Nidhogg in God of War Ragnarok is a huge beast that players will encounter during The Reckoning quest, which is the sixth quest in the main Ragnarok storyline. Nidhogg relies on the player’s ability to execute set pieces quickly and efficiently. Here’s how to defeat Nidhogg.
Nidhogg has a tendency to fire projectiles across the arena which must be dodged or blocked before Kratos can begin to approach in order to land attacks on the giant serpent-like creature. The most dangerous aspect of Nidhogg is arguably its bite, as it can be alarmingly fast but offers a window to parry the attack in order to land a full combo for maximum damage. Another attack Nidhogg utilises is slashing its claws, but these are easily blocked.
After dealing enough damage, Nidhogg will depart to a different area of the arena and begin to use a new attack: a frantic tail swipe which can send Kratos flying away from being in range of dealing melee attacks. A great counter for the tail swipe is a shield smash, so keeping a keen eye for the useful blue rings will be key during this fight.
Kratos is soon joined in this fight by Freya, and the difficulty will ramp up a level. Realm-tearing beams will soon be strewn across the arena by Nidhogg, and dodging them is key to survival. During this phase, Nidhogg will also send huge spikes of rift energy through the floor which need to be dodged otherwise you can quickly find yourself locked into place.
Next, Nidhogg will launch itself onto a large pillar and begin throwing more projectiles down at Kratos as well as firing a lethal laser beam from its tail. The only way to defeat him from this angle is to destroy the pillar by throwing Kratos’ axe at Freya’s sigils the first time around, and when the phase repeats, using the blades to ignite Freya’s magic.
As it senses its own imminent demise, Nidhogg will begin to charge projectiles to shoot out from its portal. They’ll be emitted in bursts of two or three, or bigger, slower single projectiles which cannot be blocked. The key to avoiding them is backing off as much as possible and using the larger space to dodge them. It’s easy to see when Nidhogg is about to attack as its tail will glow, or it will begin to slice open a rift.
As Nidhogg is a test of endurance and concentration rather than skill, success lies in using powerful runic attacks whilst playing conservatively and learning its attack patterns. When enough damage has been dealt, a prompt will come up on screen to take you to the final stage whereupon Kratos should unleash all power left. A final prompt will trigger a cutscene to mark the demise of Nidhogg.
God of War Ragnarok is available on PS5 and PS4.
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