Resident Evil 4 - El Gigante Boss Fights Guide

Resident Evil 4 has numerous bosses for you to battle and eliminate. One of these is the El Gigante, the giant, a behemoth that packs quite a punch, and you'll have to fight its other variants a few times, too. Here's our Resident Evil 4 El Gigante boss guide to help you defeat these types of opponents.

Resident Evil 4 El Gigante boss guide

El Gigante boss fight #1

The first Resident Evil 4 El Gigante boss fight occurs after you finish the Mural Cave Puzzle and claim the Church Insignia Key. As you make your way back to the Quarry, the gates will close, and you'll be trapped with this monster.

• El Gigante has slow but powerful attacks. These include a lunging punch, a ground punch combo, and a bull rush. If you move at the right time, you can run between its legs, too.
• One of its special moves makes it lift a shed before tossing it with immense force. Try to run sideways to avoid it.
• It also has another special attack where it grabs Leon. You have to break free or stab it with your knife, or our hero will get his head bitten off.
• Once you do enough damage, the creature will yell and a parasite will emerge from its back. This thing will need a couple of well-placed shots, preferably with the Rifle. This will cause the boss to fall down stunned, and you can press the button prompt to climb on its back, following through with multiple knife slashes.

After the first sequence, the friendly dog from the Village Chief's House will aid you, as long as you rescued it from the bear trap when you first leave that area. It will distract the beast for a time, so you can do some well-placed headshots or parasite shots.

There's also a portion where it will bait El Gigante into charging the cliff wall, causing it to collapse. With the parasite exposed, you can blast it with more Rifle shots for extreme damage. Soon, you should be able to clear your first Resident Evil 4 El Gigante boss encounter.

El Gigante boss fight #2

The above won't be the only time you face the El Gigante in Resident Evil 4. When you reach the Castle Battlements after solving the Lithograph Puzzle, a heavily armored version will show up. You have to avoid its boulder toss by running behind obstacles, or this attack will cause tremendous damage. At the very end of the ramparts, you can raise a cannon to blow it up.

El Gigante boss fight #3 - Giant Duo

The third and final Resident Evil 4 El Gigante boss fight occurs later in the Castle zone. Once you've reached the Mines, Leon and Luis will have to contend with a pair of giants: one unarmored and one that's heavily armored. Luis, who will be invulnerable, will mostly act as a distraction, though you still need to be mindful in case Leon takes aggro.

There's a special mechanic here where you can interact with the control panel. You'll hold a button until it opens a grate, which will cause the monsters to fall down a pit of molten lava. However, if you attempt this while they're moving/acting normally, their AI will automatically make them to avoid it. Instead, you'll want to shoot the unarmored giant until it shows its tentacles. Try to snipe the tentacles when the behemoth is close to the center, and it will kneel next to the grate. You may then use the control panel while it's stunned, leading to a fiery doom.

As for the armored variant, Luis will jump off and Leon will need to distract it for a while. Your buddy will then return with a lot of dynamite, and you have to lure the armored giant close to him. Once the dynamite is stuck to its back, shoot it to force the parasite to pop. You can then drop it down the lava pit.

Alternatively, if you want to complete the "No Hot Bath For You" challenge/trophy, you'll just need to avoid killing them via the lava mechanic. That means using up more ammo, then jumping on their backs to slash at the tentacle. Lather, rinse, and repeat until they're dead. If you want, you could do this during one attempt just for the achievement. Then, reload your save and follow the unique mechanic to save up on ammo.