Know when it is the final battle
The final confrontation follows Trying Again and the SWDP Clamp Release sequence. It takes place in Clara Woods – Different during Eraser. The earlier large enemy guarding ward/SWDP routes is a pursuer; draining your ammunition there is not a substitute for completing those objectives.
If you are still setting AUX handles or trying to reach a control-room door, finish the AUX and Clamp Release route first. This page contains finale spoilers; the encounter’s repeated story interactions are the win condition.
Prepare supplies and a movement route
- Before leaving the last safe opportunity, inspect ammunition for the weapons you actually collected and carry a healing reserve. Make a separate save if your run permits manual saves.
- On entering the arena, identify the central monument and a route past its surrounding obstacles. Search the visible supply pickups while keeping an escape path.
- Use the Shotgun or other available firearm to create damage openings. If you collected the optional Flare Gun, a flare can help make space. It is not a required replacement for the final interaction.
- Reload after repositioning, and clear an enemy that is about to block the approach or catch you during the reload. Avoid spending your entire reserve without checking the boss’s state.
The PS5 recording opens at 16:45 — ordinary-weapon combat ▶; 17:25 — Shotgun sequence ▶ and 18:05 — supplies / movement ▶ are nearby comparison points. They are recorded examples, not guaranteed pickup respawns or a measured ammo requirement.
Damage → approach → remove, three times
- First opening: focus damage on the boss while preserving room to move. When the close interaction becomes available, approach its marked point and perform the on-screen removal action. A distant stagger is your cue to check the interaction, not to stay back firing indefinitely.
- Second opening: after the story transition, control returns. Reposition, reload and repeat the damage-to-interaction process. A grab-escape prompt from a nearby enemy is not automatically the required boss removal; look for the boss’s interaction state.
- Third opening: make another damage opening, reach the marked point and finish the final removal. Let the transition complete. Defeating the boss earns Eraser and leads onward to Returning.
Use your own on-screen bindings: the PS5 removal sequence includes an R2 prompt, while an ordinary escape/grapple can show a different button. Remapped PC controls need not match the video.
If the fight seems endless
| What is happening | What to check |
|---|---|
| Boss staggers but the fight resumes | Go to its marked close-interaction point and complete the removal. Damage alone is not the finish action. |
| A cutscene ends and combat returns | There are three removal cycles. Prepare for the next opening. |
| An X / escape prompt appears | Confirm whether you are escaping a grapple or interacting with the boss; those actions do not have the same objective. |
| The speedrun finishes much faster | That recording uses NG+ weapon access, including Pistol-3000. Its damage speed is not a first-run Shotgun benchmark. |
| Too many failed close approaches | Make space, heal and reload before the next opening. Check chapter/difficulty and use cover to control the approach. |
Continue after Eraser
Do not stop collection work at the trophy notification. Chapter 17, Returning, still has the Crew Patch document on the overalls down the beach beyond the stairs. Continue to the ending transition.
The Dan Allen Gaming recording shows the Abandoned ending for that run. Completing the same boss fight does not guarantee that ending: the ending conditions are tracked across the campaign. The NG+ Sci-fi route is another ending branch, not evidence that the normal boss needs a secret weapon.
Video walkthrough
Final boss fight and ending — PS5
Dan Allen Gaming · Watch on YouTube ↗
Sources & image credits
Source links and credits
- Dan Allen Gaming — final boss and ending, PS5
- PowerPyx — Simon illustrated route
- PowerPyx — trophy conditions and character restrictions
- Screen Burn — October 8 patch 1.4.0
- Townfall Answers — ordinary-weapon and speedrun comparison
Source footage and game images are credited beside the relevant figures. This guide does not claim a personal playthrough.