Complete Guide to Realm Tears in God of War

What are Realm Tears and why should you care? Our guide will tell you everything you need to know about this phenomenon in God of War and what to expect when you stick your hand in one.

If you’ve been playing God of War for more than a few hours, you may have come across some Realm Tears by now. These strange glowing blobs that float in a variety of places start appearing through the realms about midway through the game. What happens when you stick your hand in them, why would you do that, and where can you find more of them? Those are the questions we seek to answer in this guide.

What are Realm Tears?

Realm Tears are exactly what the name describes, tears in between the various realms, small connection points, portals of a sort. They are not large enough for Kratos or Atreus to use in a similar manner as the Mystic Gateways, but they do provide valuable rewards, if you’re up for a fight. Most of the time when Kratos sticks his hand into one of the Realm Tears, there will be a big bad enemy on the other side that promptly smacks Kratos, gives him a kick back, and then proceeds to come through the tear with intentions of messing your day up. So the lesson is, don’t go sticking your hands into dark places if you’re not prepared for the consequences.

Seriously though, most of the enemies that come through the Realm Tear will be very high level and pose a serious challenge to Kratos, especially early on in the game.

What Rewards do Realm Tears Give?

After defeating whatever terrifying thing came through the tear, you’ll have to go and stick your hand in it one more time to get your rewards. Hey, no one ever said that Kratos was scared of anything! There are two types of materials that you’ll pull out of a Realm Tear after the battle is done. Dust of Realms is the most commonly acquired and is a legendary substances used to upgrade a variety of Talismans. It is also possible to receive Pure Essence of Realms. This legendary material is required for upgrading extremely powerful Talismans and is much more rare to find.

Where Can I Find Realm Tears?

Realm Tears are found in a variety of places and tracked on the realm summary of your map. Midgard, for example, tracks at least 9 Realm Tear Encounters. Once you’ve spotted one, if you’re not strong enough to defeat the enemies yet, it will remain marked on your map so you can easily return later.

Here are the ones we’ve located so far:

Wildwoods Realm Tear Encounters

1. Inside the Hidden Chamber of Odin, instead of a Valkyrie.

Shores of Nine Realm Tear Encounters

1. At the Alfheim Tower Boat Dock in the north east.

2. Inside the gate room when leaving the bridge towards the mountain. Must activate the light crystals.

3. At the Nilfheim Tower.

4. At the Alfheim Tower after the water has lowered twice. Not at the top of the tower but just north of it on a beach.

Light Elf Outpost Realm Tear Encounters

1. At the Light Elf Outpost on the beach. This doesn’t count towards the number tracked on the map and contains no enemies but you will get some Dust of Realms from it.

2. At the top, once activated with a light crystal.

Lake of Light Realm Tear Encounters

1. At the Light Elf Sanctuary after opening the second gate, in the opposite direction of the Nornir Chest, overlooking the lake.

Forgotten Caverns Realm Tear Encounters

1. Once you’ve entered via the cave when the water has been lowered twice, climb up and head to the right.

Veithurgard Realm Tear Encounters

1. At the south beach on a ledge on the right-hand side.

The Mountain Realm Tear Encounter

1. Just outside the mountain you’ll come across another encounter.

Konunsgard Real Tear Encounter

1. After leaving the stronghold just past a Nornir Chest.

That should cover everything you need to know about Realm Tears in God of War. Keep in mind that these will spawn enemies that are difficult to defeat, so be prepared. Feel free to consult our God of War Guide Hub to assist you in getting geared up properly.