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God of War Ragnarok features some really gnarly and challenging bosses that test players' mettle and knowledge over Kratos' combat skills. Much like the phenomenal God of War (2018), God of War Ragnarok also offers a series of end-game level bosses for players to fight against.
These bosses include Wyverns, Draugrs, Einherjar, and undead warriors called the Berserker Souls, the latter being the equivalent of Valkyries from the last game. The Valkyries in God of War (2018) are a formidable force to be reckoned with, and players need to be prepared with high-level armor, fully upgraded Leviathan Axe, and Blades of Chaos, along with a host of powerful runic attacks in order to stand a chance at victory against these foes.
Much like the Valkyries, the Berserker Souls in God of War Ragnarok are intended as end-game boss fights that are easily the most challenging enemy encounters within the game. There are a total of 12 Berserker Souls scattered across the nine realms that players will stumble upon while exploring.
While the Berserker Souls in God of War Ragnarok are high-level boss encounters, players can engage with them fairly early in the game, and with proper combat gear, runic attacks, and weapon skills, these enemies can be defeated quite easily, even at the highest, "Give Me God of War" difficulty. One such type of Berserker Souls is the Sisters of Illska, found in Alfheim.
Note: This article contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.
The Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold boss fight is a trio battle in God of War Ragnarok
In God of War Ragnarok, players will come across the Sisters of Illska in the realm of Elves-Alfheim. However, one cannot access the boss fight until they have cleared the sandstorm in the area, which can be done by freeing the two Hafgufas trapped in Alfheim.
On their own, the Sisters of Illska are among the easiest Berserker bosses to fight, due to their limited moves and highly telegraphed attacks. However, the sisters are accompanied by another Berserker named Svipdagr the Cold, making the battle significantly more challenging than most Berserker fights.
Here is the recommended weapon loadout to easily defeat Svipdagr the Cold and Sisters of Illska in God of War Ragnarok:
- Weapon Attachments: Grip/Pommels/Hind of the Nine Realms, anything that gives high stats
- Shield: Guardian Shield or Shatter Star Shield
- Rond: Rond of Aggravation
- Armor: Berserker armor set, Surtr’s Scorched armor set or the Steinbjorn armor set
- Amulet Enchantments: 3x Niflheim Enchantments, 3x Muspelheim Enchantments, 3x Vanaheim Enchantments
The recommended weapon abilities (runic attacks) are as follows:
- Leviathan Axe: Winter's Bite and Ivaldi’s Anvil
- Blades of Chaos: Rampage of the Furies and Nemean Crush
- Draupnir Spear: Mountain Splitter, Artillery of the Ancients
- Relic: Hilt of Hofud, Hilt of Skofnung, Glaive of Dodher
- Spartan Rage: Spartan Wrath for damage
The recommended weapon skill unlocks are as follows:
- Leviathan Axe: Glacial Permafrost, Whirling Storm, Frost Rush, Leviathan’s Fury, Glacial Rake, Serpent’s Snare
- Blades of Chaos: Vaporise Frost, Furious Immolation, Spinning Chaos, Rushing Chaos, Chaos Slam
- Draupnir Spear: Violent Maelstrom, Spear Throw, Spear Drill, General’s Advance, Elemental Siphon, Impaling Thrust
How to defeat Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold in God of War Ragnarok
The Sisters act more like mages in this fight, with one using the fire elemental area of effect (AOE) attacks and the other using frost. Meanwhile, Svipdagr uses her twin axes to deal massive damage. While it is technically a triple boss fight, it feels more like a duo battle, since the sisters share a common health pool.
It is recommended to focus on the Sisters first due to their common health pool and ranged attacks. They also have less HP than Svipdagr, and thus can be easily dispatched before engaging with the more powerful Berserker. Svipdagr mostly uses melee attacks, combining regular and perilous attacks.
Svipdagr also has an area-of-effect attack shared by most Berserker enemies, which she only uses after players deplete 50% of her HP. While the AOE can easily decimate players if they fail to dodge it at the right time, it is fairly telegraphed and has a long wind-up that players can use to prepare for a dodge.
The best way to dodge this attack is by pressing the "X" or the "dodge button" right before the boss hits the ground, which not only negates any possible damage but also gives players a chance to retaliate with a counter, preferably using runic attacks.
