It’s no surprise that a title likeGod of War: Ragnarokwould have some incredibly challenging, engaging, and entertaining boss fights.God of War: Ragnarok’s best boss fights are many, with over 50 boss fights to keep Kratos and Atreus well on their way to victory as they fight against fate and the Aesir gods that seek to stop impending doom.
The bestGod of War: Ragnarokboss fights are those that challenge the player, and provide an engaging and difficult experience. Some of these boss fights inGod of War: Ragnarokmay be extremely difficult, but they are innately rewarding and part of the intense charm that the game has to offer.
Potential spoilers ahead for God of War Ragnarok
Updated May 20, 2025, by Jake Fillery:God of War Ragnarok welcomes new challengers to its arena with PC joining PS4 and PS5 as platforms that the game can be purchased. As such, it’s a good time to look at some of the hardest boss fights in God of War Ragnarok and its DLC, God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla. Considering Ragnarok indulges the end of the Norse mythology for Kratos, it’s no surprise that some of the best boss fights in God of War Ragnarok are also some of the hardest and most challenging, regardless of difficulty and skill.
19Gryla
Angrboda’s Grandmother Who Has Lost Her Way
Gryla is the first boss that Atreus must fight without his father’s help, and as such, it can be a pretty challenging battle. Without the brawn and brutality of Kratos,Atreus has to rely on his wits and his bowin order to get the job done. Gryla isn’t the hardest boss in the game, but without the training wheels, she can be pretty punishing considering Atreus only has a bow and not a Leviathan Axe to stab and slash with.
Grya is best fought with ranged attacks and by utilizing the runic mechanics, so it’s not the longest or the hardest boss fight, but there is some level of challenge within its gimmicks. The true difficulty lies in not playing as Kratos and instead resorting to ranged combat.
18Vanadis
A Highly Aggressive Valkyrie Who’s Hatred to Kratos is Second to None
For a Valkyrie, Vanadis is a fairly easy challenge. Whilst all Valkyrie boss fights inGod of Warprovide players with the hardest challenge, putting every single skill they have to use, fighting Vanadis is essential to the story, and one that doesn’t require too much difficulty. However, that doesn’t mean players should underestimate Vanadis’ abilities. After all, this is a disguise for thevengeful and mourning Freya.
Vanadis has quick attacks, making her agile and vicious. to best Vanadis, players should keep as close as possible, fulfilling their violent attacks with their weapons, rather than Atreus’ bow. Vanadis can be brutal at long-range, so it’s best to keep the pressure on.
17The Corpse Eater
A Ferocious Dragon That Utilises Flame, Claws, and Flight
Dragons are rather scarce inGod of War: Ragnarok, but when they do appear, they are not exactly the easiest of foes to battle. The Corpse Eater is one such dragon that hunts in Vanahiem. Not only is this dragon difficult for its size and aggression, but even getting to the boss can be fairly difficult for those who struggle with puzzles.
The Corpse Eater inGod of War: Ragnarokrequires players to mess with the time of day, and water levels, and to backtrack to kill a guarding troll. Then, the boss fights itself and sees the Corpse Eater deal with multiple and almost random attacks, with a strong health bar.
16Thor (Round Two)
A Final Clash Between Gods, Where Kratos' Skills are Better Than Ever
Fighting Thor for the second and final time is actually easier than the first, considering that Kratos has his full equipment with him this time. The first fight mainly had just fists and the Leviathan Axe, but now that players are in the endgame, they can bring along the upgraded variants of all of their weapons to truly make Thor feel the wrath of a god of war.
It’s still a fun fight, but it’s certainly not the hardest, and a clash of the Leviathan Axe, Draupnir Spear, and Blades of Chaos are extremely brutal against Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. It’s an epic fight to conclude their short rivalry, but not one that will have players dying again and again.
15Skjorthendi the Unerring
A Teleporting Berserker who Relishes in Bifrost
Considering all of Kratos’s attacks involve some form of contact with an enemy, hitting Skjorthendi isn’t going to be easy, since this boss is contagious with Bifrost. If Skjorthendi gets to close and teleports near the player, Kratos will have to deal with ailments of Bifrost, and that’s only going to further enrage the god of war and the players who are controlling him.
Outside of this difficult mechanic, the Bersker often knows how to pull the rug from under Kratos’s feet with fast attacks and quick teleports to try and provide a surprise attack that will brutalize the god of war. It’s a decent fight against one of the strongest Berserkers.
14Garm
An Immortal and Soulless Helhound Who Uses Realm Tears
Garm’s nature is to destroy, and when met with the fury of Kratos, the two are in for a fierce battle indeed. However, what could be more destructive, and unkillable, as one without a soul? Garm is a difficult boss fight for the player, with fun and recognizable pattern attacks that will need to be evaded or countered. This giant monstrous wolf that wreaks havoc inthe nine realmsis plenty dangerous inGod of War: Ragnarok.
What makes the Garm boss fight great is that Garm will continuously come back to life and regenerate health, because there is no soul in Garm to destroy. Therefore, players will need to utilize their arsenal, andAtreus’ compassionto put this boss down once and for all.
13The Hateful
A Fire Draugr Who Grows Stronger Through Each of Their 6 Fights
The hateful is an optional boss fight, one that reoccurs time and time again. Every time players fight The Hateful, they will become far more dangerous than their previous fight. The Hateful will provide Kratos with a challenge, due to their powerful health increases and violent swipes and attacks. The Hateful should be feared, with their fire quelled by the Leviathan Axe.
The Hateful can be found in many Draugr Holes acrossGod of War Ragnarok, and this special Draugr may not be the ultimate killer of Kratos, but they will certainly be a threat that will require both father and son to take care of this special Draugr threat.
12Hrist And Mist
Two Valkyries That Will Battle Kratos and Atreus
As Ragnarok approaches,Odin will do anythingto stop it. Kratos and Atreus are faced with one of their hardest challenges, as Odin sends forth two new Valkyries to stop them in the Spark of the World. Valkyries are a great challenge inGod of War(2018), and fighting two at once is a greater challenge than before. However, with Atreus on Kratos’ side, this fight will show the union of father and son.
Hrist and Mist can power themselves up and regain lost health together. The sisters may be a challenge to some, but considering Kratos will have his Spartan Rage and his son as a bear, it’s safe to say that this boss fight will regret messing with Kratos and Atreus.
11The Untamed Fury
A Viscious Hunter Who Kratos Must Hunt Across Three Locations
Located in The Plains within Vanaheim, The Untamed Fury is a vicious boss fight, one that will see players attempt to hunt the hunter. This Centaur enemy has multiple phases, we can be rather bothersome for some. This boss doesn’t have the usual phases that most boss fights have, but instead, the Untamed Fury will run away, and players will have to search new areas in Vanaheim to continue the fight.
The Untamed Fury utilizes surprise attacks, kicks, and violent thrusts to try and kill Kratos. If Kratos is to fall to the Untamed Fury, then they are in trouble, as they will have to try and find the boss once again in the sprawling location of The Crater in Vanaheim.
10The Raven Keeper
Odin’s Faithful Who Uses Innocent Souls to Create Ravens
The Raven Keeper is not an easy boss to battle. Not only due to the intense fight itself but the journey to reaching the Raven Keeper is equally as hard. Players will need to claim all rewards from the Raven Tree in Niflheim and destroy 48 of Odin’s Ravens to unlock the Raven Keeper boss fight.
The arena for this fight isn’t the largest, and the boss will need to be shot with arrows to make the boss available for Kratos’ attacks with his many weapons. However, when the boss gets weaker, the Raven Keeper will summon a dragon, meaning this is a duo boss fight in one.
