Spirits (or ghosts) are the souls of people who had died of random circumstances. However, they won't rest and move on to an afterlife until a certain favor has been accomplished for them. They are the only undead who remain passive and neutral. In Vanaheim, there is an alternate counterpart called a Spectre. Spirits mostly appear as minor characters throughout God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök.
Ghostlore[]
A Ghost is the spirit or soul of a deceased person or animal that is believed to appear to the living. Descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic lifelike forms. Other terms that are associated with ghosts are apparition, haunt, phantom, poltergeist, shade, specter, spirit, spook, wraith, demon, and ghoul.
God of War (2018)[]
Most of the spirits that can be encountered are all found in different parts of the Lake of Nine, while only two can be found in different locations. After Jörmungandr was awakened and he lowered the water level of the wake, There is a side-quest called Unfinished Business, in which Kratos has the choice to command Atreus to ignite several braziers around the lake, which would free the spirits of people who remained stuck in Midgard and unable to move on to the afterlife. Two other spirits, who were also bound to Midgard, but for other reasons, can also be found.
Favors[]
Unfinished Business[]
This is one of the first side-quests the player can do during the main storyline. The main objective is to find and ignite several braziers which would free the spirits that remain bound to Midgard. Completing this quest will earn the player a legendary resource called Corrupted Remnant, which can be used to upgrade the versatility of the Leviathan Axe's handle.
1st brazier[]
- Location: Isle of Death
2nd brazier[]
- Location: Iron Cove
3rd brazier[]
- Location: Forgotten Caverns
4th brazier[]
- Location: Cliffs of the Raven
Hammer Fall[]
In this side-quest/spirit favor, the spirit of a former disciple of Thor, who harbors a strong hatred for the God of Thunder, requests that the statue of Thor in the lake of Veithurgard be destroyed. He would also give Kratos and Atreus his blessing to loot his father's grave. The spirit will then reveal the reason behind his hatred; his mother was murdered by a drunken Thor when she tries to get him to leave her home, after he takes advantage of her family's hospitality. As a result, the spirit, throughout his whole life, lived in grief, which then turned into rage and hatred.
After accomplishing this favor, the spirit would give the duo his gratitude and leaves to begin his quest for vengeance.
Spirit's location:[]
- Stone Falls
Dead Freight[]
The spirit of a broken sea captain (possibly Captain Erik) requests Kratos and Atreus to free his crew from their undead state, as they had turned into Hel-Walkers because of the spirit during his lifetime. As a guide, he tells the duo that the wrecks of his ships are scattered across the Lake of Nine.
Spirit's location:[]
- Forgotten Caverns, outside the entrance to a cave beside the Svartalfheim realm tower
Hel-Crew Locations:[]
- 1st crew: Niflheim realm tower
- 2nd crew: Isle of Death
- 3rd crew: Iron Cove
Anatomy of Hope[]
In this spirit favor, a spirit begs Kratos and Atreus to find and collect the bones of Gullveig, who is possibly his wife, under the belief that she could reunite them with those they had lost. Once this was complete, the spirit, before he departs, would call out to Gullvieg to awaken, which would then lead to a boss battle. After Gullveig was killed, Atreus will get angry with himself for having fallen to nothing but a lie, but Kratos tells his son to take it as a lesson. Because of this incident, Atreus swore to himself that he'll not trust in spirits ever again.
Spirit's Location[]
- The Mason's Channel, on the right of the water-gate to Thamur's Corpse.
Location of Gullveig's bones[]
- Skull: Forgotten Caverns, below the back of the Svartalfheim realm tower.
- Right Hand: Ruins of the Ancient, on the left of the two stone pillars that can be seen at the shore.
- Left Hand: On the right of the two Oarsmen, near the door to where Fafnir is held.
God of War Ragnarök[]
Two more spirits can be found in Svartalfheim, in which they are the souls of both a father and his son, who are both sailors. They had traveled to the realm of the dwarves to seek treasure and become rich which only sealed their fate. After finding and meeting both spirits, after accomplishing a favor, they'll move on in hopes of seeing each other again in Helheim.
Elder wayfarer spirit location:[]
- Dragon Beach, Svartalfheim
Wayfarer spirit location:[]
- Alberich Island, Svartalfheim
Spectre[]
A Spectre
There is an alternate counterpart of the spirit called a Spectre. While the appearance of the spirits are identical to that of the souls of Helheim, a spectre's appearance resembles the shape of what they were when they were alive. They are also revealed to have names of their own. When they first appeared during side-quests, different elemental energy can be seen swarming around them, as a result of their souls being fragmented. These spectres can only be found in Vanaheim.
Side-quests[]
Casualty of war: The Stein[]
Spectre location:[]
- Behind the dam, close to The Jungle
- Name: Magnus
Stein location:[]
- The Plains, The Crater
Casualty of war: The Toy[]
Spectre location:[]
- The Jungle, in front of The Dam on the map
- Name: Andor
Toy location:[]
- The Jungle, on the right of the dam on the map
Casualty of war: The Scroll[]
Spectre location:[]
- The Plains
- Name: Runa
Scroll half location:[]
- Western Plains, The Plains
Casualty of war: The Brooch[]
Spectre location:[]
- The Crater, in front of the frozen lightning bolt
- Name: Holger
Brooch part location:[]
- The place where Egil the Oathguard can be fought
Casualty of war: The Hourglass[]
Spectre location:[]
- Entrance to The Sinkholes region
- Name: Skarde
Hourglass half location:[]
- Hallway of the entrance to The Sinkholes where the Ash Tyrant is encountered
Conscience for the Dead[]
Spectre location:[]
Garden for the Dead[]
Spectre location[]
- Noatun's Garden
- Name: AstridAstrid
- Voiced by: Wakana Kowaka (Japanese dub)
Cure for the Dead[]
Spectre location[]
- Pilgrim's Landing
- Name: MariMari
Trivia[]
- A sixth Casualty of War spectre is present in the game files.