The WORST Boss From Every God of War Game
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
"God of War" has great boss fights, but you find any of them here. For this list, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel to bring you the worst boss from each of Kratos' adventures. Our list includes Alva from “God of War Ragnarok” (2022), Icarus from “God of War II” (2007), Scylla from “God of War: Ghost of Sparta” (2010), and more!
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel to battle the 10 worst boss from every God of War game. Yes, even God of War Betrayal. For a series built on its outstanding boss fights, not every one of them can match up to those high standards and some can barely be considered a boss fight at all. What was the worst boss fight you had to battle through to continue Kratos’ journey? Let us know down in the comments.
Surprisingly, for Kratos’ first adventure, there’s really not that many boss fights, with most of the focus being placed on Kratos’ quest for Pandora’s Box to find a way to defeat Ares. It’s this quest that brings him into conflict with the box’s guardian, a 20-foot-tall undead Minotaur covered in armor. As one of the largest enemies Kratos has encountered so far, it’s surprising just how “meh” the fight is. The Guardian doesn’t really do much until his armor is destroyed and then he’s filled with numerous predictable and highly telegraphed moves in a fight that goes on far longer than it should. It’s an extremely by the book boss fight but an important starting point for a series that would become known for its boss encounters.
We’ll be the first to admit we’re stretching the definition of “boss fight” with this one but who are we to argue with the God of War Wiki? As Kratos attempts to reach the Sisters of Fate, his progress is halted, albeit temporarily by Icarus, demanding he turn back because he believes only he can meet with the Sisters. Kratos is of course having none of his manic ravings and attempts to brush him aside only for Icarus to attack him, sending them both tumbling into an endless chasm. What makes this fight so lackluster is with Icarus’ wings this fight could have easily been closer to something like The Dark Rider fight on the way to the island in which Kratos needs to constantly fight Icarus in midair while avoiding plummeting to his death, but instead, the whole “battle” is nothing more than a quick time event.
We know we can’t expect much from a mobile title when compared to its console counterparts, but even by mobile standards, this boss fight is nothing special. Sent to stop Kratos’ conquest of Greece, the Gods should have chosen a different champion. Throughout numerous encounters, Argos would always end up retreating only to reemerge for another beatdown. Described as the “All-Seeing” in Greek Mythology, all of Argos’ 100 eyes were left black and blue after his encounters with Kratos, especially since he did nothing but just stand there and take Kratos’ beating like an all-seeing damage sponge. And in the end, it wasn’t even Kratos who struck the killing blow.
Kratos doesn’t typically battle many human enemies, likely due to his overpowered strength instantly mopping the floor with any mortal, but the Persian King still thinks he stands a chance against Kratos, not realizing he’s standing against the Ghost of Sparta. He’s absolutely mistaken obviously but you have to admire his ego. Even with his flaming sword imbued with magical abilities, the Persian King still prefers his foot soldiers do the majority of the fighting while he lumbers around the arena taking pot shots at Kratos should he come within range. Due to his size, the Persian King acts more like a walking tank, just absorbing Kratos’ hits while lazily swinging his enormous blade until Kratos shows him up close the price of his ego.
Hermes immediately makes an impression upon encountering Kratos, his arrogance almost greater than his speed. Constantly taunting Kratos, the majority of this “fight” is spent pursuing Hermes’ little winged feet. With Hermes doing nothing more than zipping around as Kratos swings wildly, the battle is more about patience than strategy as Kratos simply has to wait for Hermes to launch an attack in order to throw him off his feet. And despite being known for his speed, he seems to get winded pretty often. Kratos only needs to let Hermes wear himself out to end the fight. Even at the end, Hermes doesn’t know when to shut up until Kratos squashes him like the pest he is.
The only boss encounter that occurs more than once during the game, Scylla begins as a callback to Kratos’ encounter with the first God of War’s Hydra fight, as Scylla uses her tentacles to attack Krato’s ship. Once the battle makes landfall, it’s an extremely sub-standard back and forth fight as Kratos unleashes his wrath before Scylla lashes out with her easily blocked tentacle attacks. Round two doesn’t fare much better despite the outstanding setup of the fight taking place inside an active volcano, as the final encounter ends with nothing more than a series of quick-time events.
The black sheep of the series, even the boss fights don’t do anything to elevate this unnecessary entry in Kratos’ Greek saga. Standing between Kratos and the Oracle, the battle with Pollux and Castor plays like a “greatest hits” of the series’ lesser boss fights. After initially chasing the twins along a collapsing bridge, Kratos must then contend with their time bending powers which they use to deteriorate and rebuild the arena all while teleporting around it. As the fight continues, their attack patterns devolve into cheap hits using their time manipulation tricks and ends up making a fight that already overstays its welcome an exercise in tedium, making players wish for the ability to go back in time and avoid this fight altogether.
The Bridge Keeper itself isn’t necessarily a “bad” boss fight, it’s just that it’s rather unremarkable for such an important moment in the narrative. By this point in the game, Kratos and the player have faced down innumerable other trolls and have learned what to expect from these encounters. The Bridge Keeper does have a few new tricks such as his ability to teleport around the arena but outside of this and some easily dodgeable area of effect attacks, there’s really nothing to separate the Bridge Keeper from any random troll Kratos has encountered. The numerous fodder enemies the Bridge Keeper summons just make the fight more annoying, and being limited to just the Blades of Chaos limits players’ strategies to make the fight more interesting. At least the finishing animation is unique.
By the time you reach Alva during your exploration of Alfheim, players will have encountered no shortage of light elves standing in their way and likewise have become accustomed to their many attacks. Maybe it’s the fact that the game is still teaching you new mechanics during this fight or she’s just not that challenging, but nearly all of Alva’s numerous attacks are blatantly telegraphed and easily countered. Considering she’s meant to be the Queen of the Light Elves, many were expecting her to be as challenging as the Dark Elf King from God of War 2018, but her abilities don’t do much to distinguish her from her subordinates. If this is the most powerful warrior within the Light Elves, it’s no wonder they were losing the war.
Pandora’s Guardian
“God of War” (2005)Surprisingly, for Kratos’ first adventure, there’s really not that many boss fights, with most of the focus being placed on Kratos’ quest for Pandora’s Box to find a way to defeat Ares. It’s this quest that brings him into conflict with the box’s guardian, a 20-foot-tall undead Minotaur covered in armor. As one of the largest enemies Kratos has encountered so far, it’s surprising just how “meh” the fight is. The Guardian doesn’t really do much until his armor is destroyed and then he’s filled with numerous predictable and highly telegraphed moves in a fight that goes on far longer than it should. It’s an extremely by the book boss fight but an important starting point for a series that would become known for its boss encounters.
Icarus
“God of War II” (2007)We’ll be the first to admit we’re stretching the definition of “boss fight” with this one but who are we to argue with the God of War Wiki? As Kratos attempts to reach the Sisters of Fate, his progress is halted, albeit temporarily by Icarus, demanding he turn back because he believes only he can meet with the Sisters. Kratos is of course having none of his manic ravings and attempts to brush him aside only for Icarus to attack him, sending them both tumbling into an endless chasm. What makes this fight so lackluster is with Icarus’ wings this fight could have easily been closer to something like The Dark Rider fight on the way to the island in which Kratos needs to constantly fight Icarus in midair while avoiding plummeting to his death, but instead, the whole “battle” is nothing more than a quick time event.
Argos
“God of War Betrayal” (2007)We know we can’t expect much from a mobile title when compared to its console counterparts, but even by mobile standards, this boss fight is nothing special. Sent to stop Kratos’ conquest of Greece, the Gods should have chosen a different champion. Throughout numerous encounters, Argos would always end up retreating only to reemerge for another beatdown. Described as the “All-Seeing” in Greek Mythology, all of Argos’ 100 eyes were left black and blue after his encounters with Kratos, especially since he did nothing but just stand there and take Kratos’ beating like an all-seeing damage sponge. And in the end, it wasn’t even Kratos who struck the killing blow.
Persian King
“God of War: Chains of Olympus” (2008)Kratos doesn’t typically battle many human enemies, likely due to his overpowered strength instantly mopping the floor with any mortal, but the Persian King still thinks he stands a chance against Kratos, not realizing he’s standing against the Ghost of Sparta. He’s absolutely mistaken obviously but you have to admire his ego. Even with his flaming sword imbued with magical abilities, the Persian King still prefers his foot soldiers do the majority of the fighting while he lumbers around the arena taking pot shots at Kratos should he come within range. Due to his size, the Persian King acts more like a walking tank, just absorbing Kratos’ hits while lazily swinging his enormous blade until Kratos shows him up close the price of his ego.
Hermes
“God of War III” (2010)Hermes immediately makes an impression upon encountering Kratos, his arrogance almost greater than his speed. Constantly taunting Kratos, the majority of this “fight” is spent pursuing Hermes’ little winged feet. With Hermes doing nothing more than zipping around as Kratos swings wildly, the battle is more about patience than strategy as Kratos simply has to wait for Hermes to launch an attack in order to throw him off his feet. And despite being known for his speed, he seems to get winded pretty often. Kratos only needs to let Hermes wear himself out to end the fight. Even at the end, Hermes doesn’t know when to shut up until Kratos squashes him like the pest he is.
Scylla
“God of War: Ghost of Sparta” (2010)The only boss encounter that occurs more than once during the game, Scylla begins as a callback to Kratos’ encounter with the first God of War’s Hydra fight, as Scylla uses her tentacles to attack Krato’s ship. Once the battle makes landfall, it’s an extremely sub-standard back and forth fight as Kratos unleashes his wrath before Scylla lashes out with her easily blocked tentacle attacks. Round two doesn’t fare much better despite the outstanding setup of the fight taking place inside an active volcano, as the final encounter ends with nothing more than a series of quick-time events.
Pollux & Castor
“God of War: Ascension” (2013)The black sheep of the series, even the boss fights don’t do anything to elevate this unnecessary entry in Kratos’ Greek saga. Standing between Kratos and the Oracle, the battle with Pollux and Castor plays like a “greatest hits” of the series’ lesser boss fights. After initially chasing the twins along a collapsing bridge, Kratos must then contend with their time bending powers which they use to deteriorate and rebuild the arena all while teleporting around it. As the fight continues, their attack patterns devolve into cheap hits using their time manipulation tricks and ends up making a fight that already overstays its welcome an exercise in tedium, making players wish for the ability to go back in time and avoid this fight altogether.
The Bridge Keeper
“God of War” (2018)The Bridge Keeper itself isn’t necessarily a “bad” boss fight, it’s just that it’s rather unremarkable for such an important moment in the narrative. By this point in the game, Kratos and the player have faced down innumerable other trolls and have learned what to expect from these encounters. The Bridge Keeper does have a few new tricks such as his ability to teleport around the arena but outside of this and some easily dodgeable area of effect attacks, there’s really nothing to separate the Bridge Keeper from any random troll Kratos has encountered. The numerous fodder enemies the Bridge Keeper summons just make the fight more annoying, and being limited to just the Blades of Chaos limits players’ strategies to make the fight more interesting. At least the finishing animation is unique.
Alva
“God of War Ragnarok” (2022)By the time you reach Alva during your exploration of Alfheim, players will have encountered no shortage of light elves standing in their way and likewise have become accustomed to their many attacks. Maybe it’s the fact that the game is still teaching you new mechanics during this fight or she’s just not that challenging, but nearly all of Alva’s numerous attacks are blatantly telegraphed and easily countered. Considering she’s meant to be the Queen of the Light Elves, many were expecting her to be as challenging as the Dark Elf King from God of War 2018, but her abilities don’t do much to distinguish her from her subordinates. If this is the most powerful warrior within the Light Elves, it’s no wonder they were losing the war.
