When you first arrive at the Crater, the massive open-world area that’s magnitudes more complex than any other region of God of War Ragnarok, you’ll be lost and confused. Seemingly certain areas are just impossible to reach even when you explore at day or night. You’re right to be lost, because there’s a big barrier keeping you from fully exploring every corner of the Crater. You need to open the dam.
Yes, not only can you switch the Crater between day and night to discover hidden quests or new routes through the Plains, but you can also completely change the region. Arriving in The Jungle, you’ll unlock a quest to use the dam and open the floodgates. Once flooded, Kratos can use a boat to get around, crossing rivers and making previously impossible-to-reach areas explorable. If you don’t check out the Jungle, you’ll be stumped on how to progress in the Plains and especially the Sinkhole. Here’s what you need to know to uncover everything there is to find in the Crater.
More God of War Ragnarok guides:
How To Unlock Muspelheim | How To Unlock The Crater | Across the Realms Ingredient Locations | How To Unlock Witch Time Playstyle | How To Make Finding Collectibles Easy | All Jewel of Yggdrasil Locations | How To Unlock Enchantments | All Cosmetic Armor | Best Graphics Settings | Atreus Combat Guide | How Leveling Works | How To Upgrade PS4 To PS5 | All Healing Methods | How To Increase Health | How To Unlock Transmog
How To Flood The Crater & Unlock More Areas To Explore
The Crater is the massive (and totally optional) hidden region in Vanaheim. You’ll unlock this area late in the game — and when you first arrive, you won’t be able to explore every corner of the map. There are three major locations here: the Plains, the Sinkhole, and the Jungle. You’ll want to travel to the Jungle first — going there unlocks the ‘Return of the River‘ favor.
- How To Begin ‘Return of the River’: Travel west from the entrance to the Plains to reach a canyon area. This leads to a ruin tunnel built into the rockface in the southwest — going through the tunnel, you’ll reach a new region. The Jungle is ahead.
- Entering the Jungle hidden region, you’ll immediately deal with an angry ogre. Dodge the rocks and progress forward. On the way, you’ll find a lift blocked by tall bramble. Burn it and ride the lift up to the dam.
Once you’ve reached the upper dam, you’ll have to solve a small puzzle to get it open. You’ll also encounter a Dreki Dragon Hunt — we can ignore that for now.
- How To Open The Dam Gates: Clear the enemies on the dam, then look for some wooden crates near the lift. Break them to reveal a weak spot in the wall that can be detonated with a Draupnir Spear.
- Go inside the dam to encounter a Dreki. This starts the “What Lies Below” favor. Ignore that for now.
- Burn the brambles clogging the floodgates. Use Sigil Arrows to reach the right brambles. When they’re all burned, turn the wheel to open the floodgates. Water will now return to the Jungle!
With the river returned, you can now access new areas in The Jungle, The Plains and the Sinkholes. Water has filled the ravines, allowing you to use a boat to travel. Even more areas can be explored — if you were ever stuck in a section of the Crater, now you’ll have many more options.
