The Berserker Gravestone for the Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold in God of War Ragnarok is located in the eastern part of The Barrens, in the realm of Alfheim. For this one you’ll actually be fighting three Berserkers, but the Sisters of Illska share a health bar.

Where to Find the Berserker Gravestone for Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold in Alfheim¶

At the level where you can begin to realistically consider fighting these bosses, you should have already completed most of the content in The Barrens and The Forgotten Sands of Alfheim. However, if by chance you missed the Secret of the Sands and Song of the Sands favors, you should do these first to ensure that the sandstorms raging through the region (and often obscuring your field of vision) are dispersed. You can then just use the sled to travel across the sands and reach the gravestone in the eastern part of The Bellow, Alfheim, as shown in the screenshot below. The gravestone is surrounded by a circle of Light Elf statues, so the area is easily recognizable.

Boss Fight: How to Defeat the Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold¶

The two Sisters of Illska are actually called Hromundr the Cruel and Vottr the Spiteful. They are slightly smaller than Svipdagr the Cold and they spawn either side of them. The sisters prefer to stay at range so it’s easy to neglect them as you focus on defending yourself from Svipdagr, but this can leave your vulnerable to constant ranged attacks from the sisters. They can cast a number of damaging attacks such as chakrams and light / frost orbs, so it’s important that you look out for these when they’re being cast and avoid them.

Hromundr the Cruel and Vottr the Spiteful Attacks¶

How to Avoid Chakrams¶

The chakrams can be thrown at the same time from both sisters, and they will often throw more than one at the same time. Thankfully they’re pretty easy to avoid with a quick dodge or roll to either side of them. You can also roll through them if necessary, but this is a less reliable method if there are more than one chakrams heading your way.

How to Avoid Light / Frost Orbs¶

The light / frost orbs are generally cast less frequently than the chakrams, and they move more slowly. However, they can also inflict a lot more damage if you don’t deal with them before they hit you, and you can’t simply dodge or roll away from these either. The only way to stop these light orbs is to hit them with a ranged attack. This is most easily done with the Leviathan Axe or Draupnir Spear, but you can also use the Blades of Chaos or arrows as well. If you’re hit by one of these orbs you’ll sustain a significant amount of damage and you’ll be slowed by the frost effect for a brief period, so it’s important that you prioritize destroying them before they hit you.

Fireball Attack¶

Another deadly ranged attack comes in the form of a fireball cast. This cannot be blocked or parried, so you need to move out of the way with a quick dodge or roll. If you’re hit by this attack, as in the gif below, you will also sustain some fire damage over time until the fire goes out.

Ice Shard Attacks¶

There’s a lesser ranged attack that either Sister of Illska can use which comes in the form of ice shards being cast at you. These don’t inflict much damage but they will interrupt whatever you’re doing at the time, and briefly stagger you, which leaves you vulnerable to attack. It’s important that you block, parry, or dodge them for this reason.

A more deadly form of this attack can be rained down on you in a wide radius. Thankfully the area where the large ice shards will fall is shown in a red circle on the ground, and there may be more than one of these produced at the same time or consecutively. Look out for these and be ready to run or roll away from the circle in time.

Explosive Attack¶

Aside from these ranged attacks, both of the sisters have the ability to teleport across any point in the arena. This means that they can quickly move from a ranged position to within melee range, and execute a melee attack, within just a split second. They will both sometimes do this and then begin to execute an explosive attack preceded by a yellow ring indicator, so this can be blocked or parried the first time. However, it can be difficult to parry both attacks at once, so if you don’t have a shield capable of holding the block stance, a quick dodge or roll away is a more reliable way to avoid the attack.

Svipdagr the Cold Attacks¶

Charge Attack¶

One of the most basic attacks that Svipdagr the Cold will use throughout the fight is a charge and slam. This is usually preceded by a red ring indicator, meaning that you won’t be able to block or parry it. The most effective way of avoiding this is to simply dodge or roll to one side, but you can also interrupt the charge if you time the use of a Runic Attack or Relic / Sword Hilt ability. Just keep in mind that not all Runic Attacks or abilities are capable of interrupting red ring attacks, but the Hilt of Gram is a great example of one which can do it quickly and reliably.

Axe Melee Combos¶

Svipdagr is one of the more simple Berserker Bosses in terms of the range of attacks available to them. They will often spam melee combos with their axe attacks. Although most of these can be blocked or parried consistently, the last attack will often be preceded by a red ring indicator, meaning that you can’t block or parry it. Instead you’ll need to dodge or roll out of the way, or use a special ability of your own to interrupt it.

Sisters of Illska and Svipdagr the Cold Rewards¶