There are thousands of other world bosses strewn across God of War: Ragnarok, and one of the first is The Hateful, a strong draugr. As part of the Born From Fire Favor sidequest, you'll face this fire-using boss six times, with each encounter becoming more challenging than the last. When pushed on the back foot, the Hateful moves rapidly, attacks hard, and summons allies.
What is the Hateful?
The Hateful is a mini-boss who appears several times through the Nine Realms. It is a Draugr, the vengeful spirit of a betrayed Empress. The Hateful is described in the bestiary as “I have never encountered a Draugr like this one before. It fights as if fueled by infinite hate. It emerged from a scar in the earth that closed once we defeated the monster. If we encounter more of these holes, we must close them and put down any creatures that emerge.”
Where does the Hateful spawn across God of War Ragnarok?
The Hateful spawns in six Draugr holes across the Nine Realms. The first possible and most likely encounter with The Hateful is in Svartalfheim, at the Watchtower near the mining rigs.
After that, the Hateful can be found in Draugr holes that can be found in:
In Applecore, the mine in Svartalfheim.
In Alfheim, near a large rock formation in the Barrens
In Midgard, on the path to King’s Grave
In Vanaheim, in the Abandoned Village
In Vanaheim Crater, in the Plains roughly opposite the shop in the Eastern Plains
What is the Hateful’s moveset?
The Hateful doesn't have the most diverse arsenal of attacks, nor does it have any additional stages that could cause Kratos troubles. But it causes a lot of damage and moves far faster than you might believe.
Running Chop
The boss runs toward you with its ax lifted over its head in this unblockable strike, which is indicated by the red circle around The Hateful when it begins the animation. The ax falls after roughly five meters, or when it reaches you, generating a tiny explosion and shooting a line of fire directly away from the monster. To avoid taking damage, move to the side right before the blow lands.
Charged Uppercut
This is another unblockable attack as the Hateful brings its right-hand ax low across its body and cuts upward after a quick windup. If the assault hits, it will knock Kratos out and inflict Burn on him. Dodging away from the monster increases the likelihood of the attack connecting, so dodge roll to The Hateful's left and behind it to avoid it.
Stomp into Double Uppercut
This is the Hateful's third unblockable attack and it usually comes out when the boss is some distance from you. It starts by stomping its foot on the ground, then barreling across the arena before swinging its axes across its body. Kratos can dodge to the left, as with the charged uppercut, to avoid the early swings, but this strike tends to rapidly segue into a guard break or normal combination, so stay alert.
Triple Slash
This consists of three slower slashes that can be used as a combo extender or from a standstill. The slashes are easy to parry in reaction, and they aren't guard breakers, so Kratos can play defensively if he chooses to. The best possible thing to do is to block the first swing and then parry the second. If you fail, the third slash comes out quickly enough to catch you before you can raise your shield.
Single into Double Ax Slash
This attack is almost always used to lengthen a combination, usually after one of the slower unblockable moves. The Hateful instantly spins around and slashes with one ax, followed by a slow slash with both axes after you avoid the unblockable half of the combo. The first half of the assault can be blocked by Kratos, but the two-handed swing is a guard crush, so either parry or dodge it. Attempting to block it will leave you dazed and vulnerable.
Dash Slash into Unblockable Uppercut
The Hateful enjoys sprinting across its arenas, and this attack capitalizes on the boss's mobility. It will charge at Kratos and strike for a single guard crush, but if he avoids the blow, it will immediately pivot and slash upward as an unblockable. This strike usually makes an appearance when Kratos isn't in a good position to parry, so while he can negate most strikes, the Hateful will bring out an unblockable follow-up if Kratos is caught off guard, so keep dodging.
How to beat the Hateful?
Well, first focus on the minions and get rid of them first because while they may be much weaker than the Hateful, they can still take a decent bite out of Kratos’ health bar. Also use the Leviathan Axe as the Hateful is a fire-being and thus weak against Ice attacks. The Axe’s Runic attacks help immensely as well but more importantly, time Kratos’ attacks and parries well.
That can give him the upper hand against the Hateful especially as it allows Kratos to charge up his Spartan Rage and that is the former Greek God of War’s best card. However, use it wisely as the Hateful’s attacks deal a considerable amount of damage and healthstones aren’t found easily in its arena. But when in use, and with every attack by Kratos, Spartan Rage heals Kratos and thus allows him to get back some health over the course of its usage.
Another key factor to keep in mind is that the Hateful throws fireballs which deal a decent amount of damage and burn Kratos, thus, either deflect them back at it or just block them.
FAQs
Q. Is God of War ending with Ragnarok?
A. Santa Monica Studio, God of War's developer, has stated that Ragnarok is the final chapter and that God of War will not be expanded into another trilogy.
Q. Who is the antagonist in God of War Ragnarok?
A. Odin is the main enemy of God of War Ragnarok, and he may be the most clever and vicious villain in video game history.
