God of War Ragnarok: How To Defeat Thor

God of War Ragnarok wastes no time in acquainting players with its many boss fights. As part of the first quest, Surviving Fimbulwinter, players will soon discover Thor as the second boss in the game. Thor is a big threat at this early stage in the game as his attacks hit hard, he moves fast, and Kratos doesn’t yet have substantial health to work with. This fight should therefore be approached cautiously and played defensively to be as efficient as possible. Here’s how to beat Thor.

Thor’s versatile and varied attacks make him a difficult opponent. When at distance he’ll throw his hammer, Mjolnir,  towards Kratos at full throttle. The easiest way to avoid this attack is to dodge, but parrying is possible if you’ve got the timing right. Some red rings will signify that an attack is unblockable, so keep an eye out.

At close range, Thor is nothing short of dangerous. His hammer swings are easy to spot but parrying them is the most effective way to launch a counter-attack and deal significant damage in return. Thor also has a charging attack that must be dodged. If you mistime the dodge, Thor will grab Kratos and slam him across the arena, which is incredibly painful.

When Thor has finished a combo or you’ve managed to parry one of his attacks, he’ll be vulnerable and this is Kratos’ opportunity to deal damage. Don’t get greedy at this point but do take open windows to inflict damage and deplete Thor’s health bar.

It’s important at this early stage of the game to watch your opponent carefully and learn his movements while reacting appropriately and in a good time window. Playing at the harder difficulties does make the Thor fight quite difficult this early on, but this boss fight does contain checkpoints and you won’t lose all of your progress if you suffer a late-fight death.

God of War Ragnarok is available on PS5 and PS4.

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