God of War guide: Hammer Fall Favor walkthrough and collectibles

God of War Hammer Fall is among the earliest side quests, but getting it requires several steps. In this guide, we’ll walk you through them all, from accepting the quest from a wayward spirit in Stone Falls to completing the Favor in Veithurgard.

We met the ghost of a man who devoted his life to Thor, but now he’s turned against him. He wants us to destroy a statue … not the big one in the Lake of Nine, but a smaller one on an island outside of the lake, adorned in emerald. As much as Father hates gods, I bet we’ll help him out.

Stone Falls

Your first step is visiting Stone Falls, a location in the northeastern Lake of Nine.

Location of Stone Falls

SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

The beach is east-northeast of Tyr’s bridge, just past the Alfheim tower. You have to stop here to open the gate to Veithurgard anyway, so you might as well pick up the few collectibles while you’re here.

Opening the Veithurgard gates

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

There’s a bit of a puzzle to getting around Stone Falls on your first visit, so here’s how to open the gates (and grab some loot while you’re at it):

1. Once you beach the canoe, smash through the planks on your left to reveal the mystic gateway.
2. Go through the gate directly ahead of you. Note — but ignore for now — the chain on your left. Handle the enemies inside the next area.
3. Turn to your right and throw your axe at the disk and chain holding up the bridge.
4. Go back through the first gate, then pull the chain next to it. This will close this gate, but open another.
5. Jump across the bridge you just lowered on your right.
6. Immediately after the bridge, use the wheel on your right to open the huge gates to Veithurgard.
7. Continue past the angry spirit — we’ll come back to him in a second — and open the gate leading back to the area where you fought the revenants.
8. Go through the now-open gate on your right. Open the legendary chest inside for a golden talisman of protection and “open” the wooden chest.
9. Head back out and turn toward the angry spirit. To the left of the gate is an area where you can climb up. Do that.
10. There is a tomb here that you can’t open yet. On your left, you’ll find a ship head from the Abandon Ship artifact set. (Check out our Abandon Ship artifact set guide to make sure you find all of them.)

That’s everything you can collect in Stone Falls (until later in the game). There’s one more thing to do before you leave.

Talk to the spirit

Talk to the spirit you passed earlier to (finally) pick up the “Hammer Fall” Favor (or side quest, if you prefer). Head back to the boat and paddle through the huge gate you just opened.

Depending on how far you are in your game, this visit won’t get you to 100 percent completion for Stone Falls. (Consider the tomb that you couldn’t open.) You’ll have opportunities to return and collect the rest later.

Veithurgard Pass

Veithurgard Pass isn’t quite Veithurgard, but there are still a couple things to pick up and find.

The beach

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

When you first park at Veithurgard Pass, you can find the following:

• A lore entry directly ahead of you when you beach the canoe.
• Brok has a shop on your left.

That’s it.

Crossing Veithurgard Pass

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

There are two areas where you’ll fight enemies and find goodies on your way to the other side of the Pass.

Squeeze through the narrow passage just past Brok’s shop, where you’ll find the following:

• A few enemies
• Head to the far side of the area and smash through the planks on the left for a chest.
• Throw your axe at the spiked door to open it to find a glowing, red sarcophagus (we’re just going to refer to these as red chests from now on).

Duck into the tunnel next to the spiked door to continue on to the second area. Here’s what you’ll find there:

• More enemies
• A lore entry directly ahead of you
• A lore entry just to the right of that one

Now it’s time to get to the Veithurgard proper.

To the boat

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

Now it’s time to continue on to Veithurgard proper, so go back down to the main area and crawl under the toppled pillar. Throw your axe to free the boat.

Hammer Fall

To complete the favor for the spirit in Stone Falls, you’ll have to destroy that giant, green statue of Thor on the island in the middle of Veithurgard’s lake.

Grid View

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

• SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

1. Paddle into the lake and beach on the island. It’s the one with the giant statue of Thor on it. There are a few enemies to handle right on the beach. Go into the cave directly ahead of you (underneath the Thor statue) for a chest.
2. To start to topple the statue, climb onto the ledge on your right, then turn to look at the statue. Throw your axe at the glowing chain-like symbols on the statue to begin destroying it.
3. While you’re standing right here, you can get the Odin’s raven that’s circling the statue. Aim to the left of the statue at about the leftmost point of the raven’s loop. Wait for it to disappear behind the statue. Right when you see it again, do an overhand throw. Your axe should meet it and kill it.
4. Continue along the path to the front side of the statue. Keep hitting the glowing points until it topples.
5. Walk straight toward the statue (or where it used to be, rather) to find the spirit’s father’s grave. You’ll dig up a legendary axe pommel.
6. Now you just have to head back to Stone Falls and talk to the spirit again to complete his favor. When you do, you’ll get one Offering to Tyr crafting resource and a couple thousand XP. But there’s more to do here in Veithurgard first.

And that’s it. For more on the area, check out our Veithurgard guide.