The deadly bosses of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice don’t go down without a fight, and here we’re going to provide a few tips and tricks to help you overcome each godly creature. Each major encounter is against a Norse mythological creature — sometimes a god, sometimes something else entirely. They’re all massive, imposing figures with their own quirks and requirements.
Winning isn’t always easy, so let’s break down the most-simple strategies for each available boss battle. This isn’t Darks Souls, so don’t worry about hardcore challenges or lost progress. Dying to a boss sends you back to the previous checkpoint where you can give the fight another try. Hellblade is a pretty linear game, so you can’t screw yourself — unless you set the difficulty too high.
For a deeper look into the opening hours, check out Gameranx’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice first impressions. If you’re aiming to earn 100% completion and get the bonus ending, find all 44 lorestone locations with the collectibles guide here.
How To Defeat Every Boss
[Work-in-Progress: Check back soon for more boss tips and tricks.]
Boss #1: Surt
NOTE: Early in the game, the path splits in two directions — left and right. Depending on the path you take, you’ll either encounter Surtr (Fire Trial) or Valravn (Illusion Trial). Take the right path to the Fire Trial to encounter this boss first.
Surt is very, very slow — he approaches and kicks or slams his sword onto the ground. Dodge right and attack — heavy attacks will help. Back off when he kneels to spread flame and rush around to his back to attack — the fire won’t damage Senua. Just attack him until his knocks you back again. Surt’s attacks cannot be parried.
If Surt manages to light himself on fire, you’ll want to avoid attacking him. This fire will hurt you. To put out the flames, use Senua’s focus vision ability and Surt will revert to normal. While on fire, all of Surt’s attacks become more dangerous, so back off and focus to dispel.
Two heavy attacks is (usually) enough to stagger Surt. Hit him will a full combo of heavy attacks after dispelling his fire to knock him on his knee, leaving him very vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
Boss #2: Valravn
NOTE: Early in the game, the path splits in two directions — left and right. Depending on the path you take, you’ll either encounter Surtr (Fire Trial) or Valravn (Illusion Trial). Take the left path to the Illusion Trial to encounter this boss.
Valravn is a quick opponent that uses trickery, long-range attacks and minions to run circles around Senua. It’s also a pretty long fight. After dishing out a certain amount of damage, Valravn will retreat and summon spectral enemies to fight Senua. These are regular opponents, so you’ll have experience fighting them.
Valravn teleports and moves fast — he’ll often swoop in with two quick cuts, then follow with a third. Valravn’s light attacks can be parried with a perfectly timed block, and his heavy jump-attack can also be blocked, but you’ll be knocked on your back.
When Valravn floats in the air and points himself like a missile, dodge left or right to escape his quick charge attack. When he jumps from medium range, dodge and then attack his back while he’s vulnerable. Block his light attacks, and even if you don’t parry, you can attack a few times right after absorbing his strikes.
When Valravn retreats and uses projectile attacks, use your dodge-forward invincibility frames to slip through the projectiles and close the distance quickly.
Use focus vision when Valravn turns into a shadow at the end of the battle. This will dispel the magic, turning Valravn back into its material form. In shadow form, Valravn cannot be harmed. Your attacks won’t affect it.
Boss #3: Fenrir
The massive, feral Fenrir stalks the dark cavern. Stay in the shaft of light, and use focus to slow time and attack the creature — normal attacks won’t affect it, you have to use focus. Fenrir’s basic attacks are powerful; it bites, or slams its front left / right leg down on Senua.
Use heavy attacks and always dodge — blocking will just knock down Senua. Dodge his slow attack, attack 1-2 times with heavy, then dodge again. If Fenrir slams the ground, dodge backwards to escape the area-of-effect.
After doing enough damage to Fenrir, it will hit Senua with a darkness attack, filling the arena with black — periodically, the arena will light up, giving you just enough time to dodge Fenrir’s next attack. Fenrir always uses his charge attack or his jump attack from the darkness, so be prepared for a quick dodge roll. Don’t try to attack him until the shadow dissipates and you’re back in the light.
Boss #4: Hela
For the final battle, Senua unlocks a powerful sword that can kill minions in a single attack — when powered up, use focus and then use [L1 + Square] to initiate a sprinting stab combo that kills regular enemies in one hit.
As you move toward the final encounter, you’ll reach an arena where swarms of regular enemies will spawn. Chain your running combo to quickly kill weaker enemies, and keep the chain going to kill the stronger ones as they appear. Using focus (when its fully charged) will help a lot.
When you kill enough enemies, a shadow will appear on the second arena platform. The shadow will transform into the various bosses you’ve encountered throughout the game — you’ll recognize the silhouette, making it more obvious what attacks you can expect. Use focus and keep hammering it.
On the final platform, when you reach the arena with Hela crouched in the center, you’ll have to succumb to the enemies — let them kill Senua, and you’ll complete the game.
To get an alternate ending, collect all 44 lorestones before the final encounter.
