The 10 Most Difficult Encounters In God of War Ragnarok's Valhalla DLC

Anyone who played the original Greek Saga of God of War will no doubt be familiar with the Wraiths and what a nuisance they can be. Somehow, in addition to making them more difficult to deal with in Valhalla, Sony Santa Monica also made them more terrifying. Their dual-bladed hands mean they’ll constantly be blocking most of Kratos' attacks while their spinning blade attacks can easily leave Kratos stunned and open to a follow-up. The Wraith’s ability to tunnel underground also makes them difficult to track, especially when they’re joined by numerous other enemies that keep you distracted as they slither up behind Kratos for a surprise strike. Out of the numerous foes Kratos faced in Greece, this was one we were not happy to see again.

Although the Cyclops isn’t too dissimilar to the trolls and ogres Kratos has faced in the Norse realms, the Cyclops can still pack a mighty wallop with its club if you let your guard down. While in the Greece saga the Cyclops were fairly regular enemies that eventually became no issue to deal with as Kratos grew in power, the switch to a much more up close and personal approach in the Norse saga means Kratos is far more vulnerable to their strikes and swipes than in his younger days. Although you can still metaphorically “ride the bull” to help clear out any stragglers, blocking and dodging the Cyclops’ surprisingly fast and especially powerful attacks can make even reaching that point an unexpected struggle for veterans who think they have the Cyclops figured out.

The sons of Thor make a grand return in Valhalla, somehow earning their way into the glorious afterlife only to encounter Kratos once again. Whereas in the 2018 game, players faced the pair as a team, in Valhalla, the brothers get to show off how they can stand on their own without the backing of their bro. While Magni still remains the stronger of the two, but Modi does offer up a surprising challenge he didn’t possess in his and Kratos’ first encounter. Both brothers make use of their lighting to coat the battlefield and can leave Kratos stun-locked, but unlike Magni, who uses his enormous sword and brute force aggression to cause the most damage, Modi makes use of his shield to block many of Kratos’ attacks and will teleport around the arena to get the drop on the player. We were really missing Atreus’ help this time around.

Ormstunga was already a pain in the ass optional boss in the base game and this is no different, except for the fact you could be severely underpowered this time around. The little gremlin’s speed is the real issue, and his diminutive stature makes it hard to keep track of him as he bounces around the enclosed arena. His attacks don’t do a ton of damage but when landed in rapid succession, they can quickly whittle Kratos’ health down bit by bit. The Gollum wannabe can also take quite a bit of damage with very little impact on his admittedly large health bar. Making sure you stay locked on and have mastered the block and parry mechanics will have you sending the little goblin back to his hole hopefully before he sends you back to the shore.

Although not a common enemy in the Greek Saga, the Sirens managed to become the bane of many fans of the series with their erratic movement, constant screeching, and their ability to summon challenging enemies to protect themselves. In Valhalla, the Siren's song is sure to conjure long forgotten nightmares and they remain just as difficult now as they did then. They will continually summon ever increasingly powerful enemies for Kratos to fight, and like most of the enemies in the Greek area of Valhalla will tether themselves to Kratos, slowly draining his rage meter until the link is broken. While not physically imposing, their ability to teleport around the arena makes it hard to single them out as Kratos is quickly surrounded. Thankfully they only appear in this one area, but even knowing the encounter is coming can’t prepare us for what the Siren’s song has in store.

Boat Arena

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While battling his way through Valhalla’s Champions, Kratos will be presented with an additional challenge that offers superior rewards. The first one players will unlock is the Boat Arena which will transport Kratos to a boat graveyard akin to the start of the very first God of War game. The small arena throws nearly every combination of basic and advanced Greek enemies possible at Kratos as well as putting some Legionnaires up top to take pot shots during the most inopportune moments. The arena adds an additional layer of challenge beyond simply surviving the onslaught by giving players multiple tiers of increasing difficulty leading up to the best rewards at Gold for the number of enemies Kratos manages to slay in a given amount of time. Given the small arena as well as the numerous enemy types, it can become overwhelming, especially for those going for Gold.

The Minotaurs have been a mainstay of the series with some variation appearing in every God of War game in the Greek saga and unfortunately, they make their grand return in Valhalla. Notorious for their large area of effect attacks that would leave Kratos bouncing like a ragdoll, they thankfully don’t repeat that pattern here but make up for it with a dangerous and unblockable charge attack. Although they don’t have the weapons of their Greek cousins, the Valhalla Minotaurs most resemble the Elite Minotaurs from God of War III, complete with their sturdy body armor that makes them extremely resistant to most of Kratos’ attacks. With flaming ground pounds and furious swipe attacks, they don’t really need their weapons to do a lot of damage and due to their surprising speed, taking them on from a distance isn’t really an option as they’ll quickly close the gap with their aforementioned charge attacks.

As if fighting the King of the Berserkers wasn’t bad enough the first time, now he demands a rematch with most likely half of the gear and stats you had during your first encounter. It would also seem that King Hrolf has been training since your last battle as he comes with a fury of new tricks and is able to shake off several of Kratos’ projectile attacks without a scratch. He’ll also block and parry many of Kratos’ attacks as well, leading to a game of ping pong back and forth until one of the combatants blinks and takes the hit. The King will also use multiple area of effect attacks forcing Kratos on the run and his poison and fire attacks can do substantial splash damage. Honestly, we’re just thankful Gna didn’t somehow end up on this level as well.

Sand Arena

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Much like the Boat Arena, the Sand Arena can only be unlocked when Kratos has progressed far enough into Valhalla and proven himself worthy. However, the Sand Arena poses a substantially more difficult challenge than its counterpart. The battle starts off simple enough with harpies, draugr, and legionnaires but as the timer ticks down and the tiers increase, soon Kratos is dealing with Wraiths, Sirens, hunters, a Cyclops and eventually a pair of Minotaurs. If you haven’t cleared out the former, you’ll be dealing with them all at once and all of them can quickly and effectively drain Kratos’ health and rage meters, especially in the small arena. Out of all of Valhalla’s challenges, this is by far one of the most difficult, but thankfully it's completely optional. Helios’ commentary does NOT make this any easier either.

Tyr

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Tyr awaits Kratos at the end of each run, ready to challenge Kratos not only physically but mentally as well. The Norse God of War has an arsenal from his travels and he’s all too prepared to show Kratos up close and personal how deadly they each are. Tyr will also change up his tactics with each new encounter, sometimes using projections of himself to distract the player, and he isn’t above calling in reinforcements when Kratos begins to gain the upper hand. The player needs to stay constantly on the move and hopefully have mastered their shield, while also attempting to keep track of Tyr’s erratic movements as he teleports around the arena. Tyr also increases the challenge by switching back and forth between the numerous weapons he’d used in previous encounters. Kratos has a lot of issues to deal with but that doesn’t mean Tyr is going to take it easy on him.