God of War: How to Beat Eir the Valkyrie

This post was originally authored by Jake Green

How to Beat Eir the Valkyrie in God of War

The new God of War game offers up an awesome story campaign which revolves around Kratos and his relationship with his son Atreus. It’s both emotionally charged and action-packed, sending players off to a handful of different realms, each more beautiful than the last. And while you may be completely focused on the story while playing God of War, be aware that there is a lot more to be seen. There are a bunch of awesome side activities from finding collectibles to completing favors. One side-quest involves a group of fearsome warriors called the Valkyries. There are eight in total, which Kratos must defeat. One of the most formidable of the Valkyries is one named Eir, here’s how to beat her:

How to Beat Eir in God of War – The Preparations

Like any Valkyrie fight in the game, you’re gonna need to be prepared. We recommend having Kratos at level eight, with armor equipped which enhances Runic attacks. For Atreus, have as much of the shock arrow skill tree unlocked as possible, and assign the bird attack to his bow for Eir. In terms of a Talisman, go for something which offers either a shield or health boost. This will be your insurance policy against Eir, along with a Berserker Resurrection Stone.

How to Beat Eir in God of War – The Fight

With Kratos properly loaded up, let’s begin the fight. First, rush Eir and trigger your axe Runic attacks one after the other. Once these have hit, hold square to trigger Atreus’ special shock bird attack, this will give you a window where you can switch to Blades and trigger those Runic Attacks. Now, immediately shift into a defensive pattern. The key here is to stay calm, measured, and resist risking attacks which may get you hurt. When Eir flies into the air and presents a red ring, hit square and get Atreus to fire as many arrows as possible to interrupt the attack. Next, she’ll do a sort of charge attack with a yellow ring. This is the only move you should be trying to parry, as it will give you a good window to land some attacks.

Be on the lookout for Eir’s sword lunge attack which you have to dodge roll out of the way of twice, in order to avoid the follow-up attack. Eir will sometimes form a shield using her wings. Use shield bash (double-tap L1 on PlayStation or Q on PC) to break this and keep blocking. You’re waiting for your Runic attacks to return, after which you’ll follow the steps outlined before. Your Spartan Rage should be used as a shield when you’re taking a lot of damage. Do not be tempted to trigger it in the hopes of doing damage, as this will leave you unguarded in a pinch.

After four flurries of back to back Runic attacks, as well as a bit of parrying and a lot of arrows, Eir will go down. For more on God of War, check out our review and wiki guide.