How to defeat Hardrefill the Callous in God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok has a few optional bosses known as the Berkserkers for Kratos and his companions to take on when they are not focused on preventing Ragnarok. The Berserkers are extremely powerful and possess unique abilities, making them quite challenging to defeat. One of the Berserkers is Hardrefill the Callous, who is also one of the first Berserkers you can choose to fight with. Here’s a guide on defeating Hardrefill the Callous in God of War Ragnarok

Hardrefill the Callous Gravestone Location

The Berserker Gravestone of Hardrefill the Callous is located in Svartalfheim, specifically in Nidavellir. It is located in the middle of a large area by the river, barricaded by wood. Mimir will say to prepare for a fight when you are near the Gravestone.

When you are ready, approach the Gravestone and prepare to fight Hardrefill the Callous.

Hardrefill the Callous Guide – Tips and Tricks

Compared to the other Berserker bosses, Hardrefill is easier but by no means a cakewalk. He is fast and will make you pay for one wrong move. For this encounter, the Leviathan Axe is the best choice because it is more up close and personal than the Blades of Chaos and Draupnir Spear. Additionally, Hardrefill has mainly three kinds of attacks, two of which are flying attacks with his sword.

His first attack is flying up high and lunging toward Kratos with his sword. Dodging and parrying these attacks are fairly easy. You can move to the sides as soon as he lands. During these moments, Sonic Arrows come in handy. Unleashing a group of these arrows fills his stun meter quickly and does great damage to him. Additionally, light Runic attacks are also useful during this as they will surprise him.

His second attack usually comes after the flying lunge attack. He starts off slow but quickly swings his sword five to six times before going back to his flying attack. These are mostly easy to parry and are also a great time to overwhelm him with a lot of damage. This is where the Runic attacks have a pivotal role as they take away a huge chunk of his health. For the light runic attack, you could use Winter’s Bite and for the heavy runic attack, Ivaldi’s Anvil or Mists of Helheim will do. Also using the Sonic Arrows simultaneously is greatly useful. Moreover, try to finish off the combo using a Relic like the Glaive of Dodher as well as the Spartan Rage. It will be tricky to finish off using these but they are manageable if you time them right.

Hardrefill’s third attack is the most dangerous and unpredictable and is where you need to be smart and cautious. He will kneel down and fly off in the air and attack you from behind or another side. The quick turn move is useful here as it’ll help avoid his attacks. You’ll notice when he kneels the ground has a green circle which indicates this heavy flying attack is coming. When you move the green circle will move with you and when it stops, this is when he comes crashing down on its position. Parrying and dodging this attack is the best choice here. And if possible, a few Sonic Arrows as a counter might do some damage.

When his health has two bars left, he will attack rapidly, relying more on the flying attacks. And, this is where he becomes truly dangerous. Pick your timing carefully and wait for the moments he goes for the ground attacks and strike Hardrefill then.

When his health is fully depleted, use a Finisher to end him. The reward for defeating Hardrefill is the Asgard’s Fortitude Runic Enchantment, Tempered Remnants, Bonded Leather, and Shattered Runes.