Dark Elf

High mobility, moderate health, moderate resistance. These winged Elves are the most elusive enemy type Kratos encounters. They can easily evade melee attacks and block axe throws. Dark Elves are even fast enough to dodge away from trip attempts! Fortunately, they can’t fly faster than Atreus’ arrows. Use arrows to knock Dark Elves out of the air or Stun them long enough for Kratos to get in close and deal damage. Remember to keep an eye on Atreus when fighting Dark Elves, as they can incapacitate him.

Dark Elf

The standard Dark Elf soldier can shoot an unblockable projectile that lands near Kratos and knocks him over with its explosive power. Sprint out of range to avoid taking damage from the attack.

In-Game Tips: “Dark Elves like to attack as a group. When Father lands a heavy hit or parries, it tends to break the swarm.”

“If we can freeze or weaken the Dark Elves, it will prevent them from using air recoveries when launched.”

Dark Elf Warrior

The Dark Elf Warrior is tougher than the standard Dark Elf, and wields a heavier lance. This weapon hits so hard it creates a nasty shockwave that isn’t easy to dodge.

In-Game Tips: “We should watch out for their charge attacks. They can cause temporary blindness. It’s hard to fight when you can’t see anything!”

“They are much easier to kill when grounded. Tripping them up seems to work pretty well.”

Dark Elf Summoner

This Dark Elf is distinguishable by its glowing wings and bright orange chest rune. His agility and fighting moves are similar to other Dark Elves with one major twist—as the name implies, the Dark Elf Summoner can summon friends! If left unchecked, the Summoner flies high in the air briefly before slamming his staff to the ground and summoning two Dark Elf minions. His summon ability is flashy and a bit lengthy; stop it with an arrow or an axe throw.

In-Game Tips: “When he spins his weapon, it means he’s about to call in more Dark Elves. We should stop him before he slams it into the ground.”

“He can block axe throws, but if we catch him off guard, Father’s heavy axe throw will freeze him and negate his speed.”

Dark Elf Lord

These Dark Elves have better attacks but are less slippery. They use a concussive rush attack that breaks Kratos’ guard and applies a Blind status effect. Like other heavy types, their melee attacks are well-telegraphed, making them easy to evade. Kratos can parry the rush attack or trip them while they run toward him.

When the Dark Elf Lord takes to the air and lifts its staff, it fires three projectiles. It is often best to sprint out of the area instead of attempting to dodge roll. Better yet, sprint right at the enemy and hit him with a powerful combo while the projectiles detonate behind you.

Dodge out of the immediate area when the Dark Elf Lord takes flight, as it leaves a bomb behind in its place. Watch for its jump attack as it flies at you swinging its weapon and follows that up with another swing. These strikes can be parried.

In-Game Tips:“It’s so strong and has thick armor, but leaves itself open after certain attacks.”

“If we can freeze or weaken it, it won’t be able to recover in the air when launched or knocked out of aerial attacks.”

Gloom Nightmare

This variant of Nightmare spits projectiles that can inflict the Blind status effect. As with all Nightmares, target them with Atreus’ arrows to kill or knock them down. The Blades of Chaos are also effective against Nightmares, as long as you can get a hold of one, turning the flier into a bomb that can be used against other enemies.

In-Game Tips: “Father can hit them twice on the same axe throw; once on the throw and again on the recall.”

“These Gloom Nightmares would make good target practice for me and my bow. Just a couple of arrows would probably bring them down.”