The Barrens is one of several new areas introduced to the realm of Alfheim in God of War Ragnarok. Players will be able to access the area as part of the Secret of the Sands favor, which becomes available once players have completed the game's fourth chapter. As some of the enemies found throughout the area are fairly strong though, players may want to wait until a little later on before venturing into the sandstorm.
There's a lot to see and do in The Barrens, not to mention several other areas which can be accessed directly from it. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise to learn that it's also home to one of God of War Ragnarok's 35 Nornir Chests, which players will need to open in order to max out Kratos' health and Spartan Rage meters. Thankfully, this one shouldn't cause players too much trouble.
How to Unlock The Barrens Nornir Chest
Players can find The Barrens Nornir Chest to the north of the region. It's in a square-shaped structure with Hive Matter growing inside it and can be opened either before or after the sandstorm has been quelled. However, for visibility's sake, most players will probably opt to open the chest after heading down into The Below and freeing the trapped Hafgufa from its bindings.
Regardless of whether or not the sandstorm is still raging, before players can get to the chest, they'll first need to destroy the Hive Matter inside the structure, which can be done by heading around back. Players will need to line up the Leviathan Axe and throw it so that it destroys all three of the glowing red orbs in a single motion, which, if done correctly, will kill the Hive Matter and grant access to the chest out front.
Now, players will simply need to light the three torches, the first of which is directly to the left of the chest. The second is round on the right-hand side of the structure, while the third is up on the roof. Players will be able to ignite the first two using a combination of Sigil Arrows and Kratos' Blades of Chaos. For the last one, however, they'll instead need to throw a Draupnir Spear or the Leviathan Axe at the bomb up on the roof, causing it to explode and light the nearby torch.
With all three torches now lit, players can return to the Barrens Nornir Chest and crack it open. Assuming they haven't already opened up 30 Nornir Chests at this point, they'll find either an Idunn Apple or a Horn of Blood Mead inside depending on whether they've opened an odd or an even number of chests so far. If they've opened more than thirty, they'll instead get a smaller reward like Hacksilver or Shattered Runes.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.