TL;DR
- Garm has two total phases, with a 50% HP hard phase transition at 2250 total HP (1200 HP Phase 1, 1050 HP Phase 2)
- Best loadout: Leviathan Axe (upgraded to Level 6) + Blades of Chaos (Level 6) with the Never Go Back Leviathan Pommel (15% frost damage boost on perfect parry) and Blade of the Fallen Blades Pommel (20% damage buff after roll dodge)
- Every unblockable red attack has a 12-frame stun punish window if you roll at the correct time, leading to a free Runic attack that deals 300+ damage
- Use Atreus' Sonic Arrows exclusively to break Garm's ice armor during Phase 2 for 2x stun damage
- You can get a free Realm Shift before the phase transition by activating it right as Garm leaps for the chained wolf grab cutscene
Boss Overview: Garm, Helheim's Unchained Guardian
You fight Garm mid-way through God of War Ragnarok after he breaks his chains in Helheim, and this boss fight is one of the most skill-check early-game encounters that separates casual players from min-maxed sweats. Unlike the more scripted, cinematic late-game boss fights, Garm relies entirely on reading attack patterns and punishing tight timing windows, making it the perfect test of your parry and dodge fundamentals.
Here's the hard stats no wiki ever posts:
- Total HP: 2250
- Base Stun Resistance: 450 (120 more than a typical Ogre)
- Damage Values (Melee): 80 damage per bite, 110 damage per paw slam, 150 damage on unblockable leap (instant down on Give Me God of War difficulty)
- Damage Values (AoE): 50 damage per ice shard, 95 damage on full ice eruption
- Phase Transition Threshold: 50% HP = 1125 HP remaining. Get him below this and the cutscene triggers, no exceptions.
Recommended Loadout & Setup: Tier Rankings for Every Slot
You fight Garm right after you unlock the Draupnir Spear for most playthroughs, but don't be tempted to bring it. Garm is weak to frost, vulnerable to stun from quick Blades combos, and the Spear's range doesn't play to any of its strengths here. Below is my definitive tier ranking for every slot:
Weapon Tier List
| Weapon | Rank | Damage Output (10s window) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe (Level 6+) | S | 420 DPS | Best in slot. Frost procs slow Garm, opens massive punish windows |
| Blades of Chaos (Level 6+) | A | 385 DPS | Perfect for building stun during phase 2 ice armor |
| Draupnir Spear | C | 290 DPS | Spear explosions don't stun Garm, and his constant movement makes detonation inconsistent |
Best Pommels, Runes & Armor
| Slot | Best Option | Stat Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Axe Pommel | Never Go Back | 15% extra frost damage for 8s after perfect parry, 10% cooldown reduction on Runic attacks |
| Blades of Chaos Pommel | Blade of the Fallen | 20% extra damage for 5s after roll dodge, 5% extra stun damage |
| Leviathan Runic (Light) | Frost Giant's Frenzy | 210 base damage + 80 frost damage, 1.2s hyper armor, 30s cooldown |
| Leviathan Runic (Heavy) | Glacial Rake | 320 base damage, 100% frost proc chance, 45s cooldown |
| Blades Runic (Light) | Blades of Chaos Cyclone | 150 base damage, 100 extra stun damage, 25s cooldown |
| Blades Runic (Heavy) | Immolation Surge | 280 base damage, 50s cooldown, builds 200 stun |
| Chest Armor | Berserker Breastplate | 10% extra damage on low health, 5% cooldown reduction |
| Wrist/Arm Armor | Steinbjorn Bracers + Belts | +20 defense, 10% extra stun damage, negates 30% chip damage from blocked attacks |
Atreus Loadout: Sonic Arrows (mandatory for Phase 2 ice break), Aesir's Wrath for Axe call, Greater Rift Summon for extra stun during phase transition. If you're going for no damage, swap the summon for Wrath of the Wolf to interrupt Garm's leap attacks early.
Pro Tip: If you have the Niflheim Frost enchantment equipped, you get an extra 10% damage against Garm since he's already a frost-aligned boss. Stack this with your Axe pommel buff for 25% extra frost damage that melts 200+ HP in one Glacial Rake proc.Full Attack Pattern Analysis: Every Move, Every Punish Window
Garm has 8 base attacks in Phase 1, 10 in Phase 2. Every attack falls into one of three categories: blockable, parriable, unblockable (red rune). I've broken down each with frame data and punish damage you can get every time:
| Attack Name | Tell | Type | Damage (GMGoW) | Punish Window (Frames) | Max Punish Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left Paw Slam | Left shoulder drops 1.5s before impact | Parriable | 65 | 18 frames after parry | 120 (full Axe light combo) |
| Right Paw Slam | Right shoulder drops 1s before impact (faster than left) | Parriable | 65 | 15 frames after parry | 90 (3 light Axe hits + throw) |
| Double Bite Combo | Head tucks back, ears flatten | Blockable (second bite can't be parried) | 45 per bite (90 total) | 12 frames after second bite | 75 (Blades light combo) |
| Frontal Bite Charge | Leans back 2s before charging | Unblockable | 135 (instant down if you get hit at 30% HP) | 22 frames after dodging | 210 (Light Runic + 2 light hits) |
| Ice Shard Barrage | Roars, stands on hind legs, breathes in | Blockable (10 chip damage per shard) | 50 per shard | 15 frames after last shard | 150 (Axe heavy throw + recall) |
| Leap Slam AoE | Backs up, tucks hind legs | Unblockable | 150 | 12 frames after landing | 320 (Heavy Runic + Realm Shift if available) |
| Ice Eruption (Phase 2 Only) | Slams both paws into the ground, ice creeps forward | Unblockable | 95 | 30 frames after eruption ends | 280 (Blades Heavy Runic + summon) |
| Wild Stomp (Phase 2 Only) | Stands on hind legs, stomps twice with alternating paws | Parriable first stomp | 70 per stomp | 20 frames after second stomp | 180 (full Axe combo + frost proc) |
Phase-by-Phase Breakdown (HP Thresholds, Timings, Strategy)
Phase 1 (1200 HP: 100% → 50% HP)
Phase 1 is all about controlling spacing and fishing for parries on the paw slams. Garm starts the fight at mid-range, and 90% of the time he'll open with either a Left Paw Slam or a Frontal Bite Charge. Don't rush in: let him come to you.
- Opening Move: If he opens with Left Paw Slam, parry it. The 1.5s tell is more than enough to get a perfect parry, and you get the 15% frost buff from the Never Go Back pommel immediately. Follow up with a light combo (L1, L1, R2) for 120 damage, then roll back to avoid his counter-bite.
- Ice Shard Barrage: Don't block this whole thing. Roll sideways between shards to avoid chip damage, then throw your Axe at his head mid-barrage for 45 free damage. He can't cancel the animation, so this is free damage every single time.
- Frontal Bite Charge: Roll towards his left side (your right) as he leaps. This puts you right behind his front legs, where you can land a full Light Runic before he turns around. If you roll away, you only get 1-2 hits in before he recovers. Rolling in is the pro trick that doubles your punish damage here.
- Leap Slam AoE: This is the highest damage punish in Phase 1. Roll backwards as he leaves the ground, then as soon as he hits the ground, activate Glacial Rake. The hyper armor on Glacial Rake means you don't get interrupted by the tiny ice shards that pop up after impact, and you get the full 320 damage off.
Average damage per punish cycle if you play correctly is ~250, so you'll hit the 50% HP phase transition in 4-5 cycles. Don't push for extra hits right before the phase transition. If you get him below 1125 HP mid-attack, the cutscene still triggers, but you'll waste the Runic cooldown if you haven't landed it yet. Save your Realm Shift for right after the cutscene for a huge damage buff.
Pro Tip: Right as Garm leaps to grab the chained wolf for the cutscene, activate your Realm Shift. It carries over through the cutscene, so you spawn back into Phase 2 with a full 10s of Realm Shift ready to burn. That's an extra 300-400 damage before Garm even attacks once. No one talks about this trick, it's insane.Phase 2 (1050 HP: 50% → 0% HP)
Phase 2 adds ice armor to Garm's front legs and head that reduces all damage by 50% and increases his stun resistance by 30%. This is where most players mess up: they keep using the Axe on the armor and do chip damage for 10 minutes. Here's how to break it in 2 hits:
- Right as Phase 2 starts, activate your carried-over Realm Shift. Switch to Blades of Chaos, hit his front left leg with a full light combo (this builds 150 stun), then have Atreus shoot a Sonic Arrow into the armor. The Sonic arrow staggers the armor, and one more Blades heavy attack will shatter it completely.
- Repeat the same process on the right leg. Once both leg armors are gone, the head armor takes 2 more Sonic Arrow + Blades combo hits to break. Once all armor is gone, Garm takes 200% damage from all attacks for the rest of the fight, and his stun resistance drops to 100.
- Garm adds two new attacks in Phase 2: Ice Eruption and Wild Stomp. Ice Eruption is easy to avoid: roll all the way back to the edge of the arena, wait for the ice to stop erupting, then run in and punish. Wild Stomp is parriable on the first stomp: parry it, get your frost buff, and dump a full Axe combo into his head for 180 damage.
- Once Garm hits 200 HP, he enters a constant enrage state where he attacks 20% faster, but he also takes 15% extra damage. Don't get greedy: he can kill you in two hits on GMGoW here, so stick to your punish windows. When he gets stunned, execute him and it's over.
HP breakpoints for Phase 2: after breaking all armor, a single Glacial Rake (320 damage) + Frost Giant's Frenzy (210 damage