God of War Valkyries: Locations and tips for these tough endgame bosses

The God of War Valkyries are the toughest bosses of the nine realms. There are nine in total, including the daunting Valkyrie Queen, who you can fight once you've taken care of the others. You'll also snag some of the best armor in the game if you complete the challenge.

These angry angels certainly aren't a pushover, and you'll have to wait until you've reached a specific part of the main story before you can unlock the areas they inhabit—though I'd wait until you've beaten the main story when you will stand more of a chance against them. There are some minor spoilers for the story ahead, so tread carefully. Otherwise, here's where to find the God of War Valkyries and some tips to beat them when you do.

Locations

God of War Valkyrie locations 

Each Valkyrie is found inside a Hidden Chamber of Odin. These can only be accessed once you've claimed the chisel during the story. In most cases, you can open a chamber without initiating the fight, but you're better off holding off until you're at least level five or six before taking them on.

Foothills in Midgard: Geirdriful
From Sindri's shop, follow the path upwards until you reach the area where the trail splits. The story takes you to the left and into the cave with the lit torches on either side of the entrance; the right path leads you to the Hidden Chamber of Odin, where the Valkyrie resides.

The River Pass, Midgard: Kara
This one is inside the Witch's Cave, in the same room where you find the Turtle's Tribute treasure map. From the elevator, drop down to the area with the blue light bridges and cross the bridge before turning left. The wall ahead of you is climbable. The door to the Hidden Chamber of Odin is inside.

The Mountain, Midgard: Eir
The door to this Valkyrie is found at the back of the vast mines inside the mountain. The door is next to the platform where you controlled the elevator earlier in the story.

Thamur's Corpse, Midgard: Gunnr
You'll find a huge door, next to Thamur's hand in the snowy area where you enter this region. The Valkyrie is inside here.

Alfheim: Olrun
When you reach the huge lake that is home to the light temple, hug the coast to the left until you find a beach where you can dock your boat. The Hidden Chamber of Odin is at the end of the short tunnel in the cliff face, ahead of you. The entrance is just to the left of the larger opening with a lit torch.

Helheim: Rota
This one is close to the end of the bridge. Vault up onto the steps in the middle of the bridge and turn left to cross the narrow walkway and through a broken wall. The door to the Hidden Chamber of Odin is inside.

Niflheim: Hildr
This Valkyrie is one of the trickier ones to find. She's in a specific area within the labyrinth, which you should be able to find if you keep taking the left path whenever presented with an option. The video above should help you out if you're having trouble locating her.

Muspelheim: Gondul
You'll have to complete five trials within Muspelheim if you want to challenge this Valkyrie. She's the sixth challenge and is accessible after you've beaten all the others. 

Valkyrie Council, Midgard: Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen
Once you've defeated the other eight Valkyries, place their trophies on each of the thrones in the circular Council of Valkyries area and a realm tear will appear in the middle. Interact with this to summon Sigrun, the Valkyrie Queen.

Tips

God of War Valkyrie tips 

The Valkyries are some of the most challenging bosses in the game, so you should make sure you're well prepared before facing them. Each fight is different, but here are some general tips that will help you out during each encounter.

• Make sure you have a Resurrection Stone: If you make a fatal mistake, having one of these on hand can help you recover and come back swinging.
• Be patient: There's no easy win in any of the fights. Learn their attack patterns and tells, and don't try to get in hits unless you're sure it's not going to leave you wide open to the next attack.
• Use Atreus when the Valkyrie is airborne: The Valkyries will take to the air often, and they can unleash devastating attacks from this position. Use Atreus to interrupt these attacks where possible.
• Use your most powerful attack to initiate the fight: As each of the Valkyries will wait for you to initiate combat, you should take advantage by throwing as much damage at them as you can at the outset.
• Dodge as much as possible: This is a no-brainer, but you're going to need to dodge a lot. Your shield can be helpful in some cases, but many of their attacks are unblockable and will do a massive amount of damage if they land.