Sony’s latest God of War title introduces a new weapon for Kratos called the Leviathan Axe. The weapon functions a lot like Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, in that it can be thrown at enemies (or puzzle elements) and recalled with the press of a button.

However, the main function of the Leviathan Axe in God of War is carnage and mayhem. Kratos uses the axe to dispatch all number of baddies, from the lowly Draugr all the way up to massive trolls. And as he upgrades the axe, Kratos will unlock new move sets and abilities, which will make defeating enemies even easier.

To upgrade the Leviathan Axe, players will need to collect Frozen Flame, a consumable that drops at specific points throughout God of War’s story. Getting the axe to level 5 will happen as gamers play through the game, so there is no need to worry about missing out. Once you have a Frozen Flame simply head to Brok or Sindri, the two dwarven blacksmiths in the game, and purchase the Leviathan Axe upgrade.

Getting the Leviathan Axe to level 6, however, is completely optional and not made entirely clear by the game. While players will still need another Frozen Flame, what the game does not tell them is they need a different item, called the Chilling Mists of Niflheim, first.

Step 1: Unlock Niflheim

The first step is to unlock the Niflheim realm, which requires four Niflheim ciphers. There are a total of 7 in the game, three of which are found in hard-to-miss chests towards the end of the game.

kratos in niflheim

Niflheim is a unique realm in God of War in that it features a playable area that refreshes every time Kratos leaves the mist, which, by the way, will kill the player if they stay in it for too long. Think of it like a deadly randomized dungeon, with small pathways with traps (giant circular blades or walls that try to smash the player) and larger areas with a few enemies.

Step 2: Collect Mist Echoes to Unlock Center Chamber

The goal in Niflheim is to open chests and collect Mist Echoes. First players will need to collect enough Mist Echoes to craft a key to enter the Workshop Center. The Workshop Center is always found in the first area of the Niflheim dungeon – just head straight and up a set of large stairs. Since the player's mist resistance is pretty weak to start, we recommend limiting Niflheim runs to the first area. Get in, kill the enemies, open the chests, get out, and refresh the instance.

Step 3: Open the Chest With Mists of Niflheim

In the Workshop Center Chamber are a handful of chests, some of which require Mist Echoes to unlock. One of these chests contains the Chilling Mists of Niflheim, so it’s only a matter of farming Mist Echoes by running through the randomized area and opening chests a few times. Players can increase the time that they can survive in the mist by crafting gear, but quick runs will also work.

Step 4: Buy Final Frozen Flame

Once players have the Chilling Mists of Niflheim, take the item to the blacksmith at the beginning of the area and purchase a Frozen Flame. And that will unlock the final upgrade on the Leviathan Axe, increasing its damage and rewarding the player with a PlayStation trophy.

God of War is available now for PS4.