If you thought you had mastered the combat mechanics of God of War Ragnarök, the enemies of the kingdom of Alfheim had to prove you wrong. These ungrateful light elves deal massive amounts of damage, in addition to requiring you to deal with a new type of attack and guard. You will have to take new reflexes to defeat this boss and continue your adventure.
The objective of this guide, as well as all those dedicated to bosses, is to help you beat them on maximum difficulty, "Only God of War", so that they are relevant for all levels.
What equipment to use?
Weapon : For this boss, we recommend Chaos Blades instead, since he tends to distance himself a bit. It also seemed a little more vulnerable to fire. But if you prefer to use the axe, nothing prevents you from doing so.
Shield : This boss is the first to use the double blue circle system, which requires a shield hit by pressing L1 twice quickly to interrupt its attack. We would therefore tend to advise you to use the stone wall shield for this fight, in order to limit the chances of performing a false maneuver by trying to perform a parry, for example. With this shield, you either block or perform an interrupt. If in addition the shield is charged, it will cause an explosion. Of course, Dauntless Shield is an optimal choice, if you play well.
List of attacks and how to counter them
Alva is by far the toughest boss you'll encounter after Thor. If you play on maximum difficulty, she can even kill you in a single combo. Luckily, his attacks are pretty easy to identify and counter, so with practice this should pass.
Blade Dive (blue attack) : Alva always starts the fight with a special attack that uses the new double blue circle mechanic. The devs took pity on us, and time automatically slows down when she uses it, giving you plenty of time to press L1 twice to interrupt her. Be aware that there is no need to be very close for this to work, even a few meters away, the shield will do its job. She will then regularly use this attack during the fight. If you don't interrupt it, you will really suffer, so be careful. If you were ever in doubt, Spartan's Rage also interrupts the double blue circle.
Blade Dance (Normal Attack) : The boss' most dangerous attack, at least in terms of damage. She raises her blades and then attacks very quickly three times in a row. You can parry it, ideally , but, perhaps because of the stress caused by the blue attack, combined with the fact that you have to chain parries very quickly, we tended to put a shield hit instead, which turns out to be absolutely deadly. It 's easier to just block all attacks .
Wave of Light (red attack) : Alva will regularly distance herself, then trigger a red attack. It's easy to see coming, and to avoid with a side dodge . The problem is that she tends to combine this with her blade throw. Towards the end of the fight, the boss will start to chain two waves of light , but fortunately, they each have their marker.
Blade throw (yellow attack) : The most deceitful attack of the fight. It is only triggered remotely, with a yellow circle. Alva throws her blade, which is pretty easy to dodge, but like your axe, it will also come back from behind , which can (and often will) hit you. So you have the choice, you can parry it or block it with the heavy shield , in which case there is no return, or dodge a second time . This attack is often used before or after the wave of light. Unlike the majority of projectiles in the game, the blade cannot be returned while parrying it.
Super blade dance (red attack) : When the boss's life is very low, it will unlock a new attack. She will land on the ground and make a red circle appear, before rushing at you with many quick attacks, which you absolutely have to dodge. After her initial combo, she will immediately trigger a second red attack in the volley, and trigger a second chain. The only thing to do is keep dodging until she calms down.
Life Regeneration (Blue Tusk) : Immediately after the final Super Blade Dance, Alva will land on the ground and start regenerating her life quickly. Sprint in melee then use the shield blow with the double press L1. Normally, this should end the fight, or almost.
The same advice as usual applies, try to save Spartan Rage for the end of the fight, when the boss becomes more dangerous and your health is low. Also, don't forget to have Atreus shoot his arrows in order to disrupt and damage the boss.
The third boss in God of War Ragnarok is a fairly straightforward centaur, despite the element of surprise and the fact that your equipment leaves something to be desired. Here's a written strategy guide with tips and tricks for defeating it on maximum difficulty.
