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God of War: Ragnarökpresents Kratos and his companions witha wide variety of bosses to faceover the course of their journey. While many bosses provide players with a significant challenge, one group rises above the rest in this regard:Berserkers.Like the Valkyries in 2018’sGod of War,Berserkers must be hunted down and eliminated, one glorious fight at a time. And like the Valkyries, the real challenge does not come until Kratos reaches the last fight of the group: the Berserker King Hrolf Kraki.
The King of the Berserkers is featured as the final fight in “Fit for a King,” one ofGod of War: Ragnarök’smany side quests. Kratos must first overcomeeach of the King’s twelve subordinatesbefore having a shot at Hrolf Kraki himself. Aside from the fight with Gna, there may not be a more difficult fight in the game. The key here is to practice, prepare, and above all, have fun! Good luck!
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Preparing for the Fight with Hrolf Kraki
The Berserker King is a high-level boss. Even with Kratos at level 9, Hrolf Kraki can present a considerable challenge. The safest bet is to upgrade every piece of gear to its highest possible level.
Remember that what constitutes the ‘best’ gear is highly subjective. By the time players reach Hrolf Kraki, they should have a good idea about what works for them. The Berserker King fight acts as a sort of ‘greatest hits’ compilation, incorporating and slightly altering several moves from previous Berserkers. Keep the following in mind when picking equipment:
Where to Find Hrolf Kraki in God of War: Ragnarök
Once Kratos has successfully cleared all Berserker Gravestone locations, he will be eligible to take on the Berserker King in Midgard. Follow the guide markers toKing’s Gravein the north-eastern section of the map. Return to the very spot Kratos found the hilt, right in the center of the arena.
Place the hilt into the Berserker Gravestone to begin the fight.
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How to Defeat Hrolf Kraki, King of the Berserkers
Like all difficult bosses, Hrolf Kraki requires patience and practice to defeat. He is an extremely aggressive enemy and can demand a player’s attention for long stretches of time. If a player is struggling to defeat Kraki, the most important thing to do is to verify and examine at least one attack pattern per attempt. Taking the time to recognize and overcome on attack at a time will find Kratosdestroying his enemy in no time.
Opening Salvo:
Unlike many Berserkers, Hrolf will begin the fight directly in front of Kratos, often going right in to one of his red-ringed attacks. Players who use runic attacks as their opening salvo may find it hard here.Try something quick and disruptive likeHel’s Touch.Make sure to pay attention when beginning the fight!
Basic and Yellow-Ring Attacks:
Attack 1 - Jumping Sword Slash:The King jumps straight up in the air, displaying the yellow ring. He then lunges forward with a massive slash of his sword.
Solution:As a yellow-ringed attack, the best solution is a parry. Dodging is also a possibility if the player is not comfortable parrying.
Attack 2 - Yellow ‘Bend Your Knee!':King Kraki charges up and swings his warhammer three times at Kratos.
Solution:This attack has a long wind-up, so pay attention and prepare to parry. Yellow-ring, so no blocking (unless using theStone Wall Shield).
Attack 3 - Battle Axe Thrust:This basic attack sees Kraki thrust the tip of his long battle axe at Kratos. This is sometimes used as his opening move, watch for it as soon as he appears.
Solution:As a basic attack this can be dodged, blocked, or parried.
Attack 4 - Yellow Hand Axe Variants:King Kraki will swing his two hand axesat Kratos, often in combos of multiple attacks.
Solution:Parry! This is the best solution here as they cannot be blocked with most shields. Kratos will often get struck with subsequent attacks if he tried to dodge the first.
Attack 5 - Hazardous Fist:Hrolf will attack Kratoswith elemental-charged punches. There are several versions; electric, bifrost, etc.
Solution:This attack is prime for parrying, though it often comes in combos. Parrying the first attack does not always interrupt the series. If Kratos gets stunned, mash the circle button.
Attack 6 - Dual Elemental Projectiles:This attack is common among all the Berserkers. They will release staggered projectiles, either elemental or hazardous in nature.
Solution:These can be blocked, but theGuardian Shieldcan parry and return them.
Attack 7 - Element/Hazard Burst:This is another common attack for Berserkers. After the yellow ring flashes, the King will pause for a moment, clearly preparing a burst. These can be bifrost, electric, or any other of the hazardous status effects inRagnarok.
Solution:It may take a few tries to get the timing down,but if Kratos waitsuntil the exact right moment, he can parry the burst. If the player is uncomfortable with parrying, or is not using the correct shield, simply back away as far as possible.
Attack 8 - Hazard Along the Ground:King Hrolf sends a string of hazardous/elemental charges along the ground towards Kratos, quickly racing ahead in a straight line.
Solution:Kratos can watch the charge get closer and dodge at the last second. If he dodges too early the trail will still find him and stun him, requiring mashing of the circle button.
Attack 9 - Lunging Haymaker:Kroki lunges across the arena to deliver a massive punch to Kratos.
Solution:Once Kratos has seen this attack, its long wind up is instantly recognizable. Parrying this attack will stun Kraki, so that is the best option. Dodging is the next best.
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Red-Ringed Attacks:
Attack 1 - ‘Kneel Before Me!':Kraki takesa cue from the Valkyrieand rockets up into the air, plunging his sword into the ground with a massive explosion upon return.
Solution:Like the Valkyrie attack, timing is everything. Here, Kratos will see a green, circular patch indicating where Kraki will land. If Kratos dodges too soon, Kraki will track him. The trick is to wait for the briefest of moments before dodging.
Attack 2 - Red ‘Bend Your Knee!':The first three swings of this attack are yellow ringed, but the final overhead swing is red.
Solution:If Kratos misses the parries on the yellow-ringed attacks, he must dodge the final red-ringed attack.
Attack 3 - Big Green AOE:Hrolf Kraki lifts his warhammer above the ground, charging an extremely large AOE attack that will domajor damage to Kratos.
Solution:There is really only one answer here: back the heck up. Kraki loves to draw Kratos in and pull this attack out. As soon as the player sees th ground turn green, drop everything and back up.
Attack 4 - Double Mace Slam:Hrolf leaps at Kratos with two maces drawn, slamming them down on Kratos’ head.
Solution:As with all red-ringed attacks, this cannot be blocked. Dodge to the left or right to avoid.
Attack 5 - Red Hand Axe Variant: Like many of Kraki’s combos, the final hand axe attack is often red-ringed.
Solution:Dodge to quick attack.
Attack 6 - ‘Show Me Fealty!’ Long Distance Battle Axe Charge:When the King is at a distance, he will ‘charge up’ his long battle axe and dash towards Kratos at high speed.
Solution:This attack is easy to confuse with the yellow ring variant, but pay close attention because this attack must be dodged!
Attack 7 - Overhead Warhammer Slam:Kraki will often open the fight with a large overhead slam with his warhammer which creates a smaller AOE explosion.
Solution:The best bet here is to roll backwards, out of the way of the slam and the AOE.
Attack 8 - Bifrost Burger AOE:Who knows what he is saying as he floats in the air, summoning massive amounts of Bifrost. “Beefrosta!?” “Beefy-Frosty?”
Solution:This attack can seem maddening at first. It doesn’t feel fair when Kratos cannot escape the range of the attack. Then he realizes he needs onlythrow the Leviathan Axeat the King to drop him.
Attack 9 - Fire/Ice Storm:Kraki will float in the air, summoning small circles of falling or burning fire ice. There is a clear marking of the AOE.
Solution:Kratos cannot block these attacks, he must avoid the clearly marked areas.
Attack 10 - Lightning Storm:Similar to the Ice Storm, but more frequent attacks and smaller AOE.
Solution:Move quick to get out of the small AOE. They change quickly, so pay attention to the ground.
Attack 11 - Quad Hazard Projectiles:Kraki sends a very fast burst of projectiles hurtling at Kratos. Like many of the hazardous attacks, they come in all the forms of hazards: ice, fire, electric, bifrost, and poison.
Blue-Ringed Attacks:
Attack 1 - Twin Maces of Doom:Kraki will extend two maces, one in each hand, and begin charging up a massive AOE attack. The blue-rings make it clear there is only one solution here.
Solution:Kratos must use the double L1 shield strike to disrupt the attack. Failing to act in time means almost certain death, even with a full health bar.
Elemental Health Shield:
As Hrolf Kraki’s health drains past half, he will start using elemental health shields, similar to Odin, or some of the base enemies. Kratos must use the correct weapon to lower the shield before continuing to damage Kraki’s actual health bar.
God of War: Ragnarökis available on PS5 and PS4.
