How to Unlock the Crucible Challenges in God of War Ragnarok
The Crucible challenges in God of War Ragnarok are a series of demanding combat trials located in the fiery realm of Muspelheim. These challenges offer a significant test of your skills and, upon completion, grant valuable rewards, including a Chaos Flame for upgrading your Blades of Chaos. To unlock these challenges, you’ll need to undertake specific steps, which this article will detail comprehensively.
Unlocking the Gateway to Muspelheim
Finding the Muspelheim Yggdrasil Seed Halves
The first and most crucial step in accessing the Crucible is obtaining the two halves of the Muspelheim Yggdrasil Seed. These aren’t available from the start and require some exploration. Here’s how to acquire them:
- Complete “The Reckoning” Main Quest: The seed halves cannot be found until you finish “The Reckoning” main quest. This quest unlocks key areas of Svartalfheim.
- Svartalfheim’s Bay of Bounty: Both halves are located in Legendary Chests within Svartalfheim’s Bay of Bounty area.
- Modvitnir’s Rig: The first half is found in a Legendary Chest at Modvitnir’s Rig. This location is often explored as part of the “In Service of Asgard” quest.
- Alberich Hollow: The second half is within another Legendary Chest located at Alberich Hollow.
Once you’ve collected both seed halves, they will combine into a single key, allowing you to open the portal to Muspelheim.
Accessing the Muspelheim Realm
With the Muspelheim Yggdrasil Seed assembled, return to any mystic gateway and select Muspelheim. Travel there and step into the main Crucible arena.
Activating the Crucible Challenges
Upon reaching the Crucible, you’ll notice three smaller arenas surrounding the central area that contains a Nornir Chest. These smaller arenas are where the challenges reside. Here’s how to activate them:
- Large Golden Swords with Blue Runes: Each small arena has a large golden sword marked with a blue rune.
- Interaction: Approach and interact with any of these swords to select a challenge.
Unlocking the Final Crucible Challenges
After completing the initial set of challenges, you can unlock further trials referred to as “Final Challenges”. These are more difficult and require specific combinations of arena selections.
The Chamber Combinations
To unlock the Final Challenges, you must activate the chambers (the swords in the three smaller arenas) in specific orders. Here are the combinations:
- Endurance Challenge: Activate the Left chamber, then the Middle chamber.
- Boss Rush Challenge: Activate the Right chamber, then the Middle chamber.
- Ring of Fire Challenge: Activate the Middle chamber, then the Left chamber.
- Shield Breaker Challenge: Activate the Left chamber, then the Right chamber.
- Onslaught Challenge: Activate a challenge from the second sword, then the third sword.
- Phantom Challenge: Activate a challenge from the third sword, then the first sword.
The “first,” “second,” and “third” sword here simply refer to their position relative to the entrance of the main Crucible arena, going left, middle, and right.
Completing All Six Combat Trials
Upon completing all six of the unique combat trials, the Nornir chest in the central area will unlock. This chest contains a Chaos Flame and experience points.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. When should I start the Crucible challenges?
You can access the Crucible once you have both Muspelheim seed halves. However, it’s recommended to be at level 5 or above before attempting the challenges for the first time. For the final, more challenging trials, it’s better to wait until you are at level 7 or higher.
2. Are the Crucible trials worth it?
Absolutely! Completing the Crucible trials grants you valuable resources, including the Chaos Flame to upgrade the Blades of Chaos. The rewards also include experience points and an armor set.
3. What is the Crucible reward?
The primary reward for completing all six initial combat trials is a Chaos Flame, which is essential for upgrading the Blades of Chaos. Additionally, you receive 10,000 XP for Kratos and 2,500 XP for his companion.
4. Is there a glitch associated with the Crucible?
Yes, there is a known glitch where the Crucible Sword does not respawn after dying and restarting from a checkpoint. This can block progression. It’s recommended to be careful to avoid game breaking bugs.
5. What is the best armor to use for the Crucible?
The armor set you get from completing the first Crucible trials is very beneficial if you often use fire and frost buildup moves. However, the armor itself is still good stat-wise even early in the Crucible, and is upgradable.
6. How do you get the Onslaught Challenge?
The Onslaught Challenge is unlocked by completing a challenge from the second sword, and then the third sword. This challenge consists of surviving until the timer runs out against a constant wave of enemies.
7. How do you get the Phantom Challenge?
The Phantom Challenge is unlocked by completing a challenge from the third sword and then the first sword.
8. What are Surtr’s Hidden Trials?
Surtr’s Hidden Trials are additional difficult trials that unlock after completing any three of the five Impossible Trials. These are found in the sixth arena, where you previously faced the Valkyrie.
9. How do I unlock the “Final Challenges” Favor?
The “Final Challenges” Favor unlocks after you’ve cleared the first six challenges in Muspelheim. These final challenges are essentially larger versions of the previous ones, with more enemies.
10. Can you pick any trial from any sword to complete the combination?
Yes, you can select any of the three trials available at each sword to achieve the necessary combinations for the Final Challenges. The combination depends on the sequence of the arena you choose, not on the specific trial within those arenas.
11. What level should I be for Muspelheim?
It’s advisable to reach level 6 or 7 before attempting the Muspelheim trials, especially the later and more challenging ones.
12. Is the Ares armor obtainable in the Crucible?
No, the Ares armor is only obtainable in New Game Plus mode. It is not a reward for completing the Crucible trials. The Ares armor is considered arguably the best set in God of War Ragnarok due to its stat distribution and survivability-centric perk.
13. Can you access Muspelheim early in the game?
You can briefly explore Muspelheim during the main story, but you cannot return to it or access the trials until you obtain both halves of the Muspelheim Yggdrasil Seed.
14. How does the Chamber activation system work?
The chamber activation system relies on the order in which you interact with the swords in the smaller arenas. Each combination of chambers unlocks a different final challenge.
15. What is the hardest quest in God of War Ragnarok?
Many consider the battle against Gna, the Valkyrie Queen, to be the most difficult encounter in God of War Ragnarok. It is a post-game challenge.