In God of War Ragnarök, Kratos can embark on an expansive side quest dubbed “Across the Realms” that has our ash-skinned antihero travelling between mystical lands foraging for magical ingredients.
The goal? To craft an ancient legendary dish called the “Meal of Comfort” for the long- departed warriors Jari and Somr whose initials mark each location. It’s no ordinary recipe, with components culled from Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and Midgard itself.
Eating this miraculous meal is said to make one “not hungry for weeks”, so naturally the promise of such a power food piques the interest of Kratos and his young son Atreus.
What better way for this father-son warrior duo to bond than a mouth-watering, monster-slaying cookout trip across mythic realms?
So gird your axe, ready your bow and let’s explore how to tackle this sweeping side quest. I’ll be your guide through the involved steps so you can fully reap the tasty rewards!
Requirements Before Embarking
While most of God of War Ragnarök’s side content can be completed fairly freestyle, “Across the Realms” has prerequisites you’ll need to fulfill to open access. These include:
- Unlocking travel to Svartalfheim, Alfheim and Vanaheim realms by progressing through the main story (happens by the end of Chapter 7 and beginning of Chapter 8).
- Discovering the Eternal Campfire site tucked northwest of the Lake of Nine where you meet side character Lunda (happens during Chapter 12’s Return of the River questline).
- Collecting at least 13 of 24 Jötnar Shrines to improve the party’s health and prepare for lengthy realm travel.
I strongly advise settling the majority of unfinished business in Midgard before departure to avoid needing to constantly realm-hop. If these boxes are already checked, then it’s time to set forth!
Activating the Quest
Journey northwest of the Lake of Nine until you reach the secluded, snow coated Eternal Campfire where the sonic wandered Lunda lingers.
Scan the area for a conspicuous leatherbound book tucked against some rocks near a well-stocked campfire. Examine it more closely and Kratos identifies it as origin stories for various legendary North mythology dishes with the sparse note “Recreate if you dare” etched inside.
Turning a weathered page reveals the recipe for Meal of Comfort containing:
- Prongfruit
- Bantam Melon
- Elven Cap mushroom
- Nordic Gourd
Additionally, an accompanying poem by Bragi the Skald highlights:
This here recipe done, long ago left by Jari
Shared with shield brother Somr after battle so gory
Such filling fare made, their sons oft would say
One feasting well with this would not hunger for weeks or months later
Could this poetry imply the dish holds special properties? We won’t know for certain until Kratos locates everything for the Meal of Comfort. Upon picking up the recipe book, your first order of business will be…
Finding the Nordic Gourd
Conveniently this large squash grows not far from the initial cookbook itself. Backtrack out of the Eternal Campfire and glance upwards towards the raised cliffside. Carved into the scarred face is a curious heart symbol bearing the letters S and E.
This runic marking implies one of the recipe ingredients lies nearby. Lo and behold wedged between frost dusted crags is the hardy Nordic Gourd. These pear-shaped squashes thrive even in frigid conditions, a testament to their hardiness.
Harvest your first Meal of Comfort component then prepare for lengthier trips across mythic borders.
Unlocking the Bifrost
Now comes the true “across the realms” portion. Through previous God of War titles, players know the Bifrost enables easy navigation between worlds. Kratos’ axe Leviathan can summon this rainbow bridge provided the unity stone housing Tyr’s temple has been restored.
This occurs during the Chapter 11 Return of the River favor but it helps tremendously forrealm-hopping ingredient gathering so prioritize this mission. Realigning the trying temple essentially reactivates fast travel allowing Kratos to access mysterious magic gateways called Mystic Gateways linking distant lands.
Step into the glowing portal’s radius and throw your axe while aiming reticules at your desired destination to zip across mystical borders.
Harvesting Prongfruit in Svartalfheim
The unusual Prongfruit clings to twisting trees deep in the gloom of Svartalfheim yet boasts succulent pink flesh with sweet nectar. Seek out the Mystic Gateway placed southwest of the Applecore mining network, ideally using boat passages through the lava choked River Delta.
This produces you amidst craggy foothills where Jari and Somr’s initials are engraved upon a vibrant green heart shape. Such markings sequentially designate locations housing Meal of Comfort ingredients.
Sure enough poking from the stony ridge under this rune grows knotted Prongfruit trees. Thwack away with your Blades of Chaos until they relinquish theOdd gnarled gourds.
Mid-harvest you may need battling stone troll sentinels camouflaged among boulders so stay sharp! Once done, the rare Svartalfheim bounty is yours for the taking.
Braving the Sinkholes of Vanaheim
An altogether different challenge awaits in the jungle realm of Vanaheim, marked again by Somr and Jari’s initials embossed on an orange heart near the zone called Abandoned Village.
This settlement was supposedly decimated by civil war and its chief Liv corrupted into a monstrous bloodsucking bat queen. Venture eastward of the village square and use raised vines and cliff sides riddled with venus flytraps to ascend towards the distinct heart rune amidst crumbling ruins.
Lurking below lies the open maw of the treacherous Sinkholes, an enormous fissure with porous walls oozing vile toxic liquids. Maneuver along precarious natural platforms being wary of slipping into its acidic pits. Eventually within crevices sprouting from mineral-rich deposits dangles plump Bantam Melon vines bearing egg-shaped fruits with tough rinds and juicy chartreuse flesh.
Sever enough ripened melons to fulfill the recipe then hurry away before airborne enemies rise from the Sinkholes’ depths!
Foraging in the Underground Burrows of Alfheim
Alfheim the realm of the light elves seems an unlikely match for mushrooms yet glowing violet Elven Cap specimens thrive among its subterranean tunnel networks called Burrows. Seek the Mystic Gateway “Temple Beach” on Alfheim’s eastern frontier to gain entrance.
Expect some tricky traversal and puzzle solving navigating the labyrinth while spotting the tell-tale magical barrier walls housing heart runes. Peer closer at carvings in the stone and molded from clay are Jari and Somr’s initials surrounded by a radiant fuchsia heart, signaling tasty fungus festers inside.
Accessing the harvest site takes skillful footwork and boosts from Atreus but soon fruits of your labor flourish before you. Pluck every Elven Cap to integrate this touch of forest magic into the Meal of Comfort.
Cooking Up a Storm
Once all four ingredients are collected, head back to Lunda and the Eternal Campfire site to literally get cooking. After Kratos hands off materials, a crackling fire morphs into illusions where the fabled shield-brothers Jari and Somr dine on half-forgotten North mythology cuisine.
Turns out long before their heroic deeds as warriors, mountain forager Jari took quiet Somr as an apprentice teaching his secret fresh food sources. Though they perished alongside brethren in battle at an unnamed meadow, their spirits are honored through oral legends like Bragi’s poem over the Meal of Comfort.
Lunda then presents Kratos with servings of the complete mythical feast, emphatically endorsing its wondrous effects:
By Hati and Sköll, recipe done! Was it worth journey across the realms measly four things to find? Ha! More than knowing now try meal of comfort, yes. Eat up! Eat up! No sad face. Is good, good food! Power, sustenance enough for many journeys on just one plate!
And verily scarfing down this Iron Chef worthy dish does confer Kratos and Atreus with Fortification buffs enhancing overall battle attributes and stats for a lengthy duration. Hearty indeed!
Beyond the tasty temporary perks, I found “Across the Realms” an absolute treat of a side quest sending our beloved gruff heroes chasing Nordic ingredients they’ll summon bifrosts across picturesque lands. It satisfies wanderlust while expanding the renewed mythos rooted in Santa Monica Studios’ phenomenal franchise.
Have you completed this questline yet? Which realm proved most memorable or challenging to traverse during your own cookout crusade? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for joining this mouthwatering tour!
TLDR Summary
- Finish the three main prerequisites of unlocking major realms, discovering Lunda’s campsite in Midgard and collecting sufficient Idunn Apples.
- Pick up the Lost Lore recipe book near Lunda then start locating marked map points bearing Jari and Somr’s initials.
- Harvest ingredients from Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim plus the Nordic Gourd squash in Midgard.
- Return materials to Lunda, witness the Meal of Comfort’s origins and dine on this strength enhancing dish yourself!
