Resident Evil 4/Chapter 2-1

Lake

There is a cutscene where some creature is taking over your body. You wake up to realize you were having a nightmare. You then check in with Hunnigan; six hours have elapsed and it is now dark and raining outside. You are in a house at the far end of the lake.

Look around the house to find a box next to the stove, a Flash Grenade on a shelf, and Handgun Amo on the table. Save at the typewriter if you want. You'll find “Anonymous Letter” on the bed. It seems to be from someone trying to help you and tells you to go to the waterfall for the church key. The writer also knows about something going on in your body but is unable to do anything about it.

Before going on, get back on the dock. There are bass nearby if you want to refresh your health, you can even harpoon them from the boat if you don’t feel like shooting at them.

Jump into the boat, then follow the blue flames you can see in the distance. They mark a cave so go inside.

Cave

This is a cave that the Merchant has taken over for his own use. Before you start shopping, get the three barrels to the right of his stall, then shoot the lamp behind them a few times to get a Spinel. Now get another barrel to the left of the stall and push the crate there out of the way. Break the barrels behind it to complete a path to a ladder. Climb up to the roof of the Merchant's stall and start pushing the crates here, Link style, to find yet more barrels. One of these has the Green Gem which is an attachment for the Elegant Mask.

There is a hole here where you can drop down behind the Merchants counter. Get the Rifle Ammo here (he doesn't mind) and go back. Head back to the house where you woke up

Do some shopping at the front of the store it you want to, then get back on the boat to exit. Head back to where you woke up; there is a big torch burning near the dock. (If you go to the right instead then you'll end up where you were before fighting Del Lago. You can actually get new items here, but there are new enemies here as well.) Save at the house if you want, then go through the gate on the left..

Waterfall

Almost immediately there is a cutscene where a villager is walking toward you as normal when his head explodes and writhing tentacles come out of his neck. Some of the tentacles have sharp blades on them and will hurt you if they strike, so it's best to keep your distance from them. The creature at the base of the tentacles is the weak point; kill it and the villager dies as well. The creature's main weakness is light, so a Flash Grenade will kill it instantly.

So keep firing at the base of tentacles or toss a Flash Grenade to kill it, then collect you reward which, in this case, is a hefty 5000 PTAS. From now on, some of the villagers won’t die when you kill them but will sprout these tentacles instead.

The most common belief is that shooting a villager in the head will weaken it and make it more likely that the tentacles will pop out. So you should now go for the body or legs instead of the head. But there are those who maintain that whether the tentacles come out is determined beforehand, so it doesn't matter what you aim for.

Deal with another villager down the path, and continue. There is a place where you need to hop over gaps in a dam to cross the river. Follow the bank to get a barrel, then go back a bit and hop some stepping stones to cross the river again. Follow this side of the bank to the top of the waterfall. You may want to look around up here to get an idea of the layout below. Now climb down the rope.

Shoot the sparkling object to the right of the rope to get a Spinel. There is a villager in a tower nearby, he should be easy to defeat though. Climb up yourself to find Handgun Ammo and a barrel.

Check out the water-powered machinery here, you must solve a little puzzle to get across the river. First shoot the chain holding up the large crate above the water. The crate will fall in and create a stepping stone for you to reach a boardwalk in the center of the river.

Explore a bit here, there seems to be a cave behind the waterfall but the water is blocking the way. Shoot the sparkling object on the beam in front of the waterfall to get the Amber Ring. There is also a barrel at the top of a ladder on the left.

You need to do the crate trick two more times to reach the far bank. One is close to the water and the other is higher up so climb the ladder to get it.

Cross to the far side of the river and get the barrel at the end of the path. Then climb the ladder and operate the lever there. This diverts the flow of the waterfall.

Go back, as soon as you reach the center a crowd of villagers comes out of the cave and a few more come from across the first crate bridge. If you have a spare grenade then toss it at the main group and mop up any survivors. If things start to get crazy, you can always use the crate bridges to your advantage. Jump across them to slow the villagers down.

Once you've cleared the area, go into the cave and get the Round Insignia at the end. There are no enemies in here to worry about. The door behind it opens and you check in with Hunnigan. Continue through to a gate into the next area.

Underground Dock

Get the two barrels on the right, then shoot the torch next to the door to get a Spinel.

Now jump into the boat which automatically takes you to another dock. This area should look familiar as it's a Merchant's shop from the last chapter. There's boss battle coming up and you'll need a bit of preparation. First, save your game now since yuou may want to tweak your shopping choices for your next try. If you're low on healing items then buy First Aid Sprays if available. If you haven’t already then you may want to get the TMP as it may be very handy. Do any tune ups you've been putting off, except on your pistol since it won't be used much. If you're very low on ammo and health items then, as mentioned earlier, you can buy your way out of the upcoming battle by getting the Rocket Launcher.

The Holding Area

Remember the growling noise you heard earlier and you didn't need to worry about it? Well, it's time to worry.

Go up the stairs get the barrels at the top. (There were here in Part 1 but have respawned for Part 2.), Go through the doorway on the left and a cutscene will play.

Both the exit gates shut and about a dozen villagers start dragging something in, though apparently it doesn't want to come. It's the aptly named El Gigante, a giant that makes Mendez look like a doll, and when you finally see him he's really, really angry. He starts by killing all the villagers who dragged him in, then he turns his attention to you but you dodge his first attack.

Boss: El Gigante

El Gigante uses several different attacks, these can all be dodged but in different ways. There’s no set order so you just have to watch what he does and act accordingly. He makes different warm up moves depending on what he’s going to do next, so once you learn to recognize them you'll be able to dodge the attacks fairly easily.

If he gets close to you he will try to kick you or pound you with his fists. He’s not very fast so the easiest way to avoid this is to run past him, running between his legs can work too and gives a bit of comic relief as well.

He also tries you grab you with his hand. If this happens then use the control on the screen as indicated to free yourself; this will keep you from being killed when he slams you to the ground. But getting grabbed at all does serious damage so it’s best to avoid it altogether; keep moving and stay out of range.

His most serious direct attack is to gather up his strength and charge at you, he does a kind of shrug before this so you can tell when to expect it. Press button combination on the screen when indicated to dodge, or run to the side since he can't change direction quickly.

Not content with attacking with his huge bulk, he also pulls trees out of the ground and tries to hit you with them. Dodge this by either getting far enough away or pressing the button combination on the screen to duck.

Finally he also picks up boulders to hurl at you. Dodge these by simply getting out the path of the rock.

It's important to keep your health up since, as we've mentioned before, you don't move as fast when wounded. You're going to be able to move fast to dodge attacks and keep out of El Gigante's reach.

To win this battle you're going to need to master the quick turn move; see the Controls page for the specific button combination on your controller. If you haven't been using it much yet then you might want to practice a bit before the battle starts. The tactic you'll be using over and over is to run to a safe corner, do a quick turn to see what El Gigante is doing, then if you have the time either reload or fire at him, and finally try to dodge whatever El Gigante in planning for you.

The choice of weapon is important but not critical. You seem to be more maneuverable with a small weapon such as a handgun or the TMP, and with all the running, dodging and turning you're going to do that matters.

• Probably the worst weapon to use of the ones available is the Punisher since it's only advantage over the default Handgun is when you're fighting multiple enemies. El Gigante is big but, as Gimli says, it still counts as one.
• The Handgun is actually not as bad as you might think, especially if fully upgraded. The quick reload time is an advantage when you need to dodge boulders etc.
• The Rifle has the highest firepower when upgraded, but its slowness is a major drawback. Best to use only when you're going to have plenty of time. The reload time is achingly slow here so you're probably better off switching to something else when the first clip is used up.
• The Shotgun is almost as powerful as the Rifle and has better fire rate and reload time. The drawback here is that it loses its effectiveness at a distance. One the other hand its slowness can be an issue if you're too close. But at medium range it may be the best choice.
• The TMP has the lowest firepower, but the fast rate of fire means that is best in terms of shear DPS. It's small so it won't hinder your movement, has a quick reload time, you don't need be precise about aim, and the fast rate of fire makes it suitable for quick dodge and fire tactics. Its major drawback is that its low firepower means that you'll use up a huge amount of ammo with it. In fact it's probably impossible with win the battle using only the TMP because you will run out of ammo before it's over. Despite this, it's probably the best overall choice for this battle, though you can certainly win without it,
• The Rocket Launcher will defeat El Gigante in one shot; just aim and shoot as soon as the battle starts. The 30000 PTAS price tag is the big drawback; it means less money for tune ups and new weapons later in the game.

The best strategy, assuming you're not going with the Rocket Launcher, is to switch up weapons according to the circumstances. For example, use the Rifle if El Gigante is on the other side of the area, then get a shot in with the shotgun if he starts coming toward you, and switch to the TMP if tight maneuvering is needed. Grenades can be very useful here. A Flash Grenade will stun El Gigante for about the same time as it takes to pump a clip of TMP ammo into him. The other grenades are similar, but although they do additional damage they are more difficult to control.

Once you've dealt a certain amount of damage, a cutscene will play, showing El Gigante scream in pain. Then the La Plaga parasite will break out of his back and that parasite is what you actually need to kill. Get close while it's crouched down and press the action button to climb, then follow the on-screen cues to attack it. Be very sure which button to press or El Gigante will pick you up and slam you to the ground faster than you can say "Oops!" Don't dawdle either because if you're not done before El Gigante recovers himself then you'll also end up part of the pavement. After taking some damage, the parasite will retract, and the cycle starts again. It should take three good attacks to bring the monster down.

It is possible to inflict more damage by first shooting the parasite with a quick shotgun blast, and then climbing aboard. This allows you do much more damage, and you can take the El Gigante down in two cycles.

Near the start of the battle, if you saved the dog at the beginning of the game, he will return the favor by joining you. He doesn’t attack but he does distract the giant's attention. This is a great time to inflict as much damage as you can. The dog is very nimble and will avoid any attacks, so don’t worry about keeping him safe. Without his help the battle is more difficult, though still very possible to win.

You'll notice three small shacks in the area. These were here before but now they're filled with goodies. The problem is that if you go inside to get them El Gigante will most likely try to destroy them with you inside of it. The giant will probably destroy some of them anyway in the course of the battle, and then most of the goodies inside will be lost forever. Getting through the battle is hard enough, so doing it while preserving the contents of all three shacks is probably not something you worry about too much, but you can improve the chances of getting at least some of the items by staying away from that side of the area. If you get help from the dog then you might slip into one of the shacks to get the items while El Gigante is distracted.

The monster drops 15000 PTAS so be sure to collect it. Then look for other items left in the area, these are, depending on what you lost ot El Gigante or have already collected:

• Barrel x2 near east exit
• TMP Ammo, Spinel, Green Herb in west shack
• Handgun Ammo, 1000 PTAS in center shack
• Spinel, Shotgun Shells, 1000 PTAS in east shack
• Red Herb, Handgun Ammo in shelter on west side
• Yellow Herb on the wagon
• Barrel near west exit.

It’s a good idea to save back at the Merchant’s shop because you may not get another chance for a while.

Before going on to graveyard, you may want to go back to the swamp and the east side of the lake. This is purely optional but, though enemies have repopulated these areas, there are new items to be found in them as well.

Swamp (optional)

With the rain and dark, visibility will be an issue here so may help idea to adjust the brightness for the time being. If you enter from the holding area you will be greeted by a small group of villagers. You may want to just run past them to get some breathing room, then turn around to take them on. Remember that some of these may turn into the tentacle creatures now. Another villager is waiting a bit down the path. Get a barrel from the shack on the right.

There are more villager scattered around the swamp, but you should be able to snipe most of them before they see you. The tripwire mines don't respawn. Check the shack on the first boardwalk for two boxes and a barrel; the left box has a snake in it. There will be a villager waiting on the second boardwalk, and another one waiting in the shack near the exit. Get Handgun Ammo and a box in this shack.

Lake (optional)

This area has been taken over by parasite infected wolves. These are very dangerous and if one of the pounces on you, which is likely, you need to hsake them off. They tend to drop ammo refills so the battle may be worth your while.

Get a box in the shack on the right, and Handgun Ammo and a barrel in the cabin near the dock.

Cemetery

Follow the rickety ledge and get two boxes in the shack on the way. When you reach the path near the church, you may be able to spot parasite infected wolves. Snipe the one in front, and use the shotgun on the others as they come at you. Otherwise the cemetery is deserted.

Use the Round Insignia to unlock the church and go in. Note, once you've triggered the cutscene inside, the path to holding area, swamp and lake will be closed.

Church

The church appears deserted. First check the ground floor for goodies; there are 3000 PTAS on a cabinet near the altar and a barrel in the right hallway. Now take the ladder in the left hallway to the second floor.

Follow the ledge to find bars blocking the way. So go back a bit and you'll notice that you can jump on to the chandelier. Jump again to the far ledge when the chandelier swings closer to the other side. Get the barrels at the end of the path to the right.

You now have to solve a puzzle to lift the bars out of the way. Locate the console near the chandelier and operate it. This turns on three spotlights with colored patterns. The idea is to rotate them so than when combined they they match the design in the middle. This shouldn't hard, though you might have problems if you colorblind, but solution is

• Turn R 2 times.
• Turn G 3 times.
• Turn B 1 time.
• Choose Combine.

The gates open allowing you to reach the door on the right. Go in to trigger a cutscene.

Ashley is inside, panicked at first but she soon calms down. You check in with Hunnigan and she promises to send a chopper your way. You also get “Playing Manual 3” telling how to play with a second character. Ashley joins your party.

Note, Ashley is very fragile so you need to take special care when she's with you. If you leave her while enemies are in the area then they will attempt to carry her off. If an enemy does grab Ashley, then shoot them in the legs, being very careful not to hit Ashley in the process, and they will drop her. If the enemy get's away while carrying her it will be an instant Game Over. Also, if you shoot Ashley accidentally, or she is attacked by an enemy, it will almost certainly cause a Game Over as well. It's best to keep her with you unless you can find a place where enemies won't find here. You can then park her, deal the enemies on your own, and then come back to get her. You will not be able to go from one area to another unless Ashley is following you.

Get the six barrels in the room and exit back into the hall. Jump back down to the ground floor, but don’t forget to catch Ashley after jumping or she’ll get steamed. (Neither Leon or Ashley can climb down ladders for some reason, but while Leon can jump, Ashley needs to be caught. If you aim your gun or try to use your knife while Ashley's waiting to be caught then she will think you're trying to look up her skirt, you aren't are you?) A cutscene starts when you get near the exit.

The hooded figure from the end of the first chapter stops you. He’s Osmund Saddler, the leader of Los Illuminados. He reveals he's infected Ashley with a parasite, which he sardonically calls a 'gift', as part of a plan to bring down the U.S. government. He's not too worried about telling you this since he's given you the same 'gift' and soon you will both be under his control. Two archers appear to take you prisoner but you escape by jumping through a window.