God of War Ragnarök: Strategies for Defeating The Hateful
The Hateful is an extremely challenging optional boss in God of War Ragnarök. This towering, dual-axe wielding monstrosity guards the path to Tyr near the Applecore mines.
While defeating The Hateful is not required, overcoming him rewards you with useful XP, rare crafting materials, and powerful gear upgrades. However, The Hateful‘s ruthless onslaught of axe combos and deadly molten attacks can quickly overwhelm unprepared players.
In this advanced guide, we will breakdown everything you need to know to take down The Hateful, including:
- Backstory on The Hateful and his motives
- Locations and strategies for reaching his boss arena
- In-depth analysis of his attacks and movement patterns
- Proven tactics, techniques, and damage maximization opportunities
- Recommended gear, Enchantments, and Talismans for the fight
- Reward items and upgrades for defeating this notorious foe
Origins and Background
Very little is known about The Hateful‘s origins or reasons for guarding the Applecore mines. Based on translations of ancient murals, he appears connected to the Fire Realm of Muspelheim and the Fire Giant Surtr.
The Hateful may have been dispatched by Surtr to prevent passage to Tyr after the ancient war. This would align with Fire Giant efforts to undermine the Aesir Gods.
As a powerful sentinel left behind, The Hateful continues executing his ancient directive to destroy trespassers with fanatical devotion. Only by defeating him can you progress towards uncovering the lost secrets hidden behind his fiery defense.
Locating The Hidden Arena
The Hateful‘s lair is tucked away off the main path towards Tyr‘s Temple. To find it:
- Follow the Quest for Tyr until reaching the Applecore mines entrance
- Before entering the mines, look for a narrow crevice heading southeast
- This hidden path leads to The Hateful‘s boss arena
The southeast crevice is easy to miss – look for a cracked mining cart signaling the way
Entering this cramped side tunnel immediately triggers the boss fight. The Hateful awaits at the end alongside his squad of draugr minions. Expect heavy opposition from the outset!
Attack Pattern Analysis and Strategies
The Hateful fights using a mix of short-range axe strikes and longer-ranged circular fire attacks:
Phase 1: Eliminating Minions
You‘ll first need to clear out The Hateful‘s supporting squad of 5-6 armored draugrs before safely engaging the boss directly.
- Take advantage of the initial spacing to open up with powerful runic attacks
- Freeze clustered enemies with Leviathan‘s Wake then shatter them
- Use Atreus to stun isolated targets for quick takedowns
Phase 2: The Hateful Himself
Facing The Hateful one-on-one requires mastering parry timing against his combos while avoiding his fiery attacks.
Axe Combo Analysis
- Twin axe slashes have moderate startup but limited range
- The Triple Combo tracks dodges with a slower third swing
- All axe attacks can be parried – time it precisely
Molten Spray Pattern
- High damage + Burn status make this very dangerous
- Line up the spray trajectory then parry to reflect
- Creates opening to punish his recovery animation
Upward Fiery Cleave
- Unblockable attack with massive damage
- Long charge-up provides clear visual tell
- Dodge early to the side as soon as he rears back
Advanced Combat Strategies
Based on his moveset, here are proven methods to overcome The Hateful‘s relentless offense:
Spacing Control
- Keep distance and selectively attack during clear openings
- Allows you to minimize exposure and safely react
- Atreus can continually harass from range
Punish Whiffed Attacks
- Failnaught arrows interrupt The Hateful‘s slower recoveries
- Quickly close distance during these openings
- Unload with punishing counter combos
Parry Chains
- Consecutively parry axe strikes to open him up
- Reflect his Molten Spray back into his face
- Stack paralysis windows for big damage chains
Burst Down with Spartan Rage
- Wait until under 25% health to trigger Rage
- Aggressively unload all offense during this window
- End the fight decisively by executing this finisher
Recommended Loadout
To optimize your setup when facing the Hateful:
- Armor: Breastplate of the Traveler (high Vitality)
- Enchantments: Flame Guard, Health Burst on Activation
- Amulet: Horn of Heimdall (extend Evade Invulnerability)
- Axe: Mists of Helheim runic attack
- Blades: Meteoric Slam area runic
This balanced loadout provides strong defensive capacity along with disables to create damage windows.
Rewards and Upgrades
Overcoming this grueling battle pays dividends through generous loot and growth opportunities:
XP and Hacksilver
- 750 XP for Kratos and 250 XP for Atreus
- 500 Hacksilver
Key Crafting Materials
- 5 Sovereign Coals (Leviathan Axe upgrade material)
- 3 Chaos Flame (Blades of Chaos upgrade material)
- 10 Dust of Realms (rare armor crafting material)
Deadly Weapon Augments
- Wrath Knob of the Ancients – Boost to axe skill damage
- Mark of the Fire Bearer – Enhances Blades of Chaos fire damage
These attachments provide major buffs to your core offensive capabilities.
Conclusion
While intensely difficult, defeating The Hateful bestows generous rewards towards strengthening your arsenal. By mastering his attack patterns and leveraging armor buffs, runic skills, and parry openings, this towering miniboss falls quickly. Apply the advanced strategies and knowledge within this guide to conquer The Hateful on your path towards glory!
