Information about unlocking Nornir Chests and solving Nornir Chest puzzles in God of War Ragnarok.

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Nornir Chests are easily identified by the runes on their front.

What Are Nornir Chests in God of War Ragnarok?¶

There are several types of chest in God of War Ragnarok, only two of which count as collectibles as far as completion is concerned, Legendary Chests, and Nornir Chests. Nornir Chests are easily identifiable due to the three runes on the front, which are the key to unlocking the Nornir Chest and claiming the treasure inside (usually an Idunn Apple or Horn of Blood Mead).

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(1 of 4) Rune bearing objects include rune stones that must be destroyed

How to Solve Nornir (Rune) Chest Puzzles¶

Finding a Nornir Chest is all well and good, but unfortunately Kratos isn’t capable of just punching through the top of the chest to obtain the treasures within like he is with other chests. Nornir Chests are sealed, and the glowing runes on the front of each Nornir Chest provide a clue as to how you can unlock it.

Within the vicinity of the Nornir Chest you’ll find three objects bearing the runes displayed on the front of the Nornir Chest. These objects may vary, but include:

• Rune Stones: Rocks bearing one of the runes on the front of the Nornir Chest, simply destroy them by throwing the Leviathan Axe and you’ll dispel the corresponding rune from the front of the chest.

• Rune Gongs: Metallic devices inscribed with one of the Nornir Chest runes. Strike a rune gong with the Leviathan Axe and the noise it makes will dispel its twinned rune on the front of the Nornir Chest. The sound will fade after a short duration, and as the reverberations of the rune gong wavers, the dispelled rune will recover its strength… in other words, these are timed and you must strike all the rune gongs before the effects of the first rune gong ends. The order doesn’t matter just as long as you can hit them all fast enough.

• Rune Posts: A post bearing several runes stands somewhere near the Nornir Chest, and striking panels along the rune post will reveal which rune is facing forward, and hence, active. Get the rune posts to display the same runes as the Nornir Chest and you’ll gain access.

• Rune Braziers: Braziers with runes etched on their fronts. Light the Brazier with the Blades of Chaos and the sister rune on the Nornir Chest will be erased. You’ll have limited range with the Blades of Chaos as compared to the Leviathan Axe, so just getting close enough is usually part of the puzzle. Also, you may occasionally have to avoid letting the brazier have its fires doused or otherwise snuffed out.

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Sometimes you’ll need to deal with other puzzle elements to solve a Nornir Chest puzzle, like using sonic arrows,

Basically you need to use your weapons to interact with various rune-bearing objects to dispel the corresponding rune from the Nornir Chest. The rune types are listed above, but you should expect other complications that draw upon different puzzle-solving elements. Sometimes you’ll have to destroy rocks with a fire pot to reach a vantage or reveal a rune-bearing object, you may have to raise a gate (or raise the rune-bearing object above a gate), or warp or destroy an object with sonic arrows, just to name a few.

Nornir Chests typically yield Idunn Apples (increases max Health) or Horns of Blood Mead (increases max Rage) when opened, although the exact item you’ll get varies depending on how many Nornir Chests you’ve looted. The game likes to keep the two roughly even, and will alternate between the two as you loot Nornir Chests.