Multiple times in God of War Ragnarök, Kratos will come across puzzles that’ll require him to use his brain instead of his mighty fists. One such puzzle is encountered in some mines during Kratos and Atreus’ quest to find Tyr in God of War Ragnarok.
During this quest, they’ll come across a mineshaft in the Applecore mines, where they’ll be presented with a set of mechanisms that are powered by a set of water wheels. In order to progress further in GoW Ragnarok, solving these puzzles inside the mine are essential so if you are struggling, allow us to explain how to complete them.
How to solve the water wheel puzzles in the Applecore mines
To move these water wheels, you’ll have to make use of Kratos’ trusty Leviathan Axe, and his Blades of Chaos, which will help you progress forward, and successfully finish the mines water wheel puzzles in GoW Ragnarok.
Water wheel puzzle 1
The first water wheel puzzle that the players will come across is fairly easy and does not require much thinking. You’ll notice a water trough, with a blue crystal blocking the flow of water. Aim at the crystal and have Atreus shoot a blue rune arrow, allowing the water to flow through the trough.
Now aim your leviathan axe at the part of the trough located right above the water wheel and throw it to freeze the water and make a sort of dam.
This dam of ice will block the flow of water, forcing it to overflow onto the water wheel right below it. Once the water wheel starts moving, it’ll raise a crank, allowing Kratos and Atreus to move forwards.
Water wheel puzzle 2
The second Applecore mine puzzle in God of War Ragnarok will be slightly more challenging than the last. This puzzle will require you to freeze multiple parts of the trough and turn several cranks using your Blades of Chaos.
In this area, you’ll notice a trough to your left, with a water wheel right below it at its very end. Throw your Axe at the trough, right above the water wheel, causing the water to overflow.
This will raise the crane, allowing Kratos to swing to the other side. Now you’ll be required to find a way to keep the water flowing in the right direction, without having your Axe stuck at your trough.
Once you’ve swung to the other side, look back at the area where you’ve thrown your Axe, and you’ll notice a crank.
Press O to turn this crank using your Blades of Chaos, which will allow the water to flow in the right direction, without the use of your Axe. Now swing back and freeze the water in the trough right in front of you, so the water flows into the far water wheel.
Jump down from the ledge to your right and you’ll notice a chain leading upwards to higher ground. Climb it and you’ll get a clear view of the area where you’ve thrown your axe. Here, you’ll find another crank, that you can turn to allow water to flow in the right direction without the use of your axe.
Finally, you can travel back to the lift, and freeze the water in the trough right above you. This will block the water flow, allowing the lift to come back down.
Water wheel puzzle 3
Coming to the last mine puzzle, you’ll notice two water troughs, to your left and to your right. First freeze the water in the trough to your left, right above the bottom water wheel.
Now, ask Atreus to turn the crank, which will activate the bigger water wheel. When this water wheel will be activated a few pieces of ore will fall onto the trough, and block the water’s path, creating an impromptu dam. This means that you can get your Axe back to freeze the next trough, which is to your right.
After you’ve blocked the water on the trough to your right, it’ll activate the water wheel right below it, raising a crank right in front of you. Now you can swing over to the other side onto a raised platform. For this platform to move forward you’ll be required to destroy the ore sitting in the first water trough. Aim at the chunks of ore and have Atreus shoot a green arrow at it, destroying it.
This will cause the water to freely flow as it originally did, while also moving the platform back to its original place. Jump across, and reunite with Atreus, which will mark the end of this puzzle.
