God of War Ragnarok: How to defeat Nidhogg

Taking the gaming world by storm, God of War Ragnarok has lived up to fans' expectations ever since the game was first teased back in September 2020. The aftermath of the game’s release on December 9 saw dozens of awards and nominations and was praised for its voice acting, motion capture, combat mechanics, and above all, its gripping story.

One of the many redeeming qualities of God of War Ragnarok is its boss fights. While its predecessor was considered by many as the “game of the generation”, it did have its flaws.

One of the biggest misses was a variety of enemies, including bosses, something that the God of War universe is well known for. The issue has been rectified in Ragnarok. One of the best boss fights in the game is against Nidhogg, the mythical dragon that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, the sacred tree.

Let’s look at how you can emerge victorious against Nidhogg in a battle that (literally) tears through the nine realms.

Disclaimer: Major spoilers for God of War Ragnarok follow

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Nidhogg boss fight: The best way to defeat the mythical dragon in God of War Ragnarok

The Nidhogg boss battle is one of the most brilliant set pieces in God of War Ragnarok. The fight, like many others in the game, relies less on repetition and more on battling through the monstrous creature’s different phases.

Prepare yourself for a jumpscare though, as the creature seemingly appears out of nowhere as Kratos and Freya try to break the Yggdrasil roots that magically bind the goddess Freya to Midgard.

Nidhogg’s mammoth size gives players a hint of the viciousness and scale of how boss battles worked in previous entries of the game. Despite its size, God of War Ragnarok players will be pleased to know that the creature takes damage from regular attacks and in-game quick-time events.

The first phase of the boss fight has Nidhogg raining down melee attacks on Kratos. One of its attacks sees it lunging forward and trying to bite Kratos, while another has it bringing down its giant claws. However, the most destructive attack of this phase is the tail strike, as it deals impact damage as well as a large amount of Bifrost damage.

Fortunately, players can stop this from happening by performing a shield strike when a blue-coloured double ring flashes.

Shortly after, the first phase ends as Kratos and Nidhogg reach a deadlock and Freya attempts to regain her human form in Vanaheim. Once this happens, she joins the fray and helps you in the fight. This, however, also means that the battle will get tougher. Nidhogg leaves its spawn area and slithers away, ultimately coiling onto a nearby wall.

Once you regain control, the beast showcases new attacks, each of which will have to be evaded based on the color of the ring around them. A yellow ring means that the attack can be blocked and parried using the shield, while a red ring indicates that the attack is unblockable, and will have to be dodged by rolling or strafing.

One of the first attacks Nidhogg unleashes on the player is a few beams of Bifrost from its tail, which can be blocked. The second one, however, is an unblockable attack that sees the dragon using realm tears to attack Kratos with its claws.

The next unblockable attack comes soon after, where it creates a vortex of rocks by suctioning the debris into its belly, then fires it back at Kratos as a ball of debris imbued with Bifrost. The attack becomes more powerful and frequent as it continues to appear in the final phase of the fight.

To inflict the most amount of damage, keep shooting Freya’s sigil arrows into the beast’s belly every time it opens up. Once an arrow is lodged in its belly, throw the Leviathan axe onto the marked point and a deadly blast will occur. A few of these will drain the creature’s health, and trigger the final cutscene, ultimately resulting in Nidhogg's death.

God of War Ragnarok players must remember that they need to keep using regular attacks to drain the smaller bar under Nidhogg's main health bar.