God of War - Path to the Mountain, Wildwood's Edge, the Revenant and Escape the Ruins
A walkthrough for the start of God of War's second mission.
Path to the Mountain, along with its standout moments featuring battles with a Revenant and a task to Escape the Ruins, is the next quest on your main story - known as The Journey - in God of War on PS4.
Here on this page, we'll take you through everything you need to know about this section of your quest, including how to solve any puzzles, take down any bosses and find any useful loot along the way. For guides to specific collectibles we also have pages on Valkyrie locations and how to open Hidden Chambers, Lost and Found locations and Faces of Magic locations, too.
This page follows on from Daudi Kaupmaor boss fight and the Stranger, and is the first of a few pages covering the lengthy Path to the Mountain quest, based in the Wildwood's Edge area.
Otherwise, you can always cycle back to our main God of War walkthrough and guide hub, or our guide to God of War Valkyrie locations and how to open Hidden Chambers, too.
Path to the Mountain
After defeating the Stranger, it's time to dive into that great big crack in the earth that the two of you opened up.
Journey towards the Mountain
Hop down and shimmy along, up, and across the various ledges - if you get stuck look for that classic PlayStation exclusive gold highlighting to show what you can grab onto whilst climbing, and note that when you need to jump across a gap it often requires turning the camera to face the direction you need to go before the Circle button prompt appears.
Soon enough you'll reach an area with several wooden structures and platforms, including another targetable cog straight ahead.
To climb upwards you need to go to the wheel - or is it a winch? - over to the right, looking directly at that circular glowing cog, and lower the bridge. As with the door before, throw an axe at the cog whilst holding the winch to freeze it, leaving the bridge lowered. Atreus can now run across and drop the chain down for you, allowing you to climb up.
Hope up and go left, to get a Hacksilver chest, then cross over the bridge to where Atreus first climbed up, and jump up onto the ledges on the cliff wall. Climb all the way to the top for a lovely spot of horizon-gazing, then turn to your right and continue climbing the wooden structures and on to the next area, the Wildwood's Edge.
The Wildwood's Edge
There are several enemies in this clearing - including some that throw fireball projectiles, that can be blocked or dodged - so beat them up and then, when you're finished, look for the glowing blue text, known as runes, on a rock nearby. When Atreus reads them it'll add some lore to your journal.
Continue towards the Mountain
Continue on - there's a climbable wall just next to those runes - and just ahead will be another of those icy chaps that need a few good punches to be destroyed. Just to the right, after that enemy, is a little alcove with a glowing red chest, containing Hel's Touch - a new Runic Attack. Equip it and watch how to use it in the menu - it's a useful one that, when activated briefly stuns and knocks back nearby enemies, giving you some breathing room in combat.
Follow the path and lift up the fallen pillar for Atreus when prompted, where you'll then see a bridge. Atreus, being Atreus, will almost fall off it, so run over to help and then, when you inevitably both fall and land down below, it's time to prepare for another fight.
This one's a good one - lots of Draugr and some slightly stronger versions of them. You'll likely pop Spartan Rage at some point so use it when it feels appropriate, and try to take out the ranged enemies spouting fire from a raised ledge when you get the chance, to make your life easier.
Escape the Ruins
Collect the various dropped Hacksilver and health orbs and then head for the engraved slab of stone that Atreus is looking at nearby. He'll read the runes, then you need to turn just to the right and towards the bricked wall - and more combat! Take out these meatier dudes and then climb the golden markings on that wall where they appeared from.
Looking for more help? Our God of War walkthrough and guide helps with the main story progress, including The Witch's Cave puzzle solutions. We also have articles on God of War Valkyrie locations and how to open Hidden Chambers, plus collectables including God of War Faces of Magic locations,God of War Lost and Found locations, God of War Treasure Map locations and God of War Nornir chest locations.
Kill the Revenant
Soon you'll reach another chamber with a few more statuesque enemies - smash them before they come back to life - and a new type of foe: a Revenant. These can be tricky - they dart around and dodge when you try to attack. To counter them, have Atreus fire an arrow at them, which will stun them for a few moments and allow you to follow up. A heavy axe throw, whilst already stunned by Atreus, will stun them some more so you can really pile on the damage.
Killing the Revenant will start a new kill Labour, Revenant's Ruin, and there's some Hacksilver dotted around the chamber as reward.
Follow the chamber to a broken wooden platform and jump across to the gold markings on the cliff at the far side. Climb up, and then you have a couple ways to go.
First, turn right for a chest containing some Soft Svartalfheim Steel.
Then turn back and jump across the gap you just climbed up out of, dispatching a couple enemies right in front of you, and then head slightly leftwards into the next chamber where more frozen and active Draugr await. Kill them, and take a look at the pair of nicely carved wooden doors to tick another Shrine off the list. There's also a little ledge nearby you can climb up for a Hacksilver chest, too.
Go back the way you came, to that broken wood platform, and when you reach it turn left, this time to another chamber with a fancy looking chest just ahead.
This one's locked, requiring you to hit three glowing blue Seals nearby with your axe, within a short time limit, to open it. The first is behind and just above the chest to the right. The next is in the opposite direction - high up to the left of the raised bridge. You may need to lower the bridge by smashing the thing holding it up to get close enough to hit it with an axe.
The third is across the other side of that bridge. After lowering the first half of it, climb up to that broken wooden platform again that you came from, but hang left and look towards that bridge again - you can reach the thing holding it up from here, so take it out with your axe.
Hop across the bridge and look to your left as you get to the other side - there's a gap in some rocks, through which you can see the next seal. Chuck your axe to unlock the chest, and head back for your loot: an Idunn Apple. Collecting three of these permanently increases your max health.
Cross the bridge again, and this time look to your right for a small wooden ledge, on top of which is a Hacksilver chest.
In the next chamber is another ice dude and a Revenant for you to deal with - remember the Atreus arrows for the Revenant when in doubt - and watch out for the chunkier Dragur that appear as you fight too. Pick up the Hacksilver and healing orbs nearby and then head to the winch by the bridge.
Again, you need to lower the bridge and shoot a certain object with a throw of your axe to freeze it in place - this time though, don't lower it all the way. Just drop it until the highlighted disc is lined up with the gap in the railings beneath the bridge. Hit that with your axe to freeze the bridge halfway up, then run across - and immediately hang right for another chest containing Soft Svartalfheim Steel.
Fight off the Reavers
Go back to the main path forwards and raise the gate for another cutscene. A load of human cannibals - Reavers - will attack, but are easy enough to dispatch. Head over to Atreus when you're done to help him out, then take out the reanimated men, now in the form of those "ice dudes" - so that's why they called them Reavers - to continue.
Head over to a wooden panel in the corner with gold markings to boost up Atreus, so he can lower a chain for you to climb up to the ledge yourself. You'll have to periodically nag him to do it though, as he's understandably a little shaken up.
Escape the Ruins
Climb up the lowered chain and shimmy across the ledge in the next room - hang right on the far side for another Soft Svartalfheim Steel chest, and in the area where the chain leads to, your first Faces of Magic - and proceed on outside, but pause for a second before you press on.
Continue towards the Mountain
Perched on a mossy rock just as you exit that room, to the left, is a glowing green bird. This is one of Odin's Ravens, or The Eyes of Odin, of which there are a whopping 51 in the game. Taking them out is another Labour for you, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for their destinctive squark and green glow as you proceed.
On the bridge you'll meet a chap called Brok, who apparently helped make that axe of yours and will act as an armourer, repairing and upgrading it, if you'd like. Check out his store when you're done talking to see if there's any gear you fancy upgrading - to be honest though, we've been absolutely fine without bothering.
After you chat, some enemies come out of the trees - turns out Atreus was right about what was stopping Brok's mule from moving - so wipe them out first.
Proceed through the gate to the Mountain
Before proceeding through the gate, chuck your axe at the disc holding up the nearby bridge and drop down a level for a Hacksilver chest, then slide down the chain for another chest holding Soft Svartalfheim Steel, and open the nearby gate to allow you to circle back or take shortcuts to and from the previous area, Metroidvania-style, before climbing back up the way you came.
You can also get a Faces of Magic on the far right of Brok, too.
Now, you can open the gate - pull the winch, lob your axe at the highlighted disc above it, and run through as usual.
Continue to the Mountain
You'll soon encounter a door with lots of spikes on it, that damage you if you get too close. To get through it, throw your axe at the golden bit in the top right, which knocks it open.
The one straight after takes a few hits - and you might spot a chest through the gap in the wall on the left after walking through. To get to that, hit that second door once more with your axe to open it even further round, allowing you to get behind that wall to the chest, for another Soft Svartalfheim Steel piece.
Now, there's a rather nasty-looking contraption ahead of you: spikes, facing down on a big ceiling that needs to be raised for you to proceed, but could drop if you get it wrong - and that'll hurt.
You need to throw your axe at the scratched up golden part of the wooden panel to the left, several times, until the spikes are raised all the way up. Then, quickly recall your axe and hit the glowing disc beneath that wood panel to freeze it up in the air and allow you to jump across.
Several enemies will appear - you can either hop back the way you came, recall your axe, and let them get squished (but have to go through raising the spikes again) or beat them up with your fists. Note that Atreus will need a hand back on the platform where you started, too.
Once it's all clear open the chest on the left for some Hacksilver, and then, being as quick as you can, you need to grab your axe and knock open another of those spiked wooden gates to proceed.
Climb up and to the right pick up the Faces of Magic, and then continue outside - note that there is, actually, another of those special locked runic chests raised up above the Hacksilver chest you just opened. We couldn't figure out how to get it at the time but it may be that you need to wait for the big spiked platform to drop down again, then hop on top of it to get across to the runic chest - we'll double back and confirm this here when we get the chance!
Outside, head left along the cliff for a Faces of Magic then continue on for another puzzle, this time it's a giant disc with some broken parts in it, yellow writing on the front, and exposed cogs glowing just behind. First, run up to a platform on the left of the area to find a lever to pull, which gets things going.
With the disc now spinning, you need to throw your axe at a cog to freeze that part of the wheel, and then recall your axe - unfreezing that part of the wheel - when the symbols line up with the next one. Repeat untill all three parts of the wheel line up, and the symbols will light up gold and allow you to pass.
Head inside the now-revealed cave and first hang left, for a little ledge that's hiding a Faces of Magic collectable. Hop back down and continue on the path to the exit, where you'll find some boar tracks.
Hunt with Atreus
You can guess how this is going to turn out can't you. Charge after Atreus and you'll find yourself face to face with another whopping great Troll!
Next up: God of War - Brenna Daudi boss fight and find the white-petalled flower in Sanctuary Grove
Other Path to the Mountain walkthrough pages: