How to Unlock Sanctuary Barriers in God of War Ragnarok Valhalla (Smoke Barrier Lock)

There’s an awful lot to unpack in God of War Ragnarok‘s free Valhalla DLC, from learning how to permanently increase Kratos’ stats to figuring out which runic attacks and relics are best suited to the current run. For the most part, the expansion does a pretty good job of guiding the players on their journey, although there are one or two instances when they’ll be exposed to brand-new mechanics long before the game is ready to explain them.


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A great example of this is the locked barriers that can be found in the Sanctuary areas that God of War Ragnarok players find themselves in between waves. These walls of smoke prevent Kratos from getting to the goodies on the other side yet, initially, give no indication as to how exactly players are supposed to get past them. There is a lock symbol, but trying to interact with this does nothing, to begin with. Of course, like many things in Valhalla, this eventually changes as time goes on.


How to Open Locked Barriers in God of War Ragnarok Valhalla

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In order to permanently remove a barrier inside a Sanctuary, players will need to get their hands on a Sanctuary Barrier key. These rare items can be crafted at the Tablet of Influence at The Shore, though only after players have beaten Tyr for the first time. The first one will cost players 100 Spirit Seals, with the price going up with each additional key that they craft. Like the ability to craft Sanctuary Barrier Keys, the appearance of the Tablet of Influence is tied to main story progress, so if players are yet to unlock it, they’ll simply need to continue exploring Valhalla until they do.

What’s Behind the Sanctuary Barriers in God of War Ragnarok Valhalla?

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Behind each Sanctuary Barrier, players will find a chest containing useful in-game items, including things like Fleeting Echoes, Mastery Seals, and Runic Attacks. Although unlocking a Sanctuary Barrier is permanent, it’s a good idea for players to unlock one barrier in every Sanctuary rather than unlocking multiple barriers in one of them, to begin with. This is because realms are chosen at random in God of War Ragnarok Valhalla, so by splitting their unlocks across multiple Sanctuaries, players increase the likelihood that they’ll be able to claim at least one or two of the chests behind the barriers during the early stages of a run when the rewards inside will be most useful to them. Conversely, if they use all their keys at a single Sanctuary, the chances of them visiting that particular realm early on are relatively slim.