How to beat Gryla in God of War Ragnarök
A Giant problem.
Gryla is the main Ironwood boss fight in God of War Ragnarök, but besting her is more of a puzzle than a test of strength.
There are three phases to the Gryla boss fight, and we've got the best strategy and tips on how to beat Gryla in God of War Ragnarök during each phase below.
For more help with your journey through the Realms, check out our pages on Nornir Chest locations and solutions, Raven locations, and Muspelheim Seed locations.
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Gryla boss fight - Phase 1
You can't hit Gryla like normal until she's stunned, so during Phase 1 of the Gryla boss fight, hit the purple runes on her cauldron to cause damage. It's easier to see when Gryla has turned the cauldron around, exposing the runes, if you lock on to her with R3.
In between attacks, Gryla will throw things from her cauldron at you - dodge to the left or right to avoid these. She will also stamp her foot when you get close enough, and you'll need to dodge back instead to avoid getting damaged.
Once you've hit the purple runes four times and took off two-and-a-half bars of her health, Gryla will hit the floor, stunned. Rush over to her and melee attack the purple rune on her cauldron as much as you can before Gryla gets back up, beginning the second phase of the boss fight.
Gryla boss fight - Phase 2
As soon as Phase 2 of the Gryla boss fight in God of War Ragnarök starts, the floor will turn red - quickly jump up onto one of the ledges to avoid getting hurt!
The strategy for this phase is to jump down or up to avoid the red floor, then draw Gryla over to one of the large candles on the edge of the ledges and get Agraboda to blow it up when the prompt appears.
Atreus can then hit the purple runes on Gryla's cauldron when she's stunned.
Gryla will naturally turn the purple rune of a cauldron around sometimes as well, so be on the lookout for her doing this as you're dodging projectiles from her cauldron.
Once you get her to under four bars of health, Gryla will be stunned again, so run to her and melee attack the cauldron as much as you can!
Gryla boss fight - Phase 3
Gryla will be much more guarded during Phase 3 of the fight, so you'll have to draw her to the candles and get Agraboda to blow them up to stun her more often in order to hit the purple runes on her cauldron.
You'll have to swing between the platforms to get a better angle on the cauldron when Gryla is stunned most times.
Gryla will also throw projectiles that hone in on Atreus, so make sure to hit them with arrows to avoid getting hurt by a stray one.
Remember to dodge and jump up or down on the platforms to avoid the red floor, and once Gryla is down to one bar of health, you can rush her and click R3 to finish the fight.
Good luck taking on Gryla!