God of War (2018) was the wildly successful Norse revival of the long-running Greek game series following Kratos through his fight against the Gods of Olympus. In this new version of the game, Kratos is still the main character; however, he now faces the Norse gods, who are threatening to take away the new family he has created for himself.
This new rendition of the classic game features an engaging new storyline, beautiful new graphics, and an astounding 36 new boss fights. The game blew away its predecessors in a lot of ways, but the sheer scale of the game may have been one of the biggest successes.
We took a look at all of the side bosses, Valkyries, and main bosses to determine the top 10 boss fights in the game. Below, we have included the fights that we found the most innovative, engaging, and cinematic, earning them a spot in the top 10.
10. Hildr
The Valkyries were an interesting addition to the game as they were not necessarily vital to the main storyline, yet they became one of the main focuses of players.
There were nine Valkery fights throughout the game and they could be visited in any order the player chose.
Hildr was not the most difficult of Valkyrie fights, and honestly, many players didn’t like this fight much. Because the enjoyability of this fight varies among players, she has been ranked the lowest on the list of top fights.
However, the ingenuity and creativity of the map and the mechanics of the fight have earned her a place in the top 10. Hildr is located in the Niflheim maze. Once you enter the maze, you begin to take damage from the fog.
The fog effectively limits your time in the maze, meaning that you must find the Valkyrie and defeat her before the time runs out.
While there are power-ups you can acquire to increase your time and power in the maze, the complexity of the fight is interesting enough to earn it a place among the top 10 fights.
9. Helheim Troll
On a side mission to Helheim, Kratos must face a giant troll that blocks his way out of the realm. The troll has the ability to teleport small distances and uses the key to the bridge – a giant magical pillar – as a weapon.
The troll also has the ability to summon minions that prevent Kratos from being able to attack the troll. The whole fight is focused more on defensive tactics than offensive fighting. This forces players to rethink how they approach the fight.
During the fight, the pillar also emits green energy orbs that you must destroy in order to continue damaging the troll. The fight ends in a fantastically bloody finishing move that players have come to expect out of Kratos.
8. Dark Elf King
Another side mission in Alfheim catches the attention of the Dark Elf King, who attacks Kratos just for being in his realm. The fight takes place in a very dark room, with the only light emanating from Kratos.
In addition, the Dark Elf King is very fast and has the ability to fly. This makes him just as formidable as any of the Valkyries. Just like the Valkyries, he has a variety of strong attacks that must be avoided.
At some points in the fight, the King also removes all reflective light in the room, making the dim light turn pitch black for a short period of time. Of course, the fight ends with a brutal finisher. However, this fight does include Atreus, so the finisher is not nearly as bloody as the Helheim Troll finisher.
7. Baldur Final Fight
While Baldur is the main antagonist of the game, the final fight against him (as satisfying as it is) is not the best fight in the game by far.
The fight is extremely cinematic and difficult enough to make it noteworthy; however, there are other fights in the game that are much more exciting for the player, making it only the 7th best fight in the game.
Baldur shows up after Kratos has befriended Freya. He threatens Freya, his own mother, because she is the reason he is unable to feel anything physical or emotional.
Kratos tries to talk him out of attacking her and tells Balur that Vengence won't give him peace.
Baldur attacks Kratos to get him out of the way. After a short fight, Freya tries to stop the fighting by trapping Kratos. This causes Atreus to step in to try to protect Kratos. When Baldur knocks him out of the way, his mistletoe-dipped arrows pierce Baldur's hand, and he can finally feel again.
This causes Freya to summon a giant that interferes with the fight in an attempt to protect her now vulnerable son. After several stages of fighting, Kratos tries to convince Baldur to give up on his mission to destroy Atreus and himself, as well as harming Freya.
Baldur agrees and then immediately attempts to kill Freya. Kratos pulls him off of her and tells him, “The cycle ends here, we must be better than this.” This phrase is a nod to what Zeus says in God of War 3 referring to sons killing their parents. He then breaks his neck and ends the fight once and for all.
6. Rota
Rota is one of the more difficult Valkyries that Kratos must free from Odin's curse. The fight begins just like any other Valkarie fight; by discovering the tomb of the Valkarie and awakening her.
The thing that makes this fight so difficult and so prominent in the list of Valkarie fights is the relentless attacks Rota unleashes upon Kratos. She has several strong attacks that must be avoided, including aerial attacks and ground attacks.
She also has a projectile attack that must be blocked using the shield. Throughout the fight, she almost never lets up on these attacks, which forces the player to get creative with their own attacks to get a leg up in the fight.
5. Geirdriful
Geirdriful is yet another Valkyrie that players will find in a Valkyrie vault. She is not as relentless as Rota; however, she has several moves of her own that make her fight interesting.
She is more of a distance fighter, which, again, makes players rethink how they will approach the fight to get the upper hand.
If allowed to gain distance, she has two different projectile attacks. In addition, she can cast a cloud over the arena that will damage Kratos and reduce visibility.
In close combat, she is not above brute force either, and she will respond with wing attacks and charge attacks. Because of these unique conditions, she has earned a place as the fifth best fight in the game.
4. The Dragon of The Mountain
The Dragon of the Mountain is one of the most anticipated fights of the game, barring the main storyline. As Kratos and Atreus ascend the mountain, there are many hints that there is a dragon living somewhere near the top. In fact, the duo has even discussed it a few times.
We finally meet the dragon when he attacks Sindri, and Atreus insists on helping him. Kratos is scared to let Atreus fight such a massive beast, but he knows he is right and tells him to find an angle and wait for him.
The fight happens in stages, with each stage bringing back a fighting style from the original games. This fight is great because it allows players to not only enjoy the nostalgia of fighting a massive beast but also use some of the same tactics as in the early games.
Kratos fights from inside the dragon’s mouth, which was seen several times in the original games (who can forget button-mashing the “o” as fast as they can to avoid being eaten alive?).
In addition, he attacks the hands just like he did when he fought Kratos or Poseidon in God of War 3.
Even the way Kratos ends the fight by pulling the dragon onto a spike of sap from the tree of life is a nod to the Hydra which was the first boss ever in the original God of War.
Finally, the sap breaks off, and Kratos jumps onto it to drive it deeper, just like he did with Kronos to deliver the final blow.
All around, this fight was a massive tribute to the original games, with all the greatness of the new game worked in. From the anticipation to the fight to the finishing moves, the fight was one of the most successful fights in the game.
3. Gondul
Gondul is one of the few Valkyries that is not located in a vault. Instead, you must fight through each level of Muspelheim to unlock the final fight.
The whole ascent of the mountain in this realm is reminiscent of the Trials of the Gods or the Trials of the Titans in earlier games. However, it is integrated into the gameplay rather than being a separate part of the game.
As the player battles to the top, they can choose to leave the realm and return later, or continue on in one go. After finally reaching the top, the player finds the fire Valkyrie waiting for them.
Her fire attacks, combined with her ability to track Kratos’s position and make adjustments even after initiating a power move, make her especially difficult to defeat.
It is highly recommended that you power up as much as possible before facing her. Having the slow time ability can be particularly helpful as well.
In addition to all these factors, she also has the regular abilities and attacks that are seen in any of the other Valkyrie fights, making this one of the most suspenseful and satisfying ones in the game.
2. Sigrun
Sigrun is the Queen of the Valkyries whom you can only fight after defeating each of the other eight Valkyries in the game. The setting of the fight is nothing short of spectacular, with the ghosts of the other Valkyries lining the arena and the Queen adorned in gold armor and gold wings.
The Queen fights both defensively and offensively, making it difficult to find an opening to do any real damage. This fight relies heavily on strategic fighting and timing.
Throughout the fight, the Queen uses bits of each of the Valkyries’ unique attacks, including the fire from Gondul, the projectiles from Rota, and more. This fight brings a satisfying end to the Valkerie quest with a nod to each step in the journey.
1. The Stranger
The first fight in the game is often revered as the best fight. That’s not to say that the rest of the game has any less enjoyment during the first (or even a repeat) playthrough. Baldur shows up immediately after Kratos and Atreus cremate Laufey (or Faye), Kratos’s wife.
He mistakes Kratos for the guardian of Jötunheim which we learn later was actually Faye. Baldur takes pleasure in beating Kratos down, but he can tell that he possesses the strength of a god, yet he is holding back.
In an attempt to get Kratos to fight back so he can “really” enjoy his victory, he takes notice of the second bed in the house. He comments that there must be a child around that deserves his attention, which sparks Kratos’s anger.
At this point, Kratos drives the fight away from the house and begins to actually fight back with the strength and skill that players are used to seeing from Kratos. Finally, he gains the upper hand and breaks Baldur’s neck before throwing him off a cliff.
This fight is so impactful because it sets the stage for the entire story. Players see that Kratos is the same in many ways as he was in the Greek version of the game, however, he is now more humanized because he has a living child to protect.
The fight also shows players how the game has improved fighting mechanics, graphics, and storytelling, elevating the game to a whole new level. Ultimately, this fight was the player's first taste of the greatness of the game and blew the effects of all the other fights out of the water.
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