Walkthrough for the favor The Elven Sanctum in God of War Ragnarok.

How to Start the Favor The Elven Sanctum¶

After you finish the main quest The Reckoning, talk to the elves in Freyr’s Camp (Beyla and Byggvir) to start this favor. Your chisel will be upgraded over the course of the aforementioned main quest, which will allow you to break the seal on the door in The Barrens, which connects to another large desert region in Alfheim, The Forbidden Sands, where you’ll need to travel to advance this favor.

Once you reach The Forbidden Sands, head to the easternmost edge of the region to find an elevated ledge, beyond which is the torso of an elf, which makes the odd facade of this Elven Sanctum you’re looking for.

The Elven Sanctum - Artifact: Tribute to Freyr - Bracelet¶

The Elven Sanctum, beyond just being a favor, is rotten with collectibles - this subarea accounts for seven of the collectibles in The Forbidden Sands (not including the favor itself, which counts as another collectible). Grapple up to the ledge outside the Elven Sanctum and turn right to find a glowing purple Artifact lying on the ground - pick it up to obtain the Tribute to Freyr - Bracelet. You can also find a small chest on the left edge of the ledge, for what that’s worth.

When you’re done looting, go through the double doors building into the… abdomen, let’s say the abdomen of the Elven Sanctum.

The Elven Sanctum - The Library¶

Once inside the sanctum, go through some more doors to the east, then continue east to reach the library, where numerous collectibles can be found:

• Lore Marker - Rules of the Sanctum: At the eastern edge of the library, on the bottom floor.

• Lore - The Lost Pages: Along the northeastern edge of the library, on a short round table on the bottom floor.

• Scroll - An Examination of Temporal Significance: Just to the left (north) of the center of the library’s ground floor, on a short round table.

• Lore Marker - The Arbiters of Knowledge: Along the western edge of the library you’ll find two ledges you can grapple up. Grapple up the southern ledge to find this Lore Marker.

• Treasure Map - Forgotten Tower: Climb up some ledges on the western end of the library to reach the topmost floor, where you’ll find numerous scroll shelves. Search a scroll shelf along the northern edge of the room to find this Treasure Map.

• Legendary Chest - Jewel of Yggdrasil: Just behind the scroll shelf that held the Treasure Map collectible. Loot this obvious chest to obtain a Jewel of Yggdrasil.

When you’re done snagging collectibles, climb to the westernmost edge of the library to find the Consul’s Journal on a stand. You need this item to advance this favor. Grab it and leave the Elven Sanctum, only to find that the librarian doesn’t approve of you grabbing books without properly checking them out.

Boss Battle - The Maven¶

The Maven fights much like Alva, the light elf you fought during your escape from the Temple of Light in the quest Groa’s Secret. She’s got two blades and will perform a very limited number of attacks, alternating between them regularly.

• Crosslash: A fairly quick, unblockable (red) attack. After winding back, The Maven will slash with her swords, shooting an X-shaped burst of energy. Dodge to the side to avoid this attack. If you’re far enough away, she’ll usually follow this attack up with her charged Light Burst attack, if you’re close, she’ll likely use her Sword Flurry combo. Later in the fight she may also follow up with a series of Blade Throws.

• Blade Throw: The Maven will toss her twinblades at Kratos. This is a yellow attack, so caution must be taken when blocking it. She’ll start out spinning her twinblades at you twice in a row, but when her health is lower she’ll add more sequential throws. Time your blocks well to parry and be sure to advance between throws, or if you’re close enough, score a hit or two between each throw.

• Light Burst: The Maven will plunge both her swords into the ground, emitting a burst of light that deals damage over a wide area. This attack comes in two forms, one usually following her Crosslashing and one at the end of her Sword Flurry combo. In the former case, you can interrupt the attack with a shield bash (blue rings), otherwise it’ll be an unblockable (red) attack, which you can try to interrupt by having your companion shoot The Maven.

• Sword Flurry: Usually used following Crosslash (when you’re nearby), The Maven will perform a series of normal slashes with her twinblade. Easily blocked, this combo is usually finished with an unblockable Light Burst.

The key to defeating The Maven is to invade her personal space - get close, stay close, and attack whenever possible. If you’re decent at parrying, all the better, but even if you’re not, she wants to keep her distance and is more than willing to whittle your health down with ranged attacks if you let her. She’s not terribly durable, so every strike you land will be felt. Once you get used to her attack sequence and can anticipate when to dodge, block and shield bash, you’ll be able to rout her surprisingly quickly.

After the fight, exit the Elven Sanctum to complete the favor.