This wolf isn’t particularly friendly to Kratos and Atreus. Here’s how you can defeat Garm in God of War Ragnarok.

Helheim is home to many monsters and enemies, but one of the toughest you’ll face is Garm. This realm-tearing wolf has been wreaking havoc in God of War’s Nine Realms, meaning you’ll need to stop it.

Before the boss fight, we recommend finding Chaos Flames to upgrade the Blades of Chaos.

How to Defeat Garm in God of War Ragnarok

The best way to defeat Garm is by using Atreus’ sigil arrows and stacking either fire or ice onto him frequently. Similar to the Nidhogg boss fight, your aim is to use Garm’s size against him.

Garm will be jumping around the arena, which can be difficult for you to catch up to him. Stacking effects means that you’ll be doing damage even when he’s out of your range.

Phase 1

In the first phase, Garm will be jumping and running around the area. He’s extremely quick and keeps himself at a distance from Kratos and Atreus.

He consistently tries and snaps his jaws onto you, leaving his head open for attack once he tires out. Keep evading him, and you’ll bring his health down fast.

Garm Boss Fight in God of War Ragnarok

That being said, there are a few attacks you’ll need to watch out for. Firstly, he will whip his chain about, marked with red or yellow rings in his mouth. Red rings mean that his chain will stick, giving you the opportunity to freeze it with the Leviathan Axe for a stun attack.

He also regularly slams his paws into the ground, creating a wave of ice toward Kratos. The waves aren’t big, and you should move towards the side and then evade towards the end so you don’t take damage.

Phase 2

When his health gets fairly low, he will climb the hills around the arena, and the floor may go red where he will roll onto it. You’ll want to avoid the red area but also evade the impending ice shockwave after he lands.

He’ll also frequently fire shards of ice at you, which are all unblockable. They’re fairly fast, and he usually shoots three or four in a row.

Phase 3

After this fight, he’ll appear again. You’ll need to run until you reach the second phase, which is a significantly smaller area. Use the Draupnir Spear throw at his neck and right leg at the glowing points and detonate them, dealing heavy damage to Garm.

Garm Second Phase in God of War Ragnarok

All Garm Weaknesses in God of War Ragnarok

If you’re struggling to beat him, even with our guide above, here are his weaknesses during the boss fight:

  • During the first and second phases, you can freeze Garm’s chain to the ground, and do a stun attack that will leave him open after.
Garm's chain frozen in God of War Ragnarok
  • Build up elemental status effects during the first two phases. This helps deal damage when he retreats. We recommend using the Blades of Chaos as it is easier to apply fire to him due to the Blades’ range.
  • On the third phase, use the Drupnir Spear to hit and detonate spears at his neck and right leg/ankle to deal high damage.

Tips for Beating Garm in God of War Ragnarok

Here are some tips to help you beat Garm in God of War Ragnarok:

  • Evading is your best trick here. While there are a few attacks you can block, it’s easier to manage Garm by dodging out of the way and attacking to the side.
  • Use your runic attacks regularly after hitting Garm with 3 or more sigil arrows
  • Always make sure to freeze the chain after his chain whip move. After stunning him, he’ll be open for more of Kratos’ standard attacks.
  • It doesn’t seem to matter how many spears you throw at Garm’s weak points in the second phase. Just make sure you detonate at least one in his neck and one in his leg.

After all of these tips, you should be able to finish this boss fight and move on with God of War Ragnarok’s next mission.

We're going to be spoiling parts of the story before and after the Garm fight in the next segment, so avoid if you have yet to complete the fight.

Who is Garm in God of War Ragnarok?

Garm is a hell wolf that is chained up in Helheim in God of War Ragnarok. He has the ability to create realm tears using his claws and can destroy all nine realms.

This is because the tears allow Hel Walkers to traverse into the other parts of the World Tree, causing chaos throughout.

Kratos and Atreus realize during the fight that Garm is soulless, meaning he cannot die but he also doesn’t understand the damage he’s causing.

After being defeated by the duo, Atreus imbues Fenrir’s soul into Garm. This technically brings Fenrir back to life, and he can create realm tears at will.