God of War: The Black Rune Walkthrough
Kratos and Atreus return to Tyr's Temple in God of War to find the mysterious Black Rune and open up the path to Jotunheim. In this walkthrough for The Black Rune we'll show you how to make it through safely and complete all the puzzles along the way.
On this page:
- The Black Rune Walkthrough in God of War
- Tyr’s Vault Puzzle Solutions
- Where to Go in Tyr’s Vault
- God of War Tyr’s Vault Trap Solution
The Black Rune Walkthrough in God of War
Kratos and Atreus will kick off The Black Rune after they’ve departed from the Witch’s house, and make their way downriver using the boat moored at the dock. After a difficult conversation with Atreus, Kratos will arrive at Tyr’s Temple in the middle of the lake area, and head through the door on the same water level as the dock to reach a sand pedestal. Descend on the platform, and you’ll reach Tyr’s Vault, where the real challenge of this quest begins.
Tyr’s Vault Puzzle Solutions
To start with, use the Blades of Chaos to grab the Winds of Hel energy from the outermost ring in the middle of the area, and then head down the open corridor at the back, using the Blades of Chaos to transfer the energy source.
This will unlock a wheel, which you can turn to open up the gateway on your right. Head through, and you’ll find yourself staring down a deathtrap with plenty of spinning blades. Timing is everything here, as you’ll have to use the Leviathan Axe to freeze the spinning discs, throwing them out of sync and allowing Kratos to pass through once they’ve moved apart for you.
There’ll be a short cut scene in this next area, and afterwards you can head through the gate on your left and back to the main area, where you’ll need to deal with Nightmares and Draugr alike. Once you’re done with the fight, look for a corridor leading out of the area with a wheel in it. Turn left when you reach the wheel, and you’ll find yourself facing some all new deathtraps.
Throw your Leviathan Axe to turn the plates on their side, and Kratos can pass safely through the area, reaching a chest that contains Solid Svartalheim Steel. Now return all the way back to the main area of Tyr’s Vault, and you’ll have to draw out the Winds of Hel energy from the middle ring with the Blades of Chaos, carrying it into another corridor to make another wheel appear.
Now head down the corridor towards the death traps straight ahead of you, where you’ll need to freeze the block of spikes furthest away from you when possible. Now you’ll have a gap when the nearest block of spikes recedes, to run forward and into the new area ahead of you.
You’ll find a new Nornir chest in this section, and the first thing you’ll want to do is turn right around, and face down the corridor with the spike blocks that you just entered from. The first of three seal jars can be found lodged in the back of the spike block furthest away from you, so you’ll have to time your axe throw perfectly if you want to smash it.
The next seal jar can actually be found at the back of this corridor, high in the wall near the ceiling, and for the final seal jar you’ll need to come out of the corridor and into the area with the wheel, turning left to see it along the wall. Now head through the block spike trap all the way back to the Nornir chest, and you can open it in order to obtain an Idunn Apple item, which can increase your maximum health for every three that you find.
Now you’ll need to return back to the room with the wheel, and head into the deathtraps ahead of you. You need to freeze the first block, and then release it so that it stays in time with the block behind it, leaving you a window of opportunity to run through all the traps in one go.
Open up the gate that leads back to the main area, and you’ll need to climb up the crack in the wall, near the corridor that leads out of Tyr’s Temple and back to the lake. Climb all the way up to the ledge above, and then head along until you can drop the chain down to the ground below.
You’ll now need to grab the Winds of Hel energy from the innermost ring while on the high ledge, and transfer it the orb on the outermost ring. Now drop down the chain to the ground below, and you can easily grab the Winds of Hel energy from the outermost ring, using it in the final corridor to expose the last wheel.
Now use the final wheel, and Kratos will be placed in a life and death scenario, where only Atreus can rescue him from this trap.
Where to Go in Tyr’s Vault
In order to beat this trap and make it out alive, you’ll need to correctly align the three symbols on the wall by ordering Atreus to pull the correct levers. The correct order, from left to right is the Moon on the left, Midgard in the middle, and the Sun on the right. Follow our guide to Tyr's Vault in God of War and you'll solve this puzzle in no time.
God of War Tyr’s Vault Trap Solution
Firstly, you’ll need to get Atreus to pull the middle lever, causing the signs to move over to the left, and then the bar on the left, causing the Moon to lower down into the slot. Now pull the middle to get the two objects to move over to the right, and then pull the right object to move the Sun downwards.
Atreus can now pull the left lever to raise the Moon up, and then the middle lever to move both Midgard and the Moon along to the left. Now pull the right lever to raise the Sun back up, and then pull the middle lever to move all three objects together, completing the trap puzzle.
All you need to do now is complete the next quick time event, and then head back into the middle section of Tyr’s Vault. Now, you’re into a boss fight to wrap up the level, so head over to God of War Grendel of the Ashes and Frost guide, for a complete walkthrough of taking down both bosses.
There's no shortage of God of War content here at USG. You can find Mike's review of the game itself here, or see how we caught an emotional moment between the stars of the game here.