How to Defeat Thor in God of War Ragnarök

Thor is the second boss fight you'll encounter in God of War Ragnarök. Here's how to defeat him.

Pulling all of the icons out of ancient Norse mythology, Thor was bound to make an appearance sooner or later. Wielding his mighty hammer, Thor appears to Kratos and Atreus early on in the story, along with Odin, to put forward a deal of peace — should the two protagonists give up the search for Tyr.

Needless to say, things escalate rather quickly. Kratos is quickly thrust into a showdown with the God of Thunder himself. It can be a tricky fight, but we've put together some tips for how to beat him.

How to Defeat Thor in God of War Ragnarök: Second Boss Fight

Thor God of War Ragnarök: First Phase

There are three main stages in the fight against Thor. For the first portion, Kratos won't have his Leviathan Axe to rely on and will have to make do with his shield and fists. To knock a bit of initial damage off of Thor, make use of the Spartan Rage where available. Rush in with some attack combos to get you in a good position for the rest of the fight.

Keep dodging to get around Thor's Guard Break attacks, and use light fist attacks to get him to a point where he drops to his knee. The R3 button should flash up which, once pressed, begins a small bit of dialogue and a quick-time event. 

After this, you’ll have your axe back. When Thor's yellow circle flashes up, he'll execute a Guard Break attack, occasionally followed by a kick. Dodge out of its way and wait until after the kick to attack with some light R1 combos. Throw and recall the axe if there’s enough distance between you for some extra damage. Get him to a point where he drops to his knees again, prompting the R3 button. This will initiate the second stage.

Thor God of War Ragnarök: Second Phase

Unfortunately, Thor is now back at full health and will begin to use his spark-infused hammer. This time, however, he’s a little bit easier to hit. When you see Thor about to fire off his red ring attack, dodge out of the way but try to remain close to him. There’s a brief period after he fires off this attack where he’s twirling the hammer. This is the time to go at him with your combos and knock some of his health bar down.

There are some stone pillars located in the area. Press circle near them, and when Thor is within collision range, to use them to knock some more damage off of Thor. You’ll be working to bring the white bar underneath his main health bar up to full, where he’ll drop to his knees and initiate the R3 button prompts. 

Upon getting Thor down to roughly his last bar of health, his white bar should be reaching its max. Initiate the R3 attack and you’ll face a short cutscene before the final part of the fight. Once again, Thor is back at full health.

Thor God of War Ragnarök: Third Phase

This time, Thor will begin leaving red circles on the ground which will erupt with lightning once he starts hammering his fists into the floor. Avoid them, or you’ll be damaged and momentarily stunned. If caught, you’ll need to press Circle to break free. 

While he’s beating the ground during this attack, it's a great time to rush him with some light attacks and combos. Use this method, along with the tactics from the previous stages and you'll have him down in no time. You’ll only need to get him to the last bar of health in this final stage before he ceases the fight and flies away.