The first time Kratos and Atreus head into Svartalfheim, the story keeps you moving fast enough that a lot of side content slips by. The Myrkr Tunnels are one of the worst offenders. You come through them on your second trip to the realm, the story pulls you forward, and by the time you think about going back you have no idea how to get in again.

I went back for the tunnels after finishing most of Nidavellir, and it turned out to be a short, satisfying detour. There are three collectibles in there: a Legendary Chest, a Nornir Chest and an Yggdrasil Rift. None of them is hard once you know where to look. Getting there is the confusing part.

Getting back in

The way back is a service hatch close to the train that runs to the Jarnsmida Pitmines, in the Forge area. Once you drop down, you are in the same set of tunnels you crossed during the story, only now you are free to poke around.

If you are still early in the game, it is worth knowing that a fair bit of Nidavellir stays locked until you have the Draupnir Spear (you get it during Forging Destiny) and the Inert Hilt of Skofnung (picked up after The Word of Fate). The tunnels themselves are friendlier, but if you plan to clean up the whole region in one go, wait until you have both. The good news is that nothing in Svartalfheim is missable, so you can always come back after the credits.

The Legendary Chest: Fog of Fimbulwinter

This one hides behind something that looks like a dead end. Near the start of the tunnels there is a gate you open with a chain, a cog and a dark crystal. Instead of going through, turn around. There is a patch of red bramble on the wall. Shoot it with a hex arrow and then hit it with the Blades of Chaos, and the growth burns away.

Behind it sits the Legendary Chest with Fog of Fimbulwinter, a heavy runic attack for the Leviathan Axe. If you lean on frost builds, it is a nice one to grab early.

The Nornir Chest: three braziers

Past the Legendary Chest, take the left path to reach the Nornir Chest. This is a brazier puzzle, so you need to light three of them before the lid opens.

• The first is right next to you on the left. Crack the barrel there and ignite the spilled booze with the Blades of Chaos.

• For the second, do a full 180 and look in the corner on your right.

• The third is the sneaky one. Walk forward and smash the first big cask on your left. The brazier is tucked behind it.

The third brazier is where most people get stuck, because the cask blends into the background and you can walk past it a dozen times.

The Yggdrasil Rift

The last item is the Yggdrasil Rift, near the end of the tunnels where the corridors start to feel like a maze. A simple check: if you reach the spot where you climb back out, you went too far. Turn around and look to your right and the rift should be there.

Keeping track of it all

What helped me most here was having a map open on a second screen and ticking things off as I went. Svartalfheim is dense. Between the Nornir Chests, Odin's Ravens and Legendary Chests, it is easy to lose track of which corners you already cleared, especially when the realm is split between the open water, the Forge and the tunnels.

I used this Svartalfheim map on itemaps, which lists each collectible as its own pin, grouped by kind, and a lot of the pins come with a photo of the actual spot. That made the brazier hunt much quicker. It also helped me confirm that I really had all three Myrkr Tunnels items before leaving, instead of wondering about it two realms later.

If you are working through the other realms too, the full God of War Ragnarök map covers the Nine Realms with the same layout, including the mystic gateways and the Legendary Chests in places like Vanaheim and Alfheim.

A few small tips for the cleanup

• Bring both weapons. Red bramble needs a hex arrow plus the Blades of Chaos, and several chest puzzles in Svartalfheim mix fire and frost.

• Break every barrel and cask near a Nornir Chest. The braziers and runes are often hidden right behind breakable props.

• Do the tunnels in one pass. They are short, and doing the Legendary Chest, the Nornir Chest and the rift in order means you never have to backtrack.

• If you are short on time, prioritise the chests over everything else. The rift can wait for a later sweep.

It is a short detour, and it is one of those corners of the game that feels much better once it is fully cleared. If you have a favourite hiding spot in Svartalfheim that took you forever to find, I would love to hear it in the comments.