The towering Village Chief Mendez is more than brute strength-his two-phase battle pushes every reflex and resource to the limit. Here’s how to turn his fiery rage and monstrous second form into your victory.
Village Chief Mendez boss fight – First Mutation
Mendez mutates after his first health bar depletes, growing massive arms from his back and gaining new attacks. He slams the ground to send shockwaves across the arena, so dodge sideways or jump over them. The arms swipe in wide arcs; roll behind him to strike the glowing weak spot on his back. Watch for fire breath that sweeps the area-stay mobile and use the pillars for cover. Keep firing at the exposed hump while avoiding grabs that pin you down.
When you head into the Slaughterhouse, Village Chief Mendez will make an explosive entrance. After the cutscene, the Village Chief will reveal his true form.
For the first phase of the fight, focus on his head. Stay on the ground floor, and run around him as much as you can. If you’re quick, use the evade prompts to leave him open for extra shots. The Riot Gun works great here. There are also several crates around, so watch for gunpowder and resources (L).
After enough headshots, Mendez will reveal his second mutation.
Village Chief Mendez boss fight – Second Mutation
During Mendez’s second mutation, his body splits apart and he becomes faster and far more aggressive, attacking from long range with sweeping strikes and flaming debris. Keep your distance and move constantly to avoid his grabs and projectiles. Use the shotgun or rifle to target his exposed weak points, especially his upper body when he hangs from the rafters. Grenades are highly useful for interrupting his attacks and dealing heavy damage while he’s suspended. Stay alert and finish him off quickly before he corners you in the burning barn.
The second phase is a lot less personal. Mendez will retreat to the other end of the building and throw stuff at you for most of it. Grab the flash grenade, kitchen knife, green herb, and handgun ammo from around the upper walkway.
Watch for Mendez to grab explosive barrels. When he does, shoot them with your handgun or rifle to deal a bunch of damage. When he grabs the flaming boards, he’s going to throw two of them at you like spears. Run across the catwalk when that happens to avoid them.
Eventually, Mendez will swing in close with a rushing attack. Try to get to the other side of the walkway when you see him coming. Switch back to your shotgun or handgun and deal some damage. Flash grenades also work well in this phase. You’ll have to knock him down and stab him (at least) two times to finish the fight. All told, though, with the Red9 and Riot Gun, it’s a pretty fast battle.
Best weapons and loadout for Mendez boss fight
For the Village Chief Mendez boss fight in Resident Evil 4 Remake, prioritize shotguns and rifles in your loadout for quick stuns and precise weak-point damage. Bring flash grenades to open the fight safely, plus spare knives for parries and finishers.
Recommended Weapons
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Shotgun (Riot Gun or Pump-Action): Primary for Phase 1 headshots and back-eye blasts after dodges; its spread stuns him reliably for knife follow-ups.
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Rifle (SR M1903): Ideal for downed eye shots in Phase 1 and distant head damage in Phase 2; conserve ammo for key moments.
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TMP or Red9 Pistol: Backup for Phase 2 barrel shots and cleanup; TMP’s rapid fire helps stagger early.
Loadout Tips
Stock 2-3 flash grenades to blind him at the start, plus green herbs from the arena. Visit the Merchant pre-fight for ammo and upgrades; parry aggressively to save bullets.
Mendez boss fight strategies for hardcore difficulty
Hardcore mode makes the Village Chief Mendez fight in Resident Evil 4 Remake far more punishing due to faster attacks, quicker recoveries, and tighter damage thresholds. Prioritize defensive play from the upper floor, flawless parries, and resource conservation over aggressive shooting. Manual saves before the fight are crucial on higher difficulties like Professional, but apply here too.
Phase 1 Adjustments
Stay exclusively on the second floor to target the back eye with rapid-fire weapons like TMP, avoiding ground-floor risks where he recovers faster.
Parry every swing aggressively since he’ll chain more attacks; carry 2-3 spare knives as durability drains quickly from escapes and grabs.
If the eye angle is poor, shoot the head or body instead, switching to shotgun for close-range stuns before resuming distance.
Phase 2 Adjustments
Shoot red barrels in his hands immediately from afar using rifles, then strafe laterally to dodge fire throws-he hurls more pieces on Hardcore.
When downed, spam flash or incendiary grenades from above instead of dropping down, as the knife prompt vanishes before you can reach it reliably.
Relocate sides when he lunges or climbs bars; he pivots faster, so use mines pre-placed near his spawn if available for Phase 2 cheese.
Hardcore Loadout
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TMP/Shotgun (Riot Gun): Core for Phase 1 eye stagger; magnum or rocket launcher if bought for burst delete.
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Rifle (SR M1903): Phase 2 barrels and distance; grenades (flash/incendiary) over ammo dumps.
Save grenades for this over later fights, break all barrels pre-fight for randomized ammo/herbs, and perfect dodges to finish ammo-positive.
