God of War: Niflheim Cipher Locations
Niflheim Realm in God of War is one of the most challenging areas in the game, but cannot be accessed without finding all four Cipher pieces. Below we'll show you all the Niflheim Cipher piece locations and how you can use them to access Niflheim itself.
On this page:
- Niflheim Cipher Locations in God of War
- First Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (the Summit)
- Second Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (Tyr's Temple)
- Third Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (Tyr's Temple #2)
- Fourth Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (World Serpent)
- Additional Cipher Pieces
- How to Unlock the Niflheim Realm
Niflheim Cipher Locations in God of War
To find all the Niflheim Cipher pieces in God of War, you'll need to finish most of the main plot and be in the latter stages of the game. Consequently there may be some spoilers in the following guide, but we'll keep them to a minimum. Regardless, there are four pieces of the Niflheim Cipher, and we'll explain how to get them as early as possible.
First Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (the Summit)
The first of the Niflheim Cipher Pieces can be found during the "Return to the Summit" quest, when the title card for ‘The Summit’ flashes up on the screen once you’ve exited out of the mountain itself.
The chest that contains the first Niflheim Cipher Piece can be found straight in front of you, with a visible gold tint. If you missed this Cipher Piece the first time round, you can return to it by simply climbing off the narrow, snow-covered pass leading up to the Summit itself.
Second Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (Tyr's Temple)
The second Niflheim Cipher piece can be found during The Path to Jotunheim quest, which takes place fairly late in the story of God of War. We'll explain how to find it below:
- When you descend into the Tyr’s Temple area, with puzzle and death traps in every direction, you’ll at one point be tasked with taking Winds of Hel energy with you, and transporting them successfully to open up the corridor ahead of you.
- Once you’ve made it through the puzzle involving the Winds of Hel energy, you have the opportunity to throw off one of the two huge chains, in order to flip the temple entirely.
- Before you do this, look to the other end of the area to see a gold tinted chest, which Kratos and Atreus can open to claim a Niflheim Cipher Piece.
Third Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (Tyr's Temple #2)
For the next Niflheim Cipher piece, you’ll still be making your way through the puzzle of Tyr’s Temple, not long afterwards. Here's how to get the second Cipher in the temple.
- Look for a puzzle involving Atreus shooting sap with his shock arrows to make it explode.
- Make it across the trap with falling blocks of spikes.
- You should be able to see a chest. Open it to get the third Cipher piece.
Fourth Niflheim Cipher Piece Location (World Serpent)
The fourth and final Niflheim Cipher Piece can only be found while you’re in the stomach of the World Serpent, fairly late on in God of War. While you’re at the very end of the stomach, after having docked your ship and reclaimed Mimir’s missing eye, you can turn right around from having claimed the eye, to see a brand new chest.
Hop over the gap in the path, and you can open up this rare-looking chest. Doing this will grant Kratos and Atreus the final Niflheim Cipher piece.
Additional Cipher Pieces
Because those pieces inside the World Serpent and Tyr's Temple can be missed, with the player unable to return to either afterwards, the game also provides three spare Cipher pieces that spawn after those sections, all conveniently around the Lake of Nine.
- Ruins of the Ancients: In the North-west section of the lake is a Soul Devourer guarding a chest, situated nearby a pillar. Defeating the Soul Devourer will allow you to access the chest, which contains a Cipher piece.
- Alfheim Tower: Dock at the beach near Alfheim tower, climb up the ledge and look for two red crystals that Atreus can destroy. These'll clear a path to a chest with a Cipher piece.
- Lookout Tower: To the South of the lake is a beach by the Lookout Tower, with several Nightmare enemies. Hit the nearby paddles to retract the spikes blocking the path to a chest, which should have the final piece inside.
How to Unlock the Niflheim Realm
Once you have all pieces, return to the Bifrost at the top of Tyr's Temple to access the new realm. Be warned, Niflheim is a very dangerous realm in which players will have to navigate a maze of trials, puzzles and enemies under a time limit, including a Valkyrie boss, who we've got a guide on here. Alternatively, see how to get to the more manageable realm of Muspelheim here.
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