Chapter 9: The Sickness

Appeal to the Witch

Atreus is incapacitated, and the only thing you can do is take him to the Witch. Leave the Temple of Tyr, get in the boat, and sail to the Witch’s Cave. The sky above has darkened, and the sound of a horn can be heard from the temple—the atmosphere is tense.

The Witch tells you that to heal yourself, you need the heart of the Keeper of the Bridge of the Damned, who dwells in Helheim, the realm of the dead. There’s a problem: Leviathan is useless against the dead. Kratos will have to resort to a weapon from his past.

Return Home for the Blades of Chaos

The boat will head for the Wild Lands on its own — the place where it all began. Without Atreus, your arsenal of moves is limited, so keep that in mind in every battle.

At the pier, follow the familiar path to the house. Hell Reapers have settled in the courtyard — there’s no point in getting your axe, just use your fists. Mimir still warns you of incoming attacks, so you’re not completely alone without Atreus’ support. The Guard’s Swing and Guard’s Justice techniques will help you knock enemies off their feet and build up your stun meter. Watch out for frost damage — it’s significant here.

Inside the house, Kratos will retrieve relics from the past — the Blades of Chaos. Immediately after that:

• A new skill tree will open up — you will have enough accumulated experience for several skills, such as “Ignition” and “Swift Chaos.”
• A slot for blades will appear in the weapon tab, but ice rune attacks are incompatible with fire blades.

Try out the new weapon on the crowds of Vile Reapers outside. The blades work similarly to an axe: long-range throws with return, combo series, lunge attacks, and dodges. For those familiar with Kratos’ past adventures, the controls will feel familiar; for newcomers, they will be intuitive.

The Road to Helheim

After dealing with all your enemies, head back to the Temple of Tyur. There is a Mystic Gate in the courtyard of the house — use it, as other routes for exploration are currently unavailable.

At Brock’s workshop, you can upgrade the Blades of Chaos (you will need a special ingredient, just like for Leviathan). Stock up and upgrade, then enter the Room of Interdimensional Travel and activate the transition to Helheim.

On the Bridge of the Kingdom of the Dead

Helheim greets you with bitter cold—the fiery Blades of Chaos are indispensable here. On the bridge between worlds, the icy Hell Reapers and reinforced Hell Reaper Lords await you.

Collectibles on the bridge

The thorns of Hel that once blocked the path are now easily burned away by the Blades of Chaos — clear the way without delay.

Advancing toward the Bridge Keeper

Behind the narrow passage between the ice floes, Hel-Vydoki will appear — swift undead creatures capable of jumping enormous distances and crashing down from above. Their defense is weak, so the runic attack “Spartan Charge” will tear them to shreds.

Please note the two chests containing silver:

• On the right — behind the thorns of Hell.
• On the left, on the ledge — first deal with the undead and Hel Shadow Archers, then take the loot.

Fight your way through the thorns and crowds of the dead to the huge gates of Helheim. The gates are locked to the living, so look for a way around: to the left of the door are the Thorns of Hel, behind which is a side path.

Side path and courtyard

After squeezing through the narrow passage, you will find yourself in a small area with Hel-Zhnets, including shield bearers. Against shields, act the same way as with draugr: either break through the defense with a shield strike, or provoke an attack and counterattack. Do not block — the enemy will respond with an icy shockwave (which can be blocked if you react quickly).

On either side of this area: a chest with silver behind the thorns and a passage to the wall for climbing. Climb up, go around the columns, and descend into the courtyard.

In the courtyard:

• Turn around immediately — take out the Hell Reapers-Archers behind you.
• Between the columns at the top hangs a chest of silver, locked with thorns. Throw the Spear of Chaos on both sides of the column to free and drop it.
• Near the far wall, there is more silver behind thorns on a rock.

Collectibles in the courtyard

The Pit and the Tunnel

The ground will then collapse, revealing Hel-Viking with a giant mace. Without Atreus, there is no one to distract him — dodge behind him during his swings and strike hard at his unprotected side, finishing him off with rune attacks. Try to finish him off before Hel Reapers arrive from the opposite side of the pit. Against groups, use the blades’ spin to hook them all at once.

After clearing the area, destroy the thorns around you and look for a way up. The icy tunnel is not accessible yet — climb up the wall under the high bridge. At the top, turn right, burn the thorns — a column will collapse, creating a ledge to the second wall for climbing out of the pit.

Odin’s Raven: Behind the ice wall under the high bridge, a green raven sits in plain sight on the other side. Leviathan will get it without any problems.

Jump back into the pit and climb into the icy tunnel leading under the bridges to the high wall.

Artifact “Family Heirloom” (double-headed brooch): Look up in the tunnel — the artifact glitters under a small bridge in the Thorns of Hell. Burn the thorns.

At the top of the ridge, you will find yourself just below the main road. Behind you is a Shard Crystal in a wall of Tree Sap, which cannot be destroyed alone at this point. Move forward and climb up to the ledge overlooking the Bridge of the Damned and the giant bird watching over the flow of the dead.

Boss: Mattuhr Helsohn

The Bridge Keeper is a type of troll with a magical weapon capable of determining who is truly dead. This weapon makes him much more dangerous than previous trolls: he teleports around the arena, instantly disappearing and reappearing at a new location.

Phases of battle

First phase. The troll alternates between three lunges with teleportation in between, ending the series with a forward strike — dodge behind him and counterattack. He also charges his weapon, leaving floating bombs: they move slowly, so it’s enough to step back or hold your shield. When he teleports to a distance and launches a long-range projectile, dodge or parry to reflect the blow back into his face.

Phase Two. After losing some health, the boss will throw you back toward the door and start hitting the ground with his weapon, sending out a series of shockwaves at intervals. Run between the waves and attack with a powerful combo when he stops. Stunning unarmed attacks are useless—the troll cannot be stunned. Focus on Chaos Blades.

Phase Three. The boss summons Hell Spawn. This is why blades are the best choice: chain attacks allow you to cut through the small fry while getting behind the troll. After clearing them out, he will return to his standard pattern.

Finish. With low health, Mattug will move to the far edge of the arena and begin spinning his weapon behind his back, preparing for a powerful strike. At the last moment, he teleports in close and swings his blade. If you notice him spinning in advance, dodge behind him for a counterattack or activate Spartan Fury to interrupt the attack. Before striking, he may additionally charge several bombs that will rush towards his position.

Continue to dodge and counterattack—eventually, the troll will be stunned enough for you to finish it off. After extracting the heart, take the Flame of Chaos from the body—a resource for upgrading Chaos Blades.

Return to Midgard

In the arena, restore your health and open the chest with silver behind the Hel Thorns. The door to the Portal is sealed—you need the Winds of Hel to open it. The green sphere is to the right of the door. Approach it—Kratos will gain the ability to carry the Winds of Hel, but the energy lasts only 10 seconds, after which it returns.

The Mystery of the Hel Winds in the Temple

1. Take the winds and insert them into the large door to pass through.
2. On the other side, take the winds from the large door and redirect them to the small door on the right.
3. Ice Nightmares will appear — capture them with Chaos Blades for quick destruction.
4. The upper bridges are useless without Atreus — move on and deal with the Hel Reapers.

In the next room, the door opposite cannot be opened from the current side due to ice. Climb onto the bridge, move towards the wall made of Red Juice, turn left onto the icy ledge and look down — from here you can catch the wind at a different angle. Go down and open the door: inside is a coffin with the engraved coat of arms of Providence.

The exit from this area is through a tunnel behind the Hel Thorns, leading to a large door at the end of the temple bridge. You will need two Hel Winds for it, one of which is already in place. The second is above the tunnel you came out of: look up and install it.

Hel-Traveler and the Last Secrets

On the bridge among the dead, Hel-Traveler awaits you, sharpening his enormous sword. He has no shield, but he deals heavy damage. He strikes with unblockable vertical blows and wide side swings that stagger you. When he raises his sword in the air, immediately roll back: a powerful shockwave will follow around him. After the wave, continue your attack.

Reward: Deadly Warblades (pommels for Chaos Blades), armor fragments, and military trophies for crafting Traveler’s Armor.

Additional treasures on the bridge

A coffin made of solid Svartalfheim steel. Next to the door is a stone tomb with a Winds of Hel receiver. Now that the door is open, both winds are free: take one and place it in the tomb.

Legendary Chest: Chaos Cyclone

The most difficult puzzle on the bridge is the relay of Hel winds through a chain of receivers. First, clear all the Hel Reapers on the bridge, and then:

1. Set the wind to the first plate on the right.
2. Take it and move it to the top left plate — the time will be updated.
3. Take it again, run forward to the statue with the shield — the receiver is in the middle.
4. Take it, jump over the obstacle to the next statue on the right — the receiver is on the back.
5. Take it, run to the large horn in the center of the bridge — the receiver is on the inner ring at the top.
6. Take it, run along the left side of the bridge to the dead end — the wind plate.
7. Go around the slab from the other side, take the wind and run across the bridge to the stairs — the slab is on the right at the top before the descent.
8. Go down to the lower balcony, turn left, and immediately throw the wind into the last receiver.

The stone seal will open—inside the legendary chest is a light rune attack for Chaos Blades: “Chaos Cyclone.“

End of chapter

There is nothing more to do in Helheim. Enter the temple, make your way to the Room of Displacement, and be sure to visit Brock: upgrade your Chaos Blades, examine the new pommels, and acquire new skills.

In Midgard, Brock will inform you that the Mystic Gates have been upgraded—now you can use them to travel to any previously opened gates, not just the workshop in Tyr’s Temple. Take advantage of this and travel directly to the Witch’s Cave.

The Heart of the Bridge Keeper will heal Atreus… at least for a while.