A Savage Mutt request - Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4's dogs are vicious, but the savage mutt stalking the grounds near the Village Chief's manor requires extra firepower to defeat.
Of all the dogs in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake, one is friendly, and one is the exact opposite. The “A Savage Mutt” Request in chapter 5 is one of the early game’s most challenging side quests, but our guide will help you make the most of your resources and collect the merchant’s reward.
Finding the 'A Savage Mutt' request
After you’ve passed through the Village Chief’s manor once and defeated one of the game’s early bosses, night falls on the village, and a storm rolls in. The foreboding weather is your cue that Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake is ratcheting up the difficulty. Enemies take more hits and pose greater threats thanks to the Las Plagas in their bloodstreams, and tougher side quests such as “A Savage Mutt” become available.
Greater challenges lead to greater rewards. The merchant pays a tidy eight spinels for completing “A Savage Mutt,” one of your largest rewards so far. You’ll find the blue request note in pinned to the wall of the town hall, near the merchant stand on your way back after solving the church lights puzzle. On your way to the next checkpoint, you’ll pass through the Village Square, the site of the game’s first mass attack. Take the south path leading to the Village Chief’s manor.
Solving the 'A Savage Mutt' request
You won’t find the savage mutt haunting the manor grounds, at least not right away. For it to appear, you’ll need to head inside and poke around. Don’t worry: This isn’t a wasted trip. Now that you have Ashley, you boost her up to out-of-reach areas Leon couldn’t access on his own.
Head upstairs to the master bedroom and go to the far side of the bed. There’s a ladder hanging from the ceiling just out of reach. Boost Ashley to the ladder so she can lower it, then climb up and root around in the attic. You’ll find an antique clock to sell to the merchant the next time you see him.
Leave the manner via the front doors, then stop on the porch. Ahead of you, you’ll notice a pair of glowing red eyes through the wrought-iron gate leading to the path back to the Village Square. The savage mutt has spotted you, but it’s not ready to fight you yet. Approach the gates and the mutt will lope off down the path. Make sure your best weapons are loaded with ammo, then follow him into the Village Square.
The Savage Mutt is down in the center of the Village Square. Don’t approach it; more Ganados have entered the area, and you’ll be surrounded. Instead, stealth-walk up behind the Ganado patrolling in front of you and to the left, and perform a stealth kill. That’s one less villager able to ambush you from behind.
Head down the path until Ganados appear. This path is narrow and serves as a chokepoint: You can wait for Ganados to bunch up as they're coming toward you, then, when the Savage Mutt joins them, start thinning the herd. Your best bet is weapons that kill quickly, such as your bolt-action rifle, hand grenades, or the TMP.
The Savage Mutt has a deep pool of health, so you should expect it to be the last enemy standing after you’ve slayed the Ganados. Unload on it until it’s staggered, then get close and deliver a critical strike with your knife by following the button prompt. After three or four critical hits, the mutt will fall. Return to any merchant station to collect your reward.
There are more requests to tackle after you’ve defeated the Savage Mutt, and lots more puzzles to solve. Consult the Shacknews Resident Evil 4 strategy guide for more walkthroughs such as how to solve the Grave Robber request, which takes you back to the church where you rescued Ashley.
