Beigadr is one of the first berserkers in God of War Ragnarok, and the first true pure spellcaster. He will make you drool with his electrocutions and his projectiles difficult to avoid.
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.
The 12 Berserkers and their king
When you finally set foot in Midgard with Freya, to seek out the Norns, you're bound to get your hands on the sword hilt. It allows you to use the mysterious tombstones that you have come across in different places since the start of the game. This will each time trigger a tough boss fight, with magnificent rewards. These fights are completely optional, you don't need to complete them to finish the game. Some are more difficult than others, with high equipment requirements (6+) and absolutely brutal confrontation, against two or even three bosses at the same time.
Be aware that you cannot kill the 12 berserkers before completing the main story, since the last one is in an inaccessible area before the "post game" content, after the death of the final boss.
Once the 12th berserker is dead, you can return to where you found the sword hilt, at the King's Tomb in Midgard, to face what could be considered the game's ultimate boss.
What equipment to use?
- Use whatever weapon you want on this fight, they are all viable. We tend to prefer Blades of Chaos, since this boss likes to stray a bit, but that's a matter of preference.
- Remember to buy a Resurrection Stone from the blacksmith, it can make the difference when you die at the end of the fight.
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This boss is far from easy, but it is optional. You can upgrade later, after gaining a few gear levels, which will make it much more affordable.
We advise you to use the following enchantments in your Yggdrasil amulet:
- Dodge Emblem: Increases roll range and speed. It makes a huge difference on a lot of fights, including this one.
- Celestial Panacea: Gives 25% resistance to the elements and their ailments. You will reduce lightning damage, and above all, it will prevent you from being paralyzed too easily. It makes the difference between life and death.
List of attacks and how to counter them
This boss may look awful at first, but it's actually quite nice compared to others that await you next. It serves as a training ground for the other wizard-type berserkers that you will come across later, and there are many of them. Even if their element changes, the attacks often remain the same. The worst being that they are not always alone. We therefore advise you to learn to manage almost all of its abilities properly, rather than relying on a DPS rush, which will no longer be viable thereafter.
Double ball lightning (normal attack) : The attack used most often, and not necessarily only at a distance. It is recognizable by the characteristic position of the boss, he moves laterally while floating, then he sends two projectiles. You can just block them, but parrying them is much more satisfying, since it will send them back into his mouth, which will inflict damage on him.
Heroic Landing (red attack) : Another attack common to quite a few berserkers, it is however easy to dodge. Beigadr the dreaded jumps vertically and disappears from the screen, then a green area appears on you. Wait a moment, then roll over, so you don't get run over.
Double Punches (Normal Attack) : The boss rushes at you in melee and lands two normal punches. You can just block, but it is more interesting to parry, especially the second hit, which will destabilize him.
Lightning Wave (normal attack) : The boss projects lightning downward, which will send a line of lightning on the ground, in your direction. The easiest way is to block it. She tends to follow you, so dodging is a bit riskier.
Line of lightning (red attack) : Easily recognizable by the red circle surrounding the boss, this attack differs from the wave of lightning, since lightning will hit the ground in your direction. Here, there is no choice, you have to dodge.
Lightning explosion (yellow attack) : The boss teleports in front of you, and he prepares a lightning explosion behind your back. Theoretically you can parry it, but we found its timing quite finicky, especially without being able to observe the ball the majority of the time. We advise you rather to dodge laterally then to counter-attack, it is by far the most reliable. A quick attack capable of breaking his posture is also viable.
Quadruple balls of lightning (red attack) : Here is by far the most dangerous attack of this boss, the worst is probably that it is used by many other berserkers, from which it has not finished making you suffer . At least it's pretty easy to see coming: the boss flies away, a red circle appears and 4 projectiles go off at the same time. They can't be blocked, and the problem is that their target tracking is incredibly accurate and fast. This means that dodging or rolling in advance is useless, you will take the balls in the face all the same. The only solution is to dodge/roll sideways at the very last moment, so they don't have time to change direction before they hit the ground. It takes practice, like Thor's hammer. In the same way, you can improve your chances by getting close to the boss, or even being under him, this gives you more chances to avoid the balls.
Storm (red attack) : The boss will launch this technique from time to time. In appearance, it looks like the 4 balls, but instead, red areas will appear on the ground. You have to run through the area without stopping, preparing to change direction if an area appears in front of you, or even on top of you. It lasts quite a long time as a bonus. Try to approach the boss at the same time, to catch him on landing.
Tip: If you are paralyzed by lightning, you can get out of this state by hammering the "Circle" button or by activating Spartan's Rage.
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.
