Every God Of War Ragnarok Boss Fight Ranked

As what amounts to a tutorial boss fight, Bjorn doesn’t quite match up to the scale of Kratos’ first encounter with Baldur in the previous game, but its narrative importance is just as significant. While out searching for Atreus, Kratos will encounter numerous Raiders in his search which act as a way to reacquaint players with the series’ mechanics. Bjorn’s attack is completely unexpected and poses quite a challenge for players still trying to find their footing. However, thanks in no small part to Kratos’ Spartan Rage, he emerges victorious, only to discover he almost killed his son during the battle. It’s a great fight not only for the challenge but also setting up future events as well as introducing players to Atreus’ newfound abilities.

One of the only major boss fights during the game in which players are in control of Atreus, Gryla herself offers an imposing presence but it’s the shift in mechanics that make this fight stand out. Instead of attacking Gryla outright, Atreus and Angrboda need to destroy her cauldron which she’s been using to steal the souls of the animals that remain in Ironwood. Can’t have Atreus killing his future relatives after all. It’s a nice reprieve from the frenetic and unrelenting action of the rest of the game’s boss fights and really makes players master their archery skills as they need precision shots to destroy Gryla’s cauldron while avoiding her arena covering spells.

Although classified as Dragons within the game’s lore, we’re separating the Drakes from the Dragons for our list due to the major differences in not only their scale but also the fights themselves. The drakes are some of the largest creatures Kratos faces down in Ragnarok and likewise they pack quite a punch. Their enormous size makes attacking them head-on a game of chance as they can easily knock Kratos off his feet and across the map should he let his guard down. A species that only seems to get larger with each encounter, players will most likely find Grave Belly in Alfheim first and then face down his larger cousins, the Slag Horn and Crag Jaw in Vanaheim during their exploration of the Crater. All put up an impressive fight but just as Kratos proved in his fights through the Greek pantheon, size isn’t everything.

One of a couple boss fights that can only be completed after finishing an almost game length side quest, the Raven Keeper can only be fought in Niflheim after finding all 48 of Odin’s Ravens throughout the realms, which is a challenge unto itself. The Raven Keeper challenges Kratos for “freeing” her babies and like any good mother, she puts up quite a fight for them. However, for any player who’s faced down a Revenant, they should know what they’re in for, albeit this is a significantly more powerful version of a recurring enemy. Like any good boss fight, she doesn’t come alone and will summon numerous fodder enemies while she retreats but once these have been dispatched and she’s on the ropes, The Raven Keeper has one more surprise in store which we’ll get to in a bit.

While the fight against Alva in Alfheim is tied directly into the main story, she doesn’t pose much of a challenge boss fight-wise due to the relatively early nature of the fight. However, as the Guardian of the Elven Sanctum, The Maven poses a much more significant threat. Although she features much of the same move set as Alva, The Maven is ridiculously fast and can quickly chain attacks together and has both ranged and charged attacks that can’t be blocked, leaving Kratos little room to breathe let alone form a counterattack. Not only is she ferociously aggressive, but she can also heal herself and prolong the encounter if Kratos doesn’t intervene. One of the few fights that doesn’t end in death, Kratos and the Maven instead part amicably.

While you only really face one dragon in God of War 2018, their numbers seem to have increased in the years between entries. Even without counting The Raven Keeper’s ace up her sleeve with the surprise attack from The Pale One, Kratos will still encounter four other dragons during his travels and each one will not be grounded easily. The dragons’ ability to take flight and rain down all manner of elemental attacks keeps players on the defensive and even at ground level, their swipes and gnashing teeth make them all encounters not to be taken lightly. For those who were disappointed by the single dragon encounter in God of War 2018, be careful what you wish for because Santa Monica Studios is clearly listening.

Much like the Valkyrie side quests of God of War 2018, the Berserkers pose some of Ragnarok’s most challenging battles in the entire game, and that’s even before you reach the Berserker King himself. With each battle, Kratos and company will face increasingly difficult encounters but also offer some of the game’s best rewards for your efforts. King Hrolf will test all of Kratos’ skills as he uses combinations of all the previous Berserkers, similar to Sigrun in 2018. However, even for God of War veterans, King Hrolf can still pose a substantial challenge, and much like Sigrun before him, might even lead to a couple broken controllers. The tradition lives on.

God of War Ragnarok graciously assumed we all were able to free the Valkyries and defeat Sigrun in 2018, but that doesn’t mean that every Valkyrie was grateful. Newly appointed Queen of the Valkyries Gna is none too pleased that Kratos and the former queen herself Freya brought down Odin and made her new position relatively obsolete. She challenges Kratos and Freya but also gives them the option to prepare and it’s advice that should be taken very seriously. Gna could be viewed as the final challenge Ragnarok presents the player and she holds nothing back. Even those who have bested the Berserker King could struggle with Gna’s relentless assaults and combos and might have even been able to give Sigrun a run for the crown. Unlike Sigrun however, Gna isn’t gracious in defeat and demands Freya “Finish it.”

An omni-present threat during the opening hours of Ragnarok, Freya has seemingly continued her pursuit of vengeance in the years since God of War 2018. After an initial encounter, Freya returns clad in her Valkyrie armor ready to settle things once and for all. The father and son initially don’t recognize Freya with Atreus telling her how they’d freed her sisters, and they don’t want to fight her but this all falls on deaf ears as Freya unleashes her rage, targeting Kratos specifically and tossing him around his own yard like a ragdoll. Thankfully the battle ends with an uneasy alliance, but for a moment, Freya nearly had her revenge for Baldur’s death.

The All-Father himself, Odin’s presence looms large throughout Ragnarok. Even despite his time spent with Atreus, it was all a manipulation in order to further his own ambitions and even players began to let their guard down. However, in his attempts to prevent Ragnarok, he inadvertently united the Realms and brought them to his doorstep and it's at this moment, the veil is lifted, and we see Odin for who he truly is. Dropping the friendly old grandpa guise completely, Odin unleashes all manner of arena filling magic attacks and manages to hold his own against the combined efforts of Kratos, Atreus and Freya. He might not be the most powerful God Kratos has faced but he is still a worthy opponent and players are given far more motivation for exacting their revenge than any other God before him.

At first glance, Garm seems like an unfortunate captive in Helheim but upon releasing him, the reason for his imprisonment becomes clear and Kratos and Atreus set out to make things right. Garm is one of the largest enemies Kratos faces in Ragnarok and is reminiscent of the Dragon in the Mountain fight, albeit with a lot more teeth. After their initial attempt to stop him fails, because nothing in Helheim stays dead, the father and son are forced once again to battle the mighty pup, but this time with Atreus taking the lead, and thankfully the poor pupper gets a much happier outcome and in the end manages to bring Kratos and Atreus even closer as father and son as all good doggos do.

Both Kratos and Freya knew it wasn’t going to be easy breaking Odin’s hold over Freya but neither of them could have predicted the lengths he would go to in order to maintain her curse. After discovering the roots of the World Tree are bound to her freedom, the real fight has only just begun as the defender of the tree won’t let her go so easily. After the initial jump scare, the Nidhogg unleashes all manner of bifrost attacks for Kratos to contend with before Freya joins the fight. Even with their powers combined however, the Nidhogg is resistant to the end. Attempting to retreat, Kratos holds her back so Freya can close her portal, preventing her from escaping and launching another counterattack. Sadly, the Nidhogg was an innocent participant in Odin’s game to maintain control over Freya and was sacrificed for the pair to get ahead.

After the fake out Valkyrie fight with Freya and only the bravest of us willing to take on Gna, the dual Valkyrie battle with Hrist and Mist is undeniably daunting for those who know the Valkyrie’s legacy from the 2018 entry. Luckily this time however, you have a much more capable Atreus fighting alongside Kratos. Graciously, the pair do share a health bar but just when you think you have them beat, like their namesake, they rise once again for round two and this time with all new attacks and combos to keep the duo at arm’s length. By the time the battle concludes, however, players are rewarded with the ultimate team up combo between father and son as they work together to strip the Valkyries of their wings and prevent any further resurrections.

Not since the likes of Hermes have players anticipated killing such a smug and arrogant God. And yet somehow, Heimdall managed to get under players’ skin even more so than the motormouth of Greece. Heimdall’s arrogance knows no limits, and his gift of sight gives him the abilities to back up his ego. And it’s this arrogance that rightfully puts him in Kratos’ path. Kratos comes to the fight fully prepared to throw Heimdall off his game. Watching the shock on Heimdall’s face when Kratos lands a blow never gets old and each subsequent hit is just as satisfying. Even defeated, Heimdall’s ego won’t let him quit, and Kratos is forced to end the life of another God, unleashing the rage he tried so hard to contain and while it’s immensely satisfying to finally put an end to Heimdall, it’s equally heartbreaking to watch Kratos lose himself in the moment.

A battle players had been anticipating since the stinger at the end of God of War 2018, Thor did not disappoint. From the tense first meeting to a brutal battle that rocked the Lake of Nine and literally brought down the thunder, the battle with Thor was everything players had hoped for, but it wasn’t over yet. With Ragnarok coming to Asgard, the final battle between the two angriest Gods in the Nine Realms hit all the highest marks of the series and gave players the showdown they had been looking forward to. Now fully leveled up, both Kratos and Thor held nothing back and proved to be evenly matched in both fury and skill. While players had been expecting to wield Mjolnir, the Leviathan Axe was more than a worthy counter to Thor’s hammer and although it appeared Kratos emerged victorious, he instead chose a different path, one of mutual respect.