You’re staring at the map of Vanaheim. It says 98% completion. That one missing piece is driving you up a wall, and let me guess—it’s the Southern Wilds legendary chest.
It happens. Vanaheim is a vertical, messy, vine-choked nightmare of a realm. It's beautiful, sure, but it’s designed to make you run in circles until you finally realize the solution was right under your nose the whole time. Most people sprint through this area during the early "The Reckoning" quest with Brok, thinking they'll just grab everything as they go. Then they realize they missed a gold icon on the map.
Finding the Southern Wilds legendary chest isn't actually about a high-level boss fight or some complex riddle. It’s about sightlines. It’s about realizing that Kratos, for all his god-like strength, is often thwarted by a few stubborn shrubs.
Where is the Southern Wilds Legendary Chest Hiding?
To get there, you need to head back to the Southern Wilds mystic gateway. If you’re endgame, this is a breeze. If you’re doing this mid-story, watch out for the local fauna—they’re bitey.
From the gateway, follow the main path. You’re looking for a specific ruin, a sort of crumbling structure that looks like every other crumbling structure in Vanaheim until you notice the elevation. There is a spot where the path splits slightly, or rather, opens up into a clearing with an ancient, dilapidated archway.
Look up.
Seriously, just look up. The chest is perched on a stone platform that seems completely inaccessible from the ground. There are no stairs. No obvious climbing paths. It’s just sitting there, mocking you.
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The Mechanics of the Burn
The trick is the brambles. These aren’t just any weeds; they’re the heavy, blue-tinged Hel-brambles that only the Blades of Chaos can handle. But here’s the kicker: you can’t reach them from the front. You have to circle around the back of the ruin.
You’ll find a small crawlspace or a side ledge—honestly, the foliage is so thick it’s easy to miss—that lets you get a clear angle on the explosive jar or the brambles themselves. Most players try to throw the Leviathan Axe at it. Don’t. It won't work. You need to use the Blades of Chaos to ignite the brush.
Once the vines are scorched, the structure becomes "active" for climbing. You’ll grapple up, shimmy across, and finally stand in front of that gold-trimmed beauty.
What's Actually Inside?
Is it worth the headache? Usually, yes. The Southern Wilds legendary chest contains the Wrath of the Frost Ancient.
This is a Light Runic Attack for the Leviathan Axe. If you’ve played the 2018 game, you remember this one. It’s basically a concentrated beam of ice. Kratos holds the axe out, and a stream of frost energy blasts forward, absolutely melting (or freezing, technically) the stun bars of most enemies.
It’s a beam. It’s high damage. It’s incredibly satisfying.
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- Damage: 2/5 (initially)
- Frost: 5/5
- Cooldown: Roughly 90 seconds depending on your stats
While the raw damage stat looks low on paper, the Frost buildup is the real hero here. If you’re fighting a boss—like one of the many pesky Wyverns or Stalkers—this beam can trigger a frozen state almost instantly, allowing you to switch to the Blades or Spear for massive follow-up damage.
Common Mistakes and Map Glitches
I've seen people complain that the chest doesn't show up or the vines won't burn. Usually, this is because of the day/night cycle in Vanaheim.
Vanaheim changes. A lot. Certain paths open at night that are closed during the day, thanks to those massive "Celestial Altars" where you change the time. While the Southern Wilds legendary chest is accessible during both times, the lighting at night makes the red "burnable" pots and vines much easier to see. If you’re struggling to find the angle, go to an altar, flip the clock, and come back. The glow of the Hel-vines is a dead giveaway in the dark.
Also, check your "Compass." If you’ve tracked the quest or the collectible, the compass at the top of the screen can be deceptive because of the verticality. It might say you’re standing right on it, but you’re actually twenty feet below it.
Why People Miss the Jump
There is a specific jump across a gap near the ruins. Kratos won't jump unless he has a "target." If you haven't cleared the vines yet, the grapple point won't appear. You'll stand at the edge of the cliff feeling like the game is broken. It’s not. You just haven't cleared the path yet.
Burn the vines first. The grapple icon appears. You jump. You win.
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The Bigger Picture: Completing Vanaheim
The Southern Wilds is just the tip of the iceberg. Vanaheim is arguably the largest realm in the game once you unlock "The Crater" later on. Getting this chest early is good practice for the rest of the realm's environmental puzzles.
God of War Ragnarok loves to hide things in plain sight. It uses the "Metroidvania" style of level design where you see a chest in the first hour but can't actually touch it until the tenth. For this specific chest, you have the tools early (the Blades), so there's no excuse to leave it behind.
Actionable Steps for the Completionist
Go to the Southern Wilds mystic gateway and head north into the first major ruins area. Look for the elevated stone platform with blue vines covering the side.
Circle to the left side of the structure to find a gap in the stone where you can see the back of the vines. Use the Blades of Chaos (L2 + R2) to ignite them. Once the vines are gone, use the circle button to grapple up to the ledge. Open the chest and equip the Wrath of the Frost Ancient immediately—it’s a top-tier runic attack for crowd control.
If the chest icon still isn't clearing on your map after you've opened it, try a quick save and reload. Vanaheim’s map tracking is notoriously finicky, but a reload usually forces the game to realize you’ve already looted the goods.