You’re standing in the middle of the Eternal Campfire in Midgard, staring at a cookbook that looks like it’s seen better centuries. It’s a quiet moment. No Draugr. No screaming Einherjar. Just a ghost of a campfire and a quest marker that feels a lot more personal than "save the world." If you’re hunting down the God of War Ragnarok Across the Realms favor, you probably realized pretty quickly that this isn't your standard fetch quest.
It’s a tribute.
Honestly, it’s one of the most grounded things Sony Santa Monica ever put into a game about gods ripping each other's heads off. The quest is a memorial to Stephen Totilo’s reporting or, more specifically, a developer named Jake Snipes who passed away. You aren't just looking for ingredients; you're tracing the steps of two characters, Jari and Somr, who represent a real-world bond. It’s heavy stuff for a game that usually focuses on Kratos’s parenting struggles.
Finding these four ingredients—the Nordic Gourd, Prongfruit, Elven Cap, and Bantam Melon—takes you through the four main hubs of the game. It’s a slog if you don’t know where you’re going. But if you want that Meal of Comfort that permanently boosts all your stats by five points, you’ve gotta do the legwork.
Tracking Down the Nordic Gourd in Midgard
Most players stumble onto this first because, well, the quest starts right there in the Lake of Nine. You find the campfire, you see the heart painted on the rock, and you realize you're missing a grocery list.
The Nordic Gourd is basically right under your nose.
If you look at the campfire, turn around and head toward the big yellow heart painted on the rock face. It’s hard to miss once you’re actually looking for it. You’ll find the gourd sitting in the snow nearby. It’s the easiest one of the bunch, a little "gimme" from the developers before things get complicated in the other realms.
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Svartalfheim and the Prongfruit Problem
Svartalfheim is a mess of wooden scaffolding and water puzzles. To get the Prongfruit, you need to head toward The Forge. You’ve probably been there a dozen times already for the main story, but the ingredient isn't sitting on the main path.
Look for another one of those painted hearts. It's near the area where you first arrive in the Forge via the train. You’ll find the fruit tucked away behind some crates and rocks. What’s interesting here is how the game uses these hearts to guide you. They aren't on your map. You have to actually use your eyes, which is a bit of a lost art in modern AAA gaming where we usually just follow a glowing compass.
The Elven Cap in Alfheim’s Forbidden Sands
Alfheim is gorgeous but incredibly annoying because of the sandstorms. To even start looking for the Elven Cap, you need to have cleared the "Song of the Sands" favor to stop the storm in the Forbidden Sands. If you haven't done that yet, don't even bother. You won't see anything.
Once the air is clear, head to the western side of the Forbidden Sands. There’s a giant fallen pillar you can duck under. Behind it? Another heart. The Elven Cap is tucked in a corner.
It’s easy to walk right past it.
The lighting in Alfheim is so bright that the green of the cap sometimes blends into the environment. Slow down. Look for the splash of color on the wall. The God of War Ragnarok Across the Realms quest requires a bit of patience here because the Forbidden Sands is a massive, open area that can feel overwhelming if you’re just trying to check boxes.
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Vanaheim and the Bantam Melon
Vanaheim is arguably the most complex realm to navigate. Between the day/night cycle and the sheer density of the foliage, it’s a nightmare for completionists. To find the Bantam Melon, you need access to The Sinkholes in the Crater.
This means you’ve already had to flood the valley by opening the dam.
If you haven't flooded the Crater yet, stop reading and go do the "Return of the River" quest. You literally cannot reach the Bantam Melon without a boat. Once the water is flowing, row over to the Sinkholes. You're looking for a mystic gateway near a celestial altar. The heart is painted on a nearby wall, and the melon is just sitting there in the dirt.
It feels a bit weird, doesn't it? Traveling across the cosmos for a piece of fruit?
But that's the point. Jari and Somr traveled these realms together. Every time you find an ingredient, you find a small piece of their story. It’s a narrative technique that builds world-depth without a single line of dialogue.
Why the Meal of Comfort Actually Matters
Once you have all four items, you head back to the Eternal Campfire in Midgard. You "cook" the meal, and you’re rewarded with the Meal of Comfort.
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- Permanent Stat Boost: +5 to Strength, Defense, Runic, Vitality, Luck, and Cooldown.
- Lore Completion: It closes the story of Jari and Somr.
- XP: You get a decent chunk of experience for your trouble.
Is a +5 boost going to make you an unkillable god? No. But in a game where every point matters for your gear level and your ability to take on Berserkers or Gna, it’s a significant edge. Plus, it’s one of the few permanent upgrades in the game that doesn't involve upgrading armor or weapons.
The real value, though, is the closure. God of War Ragnarok is a game obsessed with legacy and how we remember those we've lost. Kratos spent an entire game in 2018 carrying ashes to a mountain. In Ragnarok, he’s trying to figure out what kind of god he wants to be. Seeing him stop everything to honor a pair of travelers he never met says a lot about his character growth.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
I see a lot of people getting frustrated because they can't find the hearts. They're looking for map icons. Stop that. The map is your friend for general locations, but the actual "Across the Realms" hunt is a visual quest.
- Check your progress: If you think you picked something up but the quest didn't update, check your "Key Items" in the inventory.
- The Crater Gate: In Vanaheim, people often confuse the Sinkholes with the Jungle. Make sure you’re in the right sub-region.
- The Sandstorm: In Alfheim, if you can't see the heart, it's probably because you didn't finish the Hafgufa quest. You need maximum visibility.
This quest isn't just a checkbox. It’s a memorial. When you finish it, take a second to look at the campfire. It’s one of the most peaceful spots in a game that is otherwise defined by chaos and the end of the world.
Actionable Next Steps
To wrap this up efficiently, prioritize your travel. Don't go out of your way for these ingredients until you've unlocked the Mystic Gateways in the Crater and the Forbidden Sands. The most efficient route is starting in Midgard, hitting Svartalfheim during your first return trip, then cleaning up Alfheim and Vanaheim once you have the Draupnir Spear. Once all four are in your bag, fast travel back to King's Grave in Midgard and make the short trek to the campfire. This ensures you aren't backtracking through dangerous territory without the proper gear to handle the high-level enemies that spawn in those areas late-game.