After an introduction that mixes narrative elements and QTE, then a few groups of monsters, God of War Ragnarök throws you a fairly strong boss directly, who will ask you to learn or remember the basics of combat.
The objective of this guide, as well as all those dedicated to the bosses that will follow, is to help you beat them on maximum difficulty, "Only God of War" , so that they are relevant for all levels. Killing the bosses in this mode is difficult, but far from impossible, even without being an excellent player, thanks to the checkpoint system. This requires above all training, in order to master all the attacks and abilities of the boss. If you're playing in an easier mode, this guide is still entirely applicable, you'll just have more room for error.
List of attacks and how to counter them
As a tutorial boss, the bear is relatively straightforward, compared to what's to come. It nevertheless has the fundamental elements of the fights of the first section of the game, with 3 types of attack. We will take the time to explain how they work and the subtleties.
Chain of kicks (normal attack) : Bjorn will chain 2 to 3 quick kicks. The easiest way is to just block everything by holding down L1, but you can also have fun parrying them, by pressing L1 at the right time each time. It's good training for the future.
Guard-breaking paw kick (yellow circle) : Difficulties begin after the chain of paw kicks. This more violent blow is surrounded by a yellow circle, which means that if you try to block (L1 maintained), your guard will be broken , and Kratos will be vulnerable for a few moments, without you being able to do anything. . Since attacks like this are often followed by a dangerous attack, as is the case here, it's a deadly combo. So you have a choice. Ideally, you should use a parry at the right time with quick pressure from L1 when the attack arrives. This will give you a chance to counterattack, in addition to filling up the bear's stun gauge. But if you're not too confident, or if the yellow circles tend to intimidate you, dodging with X, or even rolling to the side (X twice) , is a viable option.
Heavy tackle (red circle) : Unlike yellow attacks, red attacks are impossible to parry. Usually the only viable option is to dodge. You can sometimes interrupt a red attack with a heavy attack, a stun, and certain abilities, but that requires a good sense of timing, or a special ability that has limited availability. The bear's tackle is usually used at the end of his combo, after the chain of blows and the guard breaking paw strike. But as the fight progresses, he will start to use it more often, without doing his combo, and even several times in a row. Always be ready to roll around the bear's sides, so you can keep attacking. Always prepare for a new sequence.
Tips and Advice
It is better to wait until you have lost a part of your life before using Spartan Rage , since it regenerates your life with each hit. We advise you to try to hold out as long as possible before using it. It can also help to get out of a bad situation, since it even interrupts red attacks.
All bosses, including Bjorn, regularly drop green healing crystals on the ground when they lose enough health. Spot them, and don't hesitate to run away when your life is low, or use them when you run over them. An advantage of these crystals is that when used, they produce an area of stun which will interrupt the boss . This can be used to protect you from an attack and to counter-attack, as a bonus!
Like normal enemies, bosses have a gray stun gauge below their health bar . If you fill it, it gives you a special attack opportunity with the Right Stick. However, this requires maintaining the pressure for this, therefore being aggressive, since it will very quickly empty in the absence of attacks from you. It's not easy to accomplish in the absence of Atreus. You have to either stay in melee or attack from a distance, by throwing your axe, for example.
Bosses become more and more dangerous and aggressive when their life runs out, so it's normal to die when the boss is almost dead. Do not take unnecessary risks to try to finish it, just apply the same tactics as before, and counter its attacks. If the boss really is very low in life when you are too, you can distance yourself and try to finish him off with an ax throw.
