God of War: How to Find and Defeat all 9 Valkyries

The 8 Valkyries (and Valkyrie Queen) are optional bosses in God of War. Defeating them grants many rewards, including the Valkyrie Armor. Each is armed with a different set of attacks and in various combat arenas, and all must be taken down in battle.

But aren’t the Valkyries supposed to be warriors for good? Well, they’ve actually been imprisoned in physical forms among the realms, and by beating the helheim out of them, you’re actually freeing them! So these battles are all for good.

Defeating them will not only advance the side quest storyline, but also earn you some rare, Epic-level loot, including powerful armor and unique enchantments, as well as some resources needed to make upgrades to some of this Epic armor.

You’ll also want to make sure you defeat all eight valkyries, some waiting in Hidden Chambers of Odin, others awaiting you in other realms, as doing so unlocks one, final boss fight, which may be the most difficult 1-on-1 fight in the entire game.

We’ve assembled a guide below to help you find and conquer the Valkyries along your journey, but be warned that these enemies can be very tough. You may want to save them for late or post-game play, especially as completing the main story unlocks the locations of all eight Valkyries on your map.

Every Valkyrie comes equipped with its own special attacks you’ll have to acclimate your play style too. Even still, there are certain general tactics you should apply to each of your fights, which could help edge the battle in your favor.

• Come in Swinging: The Valkyries just sit, waiting for you to initiate combat. You can make sure to land the first blow by charging into each arena and throwing your toughest attacks at them from the start.
• Patience: This can not be stressed enough — taking on some of the tougher valkyries will require a lot of patience. Learn their attack patterns, dodge often, and study how to most effectively follow up their blows with your own. You’ll find the Valkyries all have tells, and a specific set of attacks that can be avoided or countered to maximize your damage.
• Don’t neglect your Boy: Atreus’ arrows can turn the tide of battle in these fights. Many of the Valkyries have homing attacks that cannot be easily dodged. Any time a Valkyrie rises into the air, and a red circle appears around them, shock them with an arrow or two to prevent the attack, and possibly create a window for your own swings.
• Up your Cooldown and Runic stats — The most effective way to deal damage to the Valkyries is often to spam them with your weapons’ special Runic attacks. So you’ll want to use them often and have them be as powerful as possible. So, make sure to equip armor and its enchantments with as much of a boost to these particular stats as possible.
• Always bring a Resurrection stone — Even with all of the correct preparation, you may fall just a bit short of knocking a Valkyrie out. So it’s always worth having a resurrection stone on hand in case you need a mid-fight revival.

The eight Valkyries all range in how tough they are due to arena size, arsenal, and just general strength. You may find one or two Valkyries a little more difficult or easy to overcome based on your arsenal, but here’s our power ranking for the eight opponents, from easiest to hardest.

1. Gunnr – Found in Thamur’s Corpse
2. Kara – Found in the River Pass
3. Geirdiful – Found in the Foothills
4. Olrun – Found in Alfheim
5. Eir – Found in The Mountain
6. Gondul – Found in Muspelheim
7. Rota – Found in Helheim
8. Hildr – Found in Niflheim’s maze

Be warned — outside of the first two or three Valkyries, who are relatively easy to fend off, you’re in for a challenge almost no matter what.

Now that you’re primed and ready to take on an army of Valkyries, here’s what you need to know to defeat the individual opponents.

Gunnr Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered inside Thamur’s Corpse. God of War’s campaign will direct you to the Hidden Chamber of Odin in which Gunnr rests through the course of its story, though of course this fight is still optional.

Recommended Level: 4 for a manageable fight, Lvl. 5 for an easy one.

Recommended Gear: Play to your strengths for the first Valkyrie fight. Because Gunnr is the easiest of the bunch, you can find what works best for you while getting a taste of what these unique fights are like. (Prefer a defensive Kratos? Use gear that elevates your protective stat, or dump all of your points into strength if you’d rather try pummeling Gunnr.) 

Now is also a good time to test out what talisman you’d like to use for your fights. The Reaml Shift talisman is a solid option. As you’re acclimating to the speed of these Valkyries, being able to slow down time at key points in their attacks could make the differense between life or death.

Gunnr has many attacks at her disposal, but most of them can be blocked if you learn the pattern. Her main attacks will either include swiping with her bladed wings, or summong a scythe for a lunging attack.

If she charges at you at ground level with a scythe, you’ll either need to parry her first staggering attack or get out of the way, as simply blocking it will knock you off-guard for her follow up spin. She can also do this after slicing with her wings – or she can end the wing slice combo with an unblockable wing jab from her right wing. For this reason, if you are dodging – always dodge right, so you don’t accidentally roll left into her jab.

Other attacks include a leaping slash with the scythe that’s also staggering, but lacks a follow up hit – and Atreus can sometimes stun her out of the leap before it lands. Utilize Shock Arrows to disrupt her weaker attacks and dashes so you can follow up with your Runic Attacks while she’s defenseless. Don’t try using Runic Attacks when she’s already charging – even if you power through you’ll take unnecessary damage.

As long as you keep Atreus busy peppering the Valkyrie with arrows and capitalize on the moments she gets stunned, and stay alert to parry staggering attacks, you can bring her health down over time. If you get low on health, remember that she’ll drop health stones as you damage her – and you can use Spartan Rage for a health boost, or use the invulnerability to safely scoop up some health stones.

Kara Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the River Pass. A Hidden Chamber of Odin rests inside the Witch’s Cave.

Recommended Level: 5 for a manageable fight, Lvl. 6 for an easier one.

Kara can summon additional level 4 Draugr for Kratos to deal with, which are more of a pain and distraction than a challenge, especially as the fight drags on and Shield, Speed, and Ranged Draugr starts getting thrown in.

Deal with the Draugr in bulk, using runic AOE attacks to make quick work of them so you can continue focusing on Kara, and the Blades of Chaos, even if they do less damage, can ensure all targets get hit and taken out. Be sure never to take your eyes off the Valkyrie so you can be ready to parry or dodge at a moment’s notice.

If you have Atreus’ arrows upgraded as well, you can make swift work of them using him as an assist – Shock Arrows with Chain Lighting work wonders here, as does Runic Summons that hinder or damage foes in a wide area.

Thankfully, almost all of Kara’s attacks are blockable, some of which can stagger you like Gunnr, although her scythe attacks have no follow up, and her wing slices don’t end in an unblockable jab.

She can however lift into the air and either toss several magical circle blades at you that angle – making it a wiser choice to block than dodge – or she can prepare an unblockable fast circle that flies straight, but you can dodge to the side.

Wait for her to come to you and be ready to block and parry any and all incoming attacks, and redirect them at the Valkyrie if you can. Enchantments that give you perks when you parry are also useful here given the amount of opportunities you’ll have to make use of.

Geirdiful Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Foothills. A Hidden Chamber of Odin lies up the path from Sindri’s Camp instead of taking a left towards the Mountain.

Recommended Level: Level 6 for a challenging fight, or Lvl. 7 for an easier one.

This Valkyrie employs a varied amount of attacks taking some cues from both Kara and Gunnr, but puts her own spin on things by rapidly darting around to changeup attacks.

She has a great many unblockable attacks you’ll need to watch out for, which she can quickly pull out after a couple normal wing swipes or sending wing tips your way – watch out for her quick dash into a wing jab and dodge right to make sure you get out of the way. She may also hold out her scythe and prepare an unblockable force wave – if you see it coming get ready to dodge to the side.

She’ll also utilize Kara’s magical circle projectiles – both the blockable angled flurry of attacks, and the unblockable straight shot. Since she does this often, it can be hard to predict which one she’ll send out, so always be strafing while blocking so you have a chance to sidestep the unblockable hit if you don’t dodge in time.

Her most fearsome abilities come from the air with two different attack methods. If you see he rise up with her arms above preparing and unblockable strike – quickly have Atreus fire an arrow off to stun her out of it, otherwise she’ll unleash a giant damaging smoke cloud that can’t be avoided, and you’ll be at her mercy as he fires projectiles from the shadows or lunges at you without warning.

She also has an unblockable grab, if you see her take to the air and start spinning in a loop, get ready to dodge to the side, then capitalize on her as he misses and grinds to a halt.

Since she likes to move back and forth a lot, it can be hard to get her to stay still for attacks. Have Atreus keep peppering her with Shock Arrows but always leave one open to shut down her blinding attack. Stunning Runic Summons can also slow her down long enough for you to get a good string of combos in.

This is a very reactive fight, so don’t be afraid to take it slow and keep up the arrow shots until she comes in close, and then unleash hell until she retreats. Talismans that activate Realm Shift are also extremely useful in this situation.

Olrun Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Realm of Alfheim. Take the boat across the lake to the Light Elf Shore and look for a Hidden Chamber of Odin in a small tunnel.

Recommended Level: 5 for a challenging fight, Lvl. 6 for an manageable one.

Olrun is a fast fighter, and you may need to keep up with her quick attacks with light attacks of your own – as long slow attacks from either weapons may leave you open to her fast sweeps and lunges. Olrun will go between rushing up to either perform an unblockable jab from her right wing, perform several wing slashes, or use a spinning wing attack up close that can lethal if not blocked.

If he dashes around at range to the side, she’ll either follow up with an inward dash or a different spinning attack that shoots several projectiles at you. Be ready when she does this, as she may scream “Valhalla” and take to the air – in which case you’ll need to dodge at a moment’s notice to avoid her unblockable grab.

The big thing to remember when facing Olrun is to always move to your right and be ready to dodge in the same direction in order to avoid her dashing red stab.

Most of Olrun’s other attacks can be blocked and then punished once they finish. Just remember to block her wing swing attack, then be ready to dodge to the right to avoid the unblockable follow up stab. If you have Talisman that allow you to Realm Shift, consider using them to get around her attacks and unleash Runic Attacks when time is slowed to make sure she can’t get away.

Eir Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Heart of the Mountain, located between the minecarft lift and the secondary lift you find upon your return to the Mountain, behind a Hidden Chamber of Odin.

Recommended Level: 5 for a challenging fight, Lvl. 6 for a manageable one.

Eir likes to shield herself with her wings, and if you hit her twice while she’s in this stance, she’ll hit you with a deadly counter attack. Break this guard with either a Runic Attack, or a double tap of L1.

When she dashes towards you with her giant mace, be prepared to roll backwards from her to avoid her explosion, then be ready to dodge again to avoid her follow up attack.

When she flies into the air and twirls her weapon, immediately have Atreus shoot her with an arrow to interrupt her unblockable explosion that will sometimes kill you outright.

The most important thing to remember against Eir is that you never want to corner yourself. Always have room to evade either to the sides or behind. All it takes is one or two mistakes for her to gain the upper hand.

Gondul Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Realm of Muspelheim, found at the very top of the mountain after completing all previous trial challenges.

Recommended Level: Level 6 for a challenging but winnable fight.

Gondul has some twists on the usual Valkyrie tricks. When she flies up into the air, there will be an initial fireball, then Gondul will come down to stomp on your throat, so you actually need to dodge twice before you’re free to punish – and space out the dodges so you don’t get caught.

She also has a unique ability that calls down three fireballs in a straight line that leave persistent area of effect damage on the ground. Having Enchantments that lower fire damage can help keep you alive in the long run.

As always, keep moving rightwards to avoid getting hit by her dashing stab. Be especially wary of her dashup explosion, and follow up attack, and remember that like Eir, you never want to be backed up into a corner.

Rota Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Realm of Helheim, past a wall of red sap on the second small bridge on the main path to the Bridge of the Damned, and under a Hidden Chamber of Odin.

Recommended Level: Level 6 for a challenging but fair fight.

Rota feels like a powered up version of Olrun. She’s very reliant on very dangerous unblockable attacks, including a new flying swoop manuever that will grab Kratos and drag him along the ground, dealing huge damage.

She also use the neck stomping move three times in a row, so be sure to be on the lookout and ready to dodge it all three times.

Hlidr Fight Video Guide

Location: Discovered in the Realm of Niflheim, located at the back of the cursed mist maze.

Recommended Level: Level 6 for a fair fight (plus armor effects that lessen the deadliness of the poison mist!)

Hildr herself is actually a fairly weak Valkyrie with relatively easily blocked and countered moves, and a pretty small life bar.

However, the challenge is that you need to first find her in Niflheim, then beat her before you succumb to the deadly mist. Do a few runs in Niflheim so you can open the chests in the storeroom and equip enchantments that will keep you alive longer in the mist.

The main new attack you need to watch out for is her ice attack, which should be blocked, and then dodged at the end when she fires that giant icicle.

Remember that even if you run out of time you’ll still live for a few moments as your life starts draining – and if you can kill Hildr in this instance, your meter will be replenished from the kill after the cutscene.

Valkyrie Queen Sigrun Fight Video Guide

Location: Summoned at the Council of Valkyries to the North of the Lake of Nine, once all other Valkyries are defeated.

Recommended Level: Level 7 for a reasonable difficulty fight.

After defeating all other Valkyries and claiming their helmets, return to the Council of Valkyries on the North side of the Lake of Nine, and look for a throne area across the bridge where you can place each of the helmets. Do this, and the challenge to beat the Valkyrie Queen will unlock.

Sigrun has just about every single maneuver the other 8 valkyries had. You need to apply everything that you’ve learned up to this point. 

Recommended Runes and Items: 

Kratos’ armor depends on how you play, but, generally, it’s best to go with a mix of Ivaldi’s Set armor.

In this fight vision is key — Sigrun’s biggest attacks all involve her flying up into the air. To make sure you can identify and avoid them, stay far away from her for most of the fight and keep your back close to the wall. This means this fight will probably take longer, but many of her attacks involve her diving toward Kratos. Avoid these and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.  

Then, once you’ve successfully dodged her attack combo, she’ll stop to recover for a second giving you a chance to start your combo. You can start with a heavy attack then throw down your available Runic abilities. Make sure you have quick Runic attacks equipped that chain together well to make the most of these openings. Runic attacks are a great way to break her wing shield too if she uses it with your first heavy attack.

Atreaus’ arrows don’t damage Sigrun, so don’t worry about managing him much during the fight. His summons aren’t all that effective either, so the best option is usually Ratatoskr. The wolves also help break her combos from time to time, but it’s hard to give up that chance to get extra health from the squirrel. If you do equip Ratatoskr, make sure you only call him when you plan on using the health or else it’ll disappear after awhile.

Consider using your rage as a safe way to pick up health crystals as opposed to dealing some extra damage. Kratos can’t be hurt when Spartan Rage is active, so the meter will just lower instead of taking damage. It’s also a great way to cancel one of Sigrun’s attacks. Pop Rage to knock her back, then cancel it to save rage for later. 

This is a long fight. Keep trying!