God of War Ragnarok Guide: Bodvar and Starolfr Tips

In God of War Ragnarök players eventually have to take on two berserkers at once: Bodvar the Fierce and Starolfr the Troublesome. The fight takes place at a berserker grave in Svartalfheim, and a big part of the strategy is how you move between targets while reacting to incoming attacks from both bosses.

Where the Bodvar and Starolfr encounter happens

The berserker grave is located in the Jarnsmida Pitmines region of Svartalfheim. You can visit the area early in the story, but the grave itself won’t be there at that point. Kratos is focused on finding and saving Tyra during that early visit.

To reach the grave later, start from the Sverd Sands region and travel north again. On the way back you pass through The Applecore, where you can unlock a mystical gate to make returning to this part of the map easier.

How to beat both berserkers in the same battle

This is a single engagement where you must defeat Bodvar the Fierce and Starolfr the Troublesome together. The core requirement is to keep track of what both bosses are doing at all times: frequently rotate your camera, and respond to warnings from Mimir plus Atreus/Freya about incoming attacks. The guide also emphasizes avoiding “slow” play—dodging blind can be necessary—because a berserker from the other side can punish you while you’re focused on one target.

Target order: attack Starolfr first since she’s described as slightly less durable.
Goal: eliminate one boss so only one berserker remains on the arena.
Use your kit: employ runic attacks across all three of Kratos’ weapons and use Spartan Rage to drain Starolfr’s health faster.

To improve survival, the guide advises using your companion regularly to trigger their abilities—ally attacks can help stop, weaken, or distract the berserkers. It’s also recommended not to lose too much health at the start, since the overall fight is expected to be long.

Starolfr’s common attack patterns

When fighting Starolfr, these are highlighted as frequent moves:

Ranged arena shots from the air: block the projectiles with your shield or clearly dodge left out of the targeted area.
Jump followed by an earth hit: this is the red move—dodge away shortly before she lands.
Close-quarters strike sequences: some are normal or yellow (dodge/parry), but a sequence can end in a red attack that you must avoid.

After you drain Starolfr’s entire health bar, you can perform an execution (R3), removing her from the fight so you can focus on Bodvar.

What to watch for with Bodvar (especially during Starolfr’s phase)

Even while you’re trying to finish Starolfr, you still have to avoid Bodvar’s attacks. The most troublesome highlighted move is a yellow “explosion” attack. You’re given two options:

Quickly create distance as soon as Bodvar begins setting up the attack.
Press the parry/dodge button at the exact right moment; the guide notes this is the only way to avoid damage.

Other Bodvar attacks listed include:

Close-quarters strike series: can include normal/yellow hits (dodge/parry) and may end with a red attack that must be avoided.
Charge: described as yellow; it’s performed from far away, giving you time to dodge correctly, while parrying is considered risky.
A line of exploding projectiles: treated as a normal attack that can be easily blocked with the shield.
Loading (blue attack): try to interrupt by running up to Bodvar and pressing L1 twice.

The guide also suggests scanning the arena for health drops, but only picking them up when it’s safe.

Execution finish, loot, and what to do after the fight

Continue until Bodvar’s health bar is fully depleted. You can then perform an execution on the final berserker (R3) to end the battle, collect all loot from the arena, and only then move toward the blue quest-marked sword fragment.