Having just tussled with the God of Thunder, you are probably a little worn down. But there is no time for rest in God of War Ragnarok! Now you must brave the Lower Wildwoods and see what Atreus has found. Unlike the Upper Wildwoods, the lower Wildwoods have a greater degree of hidden treasures.
This is also the first time the game will start to venture into some light puzzle solving. To top it all off, you will have another boss encounter. We will take you through this frozen hellscape and point you in the direction of all the missable treasures. And, of course, we will help you break the four-legged fiend that you encounter during your stay in the Lower Wildwoods.
Survive Fimbulwinter
Once you leave the comfort of your home, and give your wolves a pat on the head, you will quickly be on the path to the temple Atreus wants to show you so badly. Follow the trail until you run up against a tall wall that Kratos will use his Blades of Chaos to scale. After you climb up, there will be a chest with Hacksilver in it to your left. After you break down the door with your blades, there will be a ledge you can drop down on your left. There is some Hacksilver down there. Hop back up onto the main path. You will come across a raider standing in a cave, but before you can reach them, you will see them get yanked away by a chain. Not a great sign.
Move in the direction the chain came from (it should be your left), and you will find a chest covered in brambles; burn the brambles with your blades to get some more Hacksilver. Now, head back to where you saw the Raider get taken and follow the opposite path. You will need to kill a few Hel-Raiders (don't worry, they aren't much harder than the standard Raider). After you take the Hel-Raiders out, travel on the path, squeeze through the gap in the stone wall, and the main trail will lead you to a narrow cavern. To your right will be one of Odin's wells. Which just means that there is a bucket suspended above a deep pit.
Hit the target above the bucket, causing it to fall. Then jump down and grab the Shattered Rune. There is also a chest with Hacksilver down here. Climb back up and crawl into the cave. You will kill a few more Raiders here. Once you exit the cave, you will find a big pillar blocking your path. Use your Blades of Chaos to move the pillar. The main path will take you upward, but before you climb up to the surface above you, jump down and get the Hacksilver from the corpse below. Once you get up above, you will need to grab that pillar you just moved with your blades and move it back to where it was before (creating a platform to jump on).
Up here there will be a chain you need to yank in order to pull the rope to your right taut. It won’t budge until you destroy the ring tethering the rope to the rocks below it. After you destroy that ring with your axe, yank the chain. You can now slide down the rope.
Once you hop down, you will fight a bunch of Raiders. This is the biggest group of them you have fought up to this point. There are dead trees that you can use to perform a giant attack with. There are also Raiders with slings firing projectiles at you from across the chasm, so prepare to dodge.
Keep in mind that you can parry projectiles to send them directly back at your opponents.
Near where you dropped down, there are more brambles to burn. Move through the narrow crevice and fight a few more Hel-Raiders.You will fight your first Hel-Raider Scout here. She has a scream-based projectile, but you can block it easily enough.
Now you will find your first bit of Lore Text scribbled on the wall (it is glowing, so it is pretty hard to miss). Hop down below, fight another Hel-Raider Scout, and get the Hacksilver from the chest. Head back up to Atreus, and climb the ice wall. Once you are at the top, you will fight some more Hel-Raiders. When you try to climb the next ice wall you will be rudely interrupted by The Huntress.
The Huntress
The Huntress is a mid-boss of sorts. In this fight, you will not be able to use your shield, so you will not have the ability to block or deflect her arrows. Your main goal is to hit her horns when they are glowing, then unload on her while she is down. The Huntress has four main attacks.
If you get too close to her, she will kick you with her front legs. When you are at a distance, she will fire a volley of arrows that will erupt once they hit the ground. Rolling toward the arrows is a mistake; roll away from them. The other attack has her litter the ground with arrows that explode. There will be plenty of time to move away from them, so this isn't one of her more potent moves. Finally, she has a four-shot combo with her bow, it has a deliberate rhythm to it. So, if you mash the dodge button, you will get hit by an arrow or two. Try to dodge the second you hear her release the arrow.
Her arrow volley is likely to be the attack that is going to give you the most amount of trouble. Wait until after she releases the arrows before you start rolling away. A lot of this fight is going to be a game of keep away, as you wait for those horns to start glowing, and then tag her horns with an axe throw. Keep in mind that if you manage to freeze her, then her movement speed will be dramatically decreased, and she will become substantially less threatening. You can take a more aggressive approach with your Blades of Chaos, but you are going to want to be extremely mindful of your attack range, as if you get too close you may catch a hoof to the face, and you don't have a shield to save you.
Entering The Temple
Once you kill The Huntress, pick up the crafting material and equip your Axe with runes. Climb the wall, take a left, and pick up the lore scroll. Now, follow Atreus into the temple. There is another one of Odin’s wells here. Hit the target above the bucket and jump down to collect the Hacksilver. Once you enter the courtyard, take a right and find a narrow crack in the wall. Crawl through and collect the Forged Iron and Hacksilver from the chest.
There is another chest in the courtyard perched up on a platform above. Climb up and get more Hacksilver. Once you get to the bridge, you will need to pull the pillar to the side, but you will initially be unable to do so. You need to clear the pillar by chopping the tree on you right in half with your axe (it is pinning the pillar down). Once you do so, you will be able to yank the pillar to the side with your Blades of Chaos.
On the way back home, make sure to lift the gate and grab the crafting components from the chest. You will find a giant cracked stone slab. Climb up to the level above, look down on it, and you will be able to crash down through it and open another chest.
After that, head back up, kick down the chain, and kill the Raiders. You will fight the Raider Chief, but despite being extremely resilient, he is, in equal measure, slow. So, just back away while whipping him with your blades, and you will be through with him pretty quickly. All that is left to do is head back home. An old friend will be waiting!