God of War (2018) Bosses

God of War (2018)'s story bosses include the Stranger (Baldur) at the start and end, the dragon Hraezlyr, Thor's sons Magni and Modi, and trolls, and its optional bosses are nine Valkyries, the last of them Valkyrie Queen Sigrun at the Council of Valkyries.

4:44 God of War (2018) opens and closes with the same boss, the Stranger, who is Baldur: he attacks Kratos and Atreus in the first Journey step and is fought one final time in Jotunheim. Between them come trolls, the dragon Hraezlyr, Thor's sons Magni and Modi, and the two Grendels of the Black Rune, all on the main path. The hardest fights are optional: nine Valkyries, the last of them Queen Sigrun, whom only 16.8% of Steam players had all beaten on Nov 4, 2026. Santa Monica Studio has not published a boss list of its own; the names below are from IGN's guide.

This page spoils the story of God of War (2018). Its opening is also the opening of God of War Laufey: Faye (Laufey) wakes in the Everywhen after the funeral pyre that starts the 2018 game.

Quick facts

First boss	The Stranger (Baldur), "The Marked Trees"
Final boss	Baldur, "Jotunheim in Reach"
Optional bosses	9 Valkyries, Queen Sigrun last
Valkyrie Queen	Sigrun, Council of Valkyries, Midgard; recommended level 7
Valkyries unlocked by	the Magic Chisel from Thamur's Corpse
All nine beaten	16.8% of Steam players, Nov 4, 2026 ("Chooser of the Slain")
Released	Apr 20, 2018, PS4; PC Jan 14, 2022

Sources: IGN, The Marked Trees and Jotunheim in Reach; IGN Valkyrie guide, updated Aug 19, 2022; Steam achievements.

Story bosses in God of War (2018)

In the order of the Journey, as IGN's walkthrough names them.

Boss	Journey step	What it is
The Stranger	The Marked Trees	Baldur, the god who cannot feel
Daudi Kaupmadr	The Marked Trees	A troll, the first big enemy
Jarn Fotr	Inside the Mountain	A troll
Hraezlyr	Inside the Mountain	The dragon on the Mountain, "the Mountain Terror"
Magni and Modi	The Magic Chisel	Thor's sons, fought together
Mattugur Helson	The Sickness	The troll who keeps Helheim's Bridge of the Damned
Grendel of the Ashes and Grendel of the Frost	The Black Rune	Two guardians that wake with the Black Rune
Baldur	Jotunheim in Reach	The final fight, with Freya trying to stop it

Source: IGN's God of War (2018) walkthrough, chapter pages read Nov 4, 2026.

The Baldur fights

The game begins with a stranger. Kratos and Atreus are attacked by a mysterious immortal stranger, later revealed as Baldur, the Norse god of light, whom Freya's spell made invulnerable to everything but mistletoe and unable to feel anything at all. He comes back during the journey, and IGN's guide to the last fight reminds players of an earlier one atop the dragon.

6:28 The last fight is in "Jotunheim in Reach". Freya tries to stop both sides by binding them in vines, and it ends when Atreus's mistletoe arrow breaks Baldur's invulnerability and Kratos breaks his neck to keep him from killing Freya. That death starts Fimbulwinter, the winter before Ragnarok, and Freya's vow of revenge. The full story is on God of War (2018) Story and Baldur.

Magni and Modi

Thor's sons are fought together in "The Magic Chisel": IGN describes two bosses at once, one with a lightning sword, the other with a lightning mace and shield, one usually going after Atreus while the other takes on Kratos. Later in the story Atreus kills Modi in cold blood, which SVG reads as a sign of the power-mad path open to him. Their deaths are why Thor, who appears at the door in the hidden ending, has a quarrel with Kratos in God of War Ragnarok. More on him is on Odin and Thor.

The nine Valkyries

The Valkyries are optional bosses, most of them sealed in Hidden Chambers of Odin that open only after the Magic Chisel from Thamur's Corpse. Each drops a helm, and the eight helms open the fight with their queen. Recommended levels are IGN's.

Valkyrie	Where	Recommended level
Gunnr	Thamur's Corpse, Hidden Chamber of Odin	4 to 5
Kara	The Witch's Cave, under Freya's home	5 to 6
Geirdiful	The Foothills	6 to 7
Olrun	Alfheim, past the Light Elf Shore	5 to 6
Eir	The Mountain, Heart of the Mountain	5 to 6
Gondul	Muspelheim, the 11th and last Trial	6
Rota	Helheim, after "The Sickness"	6
Hildr	Niflheim, Area X of the mist maze	6
Sigrun (Queen)	Council of Valkyries, north of the Lake of Nine	7

Source: IGN, updated Aug 19, 2022.

Gondul and Hildr sit in the two optional realms: reaching Muspelheim and Niflheim takes all four pieces of each realm's language cipher, found in silver chests around Midgard. Gondul waits at the top of Muspelheim and needs all ten Trials before her.

Valkyrie Queen Sigrun

Sigrun is at the Council of Valkyries, north of the Lake of Nine. Dock at the beach left of the two wooden oarsmen at the lake's north end, climb past Sindri's shop, and cross the bridge. Placing the eight Valkyrie helms on the red-lined thrones opens a Realm Tear in the center of the arena, which starts the fight. IGN recommends level 7.

Beating every Valkyrie, Sigrun included, tells the Valkyries' story: the optional content shows that Freya was once their leader, who lost her wings when Odin banished her. That thread carries into Freya's story in God of War Ragnarok, where the Valkyrie Queen is Gna; her fight is on God of War Ragnarok Bosses.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the final boss in God of War (2018)? Baldur, fought one last time in the Journey step "Jotunheim in Reach". He is also the first boss, as the Stranger who attacks Kratos and Atreus in "The Marked Trees".

How many Valkyries are in God of War (2018)? Nine: Gunnr, Kara, Geirdiful, Olrun, Eir, Gondul, Rota, Hildr and Queen Sigrun. All are optional bosses in God of War (2018).

Where is the Valkyrie Queen in God of War (2018)? Sigrun is at the Council of Valkyries, north of the Lake of Nine in Midgard. She appears only after the other eight Valkyries' helms are placed on the thrones there.

Do you fight Magni and Modi in God of War (2018)? Yes, together, in the Journey step "The Magic Chisel". Atreus later kills Modi, and Thor's anger over his sons carries into God of War Ragnarok.

Is there a dragon boss in God of War (2018)? Yes. Hraezlyr, "the Mountain Terror", is fought on the Mountain during "Inside the Mountain". Other dragons are chained and can be freed.

How hard are the Valkyries in God of War (2018)? Hard enough that on Nov 4, 2026 only 16.8% of Steam players of God of War (2018) had beaten all nine. IGN recommends level 7 for Sigrun.