How to Beat Heimdall: Boss Fight Guide

Heimdall is a Main Story Boss boss in God of War Ragnarok (GoW Ragnarok). Defeating him unlocks the trophy Comeuppance. Read on to learn about his attack patterns, rewards, and the best tips and strategies for how to beat Heimdall!

Heimdall Overview

Information

Heimdall
Recommended Level	Level 5 (All Difficulties)
XP Rewards	3000 Kratos XP (Give Me Balance)
Trophy	Comeuppance
Bestiary Entry
Heimdall was everything described—a cruel, pompous bully, and a formidable foe. His gifts of intuition were nothing to be ignored, nor his unexpected mastery of the Bifröst. When I struck a blow that should have ended the fight, I tried to heed the voice in my head, that he was beaten, not worth killing. But Heimdall sensed my pity, and it shamed him. His pride would not allow him to accept my mercy... so in the end I game him none. It was not my choice... and yet, I feel satisfied. Have I proved the Norns wrong, or have I proved them right?

Rewarded Relics

Name	Effect
Hilt of Hofud	・Distorts space and time by creating a Realm Shift. Upgrades increase the duration of this effect.

Rewarded Enchantments

Name	Effect
Emblem of the Nine Realms	EMPOWERED SHIFT Increases Melee damage during Realm Shifts.

Heimdall Location

Location Summary

Location Summary
Heimdall is encountered immediately after defeating Gulltoppr while on the way to rescue Freyr in Vanaheim during Creatures of Prophecy.

Creatures of Prophecy Quest Walkthrough

How to Beat Heimdall

Heimdall Tips and Strategies
Stun Heimdall with Draupnir's Call Swap Weapons After Phase One Dodge or Parry During Realm Shift Use Draupnir to Break His Armor

Stun Heimdall with Draupnir's Call

While Heimdall is immune to melee attacks in the first phase of the fight, you can fill up his stun gauge using Draupnir's Call. Toss Draupnir toward Heimdall and lead him to spears stuck in the ground before detonating them to fill up his stun gauge and leave him open for a grapple.

Stun and grab Heimdall thrice to remove his ability to dodge your strikes and move on to the next phase of the fight.

Swap Weapons After Phase One

After reaching the second phase, remember that you can swap out of Draupnir and use your higher-leveled Leviathan Axe or Blades of Chaos to maximize your damage output for the rest of the fight.

Dodge or Parry During Realm Shift

When Heimdall slows down time to use his Realm Shift move, watch his next attack closely for its yellow or red ring indicator, then dodge or parry accordingly. Successfully avoiding Heimdall's follow-up attack during Realm Shift often leaves him open for a short while.

Use Draupnir to Break His Armor

In the second and third phases of the fight, Heimdall can sometimes cover himself in Bifrost armor, rendering him immune to most attacks. To deal with this, throw spears and land combos with Draupnir to quickly break the armor and stagger him momentarily.

Heimdall Attack Patterns

Heimdall Attacks and Moves
First Phase	Second Phase	Third Phase

First Phase

Forceful Shove

Heimdall rushes toward Kratos and gives him a forceful shove, dealing light damage on hit. Roll sideways out of the attack's path or block it with Kratos' shield to avoid getting hurt.

Scabbard Stab

Heimdall flips his sheathed sword before dashing toward Kratos and shoving the weapon into his gut. This attack is unblockable, so react to its red ring indicator and dodge backward to avoid getting hit.

Bifrost Bolt

Heimdall charges up energy in his left hand before releasing a quick unblockable Bifrost bolt toward Kratos, dealing moderate damage on hit. React to the attack's long wind-up and red ring indicator and dodge sideways to avoid the incoming Bifrost projectile.

Gjallarhorn Smack

Heimdall unsheathes Gjallarhorn as he closes the gap toward Kratos, landing a blunt strike with the horn that breaks Kratos' guard and inflicts the Blind debuff for a short period.

This attack has a surprisingly quick wind-up animation, so react to its yellow ring indicator and immediately prepare to parry or evade the incoming strike to avoid getting hurt.

Second Phase

In addition to his attacks in the first phase, Heimdall gains the following new attacks in his second phase.

Realm Shift

Heimdall slows down time while closing the gap toward Kratos and prepares to perform one of his unblockable or block-breaking attacks.

To deal with this move, watch Heimdall's movements closely during the slowdown, reacting to the incoming attack's red or yellow ring indicator and dodging or parrying it accordingly.

Vertical Slash Combo

Heimdall performs a quick upward slash and follows it with a downward overhead slash, dealing moderate damage and breaking Kratos' guard with each strike. React to each slash's yellow ring indicator and parry or dodge them as they come out to avoid getting hit.

Note that Heimdall can end this combo with a Bifrost Sword Explosion, so prepare to dodge out of its radius when it occurs.

Bifrost Sword Explosion

Heimdall flourishes his sword, imbuing it with energy before slamming it into the ground to release an unblockable Bifrost explosion, dealing heavy damage and knocking Kratos backward on hit. To deal with this attack, watch for its distinct wind-up animation and red ring indicator and immediately roll backward out of the explosion's radius.

Heimdall can follow this attack up with a Bifrost Bolt, so get ready to dodge sideways to avoid the unblockable projectile when it comes out.

Third Phase

Heimdall gains a completely different moveset in the third phase of the fight, only keeping his Realm Shift from the previous phase.

Charging Grab

Heimdall empowers his Bifrost arm before rapidly charging toward Kratos to grab him, dealing high damage and inflicting heavy Bifrost on hit. This attack can cover a lot of distance, so react to its red ring indicator and prepare to dodge sideways to avoid being grabbed by Heimdall.

Bifrost Ground Slam

Heimdall rushes toward Kratos, raising his Bifrost arm to land an unblockable slam on top of Kratos, dealing moderate damage and inflicting Bifrost on contact. To deal with this attack, react to its red ring indicator and roll backward out of the slam's radius.

Later in the phase, Heimdall can perform this attack multiple times in a row and end it with an unblockable blue-ring Bifrost explosion, so always stay alert for follow-up attacks when he uses this move.

Runic Rock Throw

Heimdall drags his right hand through the earth, building up a mass of stone and Bifrost that he throws toward Kratos. The incoming projectile follows a linear path, so watch for the attack's distinct animation and dodge sideways or block the rock to avoid getting hit.

Note that Heimdall can continue this attack with a Charging Grab, so prepare to evade this follow-up attack when it occurs.

Reckless Strikes

Heimdall runs toward Kratos to land two reckless punches that deal moderate damage and knock Kratos backward on hit. To deal with this attack, block or dodge the incoming punches to avoid getting hurt.

Shove and Strike Combo

Heimdall performs a running shove toward Kratos, following it up with a heavy backhand and an unblockable Charging Grab. React to the first two attacks' yellow ring indicators and parry or dodge them when they come out, then prepare to evade sideways to avoid the Charging Grab.

Note that this attack's initial running shove can lead into the Reckless Strikes attack instead, so stay alert for this variation when this attack occurs.

God of War Ragnarok Related Guides

List of All Bosses

Main Bosses

All Story Bosses
Bjorn	Thor
The Huntress	Dreki
Alva	Gryla
Vanadis (Freya)	Forest Ancient
Fiske	Nidhogg
Frost Phantom	Garm
Gulltoppr	Heimdall
Frost Ancient	Flame Phantom
Soul Eater	Hrist and Mist
Odin

Optional Bosses

All Optional Bosses
The Hateful	Slag Horn
Crag Jaw	Ash Tyrant
The Corpse Eater