God of War: The Marked Trees Walkthrough
The Marked Trees is the first quest of God of War, in which Kratos and Atreus venture out hunting and encounter enemies along the way. We'll show you how to complete this section in our walkthrough for the Marked Trees here.
On this page:
- The Marked Trees Walkthrough for God of War
- How to Beat the Draugr
- Where to Go After the Draugr Fight
- Marked Trees Tutorial Gate Puzzle
The Marked Trees Walkthrough for God of War
Once Kratos has finished angrily chopping down the tree with his fancy new Leviathan Axe, carry the tree to the boat with Atreus, and row yourself down the river, until you see the button prompt to dock at the other end. Head up the rough path to the snowy clearing, and you’ll find yourself at Kratos’ new home with Atreus, which is definitely a change from his digs in Ancient Greece.
When you’re back in control of Kratos, turn right and head around the perimeter of the area, until you see a glowing item on the ground in front of you down a shaded path. This is one of the ‘Lost and Found’ collectibles, and you’re going to need to find all four in the Marked Trees quest in order to bag yourself a nice amount of XP to spend.
Head through the open gate with Atreus, and you’ll find yourself in a new area. There’s what looks like a collectible on the ground in front of you, but it’s actually a container of Hacksilver, which is a special currency you’ll have to find and save up in God of War. If you head to the stairs where Atreus is but instead turn right, you can go down a slope which will lead to a chest, which Kratos can punch open to earn a nice amount of Hacksilver. Come out the other side of the small tunnel, and you’ll find another one of the Lost and Found collectible toys on the ground leading back up to where Atreus is waiting.
Head all the way up the stairs with Atreus, following the footprints on the ground, and hop over a fallen tree, where Atreus will find a startle a deer. If you head forward to where Atreus was when he startled the deer, and then continue ahead, you’ll find another chest that Kratos can punch through to earn some Hacksilver. Rejoin Atreus on the bridge, and you’ll have to use the Leviathan Axe to break the fallen wood ahead of you.
How to Beat the Draugr
After Kratos has confiscated Atreus’ bow, you’ll find yourself in your first combat scenario in God of War. These are Draugr, one of the weaker enemies in God of War, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble dispatching them with a few swings of the Leviathan Axe. Make sure to listen out for Atreus however, as he’ll shout to warn you if a Draugr is sneaking up on you from behind. If you want other guides on how to fight, we've got all manner of beginner's tips here.
Where to Go After the Draugr Fight
After the fight, you’ll find yourself undercover with a choice of three paths to take. Turn right, and you can follow the path here to find a chest on your left, and a Hacksilver pouch on the water to your right. Jump up the two mossy ledges to the higher path at the end of this narrow area, and you’ll be able to walk down the path until you can drop down the chain off the cliff, climbing down with Atreus on your back. Turn right as soon as you’re at the bottom of the chain, and you’ll see another Lost and Found collectible toy straight ahead of you. Turn back around and you’ll have to kill two wolves, before you can open a chest (which is actually defiling some poor soul’s tomb), and claim a large amount of Hacksilver.
Now use the chain to climb up to the previous path, and head all the way back until you’re back where you chose to head down one of three paths. Now take the path on your right, and you can use the Leviathan Axe to smash through the wooden boards ahead of you, revealing a new area. In this small cavern, throw the Leviathan Axe to smash the three small statues scattered around the area, and you’ll be able to open the chest and claim an Idunn Apple. These items, although they might not seem it, are incredibly important. There are nine in total scattered throughout God of War, and for every three you find, you’ll have Kratos’ maximum health increased.
You’re now finally okay to follow the third and final path to continue the story of God of War, where Atreus will once again sight the deer, before you both head through the large doors at the end of the stone bridge. Head down the stairs, and you’ll come to a new area where you’ll have upwards of ten total Draugr to defeat, one after another. These aren’t difficult to kill by any means, and after you’re done with them turn around from facing towards the gate, and you’ll see a pair of large wooden doors that you can go through.
In this new area, which you’ll note is next to the stone bridge that you were previously on, you’ll have to kill three wolves and a Draugr, before you can open the chest to claim a large amount of Hacksilver, as well as collecting the final Lost and Found collectible in the area, which is right next to the stone bridge that runs over the area. Now that you’ve collected every Lost and Found collectible in the Marked Trees quest, you’ll be rewarded with a total of 350 XP for your efforts.
Marked Trees Tutorial Gate Puzzle
Now head all the way back to the previous area, and you can solve the puzzle with the gate by lifting it up with the chain, while aiming the Leviathan Axe for the spinning plate just above the gate. If you freeze the plate while the gate is raised, you can let go of the chain and the gate won’t fall down, and you can just press triangle once you’re with Atreus to retrieve the axe, lowering the back gate and opening and one in front of you.
As soon as you’re through the gate, turn left and head round the corner, where you’ll see chain that Kratos can climb up with Atreus. At the top, head forward and up the stairs on your right, where you’ll have to smash through some wooden boards with the Leviathan Axe. Straight ahead of you will be a huge cabinet, that you can open to discover the first of many Jotnar Shrines. Listen to Atreus’ musings, and you’ll be rewarded with 100 XP for your efforts. If you can find all eleven Jotnar Shrines in God of War, you’ll be rewarded with a total of 6000 XP.
Now head back to the area at the bottom of the chain, and head down the path straight ahead, where Atreus will need to kill a deer with your help. All you need to do is aim with the left trigger and the right analog stick, and press square once the red reticle has honed in on the target. After you’ve joined Atreus and helped him finished off the deer, it’s time for a boss battle against the troll Dauoi Kaupmaor.
If you want more than God of War guides, check here to see the very strange thing that Baldur has been up to off-camera, or check out how the World Serpent got his iconic rumbling voice.