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God of War guide: Family Heirloom artifact locations (Helheim)

The locations of all Helheim artifacts

By Jeffrey Parkin
SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
Jeffrey Parkin (he/him) has been writing video game guides for Polygon for almost seven years. He has learned to love just about every genre of game that exists.
Part of God of War guide and walkthrough

In this God of War guide, we’ll show you how to find every Family Heirloom artifact in Helheim.

Finding artifacts in God of War isn’t just about being a completionist. Each artifact you pick up earns you some XP (with a bonus when you complete a set). And you can sell artifacts for good money when you visit a Brok or Sindri franchise location.

A note on God of War spoilers

God of War is full of surprises, and that makes guides particularly tricky to write. We want to help you with the game. We don’t want to spoil it. So we want you to know that we’ve written every guide with spoilers in mind. 

If our guide doesn’t appear to get you every item (a chest, for example), there’s a reason for that. Rather than spoil that reason, our tables of contents and a big image in the guide indicating spoilers ahead will tell you when and why you find yourself in that situation — in the least spoilery way possible. 

SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Family Heirloom artifact locations (Helheim)

Your first trip to Helheim will be during the main story chapter “The Sickness.” You’ll be able to grab the first three of the Family Heirloom artifacts during that visit.

  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  1. As soon as you leave Tyr’s Temple and exit into Helheim proper, turn right. You’ll find the first artifact in the corner.
  2. A ways down the bridge, there’s a locked door you can’t get through. You have to turn left, burn through some Hel-bramble and take a detour. You’ll climb around a bunch of pillars and fight a bunch of Hel-walkers. At the bottom of the pillar you climb down (you’ll pass a chest held up by some Hel-brambles), look for a broken pillar behind you. The second artifact is stuck behind some Hel-bramble near the top of the pillar.
  3. You’ll fight some more Hel-walkers and eventually climb out of that arena (and back up toward the bridge). Immediately after you climb out, you’ll pass under an overpass. The third artifact is stuck to the underside of the overpass with more Hel-bramble.

For the remaining two artifacts, you’ll have to take a special trip back to Helheim with Atreus in tow.

  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  • SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon
  1. Run along the bridge until you reach the second overpass. Climb up and cross it to the left. Have Atreus blow up the sap wall to get inside a Hidden Chamber (there are also two Odin’s ravens and a Valkyrie, Rota, behind this sap wall). This first of the remaining artifacts is just behind the sap wall on your right.
  2. Take the elevator (Helevator) down to the Valkyrie’s area. Before you get to Rota’s arena, take the stairs up to the balcony over the entrance. The artifact is behind the brazier on the left side.

God of War guide and walkthrough