Some bosses in God of War Ragnarök allow you to get out of the usual routine, which consists of hitting the enemy until death ensues. The Phantom is a dangerous and immortal magical creature that depends on hidden objects in the environment to survive.
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.
Strategy
The Amalgam does not suffer damage directly, it is nevertheless necessary to attack its core to fill its stun gauge. Abilities like your teammate's arrows, runic attacks, and unarmed attacks are therefore ideal on this fight, as are shield parries.
You can tell how many sources need to be destroyed based on Amalgam's life bar. For the one in the video above, it's 3, but it goes from 2 to 4 depending on which one you're up against. These springs usually don't spawn until you've started combat (although there is an exception), so you can't scout the terrain ahead of time. When the fight has started, they appear in the form of black steles. By default, they are indestructible, but when the Amalgam is stunned, they are vulnerable, and easily spotted by their purple light . This is an opportunity to spot them, to destroy them more quickly during the next phase, or on the next try.
It's easy to destroy at least one stele per stun phase, and if you do it right, it's even possible to destroy two (or at least one and a half), which will significantly speed up the fight, and by extension, your chances of victory. In the majority of cases, the steles are out of reach, which requires using the ax roll with L2 + R2 and the projectiles of the teammate (and later, the spear ). Those that can be attacked in melee are faster to destroy in this way. When the stele stops shining, it has become indestructible again.
We therefore advise you to attract the Amalgam near one or two sources, especially those that can be destroyed on contact, so as not to have to waste time reaching them when the boss is stunned. Since this boss does not have a very long range attack and often moves underground, it is easy to control its position.
List of attacks and how to counter them
The Amalgam really hurts, but its attacks are quite easy to counter, once you know them.
Double Strike (Normal Attack) : When the Amalgam's body shifts to the right, it prepares to attack like a great whip. You can dodge, block or parry, but above all, be prepared for the second blow , vertical this time, which is coming.
Swipe (yellow attack) : There is only one yellow attack in the boss's arsenal, so they are easy to identify. l forms a sort of whip with his body, before sweeping the area horizontally. Parrying is ideal, dodging is advised, but simply blocking is also an option, since you have some time to recover from the guard break.
Circle of runes (red attack) : Also easy to identify, this attack immediately causes a large magic circle to appear under the Amalgam. Roll back urgently, as the damage is extreme, in addition to inflicting a freezing effect. He only uses this ability once at the start of combat, but after the first stun, he will then bury himself, appear on your location, and cast it a second time immediately .
Dive (red attack) : When the body of the Amalgam recovers to form a standing block, it is going to dive forward. You can either dodge to the sides or stay in front of him, well in contact, if you are already close, since he will pass over you. You just have to avoid being a few meters away, in front of him.
Frost Wave (normal attack) : Used quite rarely, this attack causes a large frost nova over a very large area around the amalgam. We can see her coming, because her body takes on a circular shape. You can just block it, so there is no risk.
Energy Balls (Normal Attack) : Another attack rarely used by Amalgam. You can parry it, block it, or dodge it.
Frost zones (red attack) : When the boss begins to prepare this long-range red attack, it means that lots of small frost zones will appear in the area. This is an opportunity to rush into melee to attack it without risk, as long as you avoid walking in the areas on the way, since they do not appear in melee.
The first GoW boss you face in Control of Atreus is a giant grandmother you try to steal the cauldron from, it's not glorious. Here's a written strategy guide with tips and tricks for defeating him on maximum difficulty, as well as a video of the fight in this mode.
