Finally, it's time for an even tougher challenge in God of War Ragnarök. The previous game had its valkyries, here we have berserkers and their cursed king. Expect to spend a while here, especially if you're playing on a high difficulty setting.
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.
The 12 Berserkers and their king
We'll repeat it here, if you still don't know the important points. 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 an absolutely brutal clash, against two or even three boss 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 Tomb of the King, in Midgard , to face what could be considered one of the game's two ultimate bosses. nevertheless say that we find it much easier than the new Queen of the Valkyries which awaits you.
Equipment
To start, we advise you to engage in combat with an equipment level of 8, or even 9 , that is to say with weapons and armor improved to the maximum. Clearing the various shards of Asgard on the map and doing the Northern Vanaheim region should help you with that.
Surely you have your preferences, but we suggest that you use the following runes in your Talisman:
- Increased dodge distance : Absolutely vital for getting out of areas of effect quickly.
- 25% resistance to all ailments : This often makes the difference between a special effect that triggers on Kratos (fire, poison, frost) or not.
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Reduced Fury Rage Cost and Cancellation : Absolutely fantastic, this allows you to use the Spartan's Rage: Fury activation stun blast to interrupt painful attacks, or even remove an ailment. It also allows you to drain a little of your overflow of rage if necessary, without spoiling it.
Consider buying a Resurrection Stone from the blacksmith (Major or Berserker).
List of attacks and how to counter them
Let's keep it simple, the king wears his title well, since he has all the abilities and spells of all the berserkers . Suffice to say that it does a lot. The good news is that you should know them all and know how to counter them if you've made it this far, at least, hopefully for you. If you are having difficulty with certain generic abilities, we invite you to consult our previous guides dedicated to berserkers. The other good news is that the king is single, this makes it easier than multiple bosses.
The real difficulty stems from the fact that this huge arsenal of abilities makes the king quite unpredictable. It's hard to tell what it's going to do, and you have to remember each ability well enough to handle it properly. Combined with the titanic amount of life this boss has, there's no easy way to defeat it. You really have to master the fight, and fight cleanly.
There are, however, a few specific king abilities that really stand out, and that might really give you trouble. He also tends to use them more often than others. So we'll focus on that.
Mass Mega-Explosion (blue attack) : The boss raises its arms, and after a few moments, an overpowered explosion affects the area. The area of effect seems to affect the whole arena , so you have no choice. As you may know, the shield hit with L1 x2 will interrupt it, the problem is being in range, since the king tends to back up quickly before using it. The solution is simple: be very aggressive on this fight. Try to stay in the king's melee at all times, and dash into it to come back into contact each time he retreats. It will also help you with the other abilities.
Green explosion (red attack) : The boss raises a huge hammer before hitting the ground, which has turned green. The principle is a bit the same as for the Mega-explosion, but you have to manage it differently. Here, the range of the attack is clear, so you can back up quickly to get out. But we advise you instead to be aggressive and take the opportunity to hurt him, especially if you are already close, which means that you will not have time to flee. Use a runic attack or a heavy attack to interrupt it . This requires using a fairly quick ability to use, so always keep one or two in stock. Activating Spartan Rage is also a great way to interrupt it .
Bifrost Mega Blast : The king flies to the edge of the arena and begins casting a blue spell. Taken over from Skjothendi, the last berserker, this attack affects the entire area. It doesn't hurt too much, but it applies Bifrost and detonates it if you already have it. Sticking spears into the king and detonating them to stun him mid-air doesn't work very well this time, the result is a bit random. You can either perform a powerful attack, like an ax throw with R2, use a runic attack that hits it mid-air, or approach and use nearby Spartan's Fury . We favored this option, since all of his painful abilities are interrupted on contact this way.
Aura of Bifrost : You may not have had much opportunity to pay attention to it on Skjothendi. But when the boss is surrounded by a blue aura, you will naturally accumulate Bifrost in melee, to the point of covering your entire health bar. It's not too bad as long as you don't take any damage. Fortunately, like the problems listed above, it can be solved by activating Spartan Rage, preferably to interrupt a painful attack, so you kill two birds with one stone.
It's an endurance fight then, since the boss really has a lot of life. Dodge all attacks well, and manage your rage bar well. Don't forget to use the healing stones in the area, in order to recover some life. Remember that they cause the boss to flinch for a moment if he's close.
Once victorious, all you have to do is go see Garn, the new queen of the valkyries. In retrospect, the king is going to seem easy and likeable to you.
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