God of War Ragnarok is one of the most anticipated games of 2022, and rightfully so. After the revival of the series in 2018 won game of the year for its astounding graphics, engaging storyline, and impressive combat mechanics, the expectations for God of War Ragnarok were set exceedingly high.
The studio has not disappointed fans with this new rendition of the game, offering many of the same enticing features. According to the most current sources, the game has 59 bosses between the main and side quests. This beats out God of War (2018) with 23 additional fights!
We reviewed each of these 59 fights to determine the top 10 fights players have to look forward to in the latest installment of the epic series. Note, there will be spoilers below.
10. Gryla
Gryla is an interesting fight because she is a larger opponent, yet the focus isn’t on destroying her completely. Instead, the focus of the fight is to destroy her cauldron so that she no longer needs to steal souls.
This fight shows the change in tone of the games and the evolution over time from brutally killing everything to killing only when absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, this battle does not feature Kratos, but rather Atreus, now known as Loki, and Angrboda.
During the fight, you must break the runes on the cauldron while avoiding projectiles from Gryla and staying off of the floor. When you weaken her enough, you can come down to the floor and attack the cauldron directly.
This fight is very reminiscent of classic PlayStation games in general, where you weaken the boss in stages using one strong move at the end of each stage. Overall, it is an interesting fight with important storyline details.
9. Garm
Garm is a massive wolf that Kratos and Atreus fight together in the Silent Clearing. This fight was anticipated as the wolf Fenrir is a key part of the Ragnarok myth.
Of course, the studio didn’t want the game to be too predictable, so Fenrir’s part in the story is a bit different than expected. The fight with Garm is the key to understanding the story behind Fenrir. After a brief separation, Kratos and Atreus meet up to stop Garm from destroying the realm.
Kratos begins the assault with a surprise attack and follows with his normal brute force. As Garm attacks, his chains get stuck in the ground.
Atreus kindly points out that you should freeze him to the ground so you can openly attack him uncontested.
Garm also has bashing attacks that leave him stunned and projectile attacks if you get too far away. Kratos and Atreus use Garm’s own chains to strangle him and break his neck leaving, him lifeless in the snow.
The fight doesn’t end there though. Garm comes back to life tearing the building apart in an attempt to reach Kratos. The fight then changes styles in a way similar to fights seen in God of War II where you fight as you run away before being swallowed by the crumbling building.
Finally, Atreus realizes that Garm won’t die because he is missing his soul. He explains that the soul was accidentally transferred to his knife, and by stabbing Garm with it, he was able to give it back.
8. Hirst and Mist
The Valkyries are back in the second installment of the Norse God of War series. They aren’t necessarily as prominent as they were in God of War 2018; however, there are a few key fights that still make the top 10 list.
The fight with Hirst and Mist is the first Valkyrie fight where the player must face two Valkyries at once. Luckily, Kratos and Atreus are quite a bit stronger in this game than in the previous game, making the Valkyrie fights a bit less laborious.
The fight happens during a climactic point in the game as Ragnarok is about to begin. The Valerkies are sent by Odin in another attempt to stop the event from happening.
Unlike the first game, the Valkyries actually attack Atreus. However, as Kratos deals damage to one, Atreus attacks the other, mirroring the damage. This makes for a rather interesting fighting dynamic that has never been seen before in the series.
7. GNA
GNA is the true Queen of the Valkyries. While the fight with Hirst and Mist is part of the storyline that can not be avoided, the player gets to decide when to fight GNA. The battle happens after the death of Odin, so the fight acts like bonus content in the game.
While the fight is considered the hardest of the Valkyrie fights, some players have said that it was relatively easy compared to the Valkyrie fights in the first game.
That being said, the game is still too new to really make that determination on a mass scale so take the review with a grain of salt.
Like the Queen of the Valkyries in God of War (2018), GNA has an almost unlimited supply of moves and adjustments that can be made during the fight.
Kratos has Freya to help during the fight, making it a bit easier to finish her off. Ultimately, Freya is the one who strikes the final blow in another important cut scene.
6. Vandis
Vandis is the first Valkyrie we meet in God of War Ragnarok. She appears out of nowhere and performs the now-well-known Valkyrie kick to the face.
Atreus and Mimir share dialogue during the fight that explains why this Valkyrie is different from the ones that the duo fought in the first game.
Vandis has many of the same moves as the original Valkyrie, but she also hides her wings and fights with a sword for a portion of the fight. After a while, she also emits poison.
The reason this fight ranks over the Queen of the Valkyries, however, has less to do with the fighting mechanics and more to do with the storyline. After almost defeating her, Kratos recognizes her as Freya.
She removes her helmet and reveals that it is, indeed, her and that she is there to exact revenge on Kratos for killing her son, Baldur. Atreus tries to kill her to stop her from killing Kratos, and Kratos, in turn, stops Atreus from killing her. This makes Freya stop and decide to keep them alive, for now.
5. Nidhogg
As Kratos works with Freya throughout the game, we learn that Freya is tied to Midgar by a curse Odin placed on her.
The curse literally binds her to the realm using the roots of the tree of life. Odin used the tree on purpose because it is guarded by Nidhogg, a dragon-like beast that would stop at nothing to protect the tree.
The battle is just as climactic as any other battle with giant creatures, with several stages of damage and attacks from both sides. Nidhogg also has babies of her own, which she attempts to protectby opening a portal to another realm when she starts losing the fight.
Kratos can’t let her escape, so he holds her in place long enough for Freya to sever the ties of the curse. As soon as she does, though, the portal closes on Nidhogg's head, decapitating her and ending the fight.
4. Heimdall
Heimdall is the god of foresight, meaning that he has the ability to see the future. This makes him very annoying and very difficult to deal with throughout the game.
He is particularly cocky because he holds the weapon that will play a vital role in Ragnarok.
Heimdall believes that no one will ever be able to take the weapon from him. As Ragnarok approaches, Kratos finally faces him. In the opening scene of the fight, he takes down Heimdall’s mount easily, placing them on equal ground.
Heimdall doesn’t lose his arrogance, however, he continues his mocking and laughs at Kratos’s efforts. That is, until Kratos gets one good hit in. We then see just how much of a wimp Heimdall is as he has never felt pain in his life.
This display of fear that Heimdall shows creates an opening for Kratos to continue his attack and make progress in the fight.
Heimdall tries to gain his arrogance back by mocking Kratos again, but this time he brings up Atreus.
This is one of the only fights in the game where Kratos throws away his newfound sense of mercy and (to the satisfaction of many players) beats Heimdall to a bloody pulp until he dissipates into godly dust.
3. Odin
Odin is one of the most obvious boss battles of the game since he has been a prominent figure since the introduction of the Norse gods. He has had a hand in almost every battle that Kratos has fought since leaving his home.
The studio continues to keep players engaged with this story by initiating the fight in yet another surprising turn of events. Throughout the game, we are led to believe that Odin will use Thor to kill Kratos and continue to hide behind his minions until the very last moment.
While this is the general idea of what happens, Thor doesn’t finish his fight with Kratos. In fact, he agrees with Kratos and decides to side with him. This leads Odin to appear and kill Thor himself.
Odin then attacks Kratos, blaming him for destroying his family. The fight itself is very similar to many of the other fights in the game, although Odin has special moves of his own, of course.
In this fight, Kratos has the help of both Atreus and Freya, which also adds to the intrigue.
In the end, they decide to spare Odin and to trap his soul rather than kill him. The implications of the story are huge, as we see the true evolution of Kratos and his efforts to end the violence in this decision.
Sindri appears out of nowhere and destroys the vessel holding Odin's soul. Odin killed his brother Bork, and he feels he is entitled to his revenge.
2. Thor Fight 2
Thor is one of the key gods in the storyline of the game, so it makes sense that his fights are the most interesting. In his second fight, he doesn’t hold back at all, however, Kratos has increased in power during his journey.
This fight is everything that players were expecting from the game, with cinematic cut scenes and engaging combat mechanics.
Yet again, Thor announces his intent to kill Atreus, allowing Kratos to use his rage to take control of the fight. Unlike the fight with Heimdall, though, he is able to pull back on his rage and reason with Thor.
He begs Thor to end the cycle and be better than his father. Surprisingly, Thor actually agrees in complete sincerity. This action of peace between the two gods prompts Odin to appear and kill Thor himself for not carrying out his demands.
1. Thor Fight 1
The first appearance of Thor in the game is undoubtedly considered the best fight in the game. This is similar to the appearance of Baldur in God of War (2018) as it introduces the storyline and the fighting style for the rest of the game.
These dramatic entrances and breathtaking fighting mechanics and graphics effectively hype up the rest of the game. It produces a sense of excitement for many players that carries through the entire game.
This first fight is a brutal, climactic battle between two fathers who care deeply for their children. This deep sense of purpose for both characters as well as the ferocity of the battle leave players wondering if they will be killing Thor this early in the game.
This sense of the unknown makes the entire fight engaging and full of wonder. As the fight progresses, we see Thor unleash the power of Mjölnir and help Kratos unlock his Spartan’s Rage.
Once Kratos displays his ferocious desire to protect his son from the violence of the gods, Thor stops his attacks. He tells Kratos that he is satisfied with the fight and that he can finally understand the reason why his own sons had to die.
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