How to start ‘Weight of Chains’ in God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is an even bigger game than God of war (2018), which was bigger in its own right than all of the previous mainline God of War games combined. It’s filled with side activities and quests to help flesh out the world. But unlike God of war (2018), Ragnarok is about more than just Kratos’ journey to personhood. It’s about an ensemble cast bouncing off of each other as they explore a vast world and confront their individual flaws.

One of the game’s earliest side quests exemplifies this shift in tone better than any other, casting Mimir—the self-proclaimed “smartest man alive”—as the fuckup and Kratos as his sage advisor. But with so many different paths to take through Svartalfheim, the game’s first open area, it’s easy to miss. Here’s how to start it, and why it’s worth your time.

The mission “Weight of Chains” (formally called a “Favor”, in Ragnarok(in the language of ‘s) begins in the Bay of Bounty area of ​​Svartalfheim, the first major realm you enter in God of War Ragnarok. You begin the quest by setting foot on a seemingly innocent 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.

At the location of the Watchtower – the island that divides the two parts of the Bay of Bounty – Mimir panics when he sees that a giant door is still locked. He asks you to find the key, saying that it is located in the middle of the bay near a geyser.

Mimir takes on an unusually fearful tone here, so if you encounter this dialogue it can really make an impression on you — at least it did on me — and send you on a hunt for the island right away. Hearing this dialogue doesn’t start the quest or put a marker on your map, though. You have to land on the beach first.

Once you get to the island and complete a small obstacle course, you’ll earn a key that you can take back to The Watchtower. When you open the door, you’ll see a large drum sitting on the edge of the water, which Mimir will ask you to strike.

(Editorial note: (This is where the quest gets interesting, so if you don’t want anything hidden from you, do it yourself and come back later.)

If you strike the drum with Atreus’ arrow, a giant, chained, whale-like sea beast called the Lyngbakr rises from the ocean, right beneath the island where you got the key. It turns out that the island was actually part of the Lyngbakr itself. And the geyser? The blowhole.

The rest of the quest revolves around Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir trying to free the beast. But it’s the dialogue, not the action, that makes this Favor so memorable.

Mimir quickly admits that the creature’s captivity is his fault—a gift to Odin so that the Allfather would always have grease for his lanterns. The chief is devastated that the creature still lives in such torment, but hopes that the trio can save it. Kratos is more skeptical that this injustice can ever be righted.

Kratos begins by chiding Mimir for locking up the Lyngbakr, saying that death is better than imprisonment. The head assures the old god of war that he hates himself far more than anyone else for the crime.

When the trio frees the beast, the Lyngbakr refuses to move, having grown accustomed to its captivity. Mimir leaves, dejected and devastated by his own failures. But Kratos does something unexpected: he gives Mimir some thoughtful advice.

Kratos knows what it’s like to feel ashamed of your past and guilty for the harm you’ve caused others. And while he never tells Mimir that what he did to the Lyngbakr was okay—quite the opposite, in fact—he does let Mimir know that he’s a better man than he was when he served Odin.

In a vacuum, this might seem unusually kind to Kratos, but he’s spent an entire game learning the lessons he’s trying to pass on to Mimir, his “brother.” God of war (2018) wasn’t about redemption or forgiveness for Kratos. It was about learning to use the time he had left to become better, and to teach his son as much as he can amidst the chaos. The mistakes of Kratos’ past are still with him, and he won’t be able to erase the pain he’s caused an entire country, or the lives he’s taken. But even if he can’t atone, he can strive to help, rather than harm — even if helping still means killing an evil god or two.

Atreus, Mimir, and Freya all helped Kratos become a better person in the final game, and Kratos spends a large portion of his time Ragnarok repaying the favor to a variety of friends and chosen family members. 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 have much more room to grow.