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RE2: How to survive the Tyrant

RE2: How to survive the Tyrant
Alex LaFreniere

Alex LaFreniere

  • February 9, 2019
  • Updated: March 8, 2024 at 7:21 AM

He’s big, he’s mean, and he’s just about invincible. Tyrant is one of Resident Evil 2’s most fearsome enemies, and he’ll relentlessly track you down until you’re dead. Fortunately, there are a few ways to survive if you happen to cross paths with the intimidating Mr. X, but you’ll have to play your cards right if you want to live to fight another day. When confronted by this formidable enemy, you only have three options: run, hide, or fight. Read on to learn how best to employ each strategy and survive a harrowing encounter with the Tyrant.

RE2: How to survive the Tyrant

Run

re2 tyrant advance
Image courtesy Capcom

For such a large foe, the Tyrant can often appear suddenly and without warning. If you’re caught unprepared for a fight or are low on supplies and healing items, running may be your best bet. In addition to his tremendous strength, the Tyrant is also capable of moving extremely quickly, and can easily keep pace with the player character during a chase. He’s also got an uncanny ability for tracking, which does make sense: he’s a bioweapon sent by Umbrella to wipe out any witnesses left standing in Raccoon City.

If you decide to run, try to take a route that will take you through multiple rooms or around obstacles. The more maze-like your path, the more difficult it will be for the Tyrant to track you, which means it’ll be easier for you to lose him. You’ll also want to try to break his line of sight on you. As long as Tyrant sees you, he’ll keep coming after you until you’re dead.

Hide

resident evil 2 tyrant hide
Image courtesy Capcom

Your second option when facing down the Tyrant is to hide. As mentioned above, Tyrant will track you relentlessly until he catches you. However, there are certain places that Tyrant won’t pursue you. If you’re in a foot chase with Tyrant, try to make it to the nearest Save Room. These are rooms scattered around the game that contain Item Boxes and Typewriters, and Tyrant won’t be able to follow you inside. Other rooms, such as the Clock Tower on the third floor of the RPD, are also off limits to Tyrant.

Once you’ve made it to a safe room, you can take a breather, grab some supplies, and recuperate for a moment. Tyrant will usually stick around in the general vicinity for a time, and you’ll be able to hear his distinctive heavy footfalls as he stomps around outside searching for you. Eventually, however, Tyrant will lose interest and leave the area to search elsewhere, which is when you can make your escape.

Fight

re2 tyrant one knee
Image courtesy Capcom

Sometimes, a fight with Tyrant is unavoidable. If you find yourself going up against Tyrant in combat, you’ll need to end the fight quickly, as it’ll only take a few hits from Tyrant’s massive fists to take you down. It’s important to keep in mind that Tyrant is invincible outside of his boss fights, so the most you can hope to do in attacking Tyrant is stagger him. Do enough damage, and you’ll see Tyrant drop to one knee to recuperate. When this happens, you’ll want to put as much distance between you and Tyrant as possible.

When fighting Tyrant, you’ll want to bust out your heavy hitting weapons, such as Magnums or Shotguns. Don’t be stingy about conserving ammo, as a handgun is essentially useless against Tyrant. Tyrant’s body is heavily armored, and can easily absorb a barrage of bullets without breaking stride. Aim for the head: it’s Tyrant’s most vulnerable area, and scoring a few headshots in a row is usually enough to bring Tyrant down.

It’s easy to panic when you hear the sounds of Tyrant bearing down on you. Next time you run across Mr. X, keep these tips in mind and you’ll live to fight another day.

Alex LaFreniere

Alex LaFreniere

Alex's first experience with video games came at the tender young age of 12, when his parents gave him and his brothers a PlayStation 2 for Christmas. They’ve probably been regretting that mistake ever since, because as soon he finished his first lap in Gran Turismo 3, Alex was hooked for life. In addition to writing for Softonic, Alex has turned that love of games into a voice acting career, and has voiced everything from grizzled old soldiers to vampire lords. When he's not gaming or getting behind the microphone, Alex can probably be found wandering the woods around Boston or putting together some new culinary delight in his kitchen.

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