God of War Ragnarok: How to Beat Odin

Looking for how to beat Odin in God of War Ragnarok? Odin is one of the Boss Fights you'll encounter during The Realms at War. On this page, as part of our God of War Ragnarok guide, we'll include some tips and tricks on how to beat Odin. For more information on the foes you'll face in Ragnarok, refer to our all enemies index.

God of War Ragnarok: How to Beat Odin

Odin isn't what you'd call a melee fighter like his son Thor. You'll spend a lot of time in this fight avoiding Odin's far-reaching attacks, and waiting patiently for a proper opening. In fact, it's when Odin decides to fight Kratos up-close that he makes himself most vulnerable.

In the battle's early stages, you mostly just need to dodge Odin's rather standard biforst blasts. Then, when he tries to get close for melee hits with his staff, try to parry his strikes. The timing here isn't very difficult, and a correct parry will open Odin up to a full combo. Rinse and repeat, for the most part.

Soon, the second phase of the fight will begin. Odin will break the arena into three separate pieces. Odin can then coat one or two of these pieces in bifrost, and if you're caught in the explosion, you'll take huge damage. As such, you need to be mindful of when Odin takes to the middle of the battlefield and starts conjuring his bifrost. Escape to the section of the arena that isn't glowing, and you'll avoid his trap. Make it out unscathed, and Odin will usually zip straight to your position and try his luck with melee attacks again. Parry him to make yourself an opening.

So, Odin isn't that tough, is he? Well, that's because there's a third part to this realm-shaking battle. Once you're inside of Odin's underground lair and you're fighting alongside both Atreus and Freya, things really kick off. This time, Odin has a much wider range of attacks — many of which are suitably deadly.

At range, Odin can now summon clouds of ravens that fly directly towards your position. They'll break your block so you'll have to parry to get through in one piece. These bird flocks can be dodged, but it requires precise timing, and so it's just easier to go with the parry.

Another ranged attack comes in the form of large fireballs that float ominously above Odin's head. You'll need to shoot these down with your axe and Atreus' arrows, otherwise they'll start heading in your direction.

As for his melee attacks, they've been upgraded. Odin's staff now has whip-like properties, which means more range and damage. Some strikes need to be parried, while others are unblockable. Get a parry off, and you can once again move in for a combo.

Generally speaking, it's best to stay close to Odin despite his new fondness for whips. Sometimes you won't be able to stop him from teleporting away, but his most troublesome attacks tend to come at a distance.

Once he's lost enough of his health bar, Odin will enter yet another phase. This time, he can come equipped with elemental shields. When it's a fire shield, use your axe to break it. When it's an ice shield, use your blades. And when it's a neutral shield (coloured white), use your spear.

Speaking of fire, Odin can now unleash a whole stream of the stuff from a standing position when he's at a distance. You'll need to block this or you'll take lasting burn damage. The old git can also throw out elemental area-of-effect attacks that you need to avoid by...well, not standing in the red zones or the puddles of acid, flame, or ice that they leave behind. These spells can basically trap you in place at times, giving you a lot less space to dodge Odin's other attacks. Just try not to panic, and find some room to reposition whenever you can.

Again, try to stick close to Odin and remember to swap weapons where appropriate. Keep on top of him, watch out for that bloody whip's faster unblockables, and you should eventually claim victory. You'll need to hit a few scripted button presses at the end, and then that's that.

Do you have any more tips on how to beat Odin in God of War Ragnarok? Be sure to check out our full God of War Ragnarok guide for information on how to beat every boss, and much more.