You’re running through Vanaheim, dodging those annoying poisonous plants and trying to ignore the fact that the sun keeps changing position every time you hit a celestial altar. Then you see it. That glowing, rune-locked stone box sitting there, mocking you. Opening the nornir chest the plains area offers up is one of those gaming moments that starts out fun and ends with you throwing an axe at a random tree out of pure spite.
It’s not just one chest, though. That’s the catch. The Crater is huge, and the Plains section alone has two specific chests that trip people up for very different reasons. One requires a literal change in the time of day, while the other demands some pretty precise geometry with your Draupnir Spear.
Honestly, the Plains is probably the most dense sub-region in God of War Ragnarok. If you haven't finished the "Scent of Survival" quest to actually get here, you're just looking at a dry riverbed wondering what the big deal is. But once the water is flowing, the Nornir chests become the ultimate test of whether you’ve actually mastered Kratos’s toolkit or if you’re just button-mashing your way through the Nine Realms.
The Eastern Plains Chest: A Lesson in Timing
This is the one most players find first. It’s located near the Eastern Plains Mystic Gateway. You'll see the chest tucked away in a little alcove, but the runes—the bells you have to ring—are scattered in a way that makes the timer feel incredibly tight.
Here is the thing about these bell puzzles: they are all about the sequence. If you hit them in the wrong order, you’re basically sprinting in circles for no reason.
The first bell is sitting right behind the chest. That’s the easy one. You’ll want to hit that one last. Why? Because the other two are further away and higher up. Look to the left of the chest, up on the rocks. There’s a bell there. Now look further to the right, hidden behind some brush on a different rock structure.
The trick is to stand in a spot where you can see at least two of them without moving your feet too much. Throw the Leviathan Axe at the furthest one first. Recall it immediately. Hit the second one on the left. Finally, whip around and smack the one right next to the chest. If you do it right, the runes glow blue, the lock thuds open, and you’re one step closer to maxing out your Health or Rage.
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If you're struggling with the speed, check your gear. Some enchantments or pommels actually increase the speed of your axe throw or the speed of the recall. It sounds like a small thing, but in a three-second window, it's the difference between a Horn of Blood Mead and a frustrated sigh.
The Western Plains Chest: The Spear Puzzle
Now, the second nornir chest the plains hosts is a different beast entirely. You’ll find this one in the western portion of the map, tucked near a wall of rock not far from where you might fight a certain pesky dragon.
This one doesn't use bells. It uses the "totem" system. You know the ones—those small stone pillars with runes on them that you have to destroy simultaneously. Since you can only throw one axe at a time, this is a job for the Draupnir Spear.
- Rune One: Look to the left of the chest. It’s sitting on top of a rock. Easy pickings.
- Rune Two: Look to the right, slightly behind a tree. Again, not too hard to spot.
- Rune Three: This is the one that ruins everyone’s day. It’s hidden inside a hollowed-out tree trunk behind the chest.
But wait. There is a massive catch here. You can’t actually see the third rune properly because of the Scorn Poles—those wooden pillars that spit out green poison gas. If you try to just run up and throw a spear, you’ll be choked out by the fumes before the animation even finishes.
You have to use the Leviathan Axe to freeze the Scorn Pole first. But wait again—if you freeze the pole, you can't use the axe to hit a rune, and you can't leave the axe there while you mess with the spear. Actually, you can. Throw the axe at the pole to clear the air. Then, aim your spear and embed a shaft into the rune inside the tree. Do the same for the other two runes.
The magic moment happens when you press the "detonate" button (Triangle on PlayStation). All three spears explode at once. The chest pops. This specific puzzle is basically a tutorial in how the developers want you to think about multi-tool solutions. It’s not just about hitting things; it’s about managing the environment.
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Why the "Crater" Changes Everything
You can't talk about the nornir chest the plains puzzles without mentioning the River Kracken and the dam. If you haven't completed "Return of the River" in the Jungle area, the Plains is a different map.
Some areas are inaccessible. Certain hooks for your Blades of Chaos won't be reachable because the water level is too low. If you are looking at a guide and thinking, "I literally cannot get to that rock," it is almost certainly because you haven't flooded the valley yet.
Go to the Jungle. Fix the dam. Watch the water rush back in. It changes the entire ecosystem of the Plains. Suddenly, you can use the boat to reach the back side of the Western Plains chest, which makes the angle for the spears much easier to manage.
Common Mistakes People Make in The Plains
We've all been there. You're five minutes into a puzzle and you start wondering if the game is glitched. It's usually not. In the Plains, the most common mistake is ignoring the time of day.
Certain enemies only appear at night, and certain paths—like the gate leading to the northern part of the Plains—are blocked by heavy vines that only retract or become vulnerable depending on whether the sun or moon is out. If you’re trying to find the third rune for a chest and it’s just... gone... try head over to a Celestial Altar. Swap the time. Come back. You might find that a bunch of brambles have disappeared, revealing the very thing you were looking for.
Also, stop trying to use the axe for everything. By the time you reach the Plains, the Draupnir Spear is your best friend for Nornir chests. If you see a rune that doesn't have a timer (the bells) or a spinner (the hit-targets), it’s almost always a "detonate all at once" spear puzzle.
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The Rewards: Is It Worth the Headache?
You're playing on "Give Me God of War" difficulty, aren't you? If so, yes, it’s worth it. These chests contain Idunn Apples and Horns of Blood Mead.
By the time you hit the Plains, you’ve likely already found most of the "easy" chests in Midgard or Svartalfheim. The ones in Vanaheim are some of the last ones you'll need to hit your maximum stat caps. Having that extra sliver of health is often the only thing standing between you and getting one-shotted by a Hroatung or a Flame Phantom later in the game.
Beyond the stats, there is the completionist aspect. You can't get the "Collector" trophy or 100% the Vanaheim region without these. And honestly, the Plains is one of the most rewarding areas to fully clear because it's so interconnected.
Actionable Next Steps for The Plains:
- Prioritize the Dam: If the river is dry, stop looking for chests. Go to the Jungle (south of the Plains), finish "Return of the River," and come back when you can use the boat.
- Clear the Scorn Poles: Don't fight the poison. Use the Leviathan Axe to freeze the poles permanently while you scan for runes. If there are multiple poles, look for red oil jars nearby to blow them up for good.
- Check the Skies: If a path is blocked, find a Celestial Altar. The Plains is designed to be explored in two different "modes" (Day and Night).
- Use the Spear’s Glow: When you embed a spear in a Nornir rune, the rune on the chest itself will stop glowing. Use this to track which ones you’ve successfully "tagged" before you trigger the explosion.
The Plains is a massive playground, but it requires a bit of patience. Grab the Eastern chest first to get your rhythm down, then head west once you've got the poison poles under control. Once you’ve cracked both, you’re basically the king of the Crater.