Forest Ancient Boss Fight in Vanaheim

Learn how to defeat the Forest Ancient in God of War Ragnarök. This guide covers its attacks and provides strategies to overcome this Vanaheim boss.

Alright, so you've made it to Vanaheim and are about to face the Forest Ancient. This is the eighth main story boss you'll encounter, chilling out in an area not too far from Freyr's Camp during The Reckoning mission. Don't worry, it's more of a tough miniboss than a full-on raid boss, and if you played the first God of War, this guy will feel familiar.

Stats / Weaknesses:

• Weak Point: Exposed Core on its chest.
• Primary Tactic: Build Stun Meter by hitting the exposed core.
• Secondary Tactic: Collect dropped orbs after hitting the core and throw them at the boss for extra damage and stun.

Phases:

1. Phase 1: Initial Engagement
   The Ancient roams until provoked. Attack it to start the fight. Focus on hitting its exposed core whenever possible. This builds up your stun meter significantly. When the stun meter is full, press R3 to perform a Stun Grab. During the grab, mash R1/R2 to deal damage. The Ancient will eventually throw you off.
2. Phase 2: Reinforcements and Continued Assault
   After the first stagger, or when the boss's health reaches a certain point, Legion enemies will spawn. Try to ignore them and keep focusing on the Forest Ancient. Continue hitting the exposed core to build stun again. Perform another Stun Grab when the meter is full.
3. Phase 3: Victory
   A second stagger is usually enough to defeat the Forest Ancient. Keep up the pressure and repeat the core-hitting and stunning strategy.

Strategy:

• Provoke the Fight: The Forest Ancient won't attack until you hit it first. So, go ahead and get the first strike in.
• Exploit the Core: This is your main opening. When the Ancient exposes the glowing core on its chest, hit it with your Leviathan Axe. This is crucial for both dealing damage and, more importantly, building up its stun meter.
• Orb Power: Hitting the core also causes it to drop little orbs. Don't ignore these! Pick them up and hurl them back at the Ancient. They deal good damage and add to the stun meter.
• Dodge, Dodge, Dodge:
  
  • Fiery Projectiles: It'll cross its arms, then fire three bursts of projectiles from its chest core. These are pretty easy to dodge, just keep moving.
  • Laser Beam: This attack comes from the chest core as well, sometimes sweeping across the arena, other times tracking you. Dodge through the sweeping beam, but for the tracking beam, your best bet is to just keep moving laterally. Don't try to block this one; dodging is key.
  • Ground Shockwave: If you get too close for too long, it'll smash the ground, creating an unblockable shockwave around itself. Keep your distance to avoid this.
• Stun Grab: Once the stun meter is completely filled, the Ancient will kneel. Quickly press R3 to initiate a Stun Grab. While Kratos is holding on, mash R1 or R2 to deal massive damage. It'll eventually throw you off, but you'll have dealt significant damage.
• Dealing with Legions: At some point, usually after the first stun or when its health gets low, annoying Legion enemies will appear. Try your absolute best to ignore them and keep your focus locked onto the Forest Ancient. Dealing with them will just eat up valuable time and openings.
• Two Staggers is Key: Generally, it only takes two full staggers (the R3 grab) to bring this boss down. Stay focused, keep hitting that core, and you'll get through it.