God of War’s nine Valkyrie bosses are among the game’s most formidable opponents. Accessible after completing the main story, they are scattered across the game world, and Rota is especially far afield; the eighth Valkyrie dwells in the ghostly realm of Helheim. Of all of God of War’s Valkyries, Rota is extremely powerful and deadly, second only to Sigrun herself.
You should seek out Rota after you have bested the first seven Valkyries; Eir, Geirdriful, Gondul, Gunnr, Hildr, Kara, and Olrun. Given Rota’s power, you shouldn’t forget to ensure that your meters are fully charged before entering her arena; both Spartan Rage and Runic attacks are crucial weapons. As with every Valkyrie, bringing a Resurrection Stone should be standard procedure. Between their rapid strikes and unblockable attacks, Valkyries can very quickly turn the tables on you.
Fighting Rota
Up close, Rota will use a blockable whirling wing attack that some of the other Valkyries use. However, she usually follows these with unblockable attacks, or an extremely dangerous stomp (see below), so be ready to dodge. However the flurry ends, she will be vulnerable for a moment afterwards. Rota will also use an unblockable dash attack when she is on the ground.
Rota’s deadliest attack is a powerful stomp. The Valkyrie leaps suddenly into the air, flying out of your field of vision, before slamming back down wherever you are. If you fail to dodge, this attack will remove most of your health. Don’t wait here – dodge immediately after she jumps. The worst thing about this attack is that she sometimes jumps more than once in a row, so be ready to dodge again if need be.
Rota has two forms of attack when she is airborne. Firstly, the Valkyrie will throw bolts of yellow energy at you. These projectiles can be blocked. However, when she finishes shooting, she will dive at you. Her dive can’t be blocked, but she will be vulnerable to a counter-attack when she lands.
Her second aerial attack is to hover for a moment then immediately dive at you. Listen for her telltale screech, as this warns you when she is preparing to dive. Dodge immediately, as the Valkyrie is very fast. She will continue to dive at you three times before landing, when you can attack.
Once you have successfully defeated Rota, you can claim the Valkyrie’s loot. You will be rewarded with Rota’s Helmet, an Epic blades pommel called Grips of the Valkyrie, an Epic enchantment called Asgard’s Shard of Existence which is part of God of War’s Infinity War Easter egg, Perfect Asgardian Steel, and regular Asgardian Steel.