You're standing in Helheim, the air is freezing, and a giant, translucent wolf is tearing holes in the fabric of reality. That's Garm. Honestly, if you played God of War Ragnarok, you probably remember the sheer panic of seeing this thing for the first time. He’s massive. He's terrifying. And he is one of the most misunderstood figures in the entire game. Most players just see a big dog they need to hit until a cutscene triggers, but there is so much more going on with Garm than just a health bar and some snappy combat mechanics.
He’s a glitch in the world. Literally.
In the lore of Santa Monica Studio’s Norse epic, Garm is a hound without a soul. That’s a heavy concept to wrap your head around, especially when you consider how the game treats the Four Aspects of the Soul—form, mind, direction, and luck. Because Garm lacks these, he's essentially an infinite, unthinking force of nature. He can't die because there's nothing "there" to actually kill. When Kratos and Atreus first encounter him, it’s a wake-up call. You realize that brute force, the thing Kratos is best at, isn't going to solve this one.
What Most People Get Wrong About Garm
A lot of fans confuse Garm with Fenrir. It's an easy mistake to make. They're both giant wolves, both tied to the end of the world, and both have a bone to pick with the gods. But in the context of God of War Ragnarok, Garm is his own distinct entity—at least initially. In traditional Norse Eddas, the distinction is sometimes blurry, but the game makes it very clear: Garm is the guardian of Hel, a creature so dangerous that even Odin feared what he could do if left unchecked.
Garm doesn't just bite. He tears "Realm Tears."
This is where the gameplay and the story blend perfectly. When Garm snaps his jaws or claws at the air, he isn't just attacking Kratos; he’s ripping open the boundaries between the Nine Realms. If you don't stop him, the worlds bleed into each other, causing total chaos. This adds a layer of urgency to the fight that isn't present in your typical troll or draugr skirmish. You aren't just fighting for your life; you're fighting to keep reality from unraveling.
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The Combat Rhythm: It's Not a Slog
The actual fight with Garm is a spectacle. It’s huge. It’s loud. It’s frustrating if you don’t pay attention to the environmental cues. Unlike the nimble Valkyrie fights from the 2018 game or the frantic Berserker souls in Ragnarok, Garm is all about scale. You have to use the Draupnir Spear—Kratos’s third main weapon—to pin his chains to the ground.
I’ve seen a lot of players get stuck here. They try to just hack away at his paws. Don't do that.
The trick is to watch for when he slams those massive chains down. You throw the spear, detonate it, and freeze him in place. It’s a rhythmic dance of dodging ice waves and finding that one opening. The game forces you to use the spear’s unique "multi-detonation" mechanic, which serves as a great tutorial for the weapon's utility in late-game puzzles. The scale of the fight reminds me of the old-school God of War bosses, like the Hydra or Chronos, where Kratos feels like an ant tackling a mountain.
The Tragic Twist: Fenrir and the Soul Transfer
If you’ve finished the Helheim arc, you know the resolution is anything but typical. Kratos doesn’t "finish" Garm with a brutal execution. Instead, Atreus uses the soul of their late pet wolf, Fenrir, which he had accidentally stored in his knife at the very beginning of the game. He stabs Garm, but not to kill. He’s transferring Fenrir’s consciousness into the soulless vessel of Garm.
It’s kind of beautiful, honestly.
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It turns a mindless monster into a loyal friend. But it also raises some weird ethical questions that the game doesn't fully answer. Is Garm still Garm? Is Fenrir just wearing a giant wolf suit now? The result is a creature that has the power of a world-ender but the temperament of a "good boy." This version of Fenrir eventually helps the heroes during the final assault on Asgard, proving that kindness—or at least a well-timed soul transplant—is more effective than a sharp blade.
Why Garm Matters for the Narrative
Garm represents the theme of "breaking fate" that defines the entire sequel. In the original myths, Garm and the god Tyr are destined to kill each other during Ragnarok. By having Atreus "fix" Garm rather than kill him, and by having Tyr sitting in a prison (or a broom closet) instead of fighting on the front lines, the writers are screaming at us that the old rules don't apply anymore.
- Garm is the physical manifestation of "the old ways"—mindless destruction and cycle-based violence.
- The "new" Fenrir represents the possibility of change and redemption.
- This shift is what allows the heroes to actually win in the end without losing everything.
It’s a clever bit of subversion. You think you're going into Helheim to stop a monster, but you're actually there to save a friend and rewrite the prophecy.
Expert Strategies for Beating Garm on Give Me God of War Difficulty
If you’re playing on the harder settings, Garm can be a nightmare. His attacks have massive hitboxes, and his ice breath will drain your health in seconds. Here is the reality of the situation: you need to be patient. This isn't a "press R1 to win" fight.
First, focus on the neck guard. Garm has these golden plates that serve as weak points. When he’s stunned, don’t just swing wildly; aim for the weak spots to maximize your stun bar. Second, the shockwaves are the real killer. You have to time your parries perfectly, or better yet, use a shield that can handle heavy impacts like the Onslaught Shield.
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Pro-tip: Don't forget your Runic attacks. Specifically, use anything that deals high "Stun" damage. You want to get him to that "R3" prompt as fast as possible to progress the phases. The fight has three distinct stages, and each one gets progressively more chaotic as he starts jumping between the background and foreground.
The Environmental Storytelling in Helheim
Helheim itself is a character in this encounter. The desolate, blue-tinted wasteland underscores the loneliness of Garm’s existence. Before Kratos and Atreus arrive, Garm was just there, forever. No purpose, no pack, no soul. When you see him pacing in the distance before the fight actually starts, it’s haunting. Santa Monica Studio did an incredible job making you feel the weight of this creature's misery. It makes the eventual "mercy" of Atreus's magic feel much more impactful than a standard kill.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough
To get the most out of the Garm encounter and the following sections of the game, keep these points in mind:
- Check Your Gear Before Helheim: Ensure your Draupnir Spear is upgraded to at least Level 5 or 6. You’ll be using it for almost 80% of the Garm fight, and the extra damage on spear detonations makes the phase transitions much faster.
- The "Lost" Realm Tears: After the Garm fight, since he tore holes in reality, you will find "Hel-Tears" scattered across the Nine Realms. These are optional combat encounters that reward you with Frozen Sparks (to upgrade the Leviathan Axe). Don't ignore them; they are the direct consequence of your fight in Helheim.
- Listen to the Mimir Dialogue: Pay close attention to Mimir’s commentary during and after the fight. He provides the crucial context regarding Garm’s lack of a soul, which explains why your weapons didn't work at first.
- Visit Fenrir Later: Once the story progresses, you can actually visit the "new" Garm (now Fenrir) at Jotunheim or back at your base depending on the story beat. It’s a great way to see the scale of the creature in a non-hostile environment.
Garm isn't just a boss. He’s the bridge between the tragedy of the past and the hope of the future. He’s a reminder that even the most broken things in the Nine Realms can be made whole again if you have the right perspective—and maybe a little bit of giant magic.