Where to Find Steinnbjorn¶

This mystery is hidden on the map of Jotunheim until you approach the general area. You’ll find it in the northeast of Jotunheim, not far east from Utgard. The mystery consists of a fight with a legendary animal named Steinnbjorn, a giant bear made of stone and ice, as mentioned in Aegir’s Daughters.

Fighting Steinnbjorn: Preparations¶

Steinnbjorn is a power level 400 enemy, which makes it an animal that you’ll be facing near the end of the game, unless you want to give yourself a real challenge. If you’re not too confident in your fighting abilities, you’ll want to fight Steinnbjorn as near to power level 400 as possible. We did it at power level 350 and found this more than sufficient. Needless to say, you should ensure that you’re well stocked on rations and arrows before you enter the fight. You will find some in the fight arena, but you’ll be maximizing your supply by entering the fight fully stocked.

You’ll also benefit from improving your armor and weapons by upgrading them to Flawless or Mythical quality from Gunnar, the blacksmith in Ravensthorpe. You can then add more runes which add special attributes such as increased attack, health, and defence stats. In terms of weapons, you can use any upgraded weapon of your choice, but the superior reach of Gungnir, Odin’s spear, which is extended by a force field, will be particularly useful. This will allow you to dance between Steinnbjorn’s legs without being hit, as you slash him with light and heavy attacks while avoiding him with dodges.

Boss Fight: Steinnbjorn¶

If you keep a good pace and you’re near to Steinnbjorn’s power level, the fight shouldn’t take much longer than 10 - 15 minutes. As soon as you enter the ice arena, the fight will begin. Steinnbjorn will charge you after waking up, which involves a somewhat erratic series of stomps as he lunges forward. This charge is always preceded by Steinnbjorn stomping on the ground in the same spot for a few seconds, so you’ll be able to see when a charge is imminent if you pay attention to when you see the bear doing this. As Steinnbjorn charges you, try not to react too soon with a dodge or roll. Wait for the bear to take a final leap as it’s just in front of you, then dodge or roll either side to avoid being hit. Steinnbjorn will use both front legs to lunge at you with the final act of the charge, so look out for this and take note of it as a regular pattern to be aware of.

Steinnbjorn has three weak points located on its left and right hind quarters, and one on its rear end. You’ll find it easier to aim for the two on its hind quarters if you can flank the bear, but it’s still possible to hit them from head on if you can find the time to create some distance between Havi and the bear, allowing you to aim properly without the risk of a sweeping paw hit. To hit the weak point on Steinnbjorn’s rear end, you can try to roll behind it and hope that it stands on its hind legs for a moment. Try this a few times and it will almost certainly happen, giving you a few seconds to shoot the weak point and make the bear vulnerable to a stun attack. Do this as soon as possible so that you can take a large chunk of its health early on.

Shoot Ice from Steinnbjorn’s Body¶

Throughout the fight you’ll find that Steinnbjorn will attach large pieces of ice to its body. These can inflict significant damage if they hit you, but you can also turn this to your advantage if you manage to shoot them. Doing so will briefly stun the bear and damage it for a small amount. While stunned, you can sneak in a few quick light attacks or just shoot the bear from afar if you prefer. Either way, you should try to hit these pieces of ice as soon as they appear on Steinnbjorn’s body.

Avoid Steinnbjorn Sweeping Paw¶

Aside from the charge attack that Steinnbjorn will often use, you’ll need to look out for its sweeping paw attack, which it’ll use whenever you find yourself in melee range and facing the bear directly in front of it. You won’t have much warning for when the sweeping paw attacks will occur, other than a raised paw just before the attack initiates. Keep an eye out for the raised paw and be ready to dodge or roll whenever you see it.

Special attacks: Magical¶

Steinnbjorn has three special attacks when are essentially magical. Each of them involve the use of ice, and when they hit they will inflict massive amounts of damage. The first comes in the form of a series of concentric ice walls which will spike up randomly out of the ground. The only warning you’ll get for this is when Steinnbjorn stands on its hind legs, but this won’t always be followed by a special attack. Still, better safe than sorry. Whenever you see this happen, create as much distance between Havi and Steinnbjorn as possible. The concentric ice walls will continue to form around Steinnbjorn until it’s clear that Havi isn’t going to be hit by one.

The second special attack is often used just after the first, as described above. Once the ice walls have stopped, Steinnbjorn will turn around an slam its paws on the ground, creating a block of ice that will shoot at Havi at great speed. You can avoid these just by sprinting away from them at either side, but don’t change the direction of your sprint as you’re trying to avoid a wave of them. Alternatively, you can just dodge or roll to ensure that you avoid the ice without risking a hit. The former tactic preserves stamina, but the latter is more of an assurance that you won’t be hit if you’re taken by surprise.

The third special attack is similar to the second, in that you’ll be attacked by a large block of ice. This one is preceded by the same animation of Steinnbjorn standing on its hind legs, but you’ll have less time to react and the damage will be significant if you’re caught by it. The ice will spring from the ground beneath Havi’s feet, so you won’t have much time to move if you miss the initial animation from Steinnbjorn. This comes in the form of the bear raising its paw, as with other magical attacks.

So long as you’re aware of the above attacks, and the animations which precede them, you shouldn’t get hit by Steinnbjorn too often. There will most likely be times when the ice attacks will take you by surprise, but so long as you react quickly and avoid the successive attacks with a dodge or roll, you should be back in a safe place. Flank Steinnbjorn as often as possible and combine light attacks with dodges to replenish your stamina and avoid facing Steinnbjorn head on. Take the opportunity to stun Steinnbjorn by shooting the pieces of ice attached to its body as often as possible, and make the most of the time it buys you by shooting the bear or combining a series of light attacks.