God of War Ragnarok is a massive game. Like, seriously huge. You spend hours trekking through Vanaheim or freezing in Midgard, but eventually, the path leads back to Muspelheim. Specifically, the Burning Cliffs. This isn't the combat arena part of the realm where you're grinding out Surtr's hidden trials. No, this is the jagged, lava-soaked wasteland you visit during the "Summoning" quest with Kratos and Atreus. Somewhere in those scorched rocks is a Nornir Chest. Honestly, it’s one of the more annoying ones if you don't know exactly where to look because the environment all looks the same—orange, glowing, and deadly.
If you’re hunting for that final Idunn Apple or Horn of Blood Mead to max out your stats, you need this chest. It’s tucked away. You'll likely walk right past the entrance the first time.
Tracking Down the Burning Cliffs Nornir Chest
First things first. You can’t just stumble into this area early in the game. You’ve gotta be in the endgame phase. Once you arrive at the Burning Cliffs mystic gateway, you’ll drop down a few ledges. Keep moving forward until you see a narrow crack in the rock wall on your right. You have to squeeze through it. It’s a classic God of War "loading screen in disguise" moment. On the other side, there’s a clearing with some enemies, but the prize is the chest sitting behind a gate that looks impossible to open at first glance.
The chest is a torch-lighting puzzle. Forget the axe. Put away the spear for a second. This one is all about the Blades of Chaos and some very clever use of Sigil Arrows.
You’ll notice three braziers (the giant stone bowls with runes on them) scattered around the immediate vicinity. You have to light all three simultaneously—or at least, quickly enough that the runes stay lit. The problem? Most of them are way out of reach of your blades.
The First Torch
This one is the "gimme." It's sitting right above the chest itself. Just stand in front of it, aim your Blades of Chaos (L2 + R2), and flick it. Easy. One down, two to go. You’ll see the "C" rune on the chest dim out.
The Second Torch
Look across the gap. There’s a torch sitting on a rock pillar further back. You can't reach it with your blades. If you try, Kratos just swings at the air like a madman. This is where Freya (or Atreus, depending on when you’re doing this) becomes essential. You need to chain Sigil Arrows.
Place a large Sigil bubble on the torch, then another one on the rock wall closer to you, and a third one within reach of your blades. When you hit the closest bubble with your elemental chaos fire, it creates a chain reaction. Boom. The fire travels across the bubbles and ignites the brazier.
The Third Torch
Now turn around. Go back toward the entrance where you squeezed through the rocks. If you look up and to the left, the final brazier is perched high on a cliffside. Again, it’s way too far for a direct hit. You have to use the same Sigil trick.
Wait.
Actually, a lot of players get stuck here because they try to place the bubbles too far apart. The trick is to maximize the size of the Sigil bubbles by hitting the same spot three times. This makes the radius bigger. Connect the "spark" from the ground up to that high ledge. Once that third flame kicks in, you’ll hear that satisfying "clink" of the chest unlocking.
Why Muspelheim Puzzles Feel Different
Muspelheim isn't like Svartalfheim. In the dwarf realm, puzzles are mechanical. You’re turning water wheels and freezing gears. In the Burning Cliffs, everything is elemental. It’s about heat and redirection.
The developers at Santa Monica Studio designed these late-game Nornir chests to test your mastery of the "Runic Capacity" of your companions. By this point in the story, you should be a pro at chaining Sigils, but the verticality of the Burning Cliffs makes it tricky. The lighting is also a factor. Everything is red. Finding a red rune on a red rock in a red cave? It's a bit much.
If you can't see the runes clearly, go into your settings. High contrast mode is a lifesaver for Nornir chests. It turns the interactive objects a bright neon color. It feels a bit like cheating, but hey, if you've been wandering in circles for twenty minutes, nobody is judging you.
Common Mistakes in the Burning Cliffs
Don't waste your time throwing the Draupnir Spear at these. It won't work. I’ve seen people try to detonate spears near the torches hoping the blast lights them. It doesn't. These specific braziers require fire.
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- Wrong Distance: If your Sigil chain isn't exploding, your bubbles are too far apart. Look for the white line connecting them. No line? No fire.
- Missing the Entrance: If you find yourself in the Forge area or near Surtr's shrine, you've gone too far. The Nornir chest is in the transitional "cliff" area right after the mystic gateway.
- Forgetting the Runic Size: You can stack up to three arrows on one spot to make the explosion bigger. This is mandatory for the third torch.
Honestly, the Burning Cliffs Nornir chest isn't the hardest in the game—that award probably goes to some of the timed ones in Vanaheim—but it is the most claustrophobic. You’re trapped in a small arena, the music is intense, and the lava is bubbling everywhere.
Making the most of the rewards
By the time you hit this chest, you're likely nearing the end of Kratos's journey. These stats matter. Whether you're playing on "Give Me God of War" difficulty or just breezing through for the story, having a full Rage meter can be the difference between beating a Berserker soul or staring at a death screen.
Once you pop that lid, grab your loot. If you've already found all the apples and mead, the chest will drop "Hacksilver" and "Asgardian Ingots." Still useful, but definitely less exciting than a permanent health boost.
Actionable Next Steps for Completionists
If you’ve cleared this chest, don't just leave the realm. There are a few things you should do immediately while you're still in the neighborhood of the Burning Cliffs.
- Check for the Legendary Chest: There’s another chest nearby containing the "Muspelheim Seed Half" if you haven't already unlocked the full realm.
- Look for Odin's Ravens: There is a raven perched on a high ledge near the lava fall. You'll hear the metallic screeching. Hit it with the spear; it's the easiest way.
- Finish the Remnants of Asgard: After the main story ends, this area populates with Einherjar. Clearing them out nets you high-level crafting materials like Tempered Remnants.
- Head to the Crucible: Now that you’ve got your navigation out of the way, take the gateway to the Crucible to tackle the actual combat trials. That’s where the real armor upgrades live.