Looking for how to beat Alva in God of War Ragnarok? Alva is one of the Boss Fights you'll encounter during Groa's Secret. On this page, as part of our God of War Ragnarok guide, we'll include some tips and tricks on how to beat Alva. For more information on the foes you'll face in Ragnarok, refer to our all enemies index.

God of War Ragnarok: How to Beat Alva

God of War Ragnarok: How to Beat Alva 1
Image: Push Square

This is the boss battle where you'll learn the importance of Kratos' shield smash (double tap L1 when you see blue rings). Alva is a fast and furious opponent, forcing you to stay on your toes and watch her movements carefully.

Her main combo can be blocked up until her finishing strike, which will either need to be shield smashed or dodged. If it's an unblockable, she'll slam her swords into the ground, which creates a shockwave of light around her. The range on this move is deceptively large, so you need to react very quickly when you see the red rings. Two dodge rolls in a row should get you out of there, or you can try sprinting away and then rolling.

Alva knows how to fight from a distance as well. She has two projectiles: one is an unblockable cross-shaped blast that must be dodged, but be warned: later in the fight, she'll send two of these projectiles out in a row.

The other long-ranged technique sees Alva fuse her swords together and fling them like a boomerang. This attack can be parried (it's actually quite difficult to dodge) but it comes out quickly, so you'll need to get your timing spot on. Fortunately, it doesn't do that much damage — although it does leave Kratos open to further punishment.

And lastly, you'll need to perform that aforementioned shield smash when Alva decides to be defensive. When she crosses her swords in front of her, she'll block all incoming attacks and may even retaliate with a powerful swing of her own. When this happens, shield smash to open her up.

A shield smash is also required near the end of the battle, when Alva will attempt to heal herself. Sprint over to her and perform the smash, otherwise she'll regain a whole chunk of health.

Do you have any more tips on how to beat Alva in God of War Ragnarok? Be sure to check out our full God of War Ragnarok guide for information on how to beat every boss, and much more.