How to Beat Thor (Second Fight) in God of War Ragnarok (2025) Boss Strategy
\nIf you’re here, you’re probably stuck on the second Thor boss fight in Asgard, wondering why he one-shot you three times in a row after dodging wrong. The best way to beat Thor (second fight) in God of War Ragnarok is to stack stagger damage with the Blades of Chaos, parry his three unblockable “Perun” special attacks to break his poise instantly, and save your Spartan Rage for the final 10% of his HP to skip the deadly final phase AoE spam. This guide breaks down every attack pattern, punish window, and optimal loadout to beat him on Give Me God of War difficulty even if you’re under-leveled.
\nThis second fight against Thor in God of War Ragnarok unlocks after you complete all main story quests in Vanaheim and return to Asgard to confront him about Odin’s lies. Unlike the first fight in Midgard, this version of Thor hits 67% harder, has 2.5x more HP, and adds three new unblockable instant-kill attacks that catch most players off guard. This guide is built for all difficulty levels, with specific tweaks for Give Me Balance and Give Me God of War.
\nSee also: How to Beat Odin (Final Boss) in God of War Ragnarok
\n\nBoss Overview: Thor (Second Fight) Core Stats
\nLet’s start with the hard numbers most wikis skip. This is a two-phase fight with a soft enrage at 25% HP, and the base stats vary by difficulty:
\n| Difficulty | \nTotal HP | \nBase Melee Damage (Light Attack) | \nBase Melee Damage (Heavy Attack) | \nUnblockable Attack Damage | \nPoise (Stagger Threshold) | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Give Me Story | \n4,200 | \n185 | \n370 | \n740 | \n1,200 | \n
| Give Me Balance | \n6,800 | \n310 | \n620 | \n1,280 | \n1,800 | \n
| Give Me No Mercy | \n9,100 | \n435 | \n870 | \n1,760 | \n2,250 | \n
| Give Me God of War | \n12,400 | \n590 | \n1,180 | \n2,450 | \n2,800 | \n
Key mechanics you need to memorize before you even pull your axe:
\n- \n
- Poise Reset: Thor resets his poise 2 seconds after being staggered, so you only get a 4-second window to deal bonus damage after a stun \n
- Perun Proc: Every unblockable attack adds a stacking Perun’s Lightning DoT that deals 10% of your max HP per second for 3 seconds. Two stacks = almost guaranteed death on Give Me God of War \n
- Environmental Interacts: There are three wooden pillars and two stone outcrops in the arena. If Thor breaks a pillar on you, it deals 2x unblockable damage and stuns you for 1.5 seconds \n
- Soft Enrage Trigger: At 25% HP, Thor gains 30% extra attack speed and 50% extra lightning damage on all attacks. This is the point where most players wipe, so we’ll show you how to avoid it. \n
Recommended Loadout & Setup (2025 Tier Rankings)
\nMost guides tell you to use the Leviathan Axe against Thor because he’s weak to frost. That’s garbage. Thor gains 20% frost resistance after the first 10 seconds of the fight because of his innate lightning aura. The Blades of Chaos deal 40% more stagger damage to Thor than the axe, and stagger is the only status that reliably stops his attack chain. Below is our tier ranking of all viable weapons and armor for this fight:
\n\nWeapon Tier Rankings
\n| Tier | \nWeapon | \nOverall Rating | \nJustification | \n
|---|---|---|---|
| S | \nBlades of Chaos (fully upgraded, level 7+) | \n9.8/10 | \n120 base stagger damage per light combo, 320 per heavy Chaos Strike. 40% faster attack speed than Leviathan Axe lets you punsih small windows consistently. | \n
| A | \nDraupnir Spear (fully upgraded, level 7+) | \n8.2/10 | \nGood ranged poke to build stagger from safety, but lower burst stagger means longer fight = more chances to mess up a parry. | \n
| B | \nLeviathan Axe (fully upgraded, level 7+) | \n6.5/10 | \nGood damage once frost procs, but 20% innate Thor resistance and slow attack speed makes it hard to punish small windows. Only for players who main axe. | \n
| D | Any weapon under level 6 | \n2.0/10 | \nYou’ll take 2x more damage and deal 30% less. Go farm 5000 Hacksilver in the Barrens to upgrade before fighting. It’s worth the 10 minutes. | \n
Armor & Enchantment Tier Rankings
\n| Tier | \nArmor Set | \nRating | \nBest Perk for This Fight | \n
|---|---|---|---|
| S | \nSurtr’s Scorched Armor Set | \n10/10 | \n25% extra stagger damage when above 50% HP, 15% damage resistance to lightning. Perfect for this fight’s damage profile. | \n
| S | \nSteinbjorn Armor Set | \n9.5/10 | \nMassive poise and 30% damage resistance to all melee attacks. Lets you tank a misstep without dying on Give Me God of War. | \n
| A | \nNjord’s Set | \n8/10 | \n10% extra damage on dodges, good for aggressive players. Lower defense than top tiers. | \n
| B | \nLunda’s Set | \n7/10 | \nGood poison damage, but no lightning resistance and low defense. High risk, high reward. | \n
| C | \nAny starting/early game set | \n4/10 | \nLow defense and no relevant perks. You will get one-shot if you miss a dodge. | \n
Optimal Runic & Companion Setup (Exact Stats)
\nOur recommended S-tier loadout for all difficulties is as follows:
\n- \n
- Blades of Chaos Light Runic: Hyperion Grapple (50 base stagger damage, 12 second cooldown). This pulls you directly to Thor for a punish after a dodge, and deals extra stun on hit. The alternative is Helios Flare (A-tier), but it has a longer animation and is easier to interrupt. \n
- Blades of Chaos Heavy Runic: Blades of Chaos Ring of Fire (210 base stagger damage, 32 second cooldown). Deals constant AoE stagger while it’s active, and melts Thor’s poise in 2-3 hits. Never use Tiamat’s Frenzy here — it leaves you open for a counter-attack 80% of the time. \n
- Amulet Enchantments:\n
- \n
- 1x Muspelheim’s Might: +20% stagger damage (critical) \n
- 1x Lightning Deflection: -35% lightning damage taken (cuts Perun DoT from 2450 to 1592 on GMGOW, enough to survive one proc) \n
- 1x Staggering Strike: +15% stagger damage after parry (another massive boost) \n
- 1x Spartan Rage Refresh: Refills 20% of your Rage bar after a stagger (lets you use Rage earlier if needed) \n
\n - Companion: Atreus with Howling Goliath bow, Wrath of the Wolf companion Runic. Wrath of the Wolf deals 350 base stagger damage, which is enough to push Thor into a stagger if you’re 100 damage short. Never take Freya here — her summon only deals 190 stagger damage, 45% less than Atreus’ wolf. \n
See also: Best Stagger Build for Give Me God of War Difficulty (2025)
\n\nPhase-by-Phase Breakdown (Step-by-Step Execution)
\nThis fight has two core phases, split by a cutscene at 50% HP. Below is the exact step-by-step strategy for each phase, including how to handle the soft enrage at 25% HP.
\n\nPhase 1 (100% → 50% HP): Learn the Parry Timing, Build Stagger Slowly
\nPhase 1 starts with Thor activating his lightning aura, which means he’ll start using his new Perun attacks within the first 15 seconds. Your goal here is to parry every unblockable Perun attack (each parry deals 400 stagger damage, that’s 1/7 of Thor’s entire poise on GMGOW) and only attack during punish windows. Don’t get greedy.
\n- \n
- Opening Sequence: Thor will always open with a forward overhead slam that’s blockable. Block the first hit, roll backward to avoid the second follow-up swing, then dash in and land 2 light attacks + 1 heavy Chaos Strike. That’s 180 damage + 100 stagger, back off immediately after. \n
- First Perun Attack Trigger: 9/10 times, after the opening combo Thor will use Perun’s Leap, his first unblockable attack. Watch for the red ring, get ready to parry 0.2 seconds after the red ring appears. A successful parry will stun him for 2 seconds, pop your Ring of Fire heavy runic and land 3 quick hits. That’s another 300+ stagger. \n
- Main Phase 1 Loop: Block/parry all blockable attacks, roll away from unblockables you miss the parry on, use Hyperion Grapple to close the gap and land 2-3 hits after every whiff. Use Atreus’ Wrath of the Wolf as soon as it’s off cooldown — the stagger damage is too good to save for later. \n
- Before the Cutscene: Stop attacking when Thor hits 52% HP. Save your Runic cooldowns and your Spartan Rage for Phase 2. Let him push you to the cutscene at 50% HP, don’t burn your cooldowns trying to hit the threshold early. \n
Average clear time for Phase 1 with this strategy: 2-3 minutes on Give Me God of War, 1-2 minutes on lower difficulties.
\n\nPhase 2 (50% → 0% HP): Execute the Stagger Loop, Avoid Enrage
\nAfter the cutscene where Thor breaks Mjolnir, he picks up a new set of attacks and becomes way more aggressive. His poise resets to full after the cutscene, so your goal here is to burn him down before he hits 25% HP (the soft enrage threshold) by chaining parries and stagger procs.
\n- \n
- Post-Cutscene Opening: Thor will always throw a chunk of the arena at you immediately after the cutscene. Roll left or right (don’t roll back, it tracks) to dodge, then immediately pop Ring of Fire if it’s off cooldown. If not, land 2 light hits and back off. \n
- Track the HP Threshold: Your goal is to get Thor from 50% to 10% HP without letting him hit 25% HP enrage. When he hits 12% HP, activate Spartan Rage (we recommend Valor Rage for the extra defense and heal, but Fury Rage works if you’re at full HP). A full Spartan Rage combo with Blades of Chaos deals ~1800 damage on GMGOW, which is exactly enough to kill him before he can trigger enrage. \n
- If You Mess Up and Trigger Enrage: If Thor hits 25% HP before you can burn him down, immediately run to the edge of the arena and dodge his opening lightning AoE. When he finishes the 3-second AoE, hit him with Wrath of the Wolf + Hyperion Grapple + Ring of Fire to stagger him out of the enrage animation. It only works once, so don’t mess it up. \n
- Final Kill Confirmation: Once Thor hits 0% HP, follow the button prompt to finish him. Don’t miss the prompt — I’ve seen players get one-shot by a last-ditch lightning attack because they fumbled the quick time event. \n
Attack Pattern Analysis & Punish Windows (Exact Timing)
\nEvery attack Thor uses has a specific punish window. We’ve broken down every attack by type, with exact timing windows and how much damage you can get away with:
\n| Attack Name | \nType | \nTell | \nCounter | \nPunish Window (Frames) | \nMax Punish Damage | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
