How to defeat the El Gigante in the Castle - Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4's Castle pits you against a second El Gigante, one seemingly indestructible. Follow our guide to take it down.
Leon confronted a "giant" problem in the Village region of Capcom's Resident Evil 4 remake, and there's an even bigger obstacle standing in the next main area of this massive game. Knowing how to defeat the El Gigante in the Castle is crucial, since it's not your standard boss fight. Follow this guide to find and defeat the El Gigante in the Castle.
Where to find the El Gigante in the Castle
The El Gigante in the Castle is not a conventional boss. You can't harm him with grenades or firearms, as Leon will be quick to point out should you try. Instead, you've got to fight your way through monks and take cover from the El Gigante's attacks until you find a weapon as monstrously huge as he is to defeat him.
After you've placed the Lithographic Stones and passed through the Bindery, you'll come to the Castle Battlements. Ramon Salazar, your not-so-gracious host, pipes up over the speakers mounted around the Castle to taunt you about losing track of Ashley. Ignore him and loot the area. When you're ready, face the bridge on the far side of the Castle Battlements. Shoot the counterweight holding the drawbridge upright to bring it crashing down into place.
A mob of monks is waiting for you on the other side. Defeat them and pass through the archway. The first things you'll see upon entering the tower is a closed gate with a golden moon above the doorway, and a lever with a golden sun above it. You'll come across many such levers as you explore this area. Turning one that depicts the sun will open all gates in the area, while pulling a lever depicting the moon will close them.
Ignore the lever for now--you'll be able to loot the treasure beyond it later--and hang a left. A set of stairs spirals upward, but don't head up just yet. As you approach, a spidery Las Plagas skitters along the wall. It's the weakest of the game's Las Plagas variants, but it will lunge at you if you're in range, so pick it off from afar using your handgun of choice.
Take the stairs and stop near the top, when the monk holding the shield comes into view. Behind him is another spider Las Plagas; if you get close, the spider will possess the monk and send him charging at you. Destroy the monk's shield with your weapon of choice, then put a bullet between his eyes with a rifle. Now the spider will have no enemy to possess, and you can shoot it from a safe distance just like you did its ill-fated family member.
Loot the breakable barrels and head through the open gate. (It will be closed if you pull the lever on the floor below. There's a closed portcullis in front of you, and a ladder leading downward to your right. Hop down the opening and you'll find yourself behind the moon gate that was closed when you entered the tower. Reap your reward by smashing the barrel and heading toward the open gate behind you.
There's nowhere to go but down, so drop to the floor below. A monk waits ahead of you behind bars. Snipe him with a rifle if you've got one handy, then head through the opening ahead and on your right. Another monk waits beyond another set of bars; pick him off from long range. If you go through the open gate to your left, you'll come to a dead-end. We killed these monks now so they wouldn't bother us later.
Hike back the way you came until you pass through an archway that takes you to a room where a monk is waiting to your right. Kill him quickly or the spider Las Plagas skittering up behind him will hitch a free ride. Don't run forward: More monks will dash around the corner. Deal with them, then loot the barrel in the room and follow the path to a sun lever. Use it, then do a 180 and follow the room through a now-open moon gate.
You're back in the room where you defeated those two monks from earlier, only now you're on the right-hand side of the chamber. Follow the broken walkway and climb up the platform, then throw the lever on your left to open the next gate. More monks will attempt to waylay you; shoot em up and keep moving. In the next room, another set of monks greets you as you make your way upstairs. Poke 'em full of holes and then throw the lever by the gate where one of the monks attempted to snipe you with crossbow bolts.
Follow the stairs up to the rooftop and get ready to rumble.
How to defeat the El Gigante
A cutscene will play after you step onto the roof showing an El Gigante on the tower across from you. You can't damage him with any of your weapons, so don't waste your ammo. The giant attacks by hurling slabs of concrete and other debris at you. They hit hard but can be avoided by crouching behind the crenellations (the low wall along the battlements) or behind the defensive fortifications.
The first such fortification is to your left when you make your way onto the rooftop. Hide behind it and wait for the dust to settle from El Gigante's attack, then hop off the roof to your left. The giant will attack again before you can race across the battlement, so hug the wall and crouch to avoid it. The next rooftop hosts a couple of monks and another defensive structure to shelter behind; if you're quick, you can wait for the El Gigante to throw stones and then hide while the monks get pelted to death.
Run through the opening on your left and take cover behind the supplies in front of you; you'll be safe from the El Gigante and the monks sniping at you ahead. Once the snipers are down and the El Gigante is preparing for another attack, jump to the walkway below. Sprint for cover behind the wall up ahead, and deal with the monk on the way, then kill the one trying to sneak up behind you.
Another gate impedes your path. To open it, run across the walkway to the gate on the far side. This small room contains a lever and little else. Throw the lever, then do a 180. You've closed the gate you came through, but you've opened the sun gate beside it. Head through it and jump down. There's a breakable barrel ahead. Smash it, then turn around and run into another open room with more loot barrels. A monk will enter behind you; wait for it to shamble next to the red explosive barrel, then shoot the barrel for an easy kill.
You need to return to the walkway and climb the ladder attached to the far side (your right, if you're coming out of the room with the explosive barrel) of the broken wall. Up top, head to the right and pass through the now-open sun gate. Leon is delighted to find a cannon that he hopes works. Spoiler: It works, and it works very well. Move around the cannon until you find a counterweight hanging from above; shoot or stab the counterweight, and the cannon will rise up to the next level.
As the cannon rises, a monk will drop from an opening above. Kill the monk or just run past it and climb the ladder where the cannon waits patiently, as immobile cannons are wont to do. Another counterweight hangs near a portcullis; destroy it to send the cannon soaring up to the rooftop. Find the stairs curving up along the wall and take them to the roof.
Your cannon is thrilled to see you! Unfortunately, the El Gigante does not share its enthusiasm. Wait for it to attack behind the safety of the wooden wall, then approach the cannon from behind and interact with it. Spin it around to the El Gigante and aim at the white dot pulsing above the monster's head, then let 'er rip.
The El Gigante has fallen! Before you bid your cannon a fond farewell, take it for another spin and blast open the wooden gate in the distance. You can fire another medieval bowling ball at the enemies in front of the gate to break them up like pins.
With the giant defeated and yonder gate in splinters, approach the edge of the rooftop facing the gate (or what used to be a gate) and hop down. Shoot the counterweight to your left to open the portcullis of the tower below so you can return and scoop up any items you missed along the way.
Once you're ready to put the Castle Battlements behind you, make haste to the Shacknews Resident Evil 4 strategy guide, where you'll find more walkthroughs to puzzle and merchant requests such as how to kill a Merciless Knight.
