God of War Ragnarok features a wide array of bosses, all sure to get your blood pumping and offer a true challenge. With that said, among all the bosses, one of the most challenging is Nidhogg, which surprises players a few minutes after the Fiske fight. But how can you defeat Nidhogg in God of War Ragnarok?
How to Beat Nidhogg in God of War Ragnarok
First Phase – Bring on the Chaos
Once the Nidhogg fight begins, switch from the Leviathan Axe to the Blades of Chaos, as they will be able to deal faster ounces of damage. During the first phase, focus on attacking it as much as possible, as, in this stage, the boss will only perform three kinds of attacks, one horizontal AoE, two vertical Bifrost sweeps (which can be avoided by dashing left or right), and a guard-breaking bite.
We highly recommend that you make use of the Cursed Empress Handles during the fight, as the handles will allow you to often increase your overall damage through its passive ability. The equipment can be acquired by defeating The Hateful on the tower in Svartalfheim. In order to find the boss and get the handles quicker, don’t forget to check out all the Draugr Hole locations in God of War Ragnarök.
To quickly end the first phase, focus on parrying the bite and try to stay at mid-range, using the blades for efficient amounts of damage.
Second Phase – It’s Time to Parry
Once the first 2 health bars of the boss are depleted, she will be forced out of the portal and become way more aggressive by making constant use of her Bifrost sweeps. To counter that, focus on dealing quick ounces of damage and on parrying her attacks. while also staying alert in order to parry the bite and shield bash the tail once the boss stabs the ground.
Third Phase – Stand Your Ground
During her third phase, Nidhogg will crawl up a tree and focus on dealing massive damage with her Bifrost attacks. With that said, you can easily avoid them by blocking the horizontal bean, dodge-rolling right or left to escape the vertical line, and rolling in any direction to escape the unblockable crystals the boss will summon.
Once again, put the axe aside and take on the blades, as their fast attack speed will allow you to score hits between the boss’ attacks. Once the enemy sufferer enough damage she will either change trees or head to the middle of the area. Occasionally, Freya will also be able to assist you in taking the creature down, as she will apply charms to the trunks. The incantations will, when hit by either the blades (right) or the axe (left), allow her to perform a combo and stun the boss momentarily, all while also sending it to the ground.
Now comes the vital part of the fight and the one many people find the most troublesome. As the Nidhogg will occasionally perform a massive attack, where the boss will suck out the debris and then send them back to you. In order to avoid that, you just need to block or dodge depending on the attack type. So do not panic and stay on your guard. After escaping or withstanding the attack, head back to the boss and hit it as much as you can for maximum damage.
To make the endeavor easier, once the enemy starts to build up the move, go further away in order to get the timing of the blasts better. The boss will also prompt guard-breaking shield attacks during the third phase.
Once you get the hang of it, just rinse and repeat until the fourth and final phase of the fight is triggered.
Final Phase – Now for the Grand Finale
In the fourth phase, all you need to do is to wait for the creature to suck up the debris. Once that happens, charge the axe and wait for Freya to cast her spell. To defeat the boss, you just need to throw the Axe at the incantation.
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
- This article was updated on November 14th, 2022
