God of War Ragnarok is finally here, and with it comes a whole new set of bosses to conquer. But which ones are the easiest, and which ones will have you pulling your hair out in frustration? Never fear, because we've got you covered with our ranking of the bosses from easiest to hardest, and tips on how to defeat them.
10. Fiske
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Fiske in the God of War is a scythe wielding Einherjar. It is believed that he was a farmer who died in battle and went to Valhalla which is why he carries a farming tool. He then proved himself to be a skilled warrior becoming one of Odin’s top captains. He also has the ability to manipulate Bifrost. Kratos and co. encounter Fiske when protecting Vanaheim from an Einherjar invasion.
How to defeat Fiske:
Watch out for Fiske's attacks.Fiske only has a handful of combos, but his most frequently used ones involve striking twice or three times. His two-hit combo begins unblockable but ends with an attack that can and should be dealt with by a shield slam. He has two three-hit attacks, one that can be parried and one that ends with an unblockable attack
Parry as frequently as you can.Fiske swings slowly but hits fairly hard, not to mention he applies Bifrost. Even if you don't see the yellow ring, you can parry any of his attacks that aren't unblockable (the red ring). This rapidly fills up his Stun bar, especially if you parry multiple attacks in quick succession. Also think about switching to a Dauntless Shield if you have some confidence in your abilities.
When Fiske's weapon glows purple, keep your distance. Fiske has the power to add Bifrost energy to his weapon, depleting some of your health while it lasts. Make some space between you and him when you notice that his weapon has a purple glow. It's also a great opportunity to zone him using your rune powers.
Best way to kill Fiske guide:
9. Vanadis
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Vanadis, the Valkyrie Queen, is one of the first bosses faced in the game. She’s an agile and aggressive valkyrie that uses magic, including a poison that disables Atreus’ magic, stopping his summons and arrows. Vanadis is revealed to be the alter ego of Freya, the ex-companion of Kratos, seeking vengeance on the father and son for killing her son Baldur in the previous game. You’ll encounter the valkyrie when she ambushes Kratos and Atreus at their home.
How to defeat Vanadis:
In addition to using her wings to swiftly move around the fighting area and switch positions, Vanadis has a number of attacks. Initially, you have the option to attack her with the weapon of your choice and direct Atreus to shoot arrows at her as you strike her. She uses her sword to deflect your striking attacks, but a strong blow can get past her defenses. So, if you see her sword blocking your attack, just hit her with a heavy attack to get past her defenses.
Vanadis's initial attack is a horizontal arrow shoot that you cannot avoid by moving to the side; instead, you must use your shield to deflect the arrows. She also performs ground slam attacks in which the Red Ring is visible on her body and she repeatedly strikes the ground. This attack is not possible to parry or block, so be sure to keep a safe enough distance from the slam's effects to avoid getting struck.
She will also shoot arrows at you quickly, one after another, and you can block them with the shield, continue to dodge them, or, if you time your parry correctly, shoot them back at her to deal damage.
She will begin to shoot the poisonous bolts after her HP is halved. You shouldn't approach the Poison because it will make Vanadis stronger while weakening you. To get you to turn around, she'll fire several poisonous bolts close to her. While the poison is still present, you can still tell Atreus to shoot at the target.
She will also now attack you with her sword, and when she does so, Yellow Rings will appear on her, making it impossible for you to parry or block it. In order to avoid being hit by the Yellow Ring Attack, you must dodge. You don't want to be struck by her sword strikes, which she'll make multiple strikes at.
Best way to kill Vanadis guide:
8. Golrabs of the Ashes and Forest
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In God of War Ragnarok, the amount of trolls the father and son duo face is reduced significantly but there are four secret ones that can be fought for a reward. The Golrab of the Ashes and Frost are the hardest out of the four whereas you fight both of them at the same time. One possesses ash based powers and the other ice based powers which is significant in the method of beating them.
How to defeat Golrabs of the Ashes and Forest:
You can go ahead and use your standard block to block their swinging pillars so they can't hurt you. Given that their attacks are the same, you should have no trouble taking down this pair as long as you know where they are both.
A red ring around these creatures' torsos indicates the most lethal move they are capable of. The Golrab is about to charge you and bring slam its pillar when you notice this. If you get hit by this attack, it will damage you terribly, but fortunately these two move slowly. If you keep an eye out, you should be able to see the Golrab charging and move out of the way in plenty of time. If you have good timing, you might even be able to launch a few counterattacks while their pillar is still imbedded in the ground. Just keep in mind that a red ring indicates that you are unable to parry, interrupt, or block the attack. The only thing you can do is dodge.
The Golrabs will fling dirt your way to make you blind and confused. Since you are unable to see what the two of them are doing, this attack may be their worst. At this point, a Golrab might take you by surprise with a swift charge or a swinging pillar. Try moving backwards and keeping your distance until things clear up if your vision becomes blocked.
Best way to kill the Golrabs of the Ashes and the Frost:
7. Thor(Asgard)
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Thor is the big bellied god of thunder and also one of the main villains in the game. As you play you’ll encounter Thor twice, once in the beginning of the game as he came to punish Kratos at his home for killing his children, and towards the end of the battle in Asgard. Thor wields lightning abilities as well as the mighty hammer, Mjolnir. This battle has a lot of unblockable attacks and QTE events so you must be on your toes at all times. There are three phases to the battle where Thor will change his attacks.
How to defeat Thor:
After engaging in combat, Thor is extremely vulnerable to shield strikes, especially when The Dauntless Shield's charged attacks are used against him. He will stagger backwards and become temporarily vulnerable to all incoming attacks when you unleash a Shield Strike on him. Now is the ideal time to use your Runic Attacks since you won't have to worry about him avoiding them or even getting hurt.
The Draupnir Spear and Leviathan Axe are ideal for this fight because a charged Spear throw can significantly deplete Thor's health and the Axe typically bounces off of him when thrown from a distance.
Thor uses a plethora of close-range, unblockable attacks throughout all three phases, so we strongly advise you to adopt a strategy that has you leaving the battle arena after three or fewer heavy melee attacks from Thor.
If you're nearing the end of your health, think about attempting to parry Thor's incoming blows in the hopes of obtaining a Healthstone.
Best way to kill Thor guide:
6. Heimdall
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When Kratos and Freya make their way to Einherjar to free Freyr, they’re interrupted by a sudden attack from the god of Foresight, Surveillance, Order and Foreknowledge, Heimdall. The battle starts with Heimdall mounted on the horned beast, Gulltoppr which Kratos makes quick work of. Heimdall’s ability of foresight and his agility makes it almost impossible to land any attack when he gets off of Gulltoppr so you'll have to rely heavily on the Draupnir spear. This battle also has three phases starting with Gulltoppr and ending with the fast paced brawl after Kratos spares the Foresight god.
How to defeat Heimdall:
If you throw spears at Heimdall, be sure to blow them up as soon as you can because if he moves quickly or realizes, the spears will be destroyed and no damage will be done.
In addition to pushing Heimdall back and dealing a lot of damage, parrying his block break melee swipe will also cause him to become vulnerable to damage for a very brief period of time.
You will have the choice to block or dodge Heimdall's incoming attack during his Realm Shift attack. The majority of the time, we discovered that attempting to dodge at this time was quite dangerous because you'll need to act quickly to raise your shield in time to avoid damage.Its best to avoid this attack whenever you can, but make sure to dodge sideways because Heimdall's melee swipe causes him to lunge forward each time.
While Heimdall will take the most damage from your light and heavy melee attacks, don't be afraid to keep throwing spears at him because all damage—small or large—adds up, and charge spears can be a great way to break up his attacks.
The Rond of Purification is very helpful in this battle because it can heal any Bifrost aliment, which helps us avoid taking unneeded damage. While Heimdall can be a little difficult to shield strike, as the battle progresses, he will become much more open to them.
Keep an eye on your runic abilities because unleashing powers like the Thrust of a Thousand Soldiers and Artillery of the Ancients can come in very clutch when you’re on your last straw.
Best way to kill Heimdall guide:
5. Hrist and Mist
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Hrist and Mist are the vicious valkyrie duo Kratos and Atreus face at the Spark of the World as they wait for Surtr to transform into Ragnarok. They are among the last loyal Valkyries to Odin. Hrist and Mist constantly go on the attack, employing hit-and-run strategies, teaming up for combos, powerful AOE attacks, and wing attacks reminiscent of earlier Valkyries. Additionally, there are different phases to the battle, so you're occasionally forced to change your attention to Atreus' assistance.
How to beat Hrist and Mist:
First off, Atreus and the Valkyries frequently comment on their impending attacks throughout each phase of this battle, which heavily relies on audio cues. One such instance can be heard when Hrist shouts "sister" aloud. This will serve as Hrist's order to summon Mist into battle and order her to attack you.
It's crucial that you keep an ear out for these tiny audio cues because they'll give you a big advantage and let you get ready for any impending attacks you might not have seen coming.
Always, especially when one of the Valkyries is sidetracked, unleash as much heavy damage as you can when given the chance. You'd be surprised at how much damage you can deal with a few well-timed charged hits. Attack interruption and parrying occasionally provide healthstones.
Always be ready as they will rejuvenate themselves back to full health and new power after you “defeat” them.
Best way to defeat Hrist and Mist guide:
4. Hrolf Kraki
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The king of the Berserkers, Hrolf Kraki is the worst and thankfully the last berserker faced in the game. King Hrolf Kraki's arsenal of skills and techniques, which are directly lifted from the other Berserkers, is what makes him such a terrible force. You'll need to use everything you've learned from previous battles to its fullest, dodging every move he throws your way while also letting loose with precisely timed attacks, much like the Valkyrie Queen Sigrun fight in God of War (2018). You’ll find the sword wielding Berserker in the aptly named King's Grave in Midgard. Get ready because this devious displays a large variety of attacks.
How to defeat Hrolf Kraki:
King Hrolf is capable of almost any significant move you've seen a Berserker perform before. He won't (thankfully) summon more minions to harass you, so you can concentrate solely on him and lock on target to follow his constant dashes and teleports.
He can use any element at close range for many of these moves, beginning with the traditional "Daudahogg," which involves two swift tracking projectiles that arc at you as he floats in one direction before switching to the other. The second one can hit him if he stops moving, so it should be parried if at all possible.
You will be fairly tracked by his ground tremor spell, so hold your ground and block his attacks frequently while you await his next move.
The "Pyrping" spell fires a barrage of fast-moving tracking projectiles that you must only avoid after they have begun to fly because avoiding them before they have begun will still cause damage.
King Hrolf can summon any of the elemental "Vengi" unblockable moves to perform the more lethal attacks. This includes the fireball shower all around you, which you should carefully dodge by strafing and backpedaling while utilizing as much of the arena as you can.
The three large radius effects of the frost Vengi give you more time to fill him with Draupnir Spears or charge a permafrost axe to throw and knock him out of it due to their static positioning.
The shock Vengi will appear in a straight line, but will quickly target your last known position, so keep moving and dodging while avoiding becoming trapped against a wall.
Finally, the Bifrost Vengi must be stopped as soon as purple sparks appear. This can be done with any of your ranged weapons as long as you act quickly before the explosion occurs.
At close range, expect the King to rapidly conjure many of the weapons you've come up against when dealing with the Barbarians. He can, however, also go without any weapons and attempt a two-hit combo by infusing his fists with random elemental energy. These are excellent to parry, especially with the ability provided by the Dragon Armor perk to accumulate damage for use later.
Be on your toes at all times, if you hear the Berserker shout just expect a ruthless attack to befall you
Recognizing patterns and even getting lucky with him not using your most hated attacks, like the blue ring attack or the Bifrost explosion, can go a long way in this battle. When you manage to throw him off balance, press on with your attack and switch between weapons to use Runic Attacks as necessary until he jumps away, at which point you should pivot in order to get ready to block his subsequent move.
Best way to defeat Hrolf Kraki:
3. Nidhogg
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Nidhogg is the giant serpent-like creature that is assigned to protect the Yggdrasil roots, Kratos and Freya face her at the World Tree’s Base as they try to undo Freya’s binding spell. Nidhogg has Rift Creation, Enhanced Senses, Super Strength, Extreme Durability, Bifros Manipulation. In this battle there are four phases.
How to defeat Nidhogg:
Do not hesitate to approach closely. As Freya advises, you should make sure to parry or dodge attacks throughout the fight, then move in close to deal heavy damage to the creature's head after it has finished attacking or been stunned or interrupted.
Nidhogg is best defeated with melee attacks, but ranged attacks with your axe are still an option; they just won't do much damage.
The area is littered with Healthstones and Ragestones, which you can loot throughout the battle despite the area's generous checkpoints. So, if your health is getting low, take a quick look around the area; chances are you'll see some lying around.
The majority of the Nidhogg's attacks have sizable AoEs because of its immense size and the general attack types it employs. This is why we advise you to move around the area frequently; if you stay in one spot for an extended period of time, it will be much harder to avoid the creature's attacks than it has been with other boss encounters.
The Nidhogg will use a tail-charge attack during the second round of combat, slamming its tail into the ground and then shooting out two blue rings. Four pulses of these rings will occur before the tail explodes. Prioritizing stopping the attack by swiftly double-tapping L1 will ensure your victory throughout this battle. This will stun the object, giving you a brief window of opportunity to deal close-range melee damage while feeling reasonably safe. One of the main ways to quickly deplete Nidhogg's health bar is with this attack.
Best way to defeat Nidhogg guide:
2. Odin
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Odin Allfather the master manipulator is the king of all Asgardian gods. With his nonstop yearn for knowledge to change his fate,he gained immeasurable amounts of power and abilities. The Allfather was the puppet master behind everything that unfolded in the 2018 God of War game. After the all out battle against Thor, Kratos convinces him to change his life around and get out of the control of his manipulative father Odin. This angered Odin he came and killed Thor as he no longer had any use for him, this is where the battle against Odin ensued. Due to Odin’s high level of intellect and shiftiness this turns a battle into a fight of constant movement.
How to defeat Odin:
The Rond of Purification shield attachment, for example, really shines when you're dealing with a lot of Bifrost attacks because you can block them before unleashing them on Odin in a reversal. This approach and tactic will significantly increase the overall damage you do to him.
Odin moves quickly and can deflect long-range attacks fairly well. For this reason, you should dodge at the perfect time and then attack when he's close by if you're not parrying an incoming attack.
You'll need to defeat Odin one more time after you first reduce his health bar and he escapes through the ground. Thankfully, Atreus and Freya will help you out during this battle. Make use of their abilities because there are numerous instants when you'll need to have them target orbs in order to avoid taking a lot of damage.
When you get to the next checkpoint after dealing half health, you'll be prompted to press R3 to deliver a devastating blow. Odin will rise with protected health bars; here's what you need to know about damaging each bar because he is still too strong to be defeated by your attacks.
The only way to harm blue is with your Blades of Chaos.
The only way to harm orange is with your Leviathan Axe.
Odin will also receive a number of new attacks to add to his arsenal in addition to the protected health bars. Be ready for Odin to use a variety of attacks that he has employed throughout the various stages of the battle during this phase as well.
Best way to defeat Odin guide:
1. Gna
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Gna the Valkyrie Queen who is one of the last loyal subordinates to Odin is by far the hardest opponent in the game. You’ll encounter the ferocious Valkyrie when she ambushes Kratos and Freya in Muspelheim when she tries to get vengeance against Freya the “traitor”.
First off, Gna's attacks are deadly because of the incredible speed and ferocity behind them. There won't be much time for you to respond to one blow before another is ready to blow your head off. Additionally, because of how quickly her combos transition, missing even a single block, parry, or dodge will guarantee defeat. Not to mention her enormous health bar, which makes this battle an endurance as well as a skill test.
How to defeat Gna:
Emblem of Elusion, an amulet enchantment, significantly aids in avoiding "For Asgard!" slam attacks.
Use the Dauntless Shield to parry; doing so can prevent some attacks from happening, most notably a yellow-ringed attack in which she can jump into the air and land three times, each time launching a cone-shaped wave of bifrost. By blocking this attack, she won't be able to repeat it, and any bifrost buildup will be avoided. Use the parry shield instead of blocking this attack with the Stone Wall shield because doing so will cause you to accumulate a lot of bifrost, you might not have enough rage to clear it, and you might end up staggered from blocking too many attacks and getting hit anyway.
Increase the timing window of parries by using Rond of Deflection.
Equip Freya with the accessories Nocked Proficiency, Runic Potency, and Sigil Punishment, and only use runic arrows on her unless Gna is summoning the sound stone (switching to sonic arrows to cancel that attack and then immediately switching back to runic arrows). Since it will be easy to keep Gna status inflicted with this setup, the Vanaheim amulet enchantment set bonus will pair very nicely with this for extra damage.
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