In the new God of War games, Kratos gets a new main weapon: the Leviathan Axe, a weapon once carried by his late wife Faye. He wields it for the entirety of the game in both of the new games, along with other weapons. In God of War Ragnarok, you can upgrade your Leviathan Axe using a Frozen Flame. This upgrade material cleaves your axe through anything you use it against like butter.
This guide explains the location of all eight frozen flames and six frozen sparks and how to get them. We also cover the upgrades of your Leviathan Axe in the end. The flames are gained as a reward after taking down specific bosses in God of War Ragnarok. Five of them are in the main storyline, and the remaining three can be found through optional side quests in the hidden regions.
Frozen Flame #1: Defeat the Huntress (The Wildwoods Stalker)
The Huntress will ambush you during the Surviving Fimbulwinter quest early on in the game. This will happen in the Upper Wildwoods area. She is a mini-boss that will drop the first Frozen Flame of the game upon defeat.
Frozen Flame #2: Defeat Alva (Light Elf Lord of Alfheim)
Once you reach Alfheim, you will find Alva in the Temple of Light, during the Groa’s Secret main story. Defeat her and get the second Frozen Flame in God of War Ragnarok.
Frozen Flame #3: Free Freya
You will receive a Frozen Flame as a reward once you successfully free Freya from her bonds during The Reckoning quest in Midgard.
Frozen Flame #5: Defeat the Flame Phantom (Muspelheim)
Once you reach Muspelheim to complete The Summoning quest, you will encounter a Flame Phantom. Defeat the Phantom and obtain another Frozen Flame.
Frozen Flame #6: Defeat the Crimson Dread (Favours for Vanaheim)
After completing Chapter 13, Creatures of Prophecy, of the main story, you will unlock an optional side quest, Scent of Survival, which opens up a hidden region, The Crater. You will encounter The Crimson Dread, a mighty dragon near The Plains. You can get here only after nightfall. Defeat him and get a frozen flame.
Frozen Flame #7: Berserkers Souls of the Barren (Berserkers Gravestone)
On the western side of Barrens in Alfheim, you will encounter three Berserkers during a side quest. Take down Svipdagr the Cold and the Sisters of Illska and get your frozen flame from the Berserker Gravestones.
Frozen Flame #8: Clear all the Hel Tears (Helheim Hel-Traveler)
Frozen Sparks or Hel Tears are pieces or fragments of Frozen Flame, and over six are spread across the nine realms. You need to collect them all to gain a Frozen Flame. There are a total of six Hel Tears in God of War Ragnarok. You will find two in the main storyline. Once you have collected one tear, you will get a Frozen Spark. You can find the remaining tears at the given locations:
Frozen Spark #1 (Sindri’s House)
You will receive the first Frozen Spark as part of The Reunion quest. This will be when Atreus mistakingly frees Garm to begin your journey to seal all of the Hel-Tears in the game.
Frozen Spark #2 (The Gleaming Bale, Helheim)
You will encounter your next Hel-Tear while chasing down Garm in The Gleaming Bale, also during the Reunion questline. You will automatically encounter the tear as you progress.
Frozen Spark #3 (Aurvangar Wetlands, Svartalfheim)
Dock your boat at the location, freeze the geyser to jump across, and climb the wooden platforms all the way to the top. Then, continue ahead and use the zip line to go down to the Hel-Tear location.
Frozen Spark #4 (The Strond, Alfheim)
Reach the Mystic Gateway location on the map and then head south. The moment you come out of the entrance, you will spot the Hel-Tear. Drop down below and prepare for the fight ahead.
Frozen Spark #5 (The Southern Wilds, Vanaheim)
This is an easy Hel-Tear to find. It lies almost next to the Southern Wilds Mystic Gateway marked on the map above.
Frozen Spark #6 (Well of Urd, Midgard)
Head toward the Mystic Gateway found in the Lake of Nine and move northeast to reach the Well of Urd.
Now, climb the mountain to reach its other side. Spot the small cracks in the walls and go through to reach the final Hel-Tear.
How to use Frozen Flames to Upgrade the Leviathan Axe?
Frozen Flames and Frozen Sparks are necessary resources that upgrade Kratos’ signature weapon, Leviathan Axe in God of War: Ragnarok. When you begin the game, the axe is at level 1, and as you progress through the story collecting Frozen Flames, you can upgrade the axe. The final upgrade is done at the end of the story once all six Hel Tears/Frozen Sparks are collected.
The table below shows how much Strength can be increased with each level to boost your overall damage stats.
| Leviathan Axe Level | Strength |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | +10 |
| Level 2 | +25 |
| Level 3 | +40 |
| Level 4 | +55 |
| Level 5 | +70 |
| Level 6 | +85 |
| Level 7 | +100 |
| Level 8 | +115 |
| Level 9 | +130 |
