God of War Ragnarok: How to Beat Forest Ancients

Forest Ancients are tough enemies that fight from range by shooting beams of energy and elemental missiles. In close quarters, they unleash powerful unblockable attacks, all but forcing you to take them on at a distance.

Ancients are only vulnerable when their chest cavity opens up following — or during — a projectile attack. When this happens, you'll need to hurl your axe into the core, which builds the Ancient's stun bar by a large amount. Do this two or three times, and the Ancient will leave itself fully vulnerable. Get in close and perform a unique takedown to deal big damage to its chunky health bar.

If anything, fighting Ancients is a lesson is patience. You'll be forced into a position where you need to endure its ranged attacks, only able to strike back when the core is visible. Fortunately, its energy beam can be blocked, and its missiles are easy enough to dodge.

It's also worth noting that some missiles can actually be picked off the ground, as long as you're not hit by them. You can then fling these energised shards at the core to deal even more stun.

How many Forest Ancients have you smashed into submission? Be sure to check out our full God of War Ragnarok guide for information on how to beat every enemy, and much more.