While the secret hunters have picked this game clean of the majority of its secrets there are some side quests that the average player probably never knew about. Optional side quests that required finding a specific person, secret artifacts that serve as Easter Eggs, or an entire wealth of content only unlocked in New Game +.
There’s a lot of secrets in this game and some content the developers wanted players to really work for. So, it might be a good time to dive back into this great game and explore the side quests you may not have known about.
10 Realm Of Fire
Anyone familiar with Norse mythology will know that there are nine realms in the mythos. If you were counting while playing the game you’d realize that Kratos and his boy Atreus only ever explore seven of them, leaving two completely unexplored.
It turns out these realms can also be discovered. Muspelheim, the realm of fire, is unlocked after finding the four Muspelheim Cipher Pieces, some of which can be locked away during the story. Many players may have learned too late of this realm's existence and others may never have realized it was a place they could go.
9 Realm of Fog
Niflheim, the realm of Fog, is the other realm players could explore and perhaps the most difficult and secretive realm of them all. Like Muspelheim, Niflheim is a place of endgame content and challenging trials.
Accessing this realm requires the player to discover the four Niflheim Cipher Pieces scattered throughout the world. Like the Muspelheim Cipher Pieces, these can also be locked away during the story and are hard to discover without knowing they were there in the first place.
8 Shattered Gauntlet Of Ages
One of the best items in the game is the armor piece the Shattered Gauntlet Of Ages. The gauntlet itself is not hard to find and many players will have it either stashed or sold it because it isn’t terribly useful. But what many players didn’t realize is that there’s a secret quest involved in upgrading it.
The gauntlet is an Eater Egg referencing the Infinity Gauntlet from the MCU and like that gauntlet it needs some stones of power to achieve its full potential. For those embarking on this hidden quest, you’ll need a lot of time, grinding, resources and money to get your gauntlet up to snuff. It’s definitely worth it though.
7 The Flight Of Fafnir
It turns out that if dwarves become too greedy they become transformed into dragons whose sole purpose in life is to amass wealth. This hoard of gold and treasures becomes enticing for other beings who seek it out.
This quest has the player do a bit of boating to find the cave where Fafnir is being held. It turns out someone is imprisoning the dragons to accumulate their vast wealth and this isn’t the only dragon being held. Many players bypassed this quest because of how puzzling it was to access.
6 Otr’s Imprisonement
This quest was hard to find because it was so easy to become sidetracked. Completing this quest requires the player to travel to Veithurgard and traveling through the pass to a beach covered with Draugrs and the optional boss the Lava Ancient.
If players remembered what they were originally trying to do they would have to climb up a ways, squeeze through rocks, fight a pack of wolves, break down a door, sneak through a small crypt, fight more wolves, travel by boat, stumble on another quest that can sidetrack the player before finally reaching the dragon. If it sounds confusing, it’s because it is, and many players never saw it all the way through.
5 The Fire Of Reginn
The last dragon you can save is found in Konunsgard. Similar to the others you have to find the three Shrines keeping the dragon imprisoned. The first is easy, but the second one requires a bit of trekking and exploration which many players struggled to find and complete.
Depending on who you ask this is either the easiest dragon side quest or the hardest depending on how quickly and easily they found the second shrine. If you were playing this game without a walkthrough it’s likely you never found the second shrine and simply gave up.
4 Valkyries
Valkyries are optional side bosses that are found hidden throughout Midgard, some are stashed in the Chambers of Odin, and a few are found in the hidden realms mentioned above. There are eight Valkyries to be found and some can be particularly brutal to locate and access.
For those players not following a guide it was possible they found one or two on their own, but all eight would have required a bit of luck for the average player. These eight Valkyrie are considered some of the toughest foes in the game.
3 Valkyrie Queen
After you defeat the eight Valkyrie it turns out there’s one final optional boss to face, the Valkyrie Queen. She’s only accessible once the other eight Valkyrie are killed and is by far the most difficult Valkyrie you’ll face.
Accessing her requires placing the eight helmets in their respective places in the Council of Valkyries. Once the last one is set in place the Queen will appear and one of the toughest fights in the entire game will commence.
2 Hidden Ending
It turns out God of War was hiding a secret ending that is in fact the true ending for the game. Many players never discovered this ending on their own and it’s so simple and easy to do that many players were likely face palming when it was revealed.
After Kratos and Atreus return to the regular world they simply need to journey back to their home and go to bed. That’s it, no hidden runes, no bosses to slay, no secret item to upgrade and place in a key spot at a certain time of day while wearing a specific boot or anything crazy like that, just a simple nap.
1 The Forbidden Grip Of The Ages
By far the coolest secret side quest in the game is acquiring The Forbidden Grip Of The Ages. Players that bought the special edition of the game were also given a Cloth Map covered in Nordic Runes. Once decrypted the runes gave the details for a hidden quest in the game.
Players that followed the instructions on this map found a secret hiding in Muspelheim Tower: The Forbidden Grip Of The Ages. It’s considered the best weapon in the entire game and the most complicated secret the fan base has found… so far.