Draugr Hole

Learn how to find and defeat The Hateful in the Draugr Hole at The Watchtower in God of War Ragnarök. Get tips on its attacks and strategies.

Alright, so you're looking to tackle this Draugr Hole in Svartalfheim, huh? It's located in an area called The Watchtower. To get there, you'll need to sail into the Bay of Bounty after you've progressed the story past Nidavellir and are looking for that dwarf, Durlin. Head towards the northern end of the bay, go under the arches, and you'll find a beach to the east. That's where you land to get to The Watchtower.

As soon as you get close to the hole in the ground, get ready, because a miniboss called 'The Hateful' is about to pop out. It's got a health bar like a regular boss, and here's the kicker: after you hit it a bit, it'll summon two little buddies to help. You don't *have* to kill these adds to finish the hole, but man, they make the fight way harder if you don't. If you decide to leave them be, just be ready to dodge a lot, especially when you see those little red arrows pop up – that means one of them is about to swing at you.

On easier difficulties, this fight is pretty manageable. But crank it up to the higher difficulties, and The Hateful can really put up a fight. You'll want to watch out for its different attacks:

Attacks to Watch Out For:

• Charging Slash Combo (Normal): The Hateful charges at you with its dual axes, doing three slashes. The last one is a spinning overhead chop. You can block, parry, or dodge all of these. This one, and its unblockable version, are probably the trickiest to avoid.
• Charging Slash (Unblockable): This is similar to the normal combo, but the first hit has that red unblockable ring. The best way to deal with this is to dodge sideways, maybe a double tap of dodge [double tap X/A] to get more distance. Only the first hit is unblockable, so you can block or parry the rest, though just dodging everything is often easier.
• Fire Slam: It'll raise its axes and slam them down, sending a line of fire straight at you. You'll see a red unblockable circle appear around it before it does this. Just dodge or move to the side – don't stand in front of it. This can be used from a distance, so keep an eye on The Hateful, especially if you're dealing with its minions. Getting hit by this will inflict the 'burn' status, dealing damage over time.
• Reaching Slash: This is a bit of a wild, single slash where the Draugr almost looks like it's stumbling. You can parry, block, or dodge it. After you avoid it, you'll have a small window to land some hits of your own.
• Unblockable Uppercut: It doesn't use this often, but if you stay right in front of it for too long, it'll do a quick backhanded uppercut that hits hard. Watch for the unblockable indicator when both axes are pointed down – that usually means the uppercut is coming. Dodge in any direction except forward. Sometimes it'll chain this after the Reaching Slash.
• Overhead Slash: A pretty standard overhead chop. You'll probably only get hit by this if your camera isn't facing it. Just block, parry, or dodge it and punish the opening.
• Retreating Evade: This isn't an attack, but the Draugr can back away quickly, which might make your attacks miss. The reason it's worth mentioning is that it can sometimes follow up with a charge, so be ready for that.