The 20 Hardest Bosses In God Of War

Highlights

• The God of War series features intense boss battles that require strategic gameplay and precise timing to overcome.
• Combat mechanics in God of War have evolved over time, maintaining challenging gameplay elements for players.
• Boss fights in the series range from titanic god battles to more human-scaled foes, providing a variety of difficult challenges.

The God of War series is one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Ever since the first game came out in 2005, God of War has spawned multiple sequels and various extensions in other media, such as novels, comic books, and others. The games are often regarded as some of the best action titles of all time.

One of the things that make the God of War series so beloved is its harsh, heavy-hitting, and unrelenting combat mechanics. Even though the entire system went through a massive overhaul with 2018’s God of War, this fact still remains true. Boss fights, most especially, really make the combat mechanics shine, and they force the players to pay attention to the screen, engaged to spectacular effect.

Updated February 24th, 2024 by David Heath: The God of War games have some of the most bombastic boss fights in video games. Devil May Cry might require more know-how of the mechanics to take out its crazy bosses, like the big ice dog or the time-stopping horse, but they feel pedestrian next to taking on the Hydra, the Colossus of Rhodes, and literal, skyscraper-sized Titans.

However, the hardest boss battles in the God of War series don’t depend on size. Some of the most difficult fights in the series have been against more human-scaled foes. So, this list has been updated with some extra details, some subsequent rearrangement to rank them in order of difficulty, and to add the boss fights from God of War: Ragnarök, which can rival the notorious likes of Sigrun in inducing the most salt.

20 Aegaeon The Hecatonchires

God Of War: Ascension

• First boss of God of War: Ascension.
• Swift, powerful attacks that are hard to dodge due to the shifting camera.
• Ascension‘s new, combo-reliant gameplay makes it harder to whittle down the boss’ health.

The battle against Aegeaon the Hecatonchires has the same problem as the rest of God of War: Ascension, in that Kratos can’t pull off any worthwhile attacks unless he builds up his combo meter. Since Aegaeon’s attacks are hard to consistently dodge, players will have to chip away at his health one or two strikes at a time.

On top of that, this is a multi-stage battle that involves quick platforming and fighting waves of enemies to reach the next arena. Players must stay on their toes as the camera zooms and rotates all over the titanic opponent. Oftentimes, the perspective zooms so far out that players can’t see what they’re doing. That’s a problem when combat hinges on dodging and combos. All of these issues combine to make Aegaeon an ungodly (sorry) annoyance.

19 Poseidon

God Of War 3

• First boss of God of War 3.
• Has multiple phases where he uses his Hippocampus, then his lightning and crab claws, before attacking directly with his trident.
• He isn’t too difficult for GoW veterans, but without upgrades or other perks, he can be challenging.

Poseidon, the god of the ocean and ruler of the seven seas, is a persistent and tough opponent. Players fight this mighty god right at the beginning of God of War III. This boss is relatively tougher to fight than other opening bosses in the series, considering the fact that players are still stepping into the game without upgrades and such.

Poseidon has a total of three phases, each tougher and more aggressive than the last. From his hippocampus (a mer-horse), to his famous trident, the god uses many moves in his arsenal to prevent Kratos from climbing Mount Olympus. His defense is strong too, as it takes a lot of hits to end each phase, until Kratos can finally smash him out of his oceanic construct and deal with him up close and personal.

18 Charon

God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

• Penultimate boss of God of War: Chains of Olympus.
• Swings his scythe around in combos, and summons projectiles.
• He can also charge up the head of the ship with an instant kill energy blast, which only the Gauntlet of Zeus can stop.

One wouldn’t expect a ferryman to put up such a fight, but Charon has a wider attack range thanks to his scythe. He only needs to hit once for the rest of his combo to connect. That’s not counting the energy projectiles that he routinely fires, which Kratos either has to dodge or reflect, which requires tight timing. That would be tricky but fine if the difficulty wasn’t amplified by Charon’s movement, as just getting close enough to attack is a chore.

Like the sirens and gorgon enemies, he’s a thin target who constantly slithers around, making it hard to lock him down. The only way to fight back against him is to use the Blades of Chaos, as the Gauntlet of Zeus is too slow. The best it can do is destroy the head of the ship to keep Charon from healing himself. Even once he’s beaten, he’ll come back with more projectiles until Kratos can shut him down for good. It’s no wonder all the dead people (except for Kratos) simply resign themselves to the Underworld; it’s easier than fighting the ferryman.

17 Persephone

God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

• Final boss of God of War: Chains of Olympus.
• Aggressive boss that loves to kick giant rocks and throw projectiles at Kratos.
• Requires quick reflexes to defeat, from deflecting her projectiles, to completing her quick-time event.

The Persephone boss fight at the end of God Of War: Chains Of Olympus is both challenging and exciting. The wife of Hades and the queen of the underworld will battle Kratos tooth and nail. She may not have the heaviest damage in the series, but she most certainly has some of the most erratic and aggressive movements. One moment, she seems vulnerable. The next, she’s kicking an unblockable rock at Kratos that hurts quite a bit.

Once Kratos manages to put Persephone’s health low enough, she will begin to fire projectiles that Kratos can deflect and send back at her. The thing is, though, that she can also deflect it right back at Kratos too. This creates this ping-pong-like exchange where players will constantly have to time their deflections right if they want to put the queen of the underworld down for good. Oh, and to hit the right buttons when she gives Kratos a health-sapping hug. If they don’t, it’s an instant game over.

16 Hades

God Of War 3

• The second boss of God of War 3.
• Big boss that fights with chained claw-blades, homing projectiles, and the souls of other enemies in the game.
• He also has two more phases where the player has to beat him at tug-of-war, then fight his giant form.

Hades, the god of the underworld and the ruler of the dead, is nothing but intimidating. Though he helped Kratos in the past, he’s held a grudge against the Ghost of Sparta ever since he beat his queen, Persephone. Now he seeks to take Kratos’ soul, which he can almost do if players don’t hammer the trigger buttons fast enough at the start of this boss fight.

Hades is a towering figure with hard-hitting attacks. His chains are unrelenting, and can home in on Kratos if he isn’t running fast enough, and he can summon the souls of his underworld minions to aid him. If Kratos (and the player) can make it through his three phases without dying, they’ll eventually overpower Hades and gain his claw-blades, but it won’t be a walk in the park.

15 Svartaljofurr

God Of War (2018)

• Boss of Alfheim.
• Moves faster than the regular Dark Elves, and fires larger projectiles that hit harder.
• He can also blind Kratos with bright flashes, then impale him on his spear before blasting him again.

Svartaljofurr, or the King of the Dark Elves, has attack patterns that are as complicated as his name. He’ll constantly make sure the players will fight him in his comfortable home court, darkness. From there, he’ll constantly berate Kratos and Atreus with light waves and unpredictable attacks, many of which will make the arena even darker than it already is.

The worst part about this fight is that it appears fairly early on in the game. At this point, players don’t really have too many choices when it comes to the moves and Runic Attacks they can pull off. The best they can do is dodge his bigger swings, then parry his quicker ones to strike him directly. But he isn’t impossible to defeat. He’s just challenging. So long as players persist (and have enough healing stones), they’ll eventually bring the King down.

14 Magni & Modi

God Of War (2018)

• Recurring boss duo from God of War (2018).
• The two fight together, with one brother keeping Atreus occupied while the other attacks Kratos.
• They’ll also summon a storm to darken the arena, and force Kratos and Atreus to watch their flanks to block their attacks.

It figures that Magni & Modi, the sons of Thor, would be tough, and each of these guys is predictably durable on his own. The brothers can take a lot of abuse from both melee and ranged attacks. Even worse, Kratos can only get a few hits on them before they retaliate with an unblockable, widespread counterattack.

Fighting them both doubles the difficulty. The close-quarters camera limits players’ vision, so one of the brothers could easily outflank Kratos from off-screen. Atreus can call out where they’re coming from, but he can only do so much to draw their attention, as he’ll be fighting off the other brother at the same time. Then, together, they’ll cast “Blindr”, darken the arena for a bit, and force both Kratos and Atreus to defend against their hidden attacks.

13 Theseus

God Of War 2

• Keeper of the Steeds of Time in God of War 2.
• Swings a double-ended spear that he can impale Kratos on and, if they don’t complete a QTE, slam him into the ground with.
• Has a phase where he’ll fire projectiles from the top of the stage, and summon Minotaurs and ice stalagmites from the ground.

Theseus, the founder and former King of Athens, is a pain in the neck in God of War 2. One-on-one, his spear combos can be tricky to dodge, especially when they trap Kratos in a throw that requires beating a directional QTE to beat. But he’s at his worst when he escapes to the top of the stage and rains projectiles down on the Ghost of Sparta instead.

From there, he’ll also summon Minotaurs to distract Kratos, and painful ice stalagmites, which will instantly kill him on Titan Mode. Beating the Minotaurs with a QTE will give Kratos extra magic. He’ll need it, as the only way to attack Theseus in this state is with Typhon’s Bane, the weakest magic ability in the game. With enough bolts, he’ll go down for the count, but it takes a lot of dodging and arrow-slinging to get there.

12 Baldur & Freya

God Of War (2018)

• Final boss of God of War (2018).
• Baldur lunges with quick attacks, hard ground strikes, and aerial attacks, and switches between fire and ice forms.
• Freya will occasionally trap both Kratos and Baldur, and uses Thamur the Giant’s ice breath to stop the two from fighting.

The mother and son duo at the end of God of War (2018) make for a challenging, but fun final boss fight. While Freya isn’t technically an “enemy” here (not yet anyway), Kratos and Atreus will have to handle her, as well as her son, in this battle between parents and their children. Most of her attacks involve restraining Kratos, either with vines or manipulating the deceased giant Thamur on the stage.

Baldur himself is as aggressive as ever. Although he loses his magical invincibility in this fight, he remains as formidable as ever, if not more so, as he moves faster and hits harder. Particularly his lunging AOE attacks that’ll force Kratos to back off. He’ll also switch between ice and fire forms, which in turn will force Kratos to switch between the icy Leviathan Axe and the fiery Blades of Chaos accordingly to damage him back. Together, they make for a nice finale to the Norse Saga’s first game, and a good précis for its finale in God of War: Ragnarok.

11 Hildr

God Of War (2018)

• Optional Boss found in Niflheim in God of War (2018).
• Fires giant ice chunks, scythe waves, and is surrounded by Niflheim’s instant death traps and poison mist.
• Game resets Kratos’ mist meter after her defeat, and will count her defeat even if Kratos dies soon afterward.

The Valkyries are some of the toughest foes that players can face off against in the God of War reboot. All of them have quick attacks, powerful moves, and surprises that will frustrate players who don’t take their time and read the moves of these bosses before applying a strategy of their own. However, there’s one particular Valkyrie that players need to deal with as soon as possible, since waiting around will ensure a game over for the player sooner rather than later.

This Valkyrie is Hildr, who is present in the infamous land of Niflheim. The irritating mist here acts like a poison, and will kill Kratos after enough time has passed. Players can get some armor to last longer in the realm, but that requires a lot of grinding that most people might not want to do, especially if they just want to get past the traps and fight the Valkyrie. But without proper preparation, Niflheim will kill Kratos before Hildr can. As irritating as the fight is, the players, thankfully, won’t have to repeat it if they die in Niflheim after beating her.

10 Sisters Of Fate

God Of War 2

• The penultimate bosses of God of War 2.
• Lahkesis throws energy waves and swings her spear at Kratos.
• Atropos swings her claws, throws projectiles, and tries to destroy the stage Kratos is standing on.
• Both will join forces in the last phase, before Kratos takes on a gauntlet of enemies and fights Clotho, the last sister.

The Sisters of Fate are considerably challenging because Kratos will fight not one, not two, but three different bosses. This isn’t just a single boss fight where players have to “overpower” them either. Their encounter is the perfect balance between skill, strength, and puzzle-solving, fitting when fighting the literal weavers of destiny.

Lahkesis offers a one-on-one fight in an open arena where players have to dodge carefully and deflect her projectiles, a la Persephone. Atropos will split their attention between herself as she tries to destroy the stage, and the hordes of enemies she summons. Then the two will team up, where Kratos will have to seal them within their mirrors to finish them off for good. Then, finally, there’s a gauntlet of multiple enemies players have to make it through before working out how to reach Clotho for the last fight.

9 Zeus

God Of War 2

• The final boss of God of War 2.
• A triple-phase boss fight where he’ll grow giant and fling thunderbolts while summoning sirens.
• Then he’ll shrink down to Kratos’ size and attack him directly, occasionally snatching the Blade of Olympus from him.
• Finally, his last form will require Kratos to activate Rage of the Titans to neutralize, before completing a QTE to finish off.

This is a long, relentless battle that, thankfully, supports a few checkpoints. Zeus begins as a giant, pounding the arena with punches too fast for someone his size. These would be tough to avoid in themselves, but their large area of effect keeps Kratos from getting close enough to strike. The only way to slow Zeus down is to defeat his sirens, which are already some of the more annoying enemies, but they’ll stun him long enough to get hit.

When the King of Olympus deigns to fight at human height, he gets faster. Zeus frequently dashes out of reach, so combos are out of the question. Though his base attacks don’t have the same reach, stealing the Blade of Olympus lets him blast Kratos from across the arena and block melee strikes. Dealing any damage essentially requires magic, as players will need to save their Rage of the Titans for Zeus’ last phase. Considering Kratos’s limited supply, he’ll spend most of the battle just trying to survive.

8 Ares

God Of War (2005)

• Final boss of God of War (2005).
• The first phase is a one-on-one battle, where Ares will use an unblockable AOE attack, claw strikes, and some nasty throws.
• The second phase is a battle where Kratos has to protect his family from a horde of Kratos clones.
• The third phase is a see-saw struggle where Kratos must fight back with a sword until his health bar is maxed out.

Ares was the original God of War until Kratos managed to snatch the title from him. This was no easy feat and his boss fight is a testament to that. The battle between Ares and Kratos is the first titanic struggle between mortal and god, and it’s still one of the more challenging ones today. Ares will prove not only how strong and powerful he is, but also how dirty he is willing to play for the sake of winning a fight.

In this boss fight, Kratos will have to fight the god of war and face many of his painful attacks, including some unblockable ones. He will also be forced to face his past as he attempts to protect his deceased family against illusions of himself, which is the hardest part, as the Kratos clones are as sturdy as the real deal. Finally, the two will take each other on in a lifeforce tug-of-war where, if the player can keep their offense consistent, they’ll put Ares down and become the new God of War.

7 Odin

God of War: Ragnarök

• Final boss of God of War: Ragnarök.
• Odin fights with his spear, including block-breaking strikes, impaling lunges, and beam attacks.
• Many of his attacks will also inflict Bifrost damage, which will turn Kratos’ health bar purple and drain in explosive fashion if he takes another hit.

After God of War (2018) built Odin up as the worst guy in the Nine Realms, and after God of War: Ragnarök proved that rumor with his gangster-like scheming, behind-the-scenes meddling, and general scummy behavior, it’s all too satisfying to finally finish him off. Not that he’ll go quietly. With Asgard and his plans in ruins, he’s after Kratos, Atreus, and Freya’s blood.

His spear combo will break Kratos’ guard on the last hit, leaving him open for more punishment. He’ll also dodge any long range attack easily, firing back with an ice beam, or closing the distance with a lunge that’ll turn Kratos into a shishkabob. Many of his attacks are also coated with Bifrost, which will do additional damage to Kratos if he’s hit by another attack afterward. The only mercy is that there’s a checkpoint for each of Odin’s 3 phases, so players won’t have to repeat everything from the top if they fall to the Allfather midway through.

6 Zeus

God Of War 3

• Final boss of God of War 3.
• In the first phase, Kratos and Zeus will fight each other on a narrow platform like in a fighting game.
• The second phrase resembles their original GoW2 encounter; only the player has to last long enough for Gaia to appear.
• The final phase sees Zeus throw out clones of himself, hit with AOE attacks, and attempt to heal himself with Gaia’s heart.

Patricide is a common theme in Greek mythology and God of War follows suit with this ever-ending theme. At the end of God of War 3, Kratos finally gets the chance to face his own father and, without any more Olympians to get in his way, defeat him once and for all. This time, Kratos is more powerful, but Zeus is also stronger and more aggressive. He also has so many tricks up his sleeve.

Kratos will have to fight him in multiple phases, including one where both will essentially have to fight in a 2D fighting game style. The second phase is more about survival until Gaia makes her long-awaited return, and inadvertently provides the stage for the last phase. Here, Kratos will have to dodge Zeus’ clones and AOE attacks, while keeping him from attacking Gaia’s heart for health orbs to heal himself. With one more QTE and a spectral encounter, Kratos will finally beat Zeus and reduce him to a bloody pulp.

5 Svipdagr The Cold & The Sisters of Illska

God of War: Ragnarök

• Optional Berserker fight in Alfheim’s Barrens in God of War: Ragnarök.
• Svipdagr fights with two battleaxes, focusing largely on Kratos with her melee attacks.
• One sister will keep Kratos’ partner occupied, while the other will blindside Kratos with elemental attacks.

Instead of the Valkyries, Ragnarök introduces the Berserkers of King Hrolf Kraki, who destroyed Mimir’s old kingdom of Lejre. He had twelve of them, but this doesn’t mean Kratos has to revive all 12 one by one for a final battle. Some will actually join forces to fit each of the game’s 9 encounters, with Svipdagr the Cold and The Sisters of Illska offering 3 Berserkers in one bout.

Gaming tradition dictates that the player should take out the sidekicks before finishing off the main boss. It’s actually the opposite here, as Svipdagr will never leave Kratos alone with her melee attacks. Then, one sister will keep Kratos’ partner busy, while the other chucks a fire or ice spell at Kratos out of nowhere. Svipdagr’s persistence will make it easier to focus on her, but players will have to keep an ear out for the Sisters’ calls, so they know when to dodge one projectile, deflect another, and when to simply block and hope.

4 King Hrolf Kraki

God of War: Ragnarök

• The last optional Berserker boss in Midgard in God of War: Ragnarök.
• The King mixes techniques from the other Berserkers, from hard-hitting melee attacks to projectiles.
• He’ll also cycle between every elemental attack in the game, from fire and ice to poison and Bifrost.

Once Kratos has beaten every other Berserker in the game (a tall order in itself), he can journey back to Midgard and finally grant Mimir his revenge by taking on King Hrolf Kraki. Like Sigrun in God of War (2018), his move set is a mix of everything his underlings used. He’s got the Daudahogg dual homing projectiles, the unblockable Vengi shower, and a variety of other tracking projectiles. Even if players get used to these attacks from the other Berserkers, Hrolf’s melee attacks are faster and hit harder.

He can stun Kratos long enough to keep him from stopping his explosive orbs. Even worse, he can switch between the game’s different elements for attacks. The Vengi shower was hard enough to deal with when it just dealt burn damage. But Hrolf can turn it into a Bifrost shower to turn Kratos’ health bar into a ticking time bomb. The only hope players have, aside from getting good, is that they can use the Draupnir Spear to use his elements against him.

3 Tyr

God of War: Ragnarök – Valhalla

• Recurring boss in God of War: Ragnarök‘s Valhalla DLC.
• Kratos’ journey to Valhalla involves fighting Tyr four times, with him getting stronger each time.
• He gains a new primary weapon with each fight before switching between all four for his last battle.

Coming out nearly a year after the main game, the Valhalla DLC was a free mode that essentially gave Ragnarök its own equivalent of God of War (2018)’s Niflheim. Only instead of health-draining gas, Kratos fights through procedurally generated level chunks based on the other Norse realms, and Greece. He can encounter some old friends there too, like Helios, and Magni & Modi. Then, instead of fighting a Valkyrie like Hildr, he fights Tyr instead. The Norse God of War thinks it’ll work as a form of therapy for the old Spartan.

In any given fight, Tyr will try to shut Kratos down with his sword & spear, his explosive projectiles, or his ability to summon minions. With each fight he’ll introduce a new weapon he got from other lands as well, like a Mesoamerican obsidian-edged club, 2 Egyptian sickle-shaped blades called khopeshes, and lastly, a Japanese katana. In the last battle, he’ll switch between all 4 on top of his magic skills, likely making players yield multiple times before they finally make him give up.

2 Gna

God of War: Ragnarök

• Optional post-game boss in Muspelheim in God of War: Ragnarök.
• A call-back to God of War (2018)‘s Valkyrie fights, complete with similar aerial dives and throws.
• On top of being fast, strong, and unpredictable, she can temporarily render herself immune to Runic Attacks.

The only mercy Gna offers is that the player can choose to fight her or not. She’ll ambush Kratos once she finds him, but this won’t be the start of the fight. She’ll allow the Ghost of Sparta to toddle off, finish off any other side missions, grab any extra loot, and find better gear. He’ll need it, because even at max level and with the best armor, runic attacks, rage, etc., he’s likely to get pulped by the rogue Valkyrie.

She’s faster than any of the Berserkers, including King Hrolf, and can switch her patterns in a second. A sweeping, long-range strike could give way to an aerial dive, or the Valkyrie stamping throw that could kill Kratos in one go if he’s not careful. She also loves her Bifrost shards and projectiles, which will wreck Kratos’ health. Then, while it’s possible to power through some of her strikes, she can activate Runic Armor to protect herself from Runic attacks. Gna is a challenge only master Ragnarök players can overcome.

1 Sigrun

God Of War (2018)

• Optional boss found at the Council of Valkyries once the other 8 Valkyries have been beaten.
• She uses all the gimmicks the other Valkyries used, from wing strikes to flying throws and stomps.
• Requires max Runic Attack meters, Rage meter, and a Berserker Resurrection Stone on standby to outlast her attacks.

Those that have played God of War (2018) and had the privilege (or unfortunate circumstance) of facing Sigrun know that there is no boss fight in the history of the franchise that is as tough as this one, with only Gna and Tyr holding a candle next to her. In fact, she might be one of the most difficult ones in video game history. Though players will have to beat her eight sisters, including Hildr, to take her on directly.

Fighting Sigrun is kind of like facing all those eight Valkyries at once. She has almost every single move set the other Valkyries had, which she swaps between quickly in an erratic and hard-to-predict manner, and hits harder too, with many of her throws feeling like a death sentence. Unless the player has completely mastered the game, putting her to rest for good will take multiple attempts, heals, and game overs.