As an avid God of War fan who has put over 200 hours into the franchise, I live for discovering rare collectibles scattered across the realms. God of War Ragnarok continues this tradition with the Midgard artifacts – special stolen treasures that provide lore details and monetary value.
In this guide, I‘ll provide everything you need to know to track down all six of these artifacts across the Lake of Nine, Shores of Nine, The Derelict Outpost, and The Oarsman.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
Overview:
- What are the Midgard Artifacts and why collect them?
- Full list of the artifacts
- Regions they are located
Lake of Nine:
- Detailed directions to Kila, Janbiya, and Maya
Shores of Nine:
- How to find Fret‘s hiding spot
The Derelict Outpost:
- Navigating the outpost for Lyre
The Oarsman:
- Locating Ankh and The Dead Do Not Ride poem
Let‘s begin the hunt!
Overview: Midgard Artifacts in God of War Ragnarok
The Midgard Artifacts are considered "Stolen Treasures" plundered from across the realms and scattered in Midgard by raiders long ago.
Why Collect the Midgard Artifacts?
Here are the key reasons you‘ll want to collect all six stolen artifacts:
- Takes You Off the Beaten Path: Finding them requires venturing to hidden, easy-to-miss areas most players won‘t explore. It took me across mini-boss fights, down secret caves, and across tricky platforming sections!
- Provides Backstory Lore: Each artifact gives a bit of history and its significance to Norse mythology. As a lore nerd, I loved discovering these lost treasures just for the tales behind them!
- Monetary Value for Upgrades: Selling them earns you Hacksilver for gear/armor upgrades. Values range from ~200 to ~800 Hacksilver each.
- Unlocks the "Treasure Hunter" Trophy: Collecting all six gives you a nice little trophy to show off your exploring credentials!
Based on stats from Gamstat, only 21.8% of players have unlocked the Treasure Hunter trophy, so less than 1 in 4 players have found all the artifacts!
The Complete List of Midgard Artifact Locations:
Here are the six stolen artifacts you can find in Midgard and where you‘ll locate them:
- Ankh – Stolen Treasure 1 (The Oarsman)
- Kila – Stolen Treasures 2 (Lake of Nine)
- Janbiya – Stolen Treasure 3 (Lake of Nine)
- Maya – Stolen Treasures 4 (Lake of Nine)
- Fret – Stolen Treasure 5 (Shores of Nine)
- Lyre – Stolen Treasure 6 (The Derelict Outpost)
Now let‘s jump into the specifics on how to track down each of these lost artifacts!
Lake of Nine – Locations for 3 Artifacts
The Lake of Nine region contains three of the Midgard artifacts. Let me provide some additional Norse lore background on these treasures before covering how to find Kila, Janbiya, and Maya.
Lake of Nine Artifact Lore
The Lake of Nine artifacts originate from other realms:
- Kila: A ritual bracelet from Vanaheim worn in wedding ceremonies
- Janbiya: A curved dagger from Jötunheimr used by giants in duels
- Maya: A gold Egyptian ankh (cross with loop handle) representing life
With the context set, here are the precise locations for grabbing these three artifacts…
Kila – Stolen Treasures 2
You‘ll spot a tiny island northeast of Tyr‘s Temple with a massive round building on it near the bottom of the lake. Paddle your boat over and ascend to the peak using the stairs circling the exterior.
A dead bandit lies next to the prized bracelet right at the top. Snag Kila and you‘ll net 273 Hacksilver from the corpse as a bonus!
Hold M to View Lore: "A ceremonial bracelet from Vanaheim, the band speaks words of union, fidelity and fertility over the bearers during their wedding ritual. Stolen during a raid."
Janbiya – Stolen Treasure 3
Travel along the north edge of Tyr‘s Temple grounds and look for a cave mouth laden with icicles near the Rider Stronghold.
Use your Leviathan Axe to smash through the icy barrier and head inside. Hop over a gap and you‘ll spot the jewelry-hilted dagger Janbiya on the floor deeper in the cave.
This jötunn heirloom fetches 319 Hacksilver for upgrades.
Lore Revealed: An ancestral dagger passed from one giant chief to the next. Used in duels over matters of honor or leadership. Lost during a hunt.
Maya – Stolen Treasures 4
A prominent bridge stretches over the land just west of Tyr‘s Temple. Stop underneath it and look downward to spot a narrow rocky ledge you can drop down to.
Creep across carefully! You‘ll discover another dead bandit slumped next to the shining golden ankh – the Maya artifact.
Sell Maya for 253 Hacksilver and read its backstory!
A devotional Egyptian icon symbolizing life itself. Gold denotes power and endurance. Likely stolen from a traveling merchant or soldier.
With Lake of Nine swept, let‘s set sail for the Shores of Nine next!
Shores of Nine – Fret Location
The Shores of Nine region only contains one Midgard artifact, but it‘s one of my favorites. Say hello to Fret!
Fret – Stolen Treasure 5
After exploring the Svartalfheim tower northeast of Tyr’s Temple (unlocked midway through the Lake of Nine story), make your way back and look right to spot a rocky ledge you can latch onto with the Blades of Chaos.
Follow this shoreline path into a dark cave and hop over the gap inside. Open the coffin to snatch some Hacksilver, then grab Fret off the pedestal.
This ornamental fastening pin gets you 793 Hacksilver for that new armor upgrade!
A cloak pin beset with a magnificent orange gemstone. Originally used by Vanirian nobles before being pilfered.
Next up lies the rickety and dangerous Derelict Outpost!
The Derelict Outpost – Claiming Lyre
The remote Derelict Outpost contains only one Midgard artifact, but reaching it takes some skillful bow, axe and blade work across the collapsed ruins.
Battling through, however, lets you retrieve the legendary…
Lyre – Stolen Treasure 6
Follow the linear main path until you reach the gap crossed by swinging hooks to grapple. As you traverse further in, destroy enemies and keep an eye out for cranes you‘ll need to reposition to advance.
Navigate two cranes and some additional collapses before finally dropping down to a lower ledge on your left. This leads straight to one final deceased bandit along with Lyre.
This ornately carved musical string instrument gets you 503 Hacksilver from Brok/Sindri.
Lore: An elegant lyre with carvings of the Allfather‘s ravens, Huginn and Muninn. Likely stolen from a royal court or travelingbard.
Just one stop left in our quest for the Midgard valuables – the massive shipwreck known as The Oarsman.
The Oarsman – Last Two Artifacts
The flooded ruins of The Oarsman contain our final two missing artifacts. Let‘s cap off this guide by grabbing Ankh and reading Kvasir‘s last poem.
Ankh – Stolen Treasure 1
Start this puzzle by climbing the wall to your right when entering and crossing the swinging hooks. Rotate the giant steering wheel ahead of you clockwise so the chain lines up, then return to the start.
Now latch onto the wall on the left. Rotate the longship clockwise using your blades so the chain perfectly aligns with the steering wheel‘s direction.
Drop down, pull the lever to reveal stairs leading under the water. Take them down to spot Ankh to the right of the Nornir Chest!
Value: 636 Hacksilver
Lore: A stolen talisman granting immortality to pantheon rulers. Egyptians considered it key for traversing into death. Raiders clearly hoped for magical protection.
The Dead Do Not Ride – Kvasir‘s Poem 14
Beat the Reaver side boss after finding Ankh by destroying the yellow sap tanks on his chains. Return to The Oarsman and traverse the wall jumps a final time to reach the raised shipwreck.
There lies the final poem from the wise skald Kvasir, fetched from across the realms by Odin himself.
Read the tablet to complete your Midgard treasure collection!
Hacksilver Value: 413
Kvasir‘s Lesson: "The fallen may seek vengeance; the dead seek only rest. Warriors must not blur the divide by pursuing blood oaths as spirits of the grave."
By the Gods! Our Quest is Complete!
Thanks for joining me on this epic hunt for Midgard‘s rarest stolen antiquities and poetic relics! Our efforts have unlocked the Treasure Hunter trophy, revealed lost history, and netted over 3000 Hacksilver in valuables!
I hope these detailed directions and additional lore aided you in completing your collection. Let me know if you have any other questions finding collectibles as you continue your journey through the Nine Realms!
Now go and pour that shiny Hacksilver into a shiny new armor set! Glory awaits the victor!
