Ranking God of War Mini Bosses

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re ranking the best God of War mini bosses.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the enemies that did their absolute best to slow Kratos’ progress but couldn’t quite stop him in his tracks the way many of the series' biggest bosses could. Even though many of these enemies would become common as the series went on, we’re still counting them if their initial appearance presented a significant enough challenge for the player.

How many of these mini-bosses have you taken down? Let us know down in the comments.

A series mainstay, they have appeared in one form or another throughout all of the God of War games. Hulking brutes that tower over Kratos, they can quickly overwhelm the player when more than one of these monstrosities is on the battlefield. Though clearly formidable, no matter the species of Cyclops, they almost all have the same weak spot and Kratos will consistently use this weakness to his advantage in a series of quick time events to take them down one by one. As Kratos’ quest for revenge against the gods approaches its inevitable conclusion, the Cyclops come at Kratos with all manner of new attacks and armor sets that don’t do much to slow the rampaging God of War. They do often attack in pairs so be sure to keep an eye out.

Another enemy that has appeared in every single God of War title throughout the series’ initial run, even the often forgotten phone game God of War Betrayal, these are one of the few enemy types to oppose Kratos with a myriad of weapons at their disposal. Whenever the Minotaur enters the room, their daunting stature and blood thirsty demeanor would be enough to make the average Spartan soldier turn tail and run. Though less of a threat with each subsequent appearance, when first encountered, the Minotaur can make quick work of the God of War should he underestimate this living legend of Greek mythology.

Hiding in plain sight until they attack, the Stone Talos is a statue come to life for the sole purpose of stopping Kratos. Though slower than many of Kratos’ other challengers, these living works of art pack a punch with their mighty hammers delivering devastating blows should the player be caught unaware. While only encountered a couple times throughout the course of God of War III, the hulking Bronze Talos is somehow even more intimidating. This version, built from the same material as the Colossus of Rhodes, will heat up to the point of exploding if Kratos is unable to bring it down in time. During the many fights, Kratos is able to break numerous chunks from these stone guardians until delivering the final blow using their own weapon against them. Kratos quite literally brings down the hammer in this case.

One of the few natural animal kingdom enemies Kratos encounters throughout the series of games, well natural beyond its enormous size at least. A God of War version of a coliseum lion, this king of the jungle is shockingly fast and most of its attacks are unblockable, leaving Kratos no choice but to run. With quick and brutal attacks, a roar that can leave Kratos vulnerable, and should the player let the lion get the best of them, an attack that can quite literally take Kratos’ head off, many gamers are likely very grateful this is their only encounter with the Piraeus Lion in the entire God of War series.

Arguably one of the most famous of all the creatures in Greek mythology, so naturally Kratos is going to put an end to her. After Aphrodite demands Kratos bring her Medusa’s head, there was really no hope for the Gorgon Queen. With an array of powers such as teleportation and a quick whip from her tail, Kratos is best to keep her at a distance with the Blades of Chaos. Given the legend surrounding her, she of course can turn Kratos to stone but because he’s Kratos, the effect is short-lived at best. While you do meet Medusa’s sister Euryale in God of War II, we’re setting the most famous Gorgon queen’s spot on this list in stone.

Though only encountered a handful of times in 2018’s God of War, the ogres certainly make an impression. Hulking beasts of pure rage, even just one Ogre is a formidable opponent for Kratos and young Atreus. With savage ground pound attacks and the ability to hurl boulders pulled directly from the ogre’s feet, Kratos needs to not only be quick enough to dodge but make smart use of his Spartan Rage to turn the battle in his favor. These ape-like brutes are not above knocking down anything that gets in their path and is something that Kratos uses to great effect once the Ogre is weakened enough. Using the ogre almost as a rideable mount, Kratos can quickly turn the tide of battle by clearing out waves of Drauger from the Ogre’s back before finally taking down the beast itself.

By far one of the more physically imposing enemies in 2018’s God of War, the troll’s also come in a variety of flavors such as fire, ice, and even the guardian of the gates of Helheim. Encountered numerous times throughout their journey, Kratos and Atreus have to watch out for not only their sweeping ground attack with the enormous pillar they carry on their back but some even have the ability to throw elemental attacks splattering the battlefield with fire and ice. Although less of a threat the more Kratos and Atreus level up, their first encounter is quite a shock as the attack is completely unexpected. As long as you maintain your distance and recognize the window to attack, there’s no reason to lose your head.

Another legend of Greek mythology, the Manticore is an amalgamation of various creatures thrown into a blender and served as a nightmare. With the head of a lion, the jaws of a shark, dragon-like wings, a human body and the tail of a scorpion, it’s more than capable of holding its own in a fight. The Manticore attacks Kratos in a variety of ways including throwing spikes that can poison him, and even an air attack in which she spits fire, requiring the Ghost of Sparta to deal with each one individually. Though only really encountered twice in God of War Ascension, these fights are more than enough to make them memorable and leave an indelible scar on our psyche.

A creature from Norse mythology that has existed since the beginning of time, these boulders-come-to-life remain dormant until awakened by something like an arrogant little kid who just found out he’s a God. Nearly impervious to all attacks, their only weak spot is their heart when their chest opens for a devastating elemental attack and even then Kratos’ timing needs to be precise before they close up and are once again resistant to any and all damage. An even deadlier version of the Ancients exists, known as the Soul Eaters. According to Norse myth, if you are killed by a Soul Eater, there is no afterlife for you, you simply cease to exist in any form.

One of the few enemies within the God of War series not actually based on any known mythology or legend, the Juggernaut, a bi-pedal armor clad elephant with clawed hands, seems to live only to see Kratos under its foot. With some even wielding weapons, the ferocity of their attacks can quickly overwhelm the player and when more than one Juggernaut enters the battle, your only hope is to separate them and try to take them down one by one. The only true way to bring them down is to go for the head and hope all the red and green orbs that come pouring out are enough to help you before having to deal with the next one charging your way.

As if the normal Cerberus wasn’t enough to deal with, the Wild Cerberus is three times its size and three times as deadly. This mini boss stands 3 heads and shoulders above Kratos and has the ability to summon Rabid Hounds to its aid. The three headed guardian of the underworld, each head is capable of breathing fire and the beast is quite fond of pinning Kratos to the ground and swiping at him with its enormous claws if given the opportunity. Requiring three separate quick time events to finally bring down, this guard dog is more than capable of protecting the gates of Hades.

Another creature feature of all the deadliest creatures in the animal kingdom, and a goat’s head just for good measure. Although heavily hinted at throughout God of War 1 and II, the Chimera didn’t make its grand entrance until God of War III. A 3 stage battle, the snake is capable of poisoning Kratos as well as grabbing him and throwing him around the combat arena. Once the snake is dealt with, the king of the jungle quite literally leaps into action spitting fire and slashing relentlessly at Kratos. At the final stage, the goat bounds onto the scene, ramming Kratos and is capable of coating the stage in flames with its fire breath. The Chimera also appears in God of War Ascension, with the only difference being its ice breath attack instead of flames.

The ultimate test of the gamer’s skill in 2018’s God of War, the Valkyries have been cursed by Odin and must be freed from their physical form by Kratos and Atreus. Which is certainly easier said than done. With 9 Valkyries in total, only one is required to advance the story but for many the drive to take on the most challenging enemies in the entire God of War series is too much to pass up. With each Valkyrie utilizing different attack strategies and weapons, even taking one down is no easy feat. The Valkyrie queen Sigrun is by far one of the most controller breaking challenges in all of God of War but an absolute must for those looking to squeeze every ounce of lore from one of the best entries in the entire God of War series.