The Hardest Bosses In The God Of War Series

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 September 22, 2024, by David Heath: As of September 19, 2024, God of War: Ragnarök has made it off of consoles and has landed on PC. Now players can give it a go via Steam, and start modding it anyway they like. However, they will also have to get around its teething troubles, as it’s suffering from a few performance issues at the moment. It also requires a PSN account to play, limiting its reach in certain areas where PSN isn’t available.

Still, if players can get around those woes and get it running smoothly, they’ll be in for some of the hardest boss encounters in the series. That is why this list has been updated with more of Kratos’ most difficult encounters, with a little rearrangement and tweaking here and there to reflect how badly they’ll punish players. Some, like Aegaeon, are annoyances. Others will require all the player’s skills to overcome.

23 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.

22 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.

21 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.

20 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.

19 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.

18 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.

17 The Maven

God of War: Ragnarök

• An optional boss fight as part of the Elven Sanctum Favor in God of War: Ragnarök.
• Fights a lot like Alva, the Alfheim boss in ‘Groa’s Secret’, only she’s faster and more aggressive.
• She’ll also throw her swords, fire unblockable projectiles, and will try to heal herself when damaged enough.

Fighting the Maven in God of War: Ragnarök isn’t too bad, because chances are the player won’t be tackling her until post-game. She can only be fought once players complete the Elven Sanctum favor, which requires scouring through the Elven Library in Alfheim’s Forbidden Sands. Kratos will try to take a journal out with him, which will upset the Maven and start the battle.

She’s essentially a reskin of the fight against Alva, one of the bosses elsewhere in Alfheim. The difference is that she’s much faster, and mixes up her attacks way more. It can be hard to keep track of her strikes as, if players dodge her unblockable projectile, she’ll close in on them with swift melee strikes. Then, if they manage to get her closer to death’s door, she’ll try to run away and heal herself. It’s not too hard to stop her, thankfully. But the real challenge is knowing when to close the distance and hack away at her, and when to keep a good distance from her.

16 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.

15 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.

14 Heimdall

God of War: Ragnarök

• Will start the fight riding his steed, Gulltoppr, who’ll swipe and charge at Kratos while Heimdall throws Bifrost attacks.
• After Gulltoppr is done, Heimdall will be too quick for regular attacks, and must be staggered with the Draupnir Spear.
• In the final phase, he’ll slow down time, chuck boulders, and do an unblockable ground slam attack.

The God of War series is no stranger to hateable characters, and they’re not necessarily the main villains. Ares, Zeus, The Furies and Odin are grade-A scumbags, but Heimdall requires stronger language, particularly when he spends most of his appearances bullying kids like Atreus and Thrud. Kratos wants to avoid killing him to ‘be better,’ but most fans think he deserves all that he gets.

Fighting him on his steed, Gulltoppr, isn’t too bad, because the beast can at least be hit. Heimdall himself is too fast to hit thanks to his foresight. Players will have to use the Draupnir spear and its bolt attacks to give him less room to dodge, and stagger him until he can be hit. Even then, with enough persistence, he’ll get serious. Heimdall will start chucking boulders, slamming the ground for unblockable shockwave attacks, and slowing down time to give himself an opening.

13 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.

12 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.

11 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.

10 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.

9 Bodvar the Fierce and Starolfr the Troublesome

God of War: Ragnarök

• Optional Berserker fight in Svartalfheim’s Jarnsmida Pit Mines in God of War: Ragnarök.
• Starolfr lives up to her name with a volley of projectiles, a leaping shockwave attack, and swift melee strikes.
• Bodvar is more durable than Starolfr, and fires projectile attacks, as well as barging into Kratos and co.

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 nine encounters, like Bodvar the Fierce and Starolfr the Troublesome.

They live up to their names, as they’ll alternate in aggression towards the player. Starolfr takes more damage, but is quicker to make up for it, and can take to the air and fire projectiles before landing hard to do a shockwave attack. Then Bodvar can tank damage to hit Kratos harder with his grounded charges and exploding projectiles. He also has a build-up attack that the player has to stop, or they’ll suffer for it.

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 true 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.

Fighting 2 Berserkers at the same time is bad enough, as Bodvar and Starolfr show. Yet even they are fairly easy going compared to the other encounters. For example, if players were unlucky enough to go poking around the Barrens in Alfheim and decided to take on its Berserker challenge, they’d end up face to face 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. But they should actually do the opposite of that this time, 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 moves are 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.