God of War Ragnarok Muspelheim Crucible Challenge Tips/Walkthrough

God of War Ragnarok Muspelheim Crucible Challenge Tips/Walkthrough

Dan Webb

The Trials of Muspelheim from God of War (2018) are back with a vengeance in God of War Ragnarok, taking you back to Muspelheim to kick some serious ass - or, you know, have your ass kicked repeatedly.

The Trials of Muspelheim/the Crucible Challenges, whatever you want to call them, are effectively combat challenges in God of War Ragnarok. That doesn’t mean wading in and killing a load of enemies… well, it does, but you’ll have to apply some strategy and skill if you want to succeed.

But first, you need to get access to The Crucible and Muspelheim. In order to do that you’re going to need to find the 2 Muspelheim Seeds which are hidden in the nine realms. If you’re struggling, check out our guide on the 2 Muspelheim Seed locations. Once you have them, now it’s time for business.

The Crucible Challenges in God of Ragnarok include timed challenges, elemental mastery challenges, agility and speed challenges, crowd control strategies, and so much more. There are 15 in all, and none of them are what you would class as straightforward - except for perhaps the kill 99 enemies challenge, although that’s meant to be more a test of endurance.

To be completely honest, these challenges aren't even that straightforward to get into either, let alone complete, as there’s a strategy to unlocking them too. Fear not though, folks, not only can we assist you with some combat tips and some strategies for each different challenge, but we’ll also tell you how to unlock them and tell you what rewards you can expect.

General Crucible Combat Tips

  • Take a resurrection stone in with you for the tougher challenges. You don’t have to use it, but it’s nice to know you have it if you need it.
  • Levels matter. Most enemies are a 4 or 5, so come back in when you’re maxed out and it’ll be infinitely easier.
  • Difficulty does not matter, so if they ever become a grind or an annoyance (or stop being fun), then drop the difficulty and blitz through them, it’d be rude not to.
  • Runic attacks and your Relic attack is incredibly important here, especially if you have 3 weapons, each with 2 Runic attacks. That means you can hit 6 in-a-row, effectively, dealing insane damage. These should be saved for when things get tricky or the Crucible throws an Elite enemy at you.
  • You only need to roll when the indicator on your screen is red. Yellow means be wary. Pay attention to this and you’ll be golden.
  • Learn the strengths of each weapon: the axe is great for straight damage on one opponent; the Blades of Chaos are great at crowd control and zoning; and the spear is particularly good at range, but can also be decent for up-close-and-personal damage.
  • Equip gear that suits your playstyle. For me, personally, I didn’t really upgrade one “set,” I mixed and matched gear for various abilities. I used Nidavellir’s Finest Plackart for its perk that gives you a health burst for every stun grab (R3), as well as the Gauntlets of Radiance which activates a Realm Shift for every last minute dodge; and the Dragon Scaled Girdle, which boosts all my shield damage.
  • Similarly, don’t forget to customise your Amulet of Yggdrasil with enhancements that suit your playstyle.

Challenge 1 - Weapon Mastery

Where? The F sword for the Nornir Chest (left). 
What? Defeat 15 enemies within the time limit. 
How? Combat the elements of their shield to take them down quickly. I.e. use the Blades of Chaos on the first 3 that pop out to the left, then use the Leviathan Axe on the next 3, and then the Draupnir Spear on the next few. Do this and you’ll make quick work of them. The only thing that you need to do differently is, when it gets to around 10 kills down, you’ll need to take out the Nokken who’s healing the other enemies that spawn.
Reward? Shoulder Guards of Undying Pyres, 250 Divine Ashes, 1,000 Hacksilver.

 

Challenge 2 - Flawless

Where? Again, the F sword for the Nornir Chest (left).
What? Defeat 15 enemies without taking a hit.
How? The key to this one is to take out the Nightmares quickly in the first few phases. And after you’ve dealt with the first lot of enemies, then a ranged guy will spawn on the middle plinth and the one to the west. Once you’ve taken them out, you can focus on the enemies down below. And finally, the same for the last phase, which is basically 2 ranged enemies up high and 1 rather large Gradungr (the bull like creature). For the Gradungr, use the sword you interacted with to keep distance and throw spears and axes at him. If you want to get into the mix, just watch out for when he flicks his head at you. Easy to dodge though.
Reward? 250 Divine Ashes and 1,000 Quicksilver (and the Shoulder Guards of Undying Pyres if you do this before the Weapon Mastery challenge).

 

Challenge 3 - Ring Out

Where? The N sword for the Nornir Chest (east of the chest - AKA the middle).
What? Opponents rapidly regenerate health, so you have to knock all 21 of them off the edge.
How? The key to this is baiting the enemies to the edge by standing there and then rolling or strafing around them and then using the R2 attack while holding the axe. The running R2 attack with the axe is very effective too. If it’s a ranged character up top, hold the L2 and charge an R2 attack. A strategy I found effective was to stand by the edge, let them attack and dodge-roll left or right. I would then use Atreus’ arrows to break his flow while I got in position, and then I’d smash them off the edge.
Reward? Bracers of Undying Pyres, 250 Divine Ashes and 1,000 Hacksilver.

 

Challenge 4 - Feed the Rift

Where? The same N sword for the Nornir Chest as the last one (the middle).
What? Kill enemies and throw orbs into the realm tear and close it.
How? This one isn’t too bad, in truth. Just get in and smash the enemies to smithereens and then pick up the orbs they drop and then throw them into the void. There are two stages: stage 1 where you need to do 6; and stage 2 where you need to do 15. The tougher the enemy, the more valuable their orb is too. Just don’t kill everyone before you start throwing orbs into the tear as they disappear after a while. Get a kill, throw it into the rift. Save you Runic attacks for the tougher foes, and make sure you use Atreus’ arrows and summons.
Reward? 250 Divine Ashes and 1,000 Hacksilver (and the Bracers of Undying Pyres if you do this before Ring Out).

 

Challenge 5 - Population Control

Where? The R sword for the Nornir Chest (right).
What? Kill the elite while trying to keep the population under the limit. So, basically: kill the main guy, but don’t focus on them too much, kill the others as they spawn.
How? The strategy is fairly simple for this: use all your Runic attacks on the Bergsra, but when the population starts to get to 3 or 4 out of 4, move out and start thinning the numbers. They won’t come to you, so you’ll have to move around a bit. When you’re back to 1 or 2, go back to the Bergsra. If you’re a level 6 or 6 in terms of damage you should blitz this one fairly easily.
Reward? Girdle of Undying Pyres, 250 Divine Ashes and 1,000 Hacksilver

 

Challenge 6 - King of the Hill

Where? Same R sword, again for the Nornir Chest (right).
What? Keep enemies out of the rings until the time expires.
How? This can be a little tricky, in truth, especially if you’re at around a level 5 or 6 in terms of weapon damage. You basically need to jump from circle to circle and clear the circle before moving onto the next. The higher the damage output, the quicker you clear the circles. I tried this at level 4/5 and tended to get close but not so far. At level 7/8, I smashed it. But basically, it’s 3 rounds: 1 circle; 2 circles and then 3 circles. The key here is zoning. The Blades of Chaos are the key weapon here if there are multiple enemies, and if you have the Heavy Runic Attack for the spear, the Artillery of the Ancients, you can target that at one circle while you deal with another. Stay agile, move around, work out where they spawn, and you should be alright.
Reward? 250 Divine Ashes and 1,000 Hacksilver (and Girdle of Undying Pyres if you do this before Population Control).

 

At this point, you should return to the Nornir Chest. Once you do a sword will appear, interact with that and you will get some new challenges.

 

Challenge 7 - Rampage 

Where? The F sword (left).
What? Defeat 20 enemies within the 2m30 seconds time limit.
How? This starts fairly easily and gets progressively tougher, so it’s key you deal with the early stages quickly. When the Ogre comes out, it’s key to stun them as quickly as you can, and then R3 them, so you can use them to kill the other enemies. This will kill 2 birds with 1 stone: hurting the Ogre and killing enemies. Don’t get too complacent though, because after the Ogre, a Bergsra will come out as one of the last few enemies. However, there aren’t just 20 enemies, so don’t focus on them (unless there’s no-one around), try and focus on the wisps (easy kills with an Atreus bow show and one hit from you) and the grunts that come out. If you’re a high enough level, sure, smash the Bergsra. I had a fully upgraded Blades of Chaos at this point and managed to do it with about 15 seconds to spare (and I took out the Bergsra as my last enemy). If you’re struggling then go away and level up your weapons and your armour, so that your hits really count.
Reward? 1 Smouldering Embers, 5 Asgardian Ingots, 250 Divine Ashes, 2,500 Hacksilver.

 

Challenge 8 - Health Steal 

Where? The N sword (middle).
What? Take constant damage, but recover health by dealing damage. Kill all 22 enemies to proceed.
How? This is probably the easiest one so far, so much so that I finished with full health. The key to this one is to be aggressive. Just go from enemy to enemy and be on the front foot. A few things to note: watch out for the couple of range enemies that spawn in vantage spots around the side of the level (there’s only a couple); and when the Nokken spawns, drop whatever you’re doing and go straight for it. The last few enemies are tough elves, so make sure you don’t waste all your Runic attacks too early. Save them for when you need them.
Reward? 1 Blazing Embers, 3 Luminous Alloy, 250 Divine Ashes and 2,500 Hacksilver.


 

Challenge 9 - Survive
Where? The main sword where the Nornir Chest was.
What? It’s not just a matter of surviving, there is no timer here… you have to beat 99 enemies. That’s what it means by survive!!
How? It might sound a touch daunting, but aside from a big ol’ Ogre in the middle, most of the enemies in this are fodder and can be absolutely ripped through with the Blades of Chaos. What I did actually find incredibly useful with this challenge especially was equipping the Nidavellir’s cuirass, which gives you a health burst every time you stun grab an enemy (R3). In fact, it helped so much, especially with the Blades of Chaos doing crowd control, that I never lost more than 5% health at all in the fight. If I did get hit, I was able to R3 someone and get it back almost instantly. To be fair though, there are tons of green and red drops in the fight, so it’s not absolutely essential, but it helps massively.
Reward? 1 Blazing Embers, 3 Smouldering Embers, 2000 Divine Ashes, 40,000 Hacksilver. 
 

Challenge 10 - Kill Fuse

Where? The R sword (right).
What? Rapidly kill enemies to increase the timer. You start with 30 seconds, you have 22 enemies to kill. Each kill replenishes the timer.
How? Another relatively easy one, this. Again, use the Blades of Chaos to get maximum damage when dealing with a group. For this one, save you Runic attacks for when the Wulver turns up. He’s the only really tricky part to this challenge. And if I’m being honest, the killing the last one is a pain as well, as the arena is quite big and has lots of different levels it’s hard to work out where they are. Use Atreus and he should fire an arrow in their general vicinity.
Reward? 4 Petrified Bones, 1 Glowing Embers, 250 Divine Ashes, 2,500 Hacksilver.

Then, you need to replay one or F or N’s challenges, and only then you can interact with the sword again.

 

Challenge 11 - Phantom Challenge

Where? The centre sword where the Nornir Chest was.
What? Defeat all enemies, which as the name suggests includes a Flame Phantom, but oh no, there are more spawns too.
How? It’s not just a 1-on-1, this, because after you take down the first rune pillar a Gradungr will spawn. And then, in the next phase, a load of Hel-Walkers spawn as well. On my runthrough, I managed to take down 2 rune pillars in the second phase, but I probably made things worse for myself. 1. Because I still had to fill the stun bar to kill the Phantom, and; 2. I reckon more Hel-Walkers spawned as a result. Still. It’s not too tricky. When the other enemies spawn, focus on them, but at the same time avoid the Flame Phantom’s attacks. Focusing on range attacks allows you to keep everyone in your periphery while attacking, and avoid any nasty surprises.
Reward? Surtr’s Scorched Girdle. And the rest of the rewards depend on what challenge you replayed. We received 3 Blazing Embers, 2 Smouldering Embers, 1 Glowing Embers, 2,000 Divine Ashes and 40,000 Hacksilver.

 

For the next 4 challenges, you basically need to repeat 2 of the F, N  and R sword challenges (from 2 different swords) to put 2 separate rune symbols on the middle sword. If you look in all 4 corners of the middle area you will then see the ones you need to do, and in that order: F R; N F; N R; and F N.

 

Challenge 12 - Boss Rush Challenge

Where? The middle sword after replaying 2 other challenges (by doing the F and then N sword)
What? Defeat a series of challenging enemies a Traveller, a Hunter (the Huntress), a Dark Elf Lord, a Light Elf Slayer (who is basically The Maven from the Sanctum mission) and then a hulking Aesir (who is like the Oathguard boss).
How? Oof, this one can actually be very tricky, as usually you’d only have to fight one of these bosses and then you could recover after. Oh no, this is 5 in a row, so conserving health is absolutely key. If you can get the Regenerating Essence or Greater Regenerating Essence, then they might assist. As well as the Nidavellir Finest Plackart armour (which gives you health for an R3). For this I’d recommend keeping distance. Sticking them with spears and detonating them is a great strat to whittle them down (and stun them). When they get close, use your Runic attacks. You should know their patterns roughly if you’ve fought them previously. It’s not terribly difficult, but it can be a challenge. If you’re struggling, go away and level up the weapons and armour and come back.
Reward? Muspelheim’s Essence (an amulet enchantment), 3 Blazing Embers, 1 Smouldering Embers, 2 Glowing Embers, 2,000 Divine Ashes and 40,000 Hacksilver.

 

Challenge 13 - Ring of Fire Challenge

Where? The middle sword after replaying 2 other challenges (from the N and then F sword)
What? Stay within the ring and kill 15 enemies.
How? Sounds easy, right? Well, it would be, if the circle didn’t move, and there wasn’t a poison totem, and the last enemy is a Wyvern who drags you out the circle. So, prep is needed here. 1. As soon as you spawn, ice the Scorn Pole, meaning it won’t be a bother to you. You’ll likely be using the spear for distance and the Blades of Chaos for crowd control anyway. When you’ve done that, just stay in the circle and throw spears at enemies. Use Atreus’ arrows and summons. Ideally you want most of them dead or near death when the Wyvern comes, so you can focus on them. Avoid the Wyvern’s flying attack and you should be okay. If you’re struggling to avoid the Wyvern attack, pop a Runic ability as he’s about to hit you, because he won’t be able to break the animation. Sure, you’ll take damage, but you won’t be dragged out the circle.
Reward? Surtr’s Scorched Arm, 1 Blazing Embers, 2 Smouldering Embers, 3 Glowing Embers, 2,000 Divine Ashes and 40,000 Hacksilver.


 

Challenge 14 - Onslaught Challenge 

Where? The middle sword after replaying 2 other challenges (from the N and then the R sword) 
What? Survive for 5 minutes.
How? The actual best way to deal with this challenge is to go onto the full on offensive. If you sit back and avoid, more and more will spawn and you’ll eventually be overwhelmed  - and seeing as this has a circle you have to stay in too, that’s probably not the wisest idea! One of the most important things in this challenge is to range kill the range enemies, who will cowardly throw projectiles at you while the melee grunts try to swarm you. Again, use the Blades of Chaos for crowd control. Use the spear on the range characters, and even on the ones in the circle, as the explosions can deal damage to groups. And finally try not to hit the melee beasties out the circle because if they die out there, you can’t pick up the health drop. This one will go quite quickly and the last 20 seconds will be a bit mental. Feel free to go full on avoidance when the clock gets to that point, activating some range Relics if you can, but also, if you can pull an R3 then as well, even better as you become invincible in the animation and it wastes a few valuable seconds.
Reward? Muspelheim’s Endurance, 2 Blazing Embers, 1 Smouldering Embers, 3 Glowing Embers, 2,000 Divine Ashes and 40,000 Hacksilver.

 

Challenge 15 - Shield Breaker Challenge

Where?  The middle sword after replaying 2 other challenges (from the F and then the R sword)
What? Kill grunts to break the Elite enemy’s shield.
How? As the “What?” suggests. In order to cause damage to the Elite, you have to kill the grunts first. In the first round, there’s 4 grunts to take out before you can do damage to the Einherjar Captain. Fairly easy grunts to take down, but watch out for the Captain’s teleport ability meaning he can close the spare on you in an instant. Then, when you get him to about halfway, some elves and some Gulons will spawn - the key here is to keeping an eye out for the Captain’s Bifrost range attack and constantly use it, while throwing spears and detonating them on the enemies. When he’s down to about 25% a Stalker and some new grunts will spawn. It’s basically rinse and repeat until you’ve finished it from here. There are no more Elite characters, just waves of 3 or 4 grunts you take down before you can concentrate on doing damage to the Elite. Keep your distance, make use of Atreus’ arrows to distract enemies, and then peppering your foes with spears and exploding them. Getting up close and personal is an option, but only if you can keep the Elites in your camera view. Good luck!
Reward? Muspelheim’s Force (an amulet enhancement) , 2 Blazing Embers, 3 Smouldering Embers, 1 Glowing Embers, 2,000 Divine Ashes and 200,000 Hacksilver.

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