God of War Ragnarök prefers to let you face tons of annoying and deadly enemies rather than big bosses at the moment. It's a bit humiliating to get eaten by a crocodile after facing off against Thor, which just goes to show that Kratos still has a ways to go before he regains his past glory.
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?
This is the first boss for which you really have a choice of your equipment, whether at the level of the shield or the armor. However, this is not of great importance in this case, since the combat is relatively basic. Use what you want. Dauntless Shield , which favors parries, can shine on this fight, since the attacks are quite slow and predictable. But the other shield is just as viable, for a safer style of play.
List of attacks and how to counter them
Dreki is quite a pleasant and satisfying boss to fight, since all of his attacks are easy to identify and deal with, with a bit of practice. It will nevertheless rip your throat out if you make a mistake. By managing the fight well, you will be able to attack aggressively and quickly finish.
Rant (Normal Attack) : Dreki's basic attack, it's easy to see coming, and he only attacks once or twice, so it's not hard to block or even parry.
Guard Breaker Rant (yellow attack) : A more powerful rant that will grab you and then knock you to the ground if you get hit. Parry , or dodge sideways, to get behind him .
Tail Swipe (Normal Attack) : Much like with Thor, perhaps the most difficult attack to deal with is a basic attack, since it has no special warning counter. The tail kick happens very quickly, and it hurts a lot. Fortunately, if you don't have a circle, you can rely on Dreki's posture. As soon as it rears up , the tail kick comes immediately after. Block or parry, then counterattack.
Electric Zone (red attack) : This deadly technique is very easy to see coming, since Dreki only throws it when you are in melee. Any yellow arcs in the area are also impossible to miss. In the event of a red circle, roll backwards then back up to get out of the electrified area. Get ready for the next red attack too.
Electric Breath (Red Attack) : Almost always cast after the Electric Zone, this ability is used when you are positioned at a distance. Once again, it is easy to recognize and see coming, and therefore to avoid. Do a side dodge then rush into melee to beat up the ugly croc.
Leap forward (yellow attack) : If for some reason you are at a distance from Dreki, he only has 2 techniques, the breath and the big leap forward with devastating damage and which will grab you. He also likes to use it after his breath, especially towards the end of the fight. Luckily, the color of the circle makes it quick to identify what it's going to do, and both can be handled in the same way, with a side dodge . Theoretically you can also parry it, but the timing of the thing is hard to grasp, especially since it depends on the distance. Unless you want to speedrun, it is better to favor caution.
All that remains is to practice. Don't forget to use Spartan's Fury when you've taken damage. Atreus will also assist you with his arrows, remember to press "Square" regularly. Also prepare for a small simple QTE at the end of the fight, in order to complete the beast, in the company of the son.