Brok and Sindri, God of War’s dwarf brothers, offer players a number of different quests throughout the game. Second Hand Soul is a Favor given to players by Brok; the quest tasks you with finding Brok’s friend Andvari, another dwarf known as “The Alchemist.” In Norse myth, Andvari was the dwarf who forged the magical ring Andvaranaut which turned Fafnir into a dragon.
To start this quest, you’ll need to head for Volunder’s Chasm. Sail through the area until you reach land, where you will find a Lore Marker and a chest. Hunt around for a place where you can crawl. On the other side, you will find Brok at one of his workshops. Speak to the dwarf, and he’ll give you the Favor and a Volunder Entry Stone so that you can enter Volunder Mines.
When you arrive and enter the mines, use Kratos’ axe to open a hidden area containing a chest by hitting a red pot, then return to the main area and enter a corridor where you will see a Soul Eater. You won’t fight it yet, but it’ll return later in the quest. Drop down into the next area and clear out the enemies, then follow after the Soul Eater. Lift up a gate and enter the next chamber where you will be attacked by a Revenant. After defeating it, you should see a door to your right. You can’t progress in that direction until you have broken three runes.
Breaking the Sealing Runes
In the chamber, look for a red pot hanging from a scaffold. Destroy it with Kratos’ axe to break the first rune. Leave the chamber by climbing down a nearby chain. You should find a pair of Nightmares guarding a chest, beside which is a map which you will need for the Dead and Bloated treasure. Follow the path and break through the wooden wall at the end. You’ll find yourself behind gold rocks and a red pot you can use to destroy them. Break through, and the second rune can be found ahead of you on the rocks, before you descend to the next level of the chain.
Once you have broken the rune, climb down and turn right. You will find another resource-filled chest and a gate, beyond which is the third and final rune. Once all three are broken, return to the sealed door. Clear out the newly-spawned enemies, then head onward.
Defeating the Soul Eater
Now, you will need to defeat the Soul Eater. Like the Soul Devourer optional boss, the Soul Eater is an “Ancient”. That means that it cannot be hurt by most attacks. Wait for the boss to telegraph its ranged attacks, when it crosses its arms. When it’s ready to fire, the core in its chest will be exposed, and you can hurl Kratos’ axe at it. This knocks out part of the core, which you can pick up. When the Soul Eater next exposes its core, hurl it back to deal heavy damage. After doing this a few times, the Soul Eater will collapse, and you can attack directly.
Once the Soul Eater is defeated, collect the rewards, which include the Fire Sigil of Protection and The Alchemist Ring, as well as a runic attack called Fury of the Ice Troll, in a nearby chest. A quick route out of the mines can be found on the other side of the chamber. Clear out a few final enemies after using the zip line, then return to Brok. He will reward you with the Grip of Volunder, a powerful piece of armor.