God of War Trophy Guide: Nailing the Platinum Without the Stress

Earning the Platinum trophy in the 2018 soft-reboot of God of War is a rewarding experience that doesn't require multiple playthroughs or the frustration of missable items. Unlike many open-world action RPGs, Santa Monica Studio designed this list to encourage exploration rather than punish it. You can complete the story at your own pace and return to any area later to clean up remaining tasks.

This God of War trophy guide outlines the most efficient path to the "Father and Son" Platinum trophy, covering everything from the narrative milestones to the brutal endgame challenges against the Valkyries.

Trophy Roadmap and Key Statistics

Difficulty to Platinum: 4/10 (highly skill-dependent based on chosen game difficulty)
Total Trophies: 37 (1 Platinum, 5 Gold, 9 Silver, 22 Bronze)
Time to Platinum: 40–50 hours
Missable Trophies: None
Glitchy Trophies: None reported in the latest patches
Does Difficulty Affect Trophies?: No. You can earn the Platinum on "Give Me a Story" (Easy) or "Give Me God of War" (Very Hard).

Step 1: Play Through the Main Story

The initial focus should be on the journey of Kratos and Atreus. Roughly 14 trophies are tied directly to story progression. By simply reaching the credits, you will unlock almost 40% of the list. During this phase, do not worry about finding every collectible or opening every Nornir chest. Some areas are inaccessible until you unlock specific abilities later in the narrative.

However, it is beneficial to interact with Brok and Sindri whenever possible. Upgrading your Leviathan Axe and armor sets early makes the mid-game combat much smoother. If you encounter a puzzle that seems impossible, it likely requires an ability you haven't unlocked yet, such as the Light Arrows or the Chisel.

Step 2: Exploration and Favors

Once the Lake of Nine opens up and the water level drops for the second time, the world becomes your oyster. This stage involves completing "Favors" (side quests) for the Dwarven blacksmiths and the Wayward Spirits.

Focus on the following key regions:

Veithurgard: Essential for the "Death Happened Here" trophy. It requires opening the large gate on the mainland.
The Lake of Nine: Fully exploring every island is necessary for "Beneath the Surface."
Konunsgard: This area is unlocked via Brok and Sindri’s final favor, leading to the "Like Oil and Water" trophy.

Step 3: Collectibles Cleanup

This is usually the most time-consuming part of the God of War trophy guide. You will need to find all 51 of Odin's Ravens, 45 Artifacts, and 11 Jötnar Shrines. Using the in-game map is helpful here, as it tracks the completion percentage for each sub-region. If a region says 100%, you are safe to move on.

Step 4: The Endgame Realms and Valkyries

The final hurdles are the optional realms: Muspelheim (combat trials) and Niflheim (the mist maze). These realms provide the materials needed to fully upgrade your weapons. Finally, you must defeat the nine Valkyries, culminating in the toughest boss fight in the game.

Essential Story Trophies

These trophies are unmissable. If you finish the game, you will have them:

The Journey Begins: Defend your home from the Stranger.
A New Friend: Survive the Witch's Woods.
Feels Like Home: Allow the Light Elves to return home.
Dragon Slayer: Defeat the Dragon of the Mountain.
Troubling Consequences: Defeat Magni and Modi.
Hello, Old Friend: Retrieve the Blades of Chaos.
Promise Fulfilled: Heal Atreus.
Round 2: Rescue Atreus.
Past Haunts: Ride the ship out of Helheim.
Twilight Beckons: Defeat Baldur.
Last Wish: Spread the ashes.

Mastering Combat and Upgrades

To secure the Platinum, you need to push Kratos to his absolute limit. This involves maximizing his stats and weaponry.

Iðunn’s Orchard and Quick Tempered

These trophies require you to fully upgrade your Health and Rage meters. This is done by opening Nornir Chests (the ones with three runes). There are more Nornir Chests in the game than needed for the trophies, which provides some leeway. Each upgrade requires three items (Iðunn Apples for health, Horns of Blood Mead for rage).

Pro-tip: Focus on these early. A larger health pool is the difference between life and death when facing late-game bosses.

Worthy and Why Fight It?

To fully upgrade the Leviathan Axe (Level 6) and the Blades of Chaos (Level 5), you need rare materials found only in the endgame realms.

Chilled Flame: Most are dropped by story bosses, but the final one requires trading a "Frozen Flame" (earned by defeating the Valkyrie in Muspelheim) at the shop.
Chaos Flame: Similarly, the final upgrade for the Blades requires the "Raging Inferno of Muspelheim," obtained by completing the Muspelheim trials.

Path of the Zealot and Primordial

You must craft the Traveler armor set and the Ancient armor set.

Travelers: These are the knight-like enemies with large shields. You need their armor shards and trophies.
Ancients: These are the elemental rock giants. Killing one usually provides enough materials to craft at least one piece of their set.

The Collector's Path: Ravens, Artifacts, and Shrines

Allfather Blinded (Odin's Ravens)

There are 51 translucent green ravens scattered across the realms. Finding them all requires a keen ear—they make a distinct metallic bird sound when nearby. Many are hidden high in the environment or tucked behind destructible objects. If you are struggling, try adjusting the game's audio settings to lower the music volume, making the raven's calls easier to isolate.

Curator (Artifacts)

Artifacts are sold to the shop for Hacksilver and belong to sets (e.g., Abandon Ship, Family Heirloom). Collecting all sets is required. Unlike Ravens, these are usually found on the bodies of fallen soldiers or in corners of rooms during story missions.

The Truth (Jötnar Shrines)

There are 11 wooden shrines that depict the history of the Giants. These are large triptychs that Atreus will read. Most are found in Midgard, with one in Muspelheim and one in Helheim. They are often tucked away in side rooms near main story objectives.

Realm Specific Challenges

Muspelheim: Fire and Brimstone

The Realm of Fire consists of six arenas. Each has a "Normal" and "Hard" trial.

Trial 1: Kill enemies within the time limit / Kill enemies in quick succession.
Trial 2: Survive for 5 minutes.
Trial 3: Kill "Elite" enemies while they are protected by grunts.
Trial 4: Kill enemies while they are inside a golden circle.
Trial 5: Kill enemies to increase your remaining time.
Trial 6: Defeat the Valkyrie Göndul.

After defeating the Valkyrie, "Impossible" trials unlock. You only need to complete three of these to get the keys to the final Hidden Trial on the summit. This is required for the "Fire and Brimstone" trophy.

Niflheim: Darkness and Fog

Niflheim is a procedurally generated maze filled with a deadly mist that kills Kratos over time. To earn the "Darkness and Fog" trophy, you must loot all chests in the central chamber. This requires a massive amount of Mist Echoes (around 68,000 in total).

Strategy for Niflheim:

Don't be greedy. In your first few runs, just kill a few enemies and return to the start to bank your Echoes.
Craft the Ivaldi’s Mist Armor as soon as possible. This set regenerates your health and significantly increases your resistance to the mist.
The more chests you open in a single run, the more Echoes you get from subsequent chests. Focus on clearing the entire "circle" of the maze to maximize your gains.

The Ultimate Challenge: Chooser of the Slain

Defeating the nine Valkyries is the final step for most players. These are the hardest encounters in the game, requiring precise timing, parrying, and runic attack management.

Locating the Valkyries

Four are in Midgard (Hidden Chambers of Odin).
One is in Alfheim.
One is in Helheim.
One is in Muspelheim (Trial 6).
One is in Niflheim (found in the maze).

General Valkyrie Tactics

Atreus is Essential: Use his Shock Arrows to interrupt their flying unblockable attacks.
Runic Attacks: Use attacks with high stun or fast execution. "Hel's Touch" (Light Axe) is excellent for creating openings.
Berserker Resurrection Stone: Always have one. If you fall, it brings you back with a full Rage bar, which can turn the tide of the fight.
Watch the Wings: When a Valkyrie cocoons herself in her wings, use a heavy axe throw or a Shield Break (double tap L1) to open her up.

Defeating Sigrun (The Queen)

Sigrun is found at the Council of Valkyries after the other eight are defeated. She uses every move from the previous eight sisters.

Stay Patient: This is a marathon, not a sprint. Only attack during her recovery windows.
Valhalla Stomp: When she screams "Valhalla!" and jumps up, dodge immediately. If she catches you, she deals massive damage. She can do this up to three times in a row.
Blinding Light: If she flies up and starts glowing, turn Kratos away or throw the axe instantly. Getting blinded usually leads to a quick death.

Miscellaneous Trophy Cleanup

All Will Fall

Kill 1,000 enemies. You will likely achieve this naturally during your Muspelheim or Niflheim grind. If not, just spend more time in the Niflheim maze.

Dangerous Skies

Free the three dragons of Midgard (Fafnir, Reginn, and Otr). Each requires destroying three shrines located around the dragon's area. These are some of the most cinematic side quests in the game.

Unfinished Business

Assist five Wayward Spirits. These spirits appear as green spectral figures around the Lake of Nine. Their quests are short and usually involve clearing a small area of enemies or finding a specific item.

Treasure Hunter

Find all dig spots using treasure maps. There are 12 maps in total. The map itself provides a sketch and a riddle. You don't need to find the map to find the treasure, but the dig spot only appears if the map is in your inventory.

Optimal Gear for the Platinum

While personal preference plays a role, certain gear combinations make the endgame much easier.

The "Safety" Build:

Armor: Full Ivaldi’s Set of Deadly Mist (Niflheim).
Axe Pommel: Versatile Warrior’s Handle (for stat boosts).
Blades Pommel: Blightguard (for the chance to trigger a weakness burst).
Talisman: Shattered Gauntlet of Ages. When socketed with three specific enchantments (Andvari’s Soul, Ivaldi’s Corrupted Mind, and Asgard’s Shard of Existence), it becomes a powerful projectile attack.

The "Runic" Build:

Armor: Valkyrie Set (earned by defeating Valkyries). It offers high Cooldown and Runic stats.
Talisman: Talisman of Realms. This slows down time, allowing you to unload your most powerful Runic attacks on a boss without fear of retaliation.

Conclusion

God of War's trophy list is a testament to the game's quality. It doesn't ask you to do anything tedious; it asks you to see everything the developers built. From the soaring heights of the Mountain to the oppressive mists of Niflheim, every trophy brings you closer to understanding the bond between Kratos and Atreus.

By following this God of War trophy guide, you ensure that your path to the Platinum is as smooth as a boat ride on the Lake of Nine. Be patient with the Valkyries, keep your ears open for Odin's Ravens, and remember: Don't be sorry, be better.