Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Boss Strategy Version 1.07 Created by: Rapskallion Date: November 2001 Copyright 2001 Brian Renbarger ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Updates: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -Version 1.07 (2-1-01): Added reader contributed tip to the Extreme Vamp battle; for all those people emailing me about how it is impossible, I'm hoping this will help. Also went ahead and changed Extreme Vamp's difficulty from "Easy or Very Hard" to "Medium or Very Hard" due to the large number of people having trouble executing the "Easy" route. -Version 1.06 (1-23-01): Minor update. Just two new reader contributed tips added; one to the Harrier fight, and yet another Fatman tip. Check 'em out, they are both good ones. -Version 1.05 (12-24-01): Added reader contributed tips to the Fortune battle. A few minor changes to some other boss fights. Lots of grammar/spelling errors fixed (I finally used a spell checker!). Yet another E-mail address change; it's the last one, I promise. -Version 1.04 (12-09-01): Added some forgotten information to previous updates in the Updates sections. Added reader contributed tips to the Fatman, Harrier, and Vamp battles. Added names to the bosses in the Extreme Bosses section of the Table of Contents. Changed Extreme Fatman's difficulty from "Easy" to "Medium". A few grammar corrections/other minor changes. -Version 1.03 (12-02-01): Very important change in my email address due to my @home.com account being shut down. Added the Updates section. Some minor changes and a few typo/grammar corrections. -Version 1.02 (11-28-01): Added a reader contributed tip to the Metal Gear Ray battle. Made some minor changes/additions to the Vamp battle. Added some info to the General Boss Strats section. Corrected some typos throughout the FAQ. -Version 1.01 (11-22-01): Added the Extreme Boss section, added reader contributed tips to Olga and Fatman. Changed Fatman's difficulty level from "hard" to "medium". Corrected some typos and other small problems. Added some minor info to Introduction, General Boss Strats, and Credits section regarding the addition of the Extreme Boss section. -Version 1.0 (11-17-01): FAQ released in original form. Intro, General Boss Strats, Bosses, Credits, and Legal sections all added and completed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents: ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction II. General Boss Strategies III. The Bosses -1. A Hairy Situation: Olga -2. Mission Impossible: Fortune -3. Skate or Die: Fatman -4. Look Out Below: AV-88 Harrier II -5. Got Blood?: Vamp -6. Got Any More Blood?: Vamp Part 2 -7. Heavy Metal: Metal Gear Ray Army -8. Swordplay: Solidus Snake IV. Extreme Bosses -1. Extreme Olga -2. Extreme Fortune -3. Extreme Fatman -4. Extreme Harrier Jet -5. Extreme Vamp -6. Extreme Vamp Part 2 -7. Extreme Metal Gear Ray Army -8. Extreme Solidus Snake V. Credits VI. Legal Stuff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, it's here. Metal Gear Solid 2, quite possibly the most anticipated video game of all time. If you're like me, then one of the main reasons you got this game is the bosses. In MGS, the boss fights were some of the most original and memorable boss fights in gaming history. Everything from the classic Psycho Mantis battle to the amazing Vulcan Raven fight to the action packed finale, Metal Gear Solid created a caliber of bosses no other game has ever matched. Now the sequel is here, which means another series of excellent boss fights. And I'm here to help you through them, one by one. I have personally gone through and beat each boss at least five or six times and tested different strategies. The bosses are all given a difficulty level: Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard, or Very Hard. This guide was done totally on normal difficulty (with the exception of the EXTREME BOSSES section). This guide (like most guides) contains spoilers, so read at your own risk. Don't worry too much though; unless you read ahead to the next boss or something, you'll be fine. If you have any suggestions of your own for alternative ways to beat the bosses, email me at BrianR755@yahoo.com with them. After I try them, if I like it I will post it and give you credit for your contribution. If you have any additional problems, don't hesitate to email me. Oh, one more thing. Please do not use this FAQ on any other site without my permission. If you are interested in using this FAQ on a webpage other than GameFAQ's, e-mail me at BrianR755@yahoo.com to get permission first. Thank you, and enjoy! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- II. General Boss Strategies ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are a few general strategies to follow in MGS2. Apply these strategies to all bosses and it should make the fights easier. Locate ammo supplies: It is important to find where (if anywhere) the ammo spawns for you. This is important for two main reasons. First, when you run out of ammo you won't have to run around searching for it, you'll already know where it is. Second, it gives you a hint on what gun is most effective in the battle. If there are chaff grenades lying around during a boss fight, perhaps you should try throwing one or two to see its effects. If there is missile launcher ammo, maybe you should stop using your machine gun... its a good way to discover the most effective gun in a battle. Locate ration supplies: On some fights, rations respawn in the same location. Locate the rations (if any), and keep your eyes on it to see if more appear later in battle. Use your surroundings: This one should be pretty obvious. If there are boxes around, that probably means you should use them for cover. Also, remember that certain bosses use the surroundings against you as well, so try to find ways of eliminating environmental advantages that the bosses have. Keep moving: In most boss battles, you stand a better chance of staying alive if you move around a lot. You'll get shot a lot less and will be a tougher target when moving. Run until your enemy stops shooting, then turn and hit him/her a few times before taking off again. Use your Codec: Calling people like the Colonel and Otacon during battles often reveals some very important hints on how to defeat that particular boss. Listen to what they tell you because they will reveal weak points and other strategies. Don't be overly aggressive: Remember, you aren't Superman. Don't stand out in the open blasting away. Move around and shoot only when you've got a nearly guaranteed hit. Once your enemy is almost dead, then maybe you can afford to take a stand and give him/her all you've got. But besides that, stay defensive and never let your guard down. Some of the boss strats have TIPS on them... these tips have been sent in to me by a reader and are often very helpful ways in beating certain bosses quicker and easier. If you ever see a TIP, make sure you read it. It could make life a whole lot easier. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- III. The Bosses ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. A Hairy Situation: Olga Difficulty: Easy Word of Advice: Stay hidden, stay low, and keep moving. She shouldn't be that tough if you do. Here it is, your first boss fight! Lucky for you, it's not too tough. Stay behind the crates with your back against them so you can see Olga over your shoulder. When she runs from one place to the other, quickly go around the corner and shoot her. You can go into first-person mode if you want, but I found that it took too much time. You'll hit her most of the time just taking corner shots. Whenever she comes out from cover, shoot her quickly then duck back behind your crates. The only thing to watch out for is her grenades. Olga always yells "take that!" before throwing a grenade at you, so whenever you hear her, simply run to the other group of boxes on the other side. After awhile, Olga will shoot the rope holding down a tarp and use it for cover. She can shoot through the tarp, but you can't see her. Go to the far right of the crates on your right hand side and shoot the rope holding the tarp down. It will fly off. From here you may be able to get a few potshots on Olga from first person view, so take 'em if you got 'em After a few more hits, crafty ol' Olga will shoot the spotlight and blind you with it. Since you left your sunglasses in the car, the light will blind you and seriously hurt your shooting ability. From anywhere you can see the light, go into first-person mode and shoot it to knock it away from you. That should take care of the light problem. Before too long, your M9 needles finally do the trick. While Olga is taking her beauty rest, make sure you shake down her body to get her dogtags! Congrats, you're done with the first boss. TIP: If you don't want to have to bother with the light or tarp problem, you can shoot them out at any time during the battle. So if you'd like, just go ahead and shoot them both at the very beginning of the fight so she cannot use them to her advantage (thanks to QSeal00 for this idea). 2. Mission Impossible: Fortune Difficulty: Very Easy Words of Advice: Just keep moving and stay away from the barrels and this fight will be over before you know it. Fortune is amazing. Not only can bullets not touch her, but she is carrying a big ass gun that has to weigh 5 times what she weighs! Well, here's the secret to this fight; stay alive. Don't even shoot a bullet at her, because you'll miss. Don't believe me? Then go ahead and waste your ammo! All you gotta do to win this fight is keep moving around. Stay behind the boxes and crates at all times; Fortune's big ol' gun does heavy damage. Stay in one place until Fortune has pretty much destroyed it, then move on to the next. If Fortune shoots a barrel, it might explode, so stay away from it. After a few minutes, this fight will just end. So sit tight and don't get shot! TIP: If you want to make this fight even easier, go ahead and equip a box. This way, you can run while ducking (thanks to Bob the Defeatable for this tip). 3. Skate or Die: Fatman Difficulty: Medium Words of Advice: Fatman can be quite a pain. Make defusing bombs your priority; after that, take well-aimed shots at the fat dude. Move fast and make sure you get to those bombs! Fatman; not only does he have a very descriptive name, but he's one helluva rollerblader! Keep your Sensor A on at all times; if your health gets low, make sure you take a ration since you don't have them equipt. This can be a pretty long battle, but don't get too annoyed if you die; just learn from your mistakes. When Fatman is setting bombs, follow him around and diffuse them as quickly as possible. Some of them are pretty well hidden, so search everywhere! After taking care of his bombs, you gotta take care of Fatman quickly before he sets some more. Get to somewhere you can see him and go into first-person mode with the SOCOM equipped. Now, the first objective is to get his fat ass on the ground. Shooting him on his skates is the easiest way to do this, but it requires a good shot. If you shoot him in the body a few times (a MUCH bigger target), that will also get him to the ground. Or you can even punch/kick him when he skates too close. Once he is on the ground, get somewhere where you can get a good shot at his head and shoot his head in first-person mode. If you are quick, you can get two good headshots in one takedown. While it is possible to do this without taking him down first, this is the easiest way. After awhile, Fatman will start guarding his bombs. When he does this, quickly shoot him a few times and he'll skate off. Remember, you have to make sure you get to the bombs before the timer runs out or you die, so bombs are always your #1 priority. Once Fatman dies, the battle isn't done. There is still one more BIG bomb left to diffuse. This last bomb is very well hidden under the body of Fatman himself. Quickly move his body and diffuse it to end this fight. TIP: If you have time, you can set a few claymores around the place at key locations. When Fatman skates over these, he'll be knocked over. If you place enough claymores around places Fatman frequently skates, Fatman won't have time to put up very many bombs. Just be careful not to trip your own claymores (thanks to Jeff Surek and Sir Lavaine for this tip). TIP 2: It is also possible to shoot Fatman down right after he gets up before he has time to skate away, so start shooting like crazy while he's getting back on his feet, especially at his roller blades (thanks to Bob the Defeatable for this tip). TIP 3: Another tip; when Fatman is skating around looking for you, try hiding under one of the big crates (yes, you can crawl under them). Now Fatman won't be able to find you and you can shoot him at your leisure (thanks to Kevin Parthemer for this tip). 4. Look Out Below: AV-88 Harrier II Difficulty: Medium Words of Advice: You are probably going to take some damage in this fight because the easiest way to take down the Harrier is to take a stand. What is a Metal Gear game without some kind of vehicle fight? The Harrier is big, fast, and can pack a punch; luckily, Raiden can take a whole lot of abuse before he bites the big one. Go get the Stinger Launcher and some missiles. Now, this fight relies heavily on your radar, so keep an eye on it. The Harrier is the big red spot on the radar; Snake and Ocacon are in the Kasatka chopper, which is the small red spot. Equip the Stinger and look in the general direction of the Harrier. Hopefully the Harrier is far away at this point. The Stinger automatically locks on to the Harrier. When it does this, a red box will appear. Quickly fire a stinger or two and press R2 to put the launcher away. Then dive for cover, because the Harrier will charge at you and try to knock you over. Get up quickly, and aim at the Harrier again. Repeat as long as Solidus does this. At one point, the Harrier will hover over you. All you gotta do is aim the launcher straight up and shoot. After taking considerable damage, the Harrier will shoot a bunch of missiles at Raiden. These will take out a portion of the bridge and will do some serious damage. The easiest way to avoid them is to jump over the ledge and hang on the rail, although this does not seem to work as well on harder difficulties (thanks to InXanity for this tip). Whenever the Harrier shoots missiles or machine guns at you from now on though, drop to the lower level and run around until it stops. Eventually, you will have to take a stand; equip the Stinger and fire a few missiles at the Harrier. Move around some, picking up any rations or ammo you need, and then repeat. Before too long, the Harrier will make a nose dive and our friend Solidus will loose his little eye. Poor baby. TIP: Having trouble with the Harrier? Try this; right as the fight starts, grab the Stinger and ammo and run up to the platform on the opposite shell (near the door). Lay up against it so that your back is to it and crouch. The Harrier won't be able to hit you with its machine guns. Next, the Harrier will attack you with missles. If you don't move at all, the missles SHOULD just hit the wall and miss you. After this, quickly move out and take a few shots at the Harrier before it begins firing again (thanks to James Garner for this tip). 5. Got Blood?: Vamp Difficulty: Medium Words of Advice: If you got a good supply of rations, you'll have no trouble. Keep moving at all times and he'll have trouble hitting you. Vamp isn't easy by any means, but I sort of wish he was slightly more challenging. The weapon of choice is the RBG6 and the Stinger (when you can get a lock). Guns will be of little use since he can simply dodge the bullets most of the time and he's too quick to get a good shot. While it is possible to hit him in certain situations, like when he is resting or underwater, unless you run out of ammo in your bigger guns, I suggest using them. Start off the fight by quickly hitting him with a grenade from the RBG6 and he'll dive under the water. Don't jump in, or you're screwed. Walk to the edge and equip the Stinger (or RBG6 if you'd rather). Target Vamp and shoot away. Before too long, he'll jump out of the water and start flying around like a madman, moving from place to place, throwing knives at you all the while. Run around to avoid his knives, occasionally stopping and targeting him with the RBG6. You can use the Stinger as well, but it takes longer to aim. Once he dives into the water again, go back at it with the Stinger or RBG6. Eventually Vamp will get pissed off and start going crazy. He'll jump from spot to spot, throwing knives like mad. He'll even use a knife to pin Raiden's shadow to the ground. This can be avoided by shooting out all the lights around the arena, but that takes time that could probably be better spent on Vamp. Still, it's up to you. Just keep moving (when you can) and taking occasional shots with the RBG6. Before too long, Vamp will be history. TIP: If you are having trouble with Vamp, try using claymores. While Vamp is in the water, set a claymore in the top right corner of the room (by the door), and Vamp will hit it after he jumps out. He'll do this every time he jumps out of the water, so you can use it multiple times! (Thanks to all who sent me this tip, especially Mark Matuszewski) 6. Got Any More Blood?: Vamp Part 2 Difficulty: Easy Words of Advice: Take some Pentazemin and take care of this guy quickly; it's only a matter of time before HE takes care of Emma! An easy battle, especially if you've got some Pentazemin left. If not, smoke a cig; it will steady your aim as well. You can either use the PSG-1 or the PSG-1T in this battle, they both work pretty much the same. I suggest using whichever has more ammo. Whatever you do, do not switch between the two; they take energy from separate life bars, so it would be a total waste of time. Zoom in however much you have to and shoot Vamp in the head. Be careful not to hit Emma, but if you do once or twice it's no big deal; she'll only loose a bit of life (I've noticed that Emma seems to loose slightly less life when hit with the PSG-1T). Quickly unleash a series of sniper shots and this guy will be gone for good in no time. 7. Heavy Metal: Metal Gear Ray Army Difficulty: Hard Words of Advice: This is possibly the toughest fight in the game, so don't get impatient. ALWAYS be moving and throwing chaff grenades except for when you are targeting a Ray. This is my favorite fight in the game, and possibly the most challenging. The Rays start off by each making a battle cry that sounds just like Godzilla; take advantage of this time to shoot one of them. The most effective way to shoot them is to equip the Stinger and target on of their legs. After you hit their leg, the Ray will buckle down, exposing his main weak point on his head. Keep the Stinger equipped and move it up and slightly to the side so that it targets the head. While the head is bent down, shoot it to deliver maximum damage. If you don't have time to do all this, simply shooting the Ray in the head will deliver a good punch as well. After you shoot one of the Rays, quickly unequip the Stinger and start running. While running, the odds of the Rays hitting you with anything is next to nothing. Equip the chaff grenades and throw them (remember, grenades can be thrown while moving, so throw it while running around). The chaff grenades stun the Rays and make their weapon fire less accurate. Quickly equip the Stinger and go after one of the Rays. Keep all your fire focused on one Ray; after it reaches about half health, it will jump into the middle of the arena. Just equip the Stinger and keep going at it the same as you were before, and if you stay pretty close to the Ray then the other ones won't risk firing missiles or machine gun (just don't get too close or you'll be squashed). After the Ray's health reaches zero, it will run away and get replaced by another. Don't worry; you've only got to destroy six before the battle ends (at least, 6 on normal difficulty; you've got 3 on very easy and easy, 12 on hard, and 20 on extreme). As long as you keep moving and shoot quickly, you'll be done in no time. TIP: Another strategy I've heard of in numerous e-mails is to quickly move from one Ray to the next with the Stinger. According to these e-mails, you can get all three to about half life this way before they even attack once (when the first one jumps into the middle.) I have never been able to pull this off, but if you're having trouble, give it a try. 8. Swordplay: Solidus Snake Difficulty: Medium Word of Advice: The final fight isn't too tough if you go at it correctly. Keep your guard up and charge right at Solidus and he'll be dead before you know it. This is it, the big final showdown! Solidus attacks in a lot of different ways, none of which do TOO much damage. For most of his attacks, holding L1 will deflect it, allowing you to quickly counter the attack with one of your own. The best way to take Solidus down is to hold down L1 and run right at him. After he makes an attack, take a swing or two with your sword while his guard is down. Hope you practiced with this thing before the battle! The attacks that L1 doesn't protect against are the tentacle trip, the tentacle rockets, the wall leap, double downward sword attack, and the firewall. These attacks don't do TOO much damage and can be easily avoided by using the cartwheel flip move. At about half life, Solidus takes off the tentacles and gets a whole lot faster. This also limits his attacks to his swords and the firewall attack. He will now do two or three firewalls in a row, so stay still when he starts them and stay out of his way. After his firewalls, charge at him holding L1 and let him have it. His defenses are much weaker now that he doesn't have his tentacle suit, so he'll take more damage more often. Attack him, then hold L1 as he unleashes a string of sword attacks, and then attack him again. Once his life bar goes down to zero, he'll be finished and you'll be rewarded the awesome final cutscene to this great game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Extreme Bosses (by Bob The Defeatable) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Those of you who are trying to defeat this game on its hardest difficulty, extreme, may find the above information pretty useless. To help all of you out, Bob The Defeatable has contributed a guide on fighting off those nearly impossible bosses on extreme difficulty. Remember, this is extreme difficulty, so expect all bosses to be much more challenging. If you have any questions on this section of the FAQ, email HIM (not me!) at MasterDecoy10@aol.com. So, here it is: NOTE FROM BOB: Since you cannot play Extreme unless you have beaten the game on another difficulty, I will assume you have some knowledge of what the bosses do. These are advanced strategies only. Even though they work well on all difficulties, they are not needed there. Other difficulty levels should refer to the above section of the guide. The difference between regular bosses and extreme bosses is your HEALTH. In most boss situations, 2 hits = DEATH. Plus, there are no rations in extreme (except when snake throws em at you during the end battle with all the soldiers). Here are some strategies that might help you: 1. Extreme Olga Difficulty: Hard What a pain! You can't shoot the tarp or spotlight in Extreme, which makes her much more difficult. First of all, use the boxes to your advantage in the first half of the fight. Do not get out from behind them unless you are ready to shoot. Aim for the head, it is most effective. Always roll when switching from box to box, she can't hit you as easily this way. Once you get her to about half of her health, she will shoot the tarp. Don't even bother with trying to hit her when she is hiding behind the tarp. It is way too hard. All you have to do is wait it out behind a box, and dodge grenades. Eventually, without you doing anything, she will shoot off the tarp. After the tarp is gone, she will use the light. This is your chance to take her down. Go to the boxes on the right side of the screen. She will adjust the light to shine on you. Wait until she throws a grenade, then run to the other set. She will still be in the action of throwing. Before she has a chance move the light to you, pop out the far left and hit her. If you aim well you will most of the time hit her. Then, run back to the other side and repeat until she is dead. Might take 3-5 hits depending where you hit her. 2. Extreme Fortune Difficulty: Very Easy All right. Even though Fortune goes freaking crazy with her big gun in extreme, you can get by her without being hit. Equip a BOX. That's right, a box. It allows you to run while crouching. Just run across the screen until she is done. You will never get hit. 3. Extreme Fatman Difficulty: Medium Fatman is not that hard at all, but he is not cake like Fortune. First of all, there are 2 bombs in place when you start. Take care of them first. After the 2 bombs, get out your Socom. Hold down L1 so you can run and shoot, and run after him. This is much easier than going into first person view. About 5-6 shots will bring him down, and when he is down, shoot him in the head. This part is KEY: right when he gets back up, KNOCK HIM DOWN AGAIN. If you are persistent, he will not have a chance to plant any more bombs, though he sometimes gets away. If he plants more bombs, take em out before going after him again. After you knock him down about 5 times, he should be dead. Then you just have to take care of the bomb under his body, and you are finished. 4. Extreme Harrier Jet Difficulty: Very Hard OMFG. This fight is a PAIN IN THE ASS. The jet has 1 hit kills, homing missiles, machine guns, and takes about 20 hits to go down. It is nearly impossible, until you get the hang of it. Right when you start, hit him 2 times before he moves. It is effective, and is one of the few times you can hit him while he is doing nothing. He will then make one lap around you. Hit him 2-3 times while he is doing this. Then he is going to go off in the distance and fire missiles at you. When you can target him, fire 1 missile, then flip out of the way. If you time it right, the missile will hit him, and you won't get hurt. He will go off in the distance 2-3 times. After that, he will go above you and burn you with his Harrier things that burn you. (ya know, the things). Before he gets above you, have your missiles ready. When he comes in sight above you, fire one, and don't stop. He won't get close enough to hurt you, and you will hit him 4-5 times. After this, the jet will go above you and fire some huge bombs. They will blow up the entire top of the area. So, I suggest you run the hell downstairs! Another tricky thing he does is goes to the side and fires about 30 missiles at you. They kill you in 1 hit! How nice! Stand on the stairs and run back and forth. This is the only way to dodge them that I know of. When he is done firing, go up and fire missiles at him, since he will stand still for about 10 seconds. Get in as many as you can. The last thing he does is fire his big machine gun at you. These take about half your life away. I recommend going downstairs and hiding behind the boxes. He will try to go around them and get you from the other side, so be moving around. Duck, too, because he can hit your head. Eventually he will go down. This will be a very happy moment for you after about 30 failed tries. (At least it was for me.) 5. Extreme Vamp Difficulty: Medium or Very Hard (Depending on your approach) The reason there are 2 difficulties is because if you try this battle the legit way, it is VERY hard. I have never done it the legit way. However, the CHEAP way (the one that you are reading this for) is not too difficult to pull off. LEGIT: Use your grenade launcher while he is underwater to hit him a little. Either stay in once place and shoot his knives out of the way, or dodge them. When he stops after throwing a bunch of knives (usually about 6), stand right under him and hit him with the grenade launcher. You can hit him 3 times. When he is running after you, flip out of the way of his cut. This method is easier said than done, and is next to impossible to execute. TIP: When you start off, he'll do his ceremonious bow. Be unceremonious. Run up and blast him with the RGB6, or shoot him in the head with a bullet-weapon. Don't waste the stinger. He'll go underwater. Go into one of the corners of the room and pull out your stinger. On this first attack, he'll take so long to throw his knife that you'll be able to shoot him easily. He'll immediately dive underwater. Run to the top left corner of the room. Put some claymores in the middle of the North and west parts of you platform, and wait in the top left corner. Suprisingly enough, Vamp will appear in the bottom right corner. If you're fast enough, you can shoot him once while he's in the corner. DO NOT SHOOT HIM TWICE. If you shoot him twice, he'll frolic right over the claymores and murder you. Anyway, so you've shot him once, and now he jumps to the other side of the bridge. He'll run up to you and run right into the claymores. How moronic. He'll dive back in the way. When he pops back out, his attacks will consist of this; shoot one knife, flip to the other side of the room; shoot another knife and flip to the other side of the room; shoot one knife and flip to another side of the room; shoot five or six knives, while moving across the railing. These attacks are easy to avoid -- try to always know where Vamp is. Always stay in motion. When you hear a swish noise, flip to dodge one of the single knives. After the third knife, run under wherever he is and shoot him with your stingers. It's pivotal to always know where he is. If you're fast enough, after launching a missile, you can whip out the M4 and give him a head shot. Afterwards, he'll dive underwater. He's gonna come back up and you'll want to do the same strategy as before with the claymores. It'll take a while for him to come up from underwater, so you have a choice: you can shoot out all the lights, to avoid his "Shadow attack," the attack where he paralyzes you, or you cannot shoot out the lights, since the shadow attack is relatively easy to avoid. When you've been playing Vamp for a while, you'll get to know when to use the two strategies I listed above. He'll alternate back and forth. When his life gets to about 25%, this is where the lights matter. If you didn't shoot out the lights, have the Stinger launcher or the RGB6 equipped. If they're already equipped when Vamp does his shadow attack, then you can still fire them, but if they're not equipped, you're screwed. If you shot out the lights, he'll go berserk, jumping all over the room throwing 10 knives all at once. There's only one way I can think of to dodge this attack; place C4 on the middle of the left and right sides of the platform. Whenever he gets near one, blow it. I haven't gotten this second part to work well, so I suggest the shadow attack approach. Phew -- this battle is tough! (Special thanks to Greg P. For contributing this awesome strat.) CHEAP: Simply run up to him before he has a chance to do anything. Shoot him with stinger missiles until he is dead. He won't even get a chance to go underwater. This is a little hard to do, but is a lot easier than the legit way. 6. Extreme Vamp Part 2 Difficulty: Very Easy This battle is so easy... just shoot him in the head about 5-6 times. You have to time it right as to not hit Emma. Use either sniper rifle and take some Pentazemin to steady your shot. This battle not hard to do though. 7. Extreme Metal Gear Ray Army Difficulty: Very Hard Ouch. This battle is really hard. It is not that much different than hard mode, except you die a lot faster, and there are more metal gears. Very Easy: 3 Metal Gears Easy: 3 Metal Gears Normal: 6 Metal Gears Hard: 12 Metal Gears Extreme: 20 Metal Gears Use the same method as you would for any other difficulty (see above). Make sure you have a constant chaff grenade going, as this slows them down. Aim for their leg then head, always flip out of the way of knee missiles that they shoot, and just keep at it until all 20 are dead. Keep in mind that this is possible, and persistence is needed. 8. Extreme Solidus Snake Difficulty: Hard Solidus is one bad ass guy, but he can be beaten. Make sure you have the body armor equipped (found in second part of swimming area right before you get Emma). When you start, go up to him and smack him 2x. He will block. Then you block his kick. After he kicks, he will be open. Hit him 3x, he will fall down. Run far enough away so that he shoots missiles at you. When he shoots missiles, run DIRECTLY at him. You should get to him just in time so the missiles go behind you. He will only shoot 2 when you run at him. Repeat the above step of hitting him, blocking, then hurting him, then running back. If you do this right, you won't get hurt at all. Once he is at half health, he will shed his tentacles and charge at you. BLOCK. He will charge at you and attack 3 times with his swords. Block all 3, then hit him like before. He will run away and charge you again. Do this until you win. Congratulations, you've defeated the game on the toughest difficulty level! Now that wasn't so bad, was it? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Credits ----------------------------------------------------------------------- First off, I wanna thank the great guys at Konami who put together this awesome game. Hideo Kojima, you are a true legend in gaming history. I hope you create many more games of this caliber, both in and outside the Metal Gear universe. I'd also like to thank GameFAQ's for giving me an opportunity to waste so much of my time writing FAQ's, reviews, and talking on the message board. Also, special thanks to all whom contributed to this FAQ. You are all credited somewhere above, but I thought I'd thank you again. A special thanks to Bob the Defeatable for his huge contribution of the extreme difficulty section. Thanks a lot for all your time, hope there are people crazy enough to use that! One more time. If you need/want to contact me for any reason, my email address is BrianR755@yahoo.com . Tell me how much you loved my FAQ. Tell me how much you hated it. Whatever it is, I'll try to reply, although I do get swamped with e-mails so give me time. Finally, thanks to all of you for reading this FAQ and not making it a COMPLETE waste of my time. Hope it helped you out! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Legal Stuff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal law protects this document. That means that you have to ask my permission before copying it onto any other website, message board, etc. Feel free to print it out for your own personal use, provided that you do not claim credit for it. E-mail me if you have any questions at BrianR755@yahoo.com . -Rapskallion