The beginning of the journey: the valley and meeting Galena
A small valley will greet you with a fork in the road. On the right, a path leads through the trees to a cave — take a look inside to find the Stone of Knowledge. After that, return and take the left path to the bridge.
An unusual sight awaits you at the waterfall—look closely at the water. A face appears among the jets. Focus on it to hear the voice of Galena, Senua’s mother.
The first battle and the rune puzzle
Crossing the bridge, you will find yourself in a spacious valley. The sky will darken — Darkness is approaching. On the left, you will see a massive door with two runes, but you cannot simply walk up to it: enemies familiar from the Gates will appear.
Combat tactics: focus on blocking and counterattacks. If your opponent starts to defend, use a kick to break through their defense. Defeat enough warriors and the Darkness will retreat.
Search for runes N and Y
The door bears symbols resembling the letters N and Y. Drut mentions the cries of the burned victims carried by the wind—they will show the way.
Rune Y: Return to the bridge, but turn left before reaching it. There are charred bodies here. On the right, you can see corpses tied to Y-shaped posts, but that’s not what you’re looking for. Climb the path to the left and turn around—align the long straight pole with one of the tied bodies to get the symbol you’re looking for.
Rune N: Head to the far corner of the valley, to the watchtower. The path climbs above the gate, past piles of dead bodies. Turn toward the entrance to Helheim in the distance—two pillars form the letter N when viewed from the right angle.
Path Through the Flames: The Mechanics of Fire Doors
Advance through the hanging bodies and ascend toward the smoke and fire. In a confined space with a wooden door adorned with the mark of Surth, Darkness will overtake you once more.
Features of the second battle: enemies will begin to dodge and deliver heavy blows capable of breaking through your defense. Dodge such attacks and parry the rest. Voices in your head will warn you of attacks from behind — use this to parry in time and turn the situation to your advantage.
After your victory, focus on the portal with the emblem of Surtr. Drut’s words will give you a clue: only a fiery sacrifice will open the way. Go through the door that opened on the left to the bonfire with the bodies. On the other side, the stone slab bears the symbol of Surth — interact with it to engulf the world in flames. Now run to the Fire Door and break through.
Under the bridge: the second fiery barrier
The fire quickly dies out. The path across the bridge leading to the funeral pyre is blocked. Voices advise finding a detour.
Go down the path to the left of the bridge. Before continuing, look to the left—there is another Knowledge Stone hidden there.
Behind the bridge is another Fire Door. To open it, turn left and go under the bridge into the burnt forest. Voices will warn you that once everything catches fire, it will be difficult to return. Before climbing the rocky passage on the left, be sure to look to the right—there you will find the Stone of Knowledge.
Climb up, walk along the narrow beam to the area with the charred bodies and the altar. Activate the stone slab. When the world bursts into flames, don’t go back the way you came! Run to the right, then jump off the ledge on the left. Keep to the right side along the fiery borders, then rush straight under the bridge and burst through the Fiery Door.
Destroyed buildings: runes R and |><|
In the new area on the left, there is another Fire Door. Opposite it is a Rune Door leading to the altar. Examine it: you need the symbols |><| (two triangles) and R.
Stone of Knowledge: Look inside the ruined building on the right—it is located to the left of the entrance.
Rune R: Enter the better-preserved house on the left, go up to the second floor, and cross the roof to the ruined building. From this point, look down—the smoldering coals on the ground form the letter R.
Rune |><|: Stand at the entrance door of the entire building. Visions will begin to flash around you. Move towards the grove in front of the house and look towards the blacksmith’s table to the left of the Rune door — the fallen trees, together with the two standing ones, form the desired symbol.
Escape Through Fire
Enter the open door and activate the altar. Run back, but the path to the portal is blocked by fire — run through the back of the large building, turning left down the corridor. Go around the stairs, climb up, and cross over to the other building. Jump down and turn toward the Fire Door.
Ambush: Enemies are attacking here. Beware of fire and listen for voices attacking from behind. Counterattack and push back your opponents. If the situation gets out of control, retreat to see both enemies. After victory, run to the exit.
Final puzzle: runes X, P, and D
Once you climb up, you will find yourself in a long ruined building connected to another building by a bridge. Below is a courtyard. On one side of the courtyard is the Fire Door, and on the opposite side is the Rune Door.
Stone of Knowledge: Cross the bridge, turn left onto the balcony in the other house—this is the last Stone of Knowledge in this area. Then go through the other exit to the smithy in the backyard and open the door on that side.
Rune placement
| Runa | Where to look |
|---|---|
| X | Through the open door to the left of the smithy. Look along the wall of the long house — the missing boards form a symbol. |
| P | Inside the house, on the bridge. In the doorway, look to the right at the broken beams at an angle — align them to form the letter P |
| D | Climb up to the watchtower in the far right corner. At the edge of the ruined passage, look left at the roof of the house on the right — match it with the pole to get D. |
Go through the Rune Door to the last altar. Listen to Drut: run and don’t stop, even if you catch fire. Once you reach the shelter, Senua will collapse, but after a brief flashback, she will find herself face to face with Surth, the god of fire.
Boss Battle: Surt
Surts look like enlarged versions of normal enemies, but it would be dangerous to underestimate them.
Basic mechanics: Blocking the flaming sword is useless. Master lunges and side dodges. Surth performs wide, slow combinations that end with a vertical strike. Dodge, deliver several quick attacks, keep moving until his series ends, then attack with full force.
Footsteps: When Surtr raises his foot, jump back from the fiery explosion, then immediately close in.
Power Build-up: Surt thrusts his sword into the ground, voices shouting about gathering power. Immediately run towards him and attack with quick strikes to interrupt the process. After that, he usually falls to his knees — use slow, powerful attacks until the roar knocks you back.
Fiery Aura: Surt is engulfed in flames, making it dangerous to approach and attack. Voices will tell you to “focus” — do so. Time slows down and the fire stops causing damage. Rush in and deal damage before the flames die down.
Alternate between dodging and aggressive attacks, and the god of fire will be defeated.
Return to the Gates
After defeating Surth, quickly run across the bridge that was previously blocked and return to the Gates of Hel. If Valrune has not yet been defeated, enemies will be waiting at the gates.
Once you have collected both tokens, you will open the way to the Bridge in Hel. What awaits you on the other side remains to be seen.