How to beat The Hateful in God of War Ragnarok and close Draugr Holes

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes
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The God of War Ragnarok Hateful boss fight is found at Draugr Hole locations which produce fiery undead when you approach them. Defeat these bosses and they'll drop rewards like Chaos Flames and Sovereign Coals. 

The Hateful are a major side quest scattered across the entirety of God of War Ragnarok's world and almost essential to track down if you want to upgrade your Blades of Chaos. To help you do just that here's where you can find all six Draugr Holes and God of War Ragnarok Hateful bosses, as well as tips for beating these encounters.

All God of War Ragnarok Hateful and Draugr Hole locations

God of War Ragnarok Born from fire favor started

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Berserker Armor

God of War Ragnarok Berserker Gravestones Berserker boss fight

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Find and defeat all the Berserkers to get the best armor in the game - the God of War Ragnarok Berserker armor set

There are six Draugr Holes in God of War Ragnarok with a Draugr Fiend boss known as The Hateful. Once activated other Draugr enemies spawn in as reinforcements but you only need to defeat The Hateful to close the Hole and get the rewards. After you’ve found and defeated them for the first time, you’ll begin the Born From Fire Favor and need to close the other five holes to completed the Favor. 

Here’s where to find all the Draugr Holes and The Hateful in God Of War Ragnarok:

Svartalfheim Draugr Holes

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes map for Svartalfheim

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  1. Watchtower: Head over to the Watchtower between Nidavellir and the Bay of Bounty. Go up the path next to the shop, detonate the pot to clear the way, then climb up the rock wall to reach the Watchtower. Walk around to the upper section and you’ll quickly find the fiery pit containing the Hateful boss. There’s also one of the God of War Ragnarok Ravens flying about here too!
  2. The Applecore: Work your way through the Applecore normally until you reach the highest level of the central spiralling platform. As you’re walking around the top platform, you should spot a wooden door with a blue and gold crest above – it’s very close to the last of the God of War Ragnarok mine puzzles in the Applecore. Swing through a waterfall to reach a walkway near the door, then drop down to the left to reach and you’ll be able to open the door. The Draugr Hole will be immediately in front of you and there is also a Legendary Chest in this room.

Midgard Draugr Hole

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes map for Midgard

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Lake of Nine: Head to the northeast side of the Lake of Nine and start heading up the path to King’s Grave. On your left, you’ll be able to see a rock ledge with climbing markings on it. Climb the ledge and the Draugr Hole and The Hateful will be straight ahead.

Alfheim Draugr Hole

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes map for Alfheim

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The Barrens: Enter the Barrens via the Canyons and turn left to head to the western corner of the desert region. There is a large rock formation very close to this corner, and you’ll find a ledge to climb onto with some steps that lead up to a clearing on the rock. The Hateful and its Draugr Hole can be found in this clearing

Vanaheim Draugr Hole

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes map for vanaheim

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The Abandoned Village: When you arrive at the Abandoned Village and need to swing across a crane from one hut to the other, hit the crane with the Leviathan Axe to rotate it, then use swing off it again to reach a central clearing between three huts. Head directly west and you’ll walk across a wooden bridge that goes past some waterfalls and into a cave where you’ll find the Draugr Hole. There’s also a secret crawl space behind the Draugr Hole, so don’t miss that either.

Vanaheim Crater Draugr Hole

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes map for vanaheim crater

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The Plains: To reach this Draugr Hole, you must have opened the dam in the Jungle area of the Crater and flooded the entire region. Once you’ve done that, sail towards the northeast corner of the Plains via the new stream and reach the lone boat dock on the north side – it’s roughly opposite the shop and Mystic Gateway in the Eastern Plains. Walk up the steps from the dock and you’ll quickly bump into the Draugr Hole and The Hateful.

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful rewards

God of War Ragnarok draugr holes chaos spark reward

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Muspelheim Crucible challenges

God of War Ragnarok Muspelheim Crucible challenges

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For more unique rewards and essential upgrades, be sure to complete the God of War Ragnarok Muspelheim challenges too

You will usually get the same loot from each Draugr Hole that you clear in God of War Ragnarok, which includes a bit of Hacksilver, some Dust of Realms, and a few Sovereign Coals – an upgrade resource for certain Blades of Chaos attachments that can only be obtained here. Every time you defeat The Hateful, you’ll also get one Chaos Spark, and after clearing the sixth and final Draugr Hole, your six Chaos Sparks will automatically combine into a Chaos Flame to upgrade the Blades of Chaos!

We also got the Cursed Empress Handles attachment for the Blades of Chaos from the Watchtower Draugr Hole, which was the first one we completed. Finishing the Born From Fire Favor will also unlock a lore entry for Hertha the Hateful – a former empress turned Draugr who you’ve just fought six times – and you’ll get a decent amount of XP too.

The Hateful Tips in God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok The Hateful Draugr Holes

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God of War Ragnarok tips

God of War Ragnarok tips

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For some general gameplay pointers to help you out, look at this God of War Ragnarok tips guide

The Hateful is generally quite easy to face off against since she’s just a powered-up Draugr Fiend – a general enemy that you will occasionally come across. She can still be a challenging boss however athough, don’t worry about throwing yourself against The Hateful over and over as there’s no rush to complete all. You can’t miss any of them by progressing too far into the story and any you haven’t completed will still be available after the end of the main quest. 

Here are some tips for bringing down The Hateful:

  1. Check the color of their health bar: The color of an enemy’s health bar indicates how powerful they are compared to Kratos. If The Hateful’s health bar is yellow or green, that means she is of equal or inferior power, so the fight shouldn’t be too difficult. If the health bar is a bronze/orange color, it may prove quite challenging. We recommend coming back to a Draugr Hole later if you find The Hateful boss’s health bar is purple or red as this means they are significantly more powerful than Kratos. 
  2. This boss is very quick: The Hateful can be very fast and aggressive. Sometimes it’s best to let her come to you so that you can be prepared to defend yourself and then counterattack when possible. Using the Leviathan Axe to inflict Frost to slow down The Hateful enemies is a useful tactic.
  3. Watch out for their stomps: When you see any Draugr Fiend stomp one of its feet, that means it’s winding up an unblockable attack. Be prepared to dodge, block, and parry a long string of attacks as The Hateful flails around with her axes. You can also interrupt this charge with a well-timed, powered-up axe throw.
  4. Parrying is extremely effective: When The Hateful rushes in for an attack, always try and parry it, assuming you’re using a shield that can parry. Not only will it block the attack, but it’ll also create an opening allow you to punish the boss with attacks.
  5. Dodge often to avoid Burn attacks: The Hateful has several attacks in her pattern that inflict high burn damage, which can really melt through Kratos’ health bar. She can throw a wide volley of fireballs, slam a ripple of fire into the ground, and burst into flames, igniting you if you’re too close.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.