God of War: Ragnarok recently released, and once again, fans are raving over the PlayStation exclusive game’s story and gameplay. Specifically, many praise the fact that devs listened to criticism about the first game lacking enemy variety, and here, this is far from a problem. In fact, gone are the yawn-inducing trolls in favor of new blood.
The boss variety means they’re also a different flavor of hard from the previous games. No more getting used to the same troll or Valkyrie patterns; this game throws a lot of different bosses and mini-bosses at the player, with varying degrees of difficulty.
10 Garm
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Garm’s boss fight isn’t mechanically unfair, but it’s a test of endurance, all told. Garm uses his entire body and chains to prevent Kratos from putting him down. That leads to one of the longer boss fights in the game, as Kratos and Atreus chase the dog through Hel.
In fact, the boss fight is so long that both Kratos and Atreus come up with their own plans to attack the creature as the fight progresses. It’s telling that the eventual defeat of Garm wasn’t even killed but simply turned into Fenrir by fusing their souls together.
9 Alva
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The first boss of Alfheim has an unsettling Nordic interpretation of elves. Alva is a tricky character who uses her speed in the battle to dish out some severe damage before immediately dashing out. Not only that, she has the ability to heal herself, which potentially renders any damage the player has dealt moot.
The trick here is to break her double-blue circle attacks when they pop up. When done consistently, the fight gets a lot more reasonable, although still enough of a challenge on the hardest difficulty. A nice welcome of what to expect for this game.
8 Heimdall
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Heimdall is a smarmy and patently annoying heel who holds no sweetness with Thor as he does in the MCU interpretation. The fact that the first fight against him was a total squash serves to further frustrate the player. Kratos has had his fair share of loudmouth braggarts to fight against, but Heimdall is arguably among the worst.
Kratos had to go out of his way to find a special spear that could actually hurt him. Even then, the boss fight is reminiscent of bosses like Baldur and Hermes, only this time, Kratos cannot use anything but the spear, which can prove a challenge for those who favor the axe or blades.
7 Hrist and Mist
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The last fight before Ragnarok, Hrist and Mist reminds players why the Valkyries were such a pain in the previous game. Not only that, there are two of them now, and both are dead set on stopping Kratos from fulfilling the prophecy.
Even when they are first beaten, they will enter a second phase, reinvigorated with new life and strength. The boss fight challenges the player’s spatial awareness, and generous use of the shield is a likelihood because of flanks. Side note, the backdrop of this fight being the vastness of space makes for an incredible setpiece.
6 Nidhogg
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Few Norse monsters are as iconic as that Nidhogg, and this time, Kratos has Freya to back him up in this fight. It has a massive health pool, befitting of a monster that was made guardian of the roots of the nine realms. It also has huge AoE attacks that make greedy players regret their jump-ins.
The key to fighting Nidhogg is patience. Freya will tell players when the best time to attack is. Going in and rushing only ends with a trade of damage that Nidhogg wins. The fight is paced specifically to reward a player that is calm and collected.
5 Thor
The first Aesir that Kratos fights, Thor was the stinger of the previous game. Fans were excited to see how his fight would fare against Baldur’s. It did not disappoint, and many players found themselves at the mercy of the God of Thunder. This Thor is closer to the Norse myth than the Marvel one is, looking more like a boisterous warrior than a male model.
The fight is one of attrition, much like Baldur’s, especially so early in the game when Kratos doesn’t have all of his gear and skills yet. They can only rely on their skill. Plus, it’s just as spectacular as Baldur’s fight, making even the times when the player is beaten just as awesome looking.
4 Odin
The final boss of the game should always prove to be difficult, and that’s exactly what the Allfather provides to the player. Unlike his brutish sons, Odin fights like the trickster he is, casting a plethora of spells to confuse and hurt the player. His AoE attacks are plentiful and deal a ton of damage, forcing the player to dodge a lot.
Certain phases also make the Allfather invulnerable, making jump-ins even harder than ever. The fight against Odin forces the player to use all the lessons they’ve learned and weapons they’ve gained to bring Ragnarok to its bitter end.
3 The Berserker King
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In lieu of the Valkyries, the player fights twelve Berserkers, and they offer a different sort of difficulty compared to the Valkyries. Their swings are heavy, but they are so wide that a wrong dodge could still catch Kratos unaware, and his jumping attack punishes slow reflexes.
The danger with the Berserker King is how he mixes up attacks, often canceling certain patterns into others. While they can all be dodged, it’s a matter of knowing where to dodge, as each mix-up covers the most ground. Although not as punishing as the Valkyries, they still offer a great challenge for players.
2 The Hateful
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Despite being billed as a “mini-boss,” The Hateful turns out to be one of the most punishing bosses in the entire game, even moreso than the actual gods. Since it happens so early in the game’s story, plenty of people are underleveled and unprepared for such a tough battle.
Some of their attacks are basically unblockable, and they’re fast enough that dodging at the wrong second could spell game over. Add to that the one-hit kill aspect of their big attacks and The Hateful does well in making the players “The Hateful” themselves.
1 The Valkyrie Queen
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It’s not the Norse era of God of War if Kratos isn’t endlessly dying to Valkyries, and the new Valkyrie Queen Gna reminds players of the countless hours they spent fighting Sigrun. Only this time, Gna is far more vicious and has quite a few new tricks up her sleeve that Sigrun did not.
In addition to these new, devastating attacks, she also has an absurd amount of health, befitting her status as the true post-game boss. She proves more than a match for Freya and Kratos, and the player is bound to lose to her more times than they care to admit.
Source:gamerant.com