‘The Broken Prison’ walkthrough, puzzle solutions in God of War Ragnarök

Finishing God of War Ragnarök’s main story opens up an array of new activities to uncover, key of which is “The Broken Prison,” a side quest in Niflheim. If you’re looking to nab all of Ragnarök’s Nornir Chests, you’ll have to head here eventually. But completing the mission also has a neat a narrative wrinkle.

Note that this area is only available in the endgame, so make sure you’ve hit the credits before scrolling. That said, we’ve kept the prisoner’s identity anonymous throughout the first section of the guide so as to not ruin the surprise.

Here is how to navigate “The Broken Prison” side quest in God of War Ragnarök, how to solve the puzzle to get to the bottom floor, and where to track down the prisoner across the Nine Realms.

God of War Ragnarök The Broken Prison walkthrough

Once you’ve completed the main story, head to Niflheim and walk toward the Raven Tree — Kratos will make a note of a new path on the left. “The Broken Prison” will kick off automatically.

Here’s the gist: The prison has multiple floors, each with a group of Asgardian soldiers to wrestle through. In addition, you can open up some of the cells, which are needed to either progress through the favor or complete other tasks. Alongside the Nornir Chest, you can also find a flower for the “Nine Realms in Bloom” side quest.

As soon as you head down to the prison, take care of the first enemy group. Now, you’re going to need a way to head to the first floor underneath. Shoot a spear to the red moving mechanism, and then move toward it (looking at the spear horizontally) to swing across and land on the second floor.

Another enemy group to take care of. Once they’re dealt with, use the chain on the corner to lower the mechanism — repeat the same step to swing across and land on the second floor below.

Now, take care of the enemy group, and look for an open cell around a blue wall, which has the markings of a platform you can interact with. Defeat the elf inside and step into the cell — look up toward the entrance of the room and break through the wall with your Blades of Chaos. You’ll find yourself back to the previous floor. Once there, open the slide door that is right in front of the Nornir Chest.

On the bottom floor, you’ll see another mechanism on the opposite side of the one we’ve been using — we’ll call the first one we used Mechanism A, and this new one will be Mechanism B. So, from the second floor, aim and throw a spear to Mechanism B to create a swing.

You can use Mechanism B to access one part of the bottom floor, but Freya will quickly mention that there has to be a way to get to the “cell on the other side,” which is where our mystery prisoner is.

So, you’re going swing back to the floor above, and then use the path from the elf cell to go up a floor. Use the chain there so Mechanism A descends all the way to the bottom — the key here is to have both mechanisms on the last floor.

Now, return using the elf cell’s path, and swing down again using Mechanism A. Take care of the last enemy guarding the cell and interact with the door whenever you’re ready. Once you chat with the prisoner inside, “The Broken Prison” will be over. But there’s still more to do.

Where to find Tyr in God of War Ragnarök after Niflheim

As abrupt as your meeting with Tyr (the real Tyr!) is, you can actually bump into him a few more times — six times, to be exact. Don’t expect any huge revelations, but you’ll hear some interesting dialogue bits. Here’s where to find Tyr in God of War Ragnarök, alongside the exact mystic gateways you should use:

Svartalfheim Tyr location – The Watchtower

Over at Svartalfheim, use The Watchtower’s gateway. Once there, head over to the left side and use your blades to hop over the platform. Then, take a short turn to the right to find the Tyr overlooking Lyngbakr Island. (Keep in mind that I had previously completed “The Weight of Chains” favor, which is related to what the prisoner has to say. So if you don’t immediately see Tyr, take care of that side quest first.)

Midgard Tyr location – Lake of Nine

Over at Midgard, head to the Lake of Nine. As you’re patrolling around, you’ll see a staircase that leads to a platform overlooking the center of the area — it’s found on the slope you can see on the map on your way to King’s Grave on the northeastern corner. As you go over the staircase, you’ll find Tyr looking at his destroyed statue.

Vanaheim Tyr location – Freyr’s Camp

Over at Vanaheim, use the gateway to Freyr’s Camp. Hop on the boat and head over to the camp area. Once there, you’re going to see Tyr on the left side of the camp, surrounded by small statues. You can’t miss him.

Alfheim Tyr location – The Strönd

Over at Alfheim, head to The Strönd. From there, take the path toward the left and continue making your way through it until you’re past the bridge. Go through the cavern and, once you’re outside again, you’ll immediately bump onto Tyr overlooking the light in the sky..

Muspelheim Tyr location – Spark of the World

Over at Muspelheim, head to the Burning Cliffs gateway. Then, you’ll have to make your way to Surtr’s Forge once more, and follow the path down below through the cave until you make it to the Spark of the World again. Tyr has a few things to stay over at the farthest corner of the area, where Surtr previously jumped during the main story.

Helheim – Hel’s Perch

Over at Helheim, head to Hel’s Perch. Move toward the left corridor immediatwly after exiting the gateway, which leads to Hel’s Perch itself. You’ll find Tyr there one last time, looking at the raven.

Looking for more guides? We have explainers on the best armor, Odin’s Ravens locations, all Nornir Chest and puzzle locations, and 100% completion guides for Midgard, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and Alfheim.