Should You Travel to Niflheim Before Alfheim in God of War Ragnarok?

After rescuing Tyr from Svartlfheim in God of War Ragnarok, your journey will send you to Alfheim next. If you played the last God of War game, then the realm of Alfheim should sound familiar to you. This is the home of the elves, where Kratos and Atreus found themselves in between a conflict between light and dark elves upon their last visit. Before you go, however, you’re also given the option to visit the training grounds of Niflheim to prepare yourself for the difficult challenges awaiting in Alfheim, so which realm should you go to first?

Should You Go to Niflheim or Alfheim First in God of War Ragnarok?

While the game makes this moment seem like a huge choice, it’s really not a big deal. No matter which of the realms you choose, you can always warp between them at any time once you find a Mystic Gateway. With that said, here are the benefits of going to each realm.

Why Should You Go to Niflheim?

Niflheim is home to training grounds where you can hone your skills. However, even though the game makes it seem like you can level up and earn new gear there, that’s not true. The training grounds in Niflheim do not reward any XP at all, so you should only go there to train if you want to work on your parry timing or test out new runic attacks.

However, Niflheim is also home to the raven tree, where you can get unique rewards based on how many of Odin’s spectral ravens you have destroyed. It’s worth visiting Niflheim at least once to see the tree because then your companions will comment whenever you reach a new raven milestone that unlocks a new chest.

Why Should You Go to Alfheim?

If you want to continue the main story of God of War Ragnarok, then you should go to Alfheim. You won’t be missing much by skipping Niflheim, since there’s nothing there but the raven tree and training grounds that were mentioned above. You should visit Niflheim regularly during your adventure to open raven chests, however, but at this point in the story, you likely haven’t discovered enough of Odin’s ravens to afford any rewards yet anyway.

Remember, you’re not locked in Alfheim if you decide to go there. Once you find a Mystic Gateway, you can jump back to Sindri’s House, Niflheim, or any other regions you have discovered. Even if you’re not quite a high enough level for Alfheim, the realm has plenty of Nornir chests and other rewards to discover that should allow you to craft new gear that will help you take on the elves.

Should You Go Back to Svartlfheim?

This is the third option the game presents, you hinting at unfinished business that may still remain in the realm. However, if you spent a lot of time in Svartlfheim and completed The Weight of Chains Favor for Mimir, then you’ve pretty much done everything you can currently do there at the moment. Still, you can always go back and clean up any chests you may have missed or explore further for additional crafting materials.

God of War Ragnarok is available now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.