The various Metal Gear Solid 4 boss fights can be particularly challenging, with each pitting you against a unique enemy that you need to defeat before you can progress further through the act. Also, with this being a Hideo Kojima game you often need to think outside the box, as you won't get far going into each battle with an all-guns-blazing approach. To help you out, we've got loadout advice and pointers to help you beat every boss in Metal Gear Solid 4.
If you're looking for further assistance, we also have some Metal Gear Solid 4 tips to get you on the right track, plus a complete Metal Gear Solid 4 walkthrough to steer you through every act.
Act Two Boss: Laughing Octopus
Equip – Solid Eye (Night Vision), MK 2 Tranquilizer pistol, M4 Custom
Special item prize – OctoCamo facemask
The claustrophobic South American showdown against tentacled mistress of disguise Laughing Octopus is Snake’s first encounter with MGS4’s unsettling Beauty and the Beast unit, and a master class in the series’ classic brains and brawn approach to set-piece duels. Playing out in an enclosed, prefab research station comprising of interconnected rooms, Octopus’ initial tactic is to use her full-body camouflage to hide out and taunt you before revealing herself suddenly to panic you into fatal errors.
Blending into oil paintings, wooden slatted walls, ceiling rafters, and stock room shelves, she’s visible with the naked eye if you’re sharp – but a better tactic is to use the Solid Eye’s night vision mode that lights Octopus up like a Christmas tree. Wear down her health and she starts to get more brazen, barreling after you, firing homing darts your way, and crashing through windows to send you flying. Remember to pick up rations and ammo whenever the coast is clear, and clamber up onto furniture if she starts rolling after you.
Ever the tricksy one, she alternates camouflage with a series of disguises. Are you sure that’s Dr Naomi Hunter unconscious on the floor? Where did that Haven Trooper’s body come from? Why does that medical scanner have a new, extra thick cable running up to the ceiling? And how come the Metal Gear Mk. 2 is here? If it seems wrong, it’s probably Octopus. Stay sharp, stay calm, stay alive, and eventually Laughing Octopus will be gone, replaced by the tragic beauty beneath the grotesque hardware. And she wants a hug – what could be the harm in that, right? Not so fast. Let Laughing Beauty (as she’s now known) embrace you and she’ll suck the life right out of you.
So while it feels wrong, you’re going to have to take her down a second time, but you’ve got two choices here. Kill her outright if you like, but if you quick equip Snake’s Mk.2 tranq gun and wear down Laughing Beauty’s stamina instead, you’ll leave her alive and on the road to mental and physical recovery. And for this display of mercy you’ll receive a special item from her – in this case it’s Laughing Octopus’ OctoCamo facemask, which will come in very handy later on.
Act Three Boss: Raging Raven
Equip – MK.2 Tranquilizer pistol, M4 Custom, P90, RPG-7, Javelin
Special item prize – MGL-140 Rapidfire grenade launcher, Raging Beauty facemask
While the boss battle against Laughing Octopus was all about tension-soaked cat and mouse tactics, Raging Raven’s big fight is full-on shock and awe. Taking place in and around a substantial stone tower in MGS4’s mist-draped interpretation of Prague, you must tackle not only the missile firing winged harridan herself, but also squadrons of automated attack drones circling the skies with her.
With Raven pounding chunks of masonry out of the tower, you have to navigate between an enclosed ground floor and two balconies circling the structure, picking off the drones until Raven is enraged enough to draw near and give you a good shot with your heaviest weapons. This process can be a bit of a slog, so be sure to keep moving (to avoid becoming a sitting duck for your opponent's crippling mini-missiles) and buy in a heap of ammo for your best SMG, rifle, and grenade launcher/missile launcher.
It’s not a bad idea to equip auto aim while tackling the drones. This way you can stick with rifles and keep your heavy weapons for Raging Raven herself. As soon as she gets close, swap to either the Javelin or RPG-7 and try to get off at least two shots before she retreats. The Javelin will home in on Raging Raven so is good over distance, but if she’s getting close, the RPG-7 has a quicker reload so it’s your best bet there.
Wear her down and – as with all the members of the Beauty and the Beast unit – eventually you get the opportunity to offer the beautiful woman beneath the armored exoskeleton release or redemption. Use your Mk.2 tranq gun to send her into a dreamless sleep and you'll earn her kickass MGL-140 grenade launcher as your reward.
Act Four Boss: Crying Wolf
Equip – MK. 2 Tranquilizer pistol, M4 Custom, MGL-140 grenade launcher, SVD Sniper rifle
Special item prize – Rail Gun, Crying Beauty facemask
This brilliant sniping level cleverly updates the classic confrontation against Metal Gear Solid’s best boss, Sniper Wolf. You must navigate the exterior of the base while a stinging snowstorm reduces visibility almost to nil. Complicating your attempt to locate and take down the feline mech form of Sniper Wolf are squads of elite Haven Troopers.
Taking them down is hard enough, and with Crying Wolf capable of tracking you when you’re downwind of her, finding a safe vantage point from which to scope the area using your night vision is the real challenge here. First thing to do is make a sweep of the area and acquaint yourself with it, taking down any Haven Troopers you see as you go. The reason for this is that, as Crying Wolf tracks you, you’ll briefly be able to see through her eyes. Learn the location’s landmarks and when this happens you’ll be able to figure out where she is in relation to you and aim at her before she opens fire or stamps your face into the snow.
If you’re running low on rations and Regain, the best tactic is to equip a sniper rifle and full OctoCamo (face and body), scale one of the two towers and lie low, scanning the area for signs of Crying Wolf. She often prowls around the distant tree line, so keep looking there. Even if you can’t actually see her with your eyes, the Solid Eye night vision will reveal her nanomachine marker tag if your crosshairs pass over her. Spot her as she temporarily emerges from her armored exoskeleton to draw a bead on you and you can score maximum damage.
However, if you’re feeling bullish and have a lot of rations, you can forgo the stealth, equip Raging Raven’s MGL-140 grenade launcher and go hunting for Crying Wolf instead. Keep thinning out the Haven Troopers and it won’t be long before she comes at you. If you’re quick you can knock her off her feet and get a good three to five shots in before she recovers. Then it’s just a case of retreating, reloading, and repeating, but be warned – if the battery in your Solid Eye runs down, you’ll be forced to fight blind. Show Crying Wolf mercy and you’ll earn yourself her awesome Rail Gun.
Act Four Boss: Vamp
Equip – MK. 2 Tranquilizer pistol (for CQC), M4 Custom, P90, Mp5-SD2, Rail Gun, Syringe
Special item prize – N/A
Having shot Vamp in the forehead twice (once in MGS2 and once in MGS4’s South American level) before this final showdown in the shadow of MGS’ shattered Metal Gear REX in Alaska, it’s hard to imagine how you’re going to be able to kill the seemingly immortal boss. And sure enough, shooting him silly with conventional weapons will take him down, but only temporarily. This fight requires lateral thinking.
As revealed by Dr Naomi Hunter, Vamp’s incredible healing ability is down to the nanomachines in his blood. And since Snake is carrying syringes full of a cocktail that will suppress nanomachine activity, all you have to do is temporarily incapacitate Vamp using regular weapons. Since Vamp pings and bounds all over the shop before charging at you, it’s not a bad idea to toggle auto-aim on for this first bit. That way you can unload clip after clip into him wherever he leaps. When he finally goes down, get behind him. After that, the moment he gets up you can grab him in a CQC chokehold and use the nanomachine syringe to make Vamp mortal again. Piece of cake, right? Yeah, well, you’re not done yet.
You may have softened Vamp up, but he’s not dead yet. With a seemingly endless squad of special Gekko Metal Gear mechs programmed to self-destruct entering the chamber, Raiden shows up to tackle Vamp while you deal with the mechs, and Otacon tries to hot-wire the Metal Gear REX for your use. In this part of the battle you have to use the Rail Gun to thin out the Gekkos just long enough for Otacon to start up the REX.
There are two tactics that will save your bacon here. Firstly, retreat to a position underneath the REX. You’ll be protected from most shots, and you can get a clear shot at the Gekkos no matter which direction they come from. Secondly, aim for the very top part of the Gekkos’ ‘heads’ as it’s a surefire method to take ‘em out. Perfect your aim and you can become a one-shot master.
Act Four Boss: Metal Gear RAY
Equip – N/A
Special item prize – N/A
It’s taken many years but finally you get to pilot your very own Metal Gear REX in this brilliant mech-based boss battle against Snake’s nemesis, Liquid. Set in the dockside area on Shadow Moses island (after a cool tutorial level that sees you fighting off scores of Gekkos on the route out of the hangar), you have to use all of REX’s weaponry – cluster guided missiles, Gatling gun, chemical laser, and a mean, mech sweeping kick – to defeat Liquid’s technologically superior Metal Gear RAY.
In a brilliant departure from the usual floaty, style-over-substance mechs that appear in games, Snake’s REX feels massively solid and weighty. Use that heft to your advantage, and after softening Liquid’s RAY up dash in close (by double tapping X) and use the REX’s chunky leg sweep to do your opponent some serious damage. Score enough damage and you’ll get a special action prompt. Hit it and you’ll perform a devastating special move that will knock a good chunk off RAY’s health bar. It’s then important to retreat – use the buildings as cover to get some safe distance – before repeating the tactic.
At distance, try charging the chemical laser to full power and using that, as a direct hit will score massive damage. Missiles are good if you can aim long enough to get multiple lock-ons, while the Gatling gun is best for taking advantage of sudden clear shots when they arise. Whatever you do, don’t let RAY get too close, or you’ll risk a crippling stomping. If it charges, double tap X plus a direction to side-step or retreat. This fight has been a long time coming, but it is definitely worth the wait.
Act Five Boss: Screaming Mantis
Equip – Syringe, M4 Custom, AK102, MK.17, P90
Special item prize – Sorrow Doll, Psycho Mantis Doll, Screaming Beauty facemask
The final member of the Beauty and the Beast unit is also its leader, keeping them and anyone she chooses to in check using her terrifying psychic powers. Just like her Metal Gear Solid namesake, Psycho Mantis, Screaming Mantis is a master of manipulation, and as such, defeating her using conventional means is impossible without first shaking yourself free of her mind control.
Initially her tactics involve manipulating ally Meryl’s body like a marionette, along with the corpses of the Haven Troopers lying around the Ark’s control room. However, soon she ups the ante, using her puppeteer skills to prevent you from aiming at her body and even resorts to sneaky misdirection – at various points the screen goes black, with only green TV channel text top right reading ‘Hideo 2’ revealing that your console hasn’t, in fact, crashed. Mantis also flashes up the Kojima Productions logo, but look closely and you’ll see it actually reads ‘Kojima Protection’ instead. Don’t hit reset! You’re being messed with!
So how do you take her down? It’s easier than it, at first, appears. First things first – to free yourself from her control, use the nanomachine syringe on yourself. This effectively cuts Screaming Mantis’ strings, freeing you to aim at her. You may have to repeat this tactic, so keep the syringe equipped. But wait, before you tackle Screaming Mantis herself you need to deal with Meryl, as while under Screaming Mantis’ control she’s a liability to both you and also herself. To prevent her from killing you or putting her gun to her own head, equip the Mk.2 tranq gun and wear down her stamina to knock her unconscious.
This enables you to turn your attention to Screaming Mantis herself. Rather than trying to shoot her, aim at the strings attached to either one of her puppets – The Sorrow or Psycho Mantis – and, in time, it will be cut loose and fall to the ground. Now sprint over, pick it up, equip it and you can use it against Psycho Mantis. Score a direct hit with its ethereal ‘rounds’ and suddenly you have physical control over the master manipulator. Now all you have to do is shake her to defeat with a violent flourish of the controller. Brilliant. Completists should try and get both dolls, but if you’re running low on health then concentrate on the Psycho Mantis doll. It’s more effective – you’ll see why as soon as you’ve taken down Screaming Mantis’ ‘Beauty’ form.
Act Five Boss: Liquid Ocelot
Equip – N/A
Special item prize – N/A
After all the shooting, raging techno war, cyborg mechs, and nanomachines, this is what it all comes down to – a one-on-one fistfight between Snake and Liquid on the deck of the Patriot’s Ark. And while two ageing men slugging it out like tramps in a park would be an anti-climax, series creator Hideo Kojima uses this brutal punch-up as a summation of decades of Metal Gear, incorporating music, health bars, gestures, and even, fleetingly, character models from earlier games as the weary pair stubbornly leather each other until nothing is left on display but pure force of will and a lot of liver spots.
It’s an incredible fight to the finish. Stamina is what counts here, so keep circling Liquid until you’re happy you can get the punches in. When you do, keep at it. Eventually you’ll get a special move prompt and it’s this that will really whittle down Liquid’s health. One last piece of advice – keep away from the edge of the arena. You don’t want slip and go out like a sucker with total victory just within your grasp, do you?
Final Boss: The End Credits
Equip – Comfy socks, chair
Special item prize – Having all the answers
This is it: the final gauntlet. Sorry to say there aren’t really any tactics we can give you on how best to make it through MGS4’s marathon movie ending. True, you could skip the ending of an epic story that’s taken decades to tell, but you wouldn’t be about to do that now, would you? So our advice is simple – get comfy, sit back, and enjoy every last second of it. Oh, and do wait for the credits to end, as there’s a moving final message that’s well worth the wait.
Want to read more? Then here's why MGS4's final scene is more powerful than we ever realized.
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