorway, defeat the Wisps that show up with the help of Hexes, then drop down the side of the building (don’t forget to loot the Coffin for 1 Petrified Bone and 871 Hacksilver). From here, latch onto the left-hand side of the shield and tug it to the left. This moves it out of the way so you can put the stone column into position.

Next, climb up the left-hand side of the shield to get back up to the left-hand side of the building. As you approach the door, keep an eye out for the R Rune’s torch above and to the right of it. Set up another Hex Bubble chain you can set off with the Blades of Chaos’ Blazing Surge to light it.

Head through the doorway and get to the stone column you knocked down earlier. Yank it to the left, and it’ll now be sticking out over the edge of the roof. This will stop the shield from rolling too far! Loot the Hacksilver Chest, then drop down the edge of the roof back to solid ground.

Yank to shield to the right to get it into position, then man the wheel crank and turn it to open the gate. Now comes the second conundrum: you have to freeze both of the gears on the left and right sides of the shield to keep the gate from closing.

You can do this with a Hex Bubble, which is able to retain the Axe’s freeze for about 10 seconds. Fire a Sigil Arrow at one of the gears, then quickly throw the Axe into it, recall it, then throw the axe into the other gear and leave it there. You’ll have only a couple of seconds to sprint inside!

Once you’re in, the N Rune’s torch is in the right-hand corner above the rubble. It’s too far for the blades to reach, however the gate closed behind you, so your companion can’t come in and help! To solve this, look for the target on the right-hand side of the gate and break it.

This lets you set up one last chain of Hex Bubbles you can set off to light the torch! With all that done, exit back out and look to your left to spot the Nornir Chest you can now open.

Well of Urd - Nornir Chest 1

• Type: Torch

This Nornir Chest can technically be opened as soon as you first arrive at the Lake of Nine, although it’s technically located in the Well of Urd region Coming from that area, it’ll be at the end of the valley and hidden behind a rock, close to the spot where you can start climbing up.

If you’re venturing here in the post-game, the landscape will be a bit different from before. Look for the spot with a grapple point for the Blades of Chaos and yank it to reveal the path back to the Well of Urd.

The C Rune will be across to the left of the Nornir Chest, close to where you can start the climb up the cliff.

The N Rune will be at the top of the cliffs: use the grapple points close to the C Rune to get up top. When you’re there, the N Rune will be on your left.

The R Rune you may have spotted on your way up. To access it, simply drop down from where the N Rune was to the middle level. It’ll be up on the left-hand wall.