Kratos may be focused on fate and fury, but his first real detour hides one of Ragnarök’s most rewarding stories-and skipping it means missing a glimpse of the god behind the blades.
God of War Ragnarök is an even bigger game than God of War (2018), which itself was bigger than all of the previous mainline God of War games combined. It’s packed with side activities and quests to help flesh out its world. But unlike God of War (2018), Ragnarök is about more than just Kratos’ journey to personhood. It’s about an ensemble cast bouncing off of one another as they explore a vast world and confront their individual mistakes.
One of the game’s earliest side quests illustrates this tonal shift better than any other, casting Mimir – the self-proclaimed “smartest man alive” – as the fuckup and Kratos as his wise counsel. But with so many different paths to take through Svartalfheim, the game’s first open area, it’s easy to miss the quest. Here’s how to kickstart it, and why it’s well worth your time.
What is Mimir hinting toward at The Watchtower?
Mimir’s cryptic remarks at The Watchtower point toward a secret tied to the aftermath of Ragnarök and the lingering presence of Surtr’s flames. His tone suggests he senses something unresolved, urging Kratos and Atreus to pay attention to the region’s unusual energy. The site holds clues about those who survived the final battle, hinting that fate’s threads may not be as neatly tied as expected.
The “Weight of Chains” quest (formally called a “Favor,” in Ragnarök‘s parlance) begins in the Bay of Bounty area of Svartalfheim, the first big realm you’ll explore in God of War Ragnarök. You’ll start the quest by stepping foot on a seemingly innocuous island in the middle of the bay. But the only real hint that there’s much going on in the bay at all is a line of dialogue Mimir says on a completely different island.
By the Watchtower location – the island that divides the two parts of the Bay of Bounty in half – Mimir panics when he sees that a giant door is still locked. He asks you to find the key and says it’s in the middle of the bay by a geyser.
Mimir assumes an uncharacteristically anxious tone here, so if you manage to stumble upon this dialogue, it might make a real impression on you – it did for me, at least – and send you hunting for the island immediately. However, hearing this dialogue doesn’t actually start the quest or put a marker on your map. You have to land on the beach first.
Once you’re on the island and you complete a little obstacle course, you’ll earn a key that you can take back to The Watchtower. When you open the door, you’ll find a large drum sitting on the edge of the water, which Mimir will ask you to strike.
[Ed. note: This is where the quest gets interesting, so if you don’t want anything spoiled, go do it for yourself and come back.]
Hitting the drum with Atreus’ arrow causes a giant, chained, whale-like sea beast called the Lyngbakr to rise out of the ocean right under the island where you got the key. Turns out, the island was actually part of the Lyngbakr itself. And the geyser? Its blowhole.
The rest of the quest involves Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir attempting to free the beast. But it’s the dialogue, not the action, that makes this Favor so memorable.
Why this quest sets the tone for Ragnarök
This quest sets the tone for Ragnarök by establishing the game’s blend of brisk puzzle work and story-forward exploration, pairing sharp environmental design with a taste of its darker themes early on.
Mimir quickly admits that this creature’s imprisonment is his doing – a gift for Odin so that the All-Father could always have fat for his lanterns. The head is devastated that the creature still lives in such agony, but is hopeful that the trio can save it. Kratos is more skeptical that this wrong can ever be made right.
Kratos starts by chastising Mimir for locking the Lyngbakr up, saying death is better than imprisonment. The head assures the aged god of war that he hates himself far more than anyone else could for the misdeed.
When the trio frees the beast, the Lyngbakr refuses to move, as it’s grown accustomed to its imprisonment. Mimir leaves disheartened and devastated by his own failures. But Kratos does something unexpected: He gives Mimir thoughtful advice.
Kratos knows what it’s like to be ashamed of your past, and to feel guilt for the suffering you’ve caused another. And while he doesn’t ever tell Mimir that what he did to the Lyngbakr was OK – quite the opposite, in fact – he does let Mimir know that he’s become a better man than he was while under Odin’s service.
In a vacuum, this might seem uncharacteristically friendly for Kratos, but he spent an entire game learning the lessons he’s trying to impart on Mimir, his “brother.” God of War (2018) wasn’t about redemption or forgiveness for Kratos. It was about learning to use the time he has left to be better, and to teach his son as much as he could amid the chaos. The mistakes of Kratos’ past still linger, and he won’t be able to erase the pain he inflicted on an entire country, or the lives he took. But even if he can’t atone, he can strive to help, rather than to harm – even if helping still involves killing an evil god or two.
Atreus, Mimir, and Freya all helped Kratos become a better person in the last game, and Kratos spends much of Ragnarök repaying the favor to a variety of friends and chosen family. The Weight of Chains is one of the game’s best and earliest indications that the characters have grown since God of War (2018), and that they still have much more room to grow.
The Weight of Chains full walkthrough and rewards
The Weight of Chains is an early side quest in God of War Ragnarök’s Svartalfheim, starting at the Watchtower in the Bay of Bounty. It involves freeing a chained Lyngbakr creature across multiple islands, with combat, puzzles, and collectibles.
Starting the Quest
Dock at the Watchtower island in the Bay of Bounty central area. Clear explosive rocks with your axe, climb the path, destroy a Wretch nest, and proceed to find the locked Watchtower door. This triggers after initial Svartalfheim visits, like during “In Service of Asgard.”
Step 1: Find the Key
From the Watchtower base, climb to a nearby island. Hit a fire vessel to clear rocks, destroy another Wretch nest, and shimmy along the wall. Freeze a gear with your Leviathan Axe to raise an elevator, break the weak floor, defeat the Bergsra Mother mini-boss, and loot the red chest for the Watchtower Key.
Step 2: Unlock Watchtower
Return to the Watchtower, insert the key to access a drum. Have Atreus shoot it, raising the Lyngbakr and unlocking Lyngbakr Island. Sail there immediately.
Step 3: Free the Lyngbakr
Dock on Lyngbakr Island and climb aboard.
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First Binding (Near Head): Fight Draugrs, explode rubble with a fire vessel, sever the chain pillar, and axe the binding to free the flipper.
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Collect nearby Kvasir’s Poem lore up a wall.
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Second Binding: Grapple across, fight Nightmares and Draugrs, kick down a chain, sever the fin binding, clear a Wretch nest, and bomb rocks to open a tail dock. Bonus: Bomb earlier rubble for a red chest (Hacksilver, Slag Deposits), crawl a cave for another chest and Odin’s Raven.
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Third Binding (Tail Dock): Defeat Draugr waves, Grims, grapple over, sever the final chain. Slide a rope to a Legendary Chest with Whispering Slab (Muspelheim seed half) and Rond of Aggravation shield attachment. Pull a fence with Blades of Chaos for a Rune Slate (Freya reads it).
Sail to the Lyngbakr’s eye for a cutscene with Mimir.
Rewards
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1000 Kratos XP, 250 Atreus XP.
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Making Amends trophy.
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Legendary Chest: Whispering Slab, Rond of Aggravation.
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Red chests: Forged Iron, Hacksilver, Rawhide.
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Lore markers, artifact, Odin’s Raven, map expansion to Lyngbakr Island.
All collectibles and chests in The Weight of Chains
“The Weight of Chains” side quest in God of War Ragnarök features several collectibles and chests integrated into its walkthrough on Lyngbakr Island in Svartalfheim.
Lore Markers
One Lore Marker (“Regarding the Removal of Resources”) sits near the first binding by the Lyngbakr’s head-climb the golden chain after freeing the first flipper and turn right. Another Rune Slate appears at the tail after the third binding; use Blades of Chaos to pull a fence, have Freya read it to lower a gate.
Artifacts
Kvasir’s Poem – We Who Remain, Part the Second is at the island’s top near the head: from the Lore Marker, climb the wall, turn left, and grab the purple glow at the end.
Odin’s Ravens
One Odin’s Raven hides after the second binding: grapple across from the Lore area, destroy a Wretch nest for a bomb dispenser, clear rubble near the Lore Marker with a bomb, enter the revealed tunnel, and spot it on the ledge to the left.
Chests
| Chest Type | Contents | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Legendary Chest | Whispering Slab (Muspelheim seed half), Rond of Aggravation (shield attachment) | After sliding the rope post-third binding, in plain sight by the tail dock. |
| Red Chest 1 | Forged Iron, Hacksilver | After first binding, near head by rubble cleared with fire vessel. |
| Red Chest 2 | Rawhide, Hacksilver | After second binding, past cleared rubble and bomb-thrown dock by fin. |
| Red Chest 3 | Slag Deposits, Hacksilver | Near bomb dispenser after Wretch nest, before tail dock-clear debris with bomb. |
| Red Chest 4 | Rawhide, Hacksilver | At new tail dock after second binding, post-enemy fight. |
| Small Chests | Hacksilver | One in cave near Odin’s Raven tunnel; others scattered in rubble/caves during bombs. |
These yield 100% Lyngbakr Island collectibles during the quest, plus XP and the Making Amends trophy on completion.
