Burn Past Thorns in GOW Sons of Sparta

As you progress through the early sections of God of War: Sons of Sparta, you’ll begin to encounter small patches of thorns that block your path. When this encounter first occurs, you will not have the tools required to get past the thorns, but this being a metroidvania, you can rest assured that the answer will come. In this guide, we’ll show you how to acquire the Evergreen Flame, the Gift of Olympus that allows you to burn and remove thorns in God of War: Sons of Sparta.

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How to Get Past Thorns in God of War: Sons of Sparta

To get past the thorn barriers in God of War: Sons of Sparta, you’ll need to unlock the second Gift of Olympus, the Evergreen Flame. This item allows you to use two magic attacks:

• Volatile Kernel: A small ball of flame that explodes on impact with an object or enemy. Costs 15 Magic.
• Hearth Rain: A shower of incendiary bombs that incinerate enemies.

For the sake of this guide, the Volatile Kernel ability will be the main focus.

How to Unlock the Evergreen Flame:

Like the Solar Slingshot, you’ll unlock the Evergreen Flame through a temple to one of the gods. For the flame, you’ll need to find the Temple of Hestia. This temple is located in The Great Cistern region, directly below Sparta. To reach it, you’ll first need to defeat the game’s initial boss, Ioke.

Once you enter The Great Cistern, you’ll want to make your way down until you reach a long elevator shaft. Once you reach the bottom of the shaft, head east. If you head directly east, you’ll hit the Temple of Hestia.

Once you reach the Temple of Hestia, go inside, and speak to the woman standing at the pillar in the center. She will unlock the Evergreen Flame.

How to Burn Thorn Barriers:

Once you have the Evergreen Flame, you’ll simply need to return to any Thorn Barrier in the game, hold down L2 to create the aiming line, then press fire with R2. Pay attention to the location of the thorns, as you’ll sometimes need to angle the shot just right to hit. As long as the ball of flame explodes near the thorns, you’ll get a good fire that burns them away.

More Uses for the Evergreen Flame:

The Evergreen Flame can also light various lanterns and braziers around the game world. Some of these braziers will be required for quest puzzles, and others will lead to treasure. To light a brazier, simply aim the same way you would while trying to burn thorns and fire.

To use the Hearth Rain ability, hold down R2 and press triangle. This will create a massive rain of fire that hits nearly everything on screen. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need a huge amount of magic to use this attack.

Upgrading the Evergreen Flame:

To upgrade the Evergreen Flame, you’ll need to collect special items and return to the Temple of Hestia. If you visit the pillar in the center of the temple, you’ll see you need an item called the Eternal Bale. This will empower the Evergreen Flame, though we have not found the item just yet. Once we have the object, and know how it works, we’ll return and update this guide.