You've finally done it. You spent hours tracking down every hidden chamber, listening to Mimir's endless (but delightful) stories, and ripping the wings off eight high-ranking warriors of Odin. You step into the Council of Valkyries, place the helms on the thrones, and a rift opens. Then, she appears. Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen in God of War, doesn't just enter the arena; she dominates your screen and, usually, your health bar within about four seconds.
It's a brutal wake-up call.
Most players think they're ready because they beat Gondul in Muspelheim or survived the poison mists of Niflheim to take down Hildr. They aren't. Sigrun is a different beast entirely because she is a mechanical remix of everything you’ve faced so far. She is the ultimate skill check. But honestly, the lore behind the Valkyrie Queen God of War titles—both Sigrun in the 2018 soft reboot and Gna in Ragnarök—is just as complex as the fight itself. These aren't just "bosses." They are the tragic byproduct of Odin’s paranoia and Freya’s shattered life.
Why Sigrun is still the gold standard for boss design
There is a specific kind of "God of War" rhythm that players have to learn. It's not a hack-and-slash game anymore; it’s a dance. Sigrun is the lead partner, and if you step on her toes, she stomps your neck into the dirt. Literally.
What makes her so difficult isn't just high HP. It’s her moveset pool. She has roughly 20 different attacks, and many of them have nearly identical "tells." For example, when she dashes to her right, she’s almost certainly going to hit you with a wing-stab that can't be blocked. If she dashes left? She’s likely doing a spinning circular attack. You have to memorize these micro-movements in real-time while a giant winged Norse deity screams "Valhalla!" and drops from the ceiling to snap Kratos' neck.
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The fight is fair, though. That’s the genius of it. Every single move she has can be countered. You can knock her out of the air with a well-timed axe throw or a blast from Atreus’ arrows. You can parry the yellow-ringed attacks. You can dodge the red ones. It's a test of pure muscle memory. I’ve seen people beat her on "Give Me God of War" difficulty without taking a single hit, which feels like watching a professional pianist play Liszt. It's precise. It's punishing. It's beautiful.
The tragic history of the Queen's crown
Let’s talk lore, because this is where people get confused. Freya was the original Valkyrie Queen. She was the one who led them, the one who held the title by divine right. But when her marriage to Odin went south—which is an understatement given he stripped her of her warrior spirit and cursed her to be unable to harm any living thing—the position became vacant.
Sigrun didn't just take the job because she wanted power. She did it out of loyalty to Freya and a desperate hope to keep the Valkyries together while Odin was actively corrupting them.
Odin eventually used his "sealing" magic to trap the Valkyries in physical forms. This is key. Valkyries are supposed to be beings of spirit. By forcing them into physical bodies, Odin caused them to go insane. When Kratos and Atreus are "killing" them, they are actually performing an act of mercy. You aren't murdering them; you are freeing their spirits so they can return to Valhalla. Sigrun stayed behind, watching her sisters fall into madness, until she was the only one left to guard the council.
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The transition to Gna in Ragnarök
If you thought Sigrun was the end of the story, God of War Ragnarök had a nasty surprise waiting in Muspelheim. Enter Gna.
Gna is a different kind of Valkyrie Queen. While Sigrun was a tragic figure acting out of a sense of duty, Gna is a true believer. She is fiercely loyal to Odin. She doesn’t want to be "saved." This makes the fight feel different emotionally. When you fight Sigrun, there’s a sense of melancholy. When you fight Gna, it’s a grudge match.
Gna’s fight in Ragnarök is arguably harder for some because of the elemental variety. She uses Bifrost. She uses sound-based attacks. She forces you to use every single tool Kratos has acquired across the Nine Realms. If you haven't mastered switching between the Leviathan Axe, the Blades of Chaos, and the Draupnir Spear, Gna will end your run in seconds.
Survival strategies that actually work
If you are currently staring at a "You Are Dead" screen for the fiftieth time, you need to change your loadout. Forget purely offensive stats. You need Cooldown and Vitality.
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- The Shift-Shift-Dodge: In the Sigrun fight, her "Valhalla" stomp is the run-killer. The timing is deceptive. You can't just spam dodge. You have to wait for the visual cue of her jumping, then dodge once, wait a beat, and dodge again.
- Atreus is not optional: Many players forget to use the boy. His runic summons—specifically the wolves or the crows—can provide just enough stagger to interrupt Sigrun’s unblockable air attacks.
- The Berserker Resurrection Stone: Don't use the superior one that gives you more health. Use the one that gives you a full Rage meter upon reviving. A well-timed Spartan Rage can be used defensively to clear status effects and chip away at her final health bar segment.
- Turning your back: This sounds crazy, but it's a real mechanic. When Sigrun does her blinding "light" move, you have to literally flick the d-pad to turn Kratos around. If you aren't looking at her, you don't get blinded. It's one of the coolest, most "meta" mechanics in the game.
The "Real" Queen: Freya’s reclamation
The arc of the Valkyrie Queen God of War narrative concludes not with a kill, but with a restoration. Seeing Freya regain her wings and her title is one of the most satisfying moments in the series. It shifts the Valkyries from being a source of terror and boss-fight anxiety into a force for rebuilding the realms.
Interestingly, the developers at Santa Monica Studio have mentioned in various interviews that the Valkyrie fights were inspired by "bullet hell" games. They wanted the screen to be filled with threats that required precise movement to navigate. This is why the arena is always a large, flat circle. It’s a stage.
Is Sigrun harder than Gna? That’s the great debate in the community. Sigrun feels more iconic because she was the first "super boss" of the new era. She taught us how to play the game properly. Gna, on the other hand, feels like a final exam for a graduate-level course in Norse combat.
Honestly, the best way to handle either of them is to stop trying to "win" and start trying to "learn." Every time you die, you should be able to say, "Okay, I died because I dodged left instead of right." If you can't say that, you weren't paying attention.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you want to truly conquer the Valkyrie legacy and see everything the game has to offer, follow this progression path:
- Max out the Ivaldi’s Deadly Mist armor: Before touching the Queen, you need the stats. The Niflheim grind is tedious, but the health regeneration and high strength stats are mandatory for surviving more than two mistakes.
- Find the Hidden Tears: There are Realm Tears scattered across Midgard that offer enchantments specifically designed to reduce damage from Valkyrie attacks. Equip them. They aren't "cheating"; they are tools.
- Practice on Gunnr: She is the "tutorial" Valkyrie in Thamur’s Corpse. If you can't beat Gunnr without using a health stone, you aren't ready for the Queen. Use Gunnr to practice your parry timings.
- Watch the wings: The most important tip for any Valkyrie Queen fight is to watch the wings, not the weapon. The way the wings fold or flare tells you exactly what is coming two seconds before the red ring appears.
The Queen isn't a wall; she’s a mirror. She reflects your impatience, your button-mashing, and your lack of focus. Once you calm down and treat the fight like a conversation, she becomes much easier to manage. Just don't forget to look away when the light gets bright.