The 10 HARDEST New Enemies in God of War Ragnarok

As if the wisps weren’t bad enough, now you have to deal with the paranormal abomination. Wights are created when 3 or more wisps join together, and the results are as frustrating as they sound. Wights wield strong magic attacks that can paralyze their opponent and leave them vulnerable as they teleport around the battlefield. Unlike wisps however, Wights can only be damaged by basic arrows, and even then, it will take multiple shots to bring them down to ground level to deal any real physical damage to them. Even when the Wight is defeated, you’re still left with the wisps to deal with but compared to the Wight, they’re easy prey.

The threat Wyverns present isn’t immediately obvious. Looking like overgrown chickens, these birds of prey fight best from afar but aren’t above swooping in for a quick grab that can cause substantial damage if not blocked or parried. They also wield numerous magical abilities that, while easily avoidable, can make for a chaotic skirmish in the midst of dealing with the rest of the foes usually in their company. The best way to deal with the Wyvern is to have Atreus or Freya focus their fire on it, allowing Kratos to get up close and personal where the Wyvern’s attacks are limited. It’s actually getting in close that’s the problem.

Like many new enemies in God of War Ragnarok, Gradungrs come in a variety of flavors, each with their own special abilities to lay Kratos flat on his back. The Chimeras of the Norse Realms, they attack like wild bulls, ramming and stomping at anything that gets in their way and oftentimes have a shield that must be broken before any real damage can be dealt to them. Each requires different tactics and weaponry to deal with depending whether they are susceptible to fire or ice damage but then there’s also the Dodher Gradungr, which is Odin’s own special breed of the beast that uses unblockable bifrost attacks. Attempting to parry and stun the Gradungr is the easiest way to take them down, you just have to be sure your timing is perfect or become the dirt beneath their hooves.

Light Elf Slayers

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We thought we knew what to expect returning to Alfheim having dealt with the Dark Elves on our last visit. Boy were we wrong. It’s honestly surprising the Light Elves were losing the war against the Dark Elves if this is how they fight. The Light Elf Slayers are undeniably the worst of the bunch. Wielding dual swords, they’ll glide around the arena waiting for their moment to strike and should Kratos become too aggressive, they can even block and counter many of his most powerful attacks. They can even heal themselves if they manage to slink away from the fight for long enough! Much like the way the Light Elf Slayers patiently wait for their moment to strike, so too must you do the same as timing is everything when battling these fierce warriors of light.

There’s nothing Odin won’t do in order to stop your journey to Ragnarok and that includes deploying his most powerful warriors to stand in your way. Leading the charge are the Einherjar Captains and they’re ready to prove how they achieved this rank. With their signature weapons, oftentimes a scythe or enormous hammer, they can easily cut through their opposition with ease using their powerful combos. Much like many of the other damage spongey enemies on this list, the key to knocking the Captains down a rank is patience, waiting for the moment to strike, but beware the Captains are using the same strategy and just waiting for Kratos to let his guard down. Many of their attacks are blockable or can be parried but your timing needs to be precise otherwise they won’t waste any time showing Kratos the errors of his ways.

Just when you thought the wretches couldn’t get any worse, they went and tattled on their mom about you and she’d like a word. The Bergsras Mother can not only spawn numerous wretches to annoyingly fight alongside her, her immense physical strength makes many of her attacks unblockable and even attempting to fight from afar becomes unfavorable as she’s also capable of spitting large globs of acid with surprising accuracy. No matter what way you approach this fight, don’t expect any encounter with a Bergsra Mother to be a quick battle, her strong defenses mean she’s resistant to most physical attacks and her ability to throw her own brood at you means she’s willing to sacrifice her own bloodline just to ensure she doesn’t go down easily.

The Hateful

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All of you who complained about how easy the Draugr were in 2018’s God of War have a lot to answer for because now we have to deal with The Hateful and they’re looking for payback. Unbelievably aggressive when compared to its more common counterpart, The Hateful also has a nasty habit of igniting itself so that any followup physical attack causes it to explode, giving this undead menace breathing room to get right back up in Kratos’s personal space. Its dual axes come replete with numerous unblockable attacks and coupled with its speed and ferocity, it's not really viable for Kratos to parry these attacks in the first place. Any battle against The Hateful, of which there are many, is a test of resilience and perseverance while choosing your moments and not becoming overconfident because they are just waiting for you to slip up.

While the majority of encounters in God of War Ragnarok are fairly straightforward (learn the enemies’ pattern and exploit their weaknesses), Phantoms up the challenge by adding environmental elements to their encounters. Just like the Wights and Wisps, direct attacks have no effect on Phantoms until their stun bar has been filled, and even then, they simply disappear to avoid any further attacks. Where the Phantoms differ however is with the Runic Spring pillars which must be destroyed during the time when the Phantom is stunned. Only once all these pillars are destroyed can Kratos finally take the fight directly to the Phantom, but it won’t take this offense lightly. Letting your companions lead the charge and using ranged attacks until the stun bar is filled are the only way to avoid its unblockable attacks should you get too close for comfort.

Stalkers are renowned for their hunting skills, and they have their sights set on hunting the most elusive game of all: the Greek God of War. These Centaur beasts make full use of both their human and horse halves, attacking most often from a distance with a bow and if up close and personal will use their powerful legs to kick and stomp Kratos into submission. Occasionally, Stalkers’ horns will glow and if struck with a ranged attack will leave them vulnerable for a few seconds, granting a small window of opportunity for a counterattack but just be sure to retreat before they can get back on their feet or they’ll easily kick you across the arena. Once defeated, Kratos will make sure they get the point that he’s the alpha predator in these realms.

Much like their real-world cousins, the Dreki’s speed is not to be underestimated. These enormous crocodiles have no shortage of tricks up their sleeve and can easily gain the upper hand whether in close quarters or ranged combat. At a distance, they’ll spit pools of acid which remain on the field, while at close range they’ll swipe and bite, gnashing away at Kratos with their claws and tail swings. When the Dreki retreats, it’s preparing a powerful lunge attack which due to its surprising speed is best avoided rather than deflected, lest you risk Kratos’s health bar. And just when you think you have the Dreki on the ropes, it changes up its strategy and begins to electrify its acid attacks which will completely immobilize Kratos if he’s caught in it, an opportunity the Dreki will immediately rush in to take advantage of.