You're running through Vanaheim. It's beautiful, green, and honestly, a total nightmare to navigate if you're trying to 100% the map. Specifically, The Crater. This massive optional area holds some of the best loot in God of War Ragnarok, but it’s the Sinkholes Nornir Chest that usually makes people want to throw their controller.
Most chests in this game are straightforward. You see a bell, you hit it. You see a torch, you light it. But the one tucked away in the Sinkholes region? It’s a bit of a jerk. It sits there, mocking you with its glowing runes, while the actual seals are hidden behind environmental puzzles that require more than just a quick axe throw.
Finding the Sinkholes Nornir Chest
First things first. You can’t even reach this part of the game until you’ve completed the "Scent of Survival" favor. That’s the quest where you follow Helka (the dog) and end up taking a flying paper boat into the sky. It sounds weird when you say it out loud, but that’s Vanaheim for you.
Once you’re in The Crater, you have to head East. You’ll know you’re in the Sinkholes because the terrain gets tighter and more cavernous. You're looking for a specific zipline. After you slide down, you'll find yourself in an area with a Mystic Gateway and a Celestial Altar. The Nornir Chest is sitting right there in the open, near the water’s edge.
Getting to the chest is the easy part. Actually opening it is where the headache begins.
The First Torch: Right in Front of You
Look at the chest. You’ll see three runes: B, E, and T (or at least, the Norse equivalents of those shapes). These are braziers, not statues you can smash or bells you have to ring fast. To light them, you need the Blades of Chaos.
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The first one is tucked away to the left of the chest. It’s high up on the cliffside. You can’t reach it with the blades normally because it’s too far. This is where the game expects you to remember the "hex" mechanic. You have to chain Sigil Arrows.
Shoot a few purple bubbles onto the rock wall, making sure they overlap. The last one needs to be close enough for your blades to ignite. Hit the bottom bubble with a heavy R2 attack from the Blades of Chaos, and the flame will travel up the chain, lighting the first brazier. One down. Two to go.
Tracking Down the Other Two Runes
This is where the Sinkholes Nornir Chest gets tricky. You look around, and the other torches aren't anywhere to be seen. That’s because they’re literally on the other side of the canyon.
You have to move. Walk away from the chest and head toward the tunnel that leads further into the Sinkholes. If you look across the gap toward the cliffs on the right, you’ll see the second torch sitting on a ledge. It's frustratingly out of reach.
Again, use your Sigil Arrows. You’re going to need to place three of them. Space them out along the rock face between you and the torch. It’s a bit of a pixel-perfect puzzle sometimes. If the bubbles aren't big enough, remember you can shoot the same spot three times to make the hex bubble grow. Light the chain, and that’s the second rune cleared.
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The Final Piece of the Puzzle
The third one is the real kicker. You actually have to leave the immediate area. Head back toward the Mystic Gateway and climb up the path that leads toward the higher elevations.
If you stand near the edge of the cliff overlooking the river, look back toward the chest area. The third brazier is perched high up on a rock pillar. It’s almost hidden by the foliage.
If you’re having trouble seeing it, listen for the hum. Nornir seals always have a distinct magical drone. Use the same Sigil Arrow trick. Chain them together, light them up, and you’ll hear that satisfying "clink" of the chest unlocking.
Why Bother With This Chest?
You might be wondering if it’s worth the five minutes of frustration. It is. Depending on how many you’ve opened already, this chest contains either an Idunn Apple or a Horn of Blood Mead.
In the late game, especially if you’re playing on "Give Me God of War" difficulty, your health and rage bars are the difference between beating a Berserker and staring at a loading screen for the tenth time in a row. Plus, if you’re a completionist, you need this for the "Savor the Hour" trophy.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't waste your axe. People try to throw the Leviathan Axe at these torches constantly. It doesn't work. Only the Blades of Chaos (or an explosion triggered by the Draupnir Spear, though that's overkill here) will light them.
- Check the time of day. The Crater changes significantly between day and night. Some paths are blocked by giant plants during the day. If you can’t get the right angle on a torch, head to the Celestial Altar and change the time. It changes the map layout just enough to give you a better line of sight.
- The "Double Bubble" trick. If your Sigil chain keeps breaking, it’s usually because the bubbles are too small. Shoot the same spot twice. It makes the explosion radius much larger.
Expert Strategy for The Crater
The Sinkholes is just one part of the Vanaheim ecosystem. If you’re already here for the Nornir Chest, you should also look for the "Quaking Hollow" favor. There’s a Crag Jaw dragon in this area that drops some of the best crafting materials for the Dragon Scaled Armor set.
Also, keep an eye out for the crystalline shards. You’ll see yellow glowing rocks everywhere. Break them. Take them to the Wishing Well (which is also in The Crater). You throw the shards in, and the spirits give you high-tier armor and enchantments in return. It’s basically a loot vending machine.
The Sinkholes Nornir Chest is essentially a gatekeeper. Once you understand the mechanics of using Sigils to bridge gaps for your blades, the rest of the puzzles in Vanaheim become a lot more intuitive.
If you've lit all three torches and the chest still won't open, double-check the runes. Sometimes a Sigil explosion looks like it hit, but the flame didn't actually catch. The rune on the chest will stop glowing if it's successfully deactivated.
Head back down the zipline. Grab your reward. Now you're ready to go hunt some dragons.
To ensure you don't miss anything else in this region, make sure you have the Draupnir Spear fully upgraded for the "wind" puzzles nearby. You'll need it to create shortcuts that make backtracking through the Sinkholes much faster. Once you've cleared the Nornir Chest, look for the nearby spectral transition to find the rest of the collectibles hidden in the tunnels behind the river.