How to beat Alva boss fight in God of War Ragnarök
Tips for keeping your elf bar full.
Alva is the boss fight you encounter at the end of exploring The Temple of Light in Alfheim during God of War Ragnarök.
Alva is a speedy Light Elf who can drain Kratos’ health bar quickly if you’re not careful, so we’ve got the best strategy and tips on how to beat Alva in God of War Ragnarök below.
For more help with your early journey through the Realms, check out our pages on the white marble Temple of Light Legendary chest puzzle solution, Nornir Chest locations and solutions, and Muspelheim Seed locations.
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How to beat Alva boss fight in God of War Ragnarök
The general strategy to beating Alva in God of War Ragnarök is to try and stick close to Alva and use your Leviathan Axe to cause damage when Alva leaves themselves vulnerable after their melee attacks.
Activate your Rage when it’s built up and hit as much as you can, and remember to activate the Talisman of Meign Relic for an attack boost either before you activate your Rage, when Alva is stunned, or when they’re vulnerable after melee attacking you.
Don’t forget about Atreus’ Sonic arrows either, as they add to the white stun meter under Alva’s health bar. When the meter is filled and Alva is stunned, melee attack for a short while first, then click R3 to cause a decent amount of damage.
As Alva is so quick and attacks with swords the most often, we recommend equipping the Dauntless Shield, which will help you with parrying when the yellow circle appears around Alva, or just parrying general attacks. Parrying leaves Alva open for a longer counter attack with your own melee weapon.
Ragnarök is finally here and we've got pages on Nornir Chest locations and solutions, Raven locations and rewards, Muspelheim Seed locations, and Thor and Alva boss fight strategies to help you on your journey through the nine Realms. If you want to know how long Kratos' epic adventure will take, we've also got a page on how long to beat and Platinum Trophy length.
More specifically, there are three main attacks you’ll need to avoid during the Alva boss fight in God of War Ragnarök.
The first comes when Alva has a double blue ring around them, and to avoid it you must double tap L1 to perform a shield bash. You also need to do this when Alva has the double blue ring around them but drops to the ground instead, or they will heal. This is one reason you need to stick close to Alva, as letting them heal will prolong the fight.
After you shield bash, Alva will be vulnerable to a quick combo of melee attacks, so make the most of it! Quickly hit with your axe or activate your Runic abilities to cause as much damage as possible.
Remember, don’t stray too far from Alva, as you’ll need to be close to shield bash when the next blue circle appears.
When a red ring appears around Alva instead, you need to dodge left or right to avoid a large light beam that will likely hit you if you dodge back instead.
When the yellow ring appears around Alva, either parry or dodge the attack. Parrying is always quicker, and gives you more time to hit Alva.
For defeating Alva in God of War Ragnarök, you’ll get to following rewards:
- 500 XP for Kratos
- 335XP for Atreus
- A Frozen Flame used for upgrading the Leviathan Axe
- Rond of Expedition Shield Attachment (grants a Blessing of Cooldown when interrupting double blue ring attacks or parrying)
Good luck fighting Alva in God of War Ragnarök!