The Brute doesn’t just test your aim-it punishes hesitation. This towering necromorph charges faster than you expect, shrugs off gunfire, and can crush you in seconds unless you exploit its weak points and master your timing.
Be prepared
Before facing the Brute, make sure your plasma cutter, pulse rifle, or force gun is fully stocked and upgraded. Carry plenty of stasis packs so you can slow its charges and buy time to aim for its weak points. Keep your inventory clear of unnecessary items to ensure space for ammo and health packs. Knowing the arena layout helps you avoid getting cornered once the fight begins, giving you room to dodge and regroup as needed.
Before anything else (you might have to revert to a previous save), clear the items around the Main Atrium. Working roughly counterclockwise, you’ll find Flamethrower fuel, some Credits, more Credits, Ripper Blades, and more Ripper blades.
This fight is way more imposing than it is difficult, and, once you learn the tricks, you won’t need to prepare much at all. Until then, and with all the panicking and fleeing and shooting wildly that goes along with learning, let’s talk about what will help you out in the Brute fight.
- Ammo. The best ammo is the ammo you have, so there’s no wrong answer here. The Flamethrower works well in this fight, as do the Pulse Rifle‘s proximity mines, but even just a few clips of Plasma Cutter ammo will get you through.
- Stasis Pack(s). You can get through this fight with one (unupgraded) charge of Stasis, but a refill will make your life a lot easier (and remember you can refill your Stasis automatically with the triangle/Y button if you have a Stasis Pack in your inventory).
And that’s it, really. Healing is obviously always good to have on hand, but with a careful approach, you can get through this fight without taking (much) damage.
Hit the weak spots on its back
The Brute’s strongest armor covers its front, so focus your attacks on the exposed areas on its back. Bait it into charging, then sidestep and aim for the glowing weak spots as it recovers from the impact. Use stasis to slow it down, giving you more time for precise shots. Weapons with high damage per hit, like the plasma cutter or line gun, can break its protection fast if aimed carefully at those vulnerable points.
The Brute is heavily armored, so you can’t rely on shooting off limbs as it charges at you. Attacks from the front are going to bounce off its armor. Thankfully, as Hammond points out a minute or so into the fight, it’s got weak spots on its back – one in each armpit and a pair on its hip (butt) region.
We’ve got a couple options for getting at them:
- Flamethrower. Since the Flamethrower is a little more area-of-effect, you can blast the Brute with a continuous gout of flame – the fire will hit the weak spots even from the front. Flamethrower fuel is pretty scare at this point in the game, though.
- Pulse Rifle. The Pulse Rifle won’t do much (any, really) damage from the front, but the alternate fire proximity mines are a good way to get past the armor. They eat up a ton of ammo, though.
- Stasis. By far, the best way to deal with the Brute is to hit it with Stasis. Hitting the Brute with Stasis means you can use any weapon to deal your damage from the back.
Strategy for the Brute in Dead Space remake
The Brute relies heavily on its charging attacks and thick armor, making speed and precision your best tools. Wait for it to expose its unarmored back, then aim for the orange weak spots with the Plasma Cutter or Pulse Rifle. Keep moving sideways to avoid getting cornered and use stasis to slow it down before repositioning. Grenades or the Contact Beam can help finish it off once its armor breaks, so manage your ammo carefully and strike only when you have a clear shot.
The Brute is an aggressive boss, but it’s not particularly fast – and you can sprint backward and sideways. You’re not going to run circles around it or anything, but you can (just) manage to avoid most attacks by running away.
If you get too far away (or if it just feels like it), the Brute might spit a ball of poison (acid?) at you. This is easy enough to sidestep, but you can also catch it with Kinesis and launch it back – and it does a lot of damage. It happens too rarely to rely on it for the fight (it takes four good hits from the spitballs to take it out), but it’s a great way to deal a ton of damage while also saving ammo. When you see it winding up to spit, hold L2 to prepare and aim a bit up to catch the spitball in its arc.
Hit the Brute with Stasis. This is the most important advice here. Wait for the Brute to close in, hit it with Stasis, and strafe around to the side. Your targets are the lumpy (gross), glowing, yellow pustules (gross) near its armpits and butt – technically, it’s kind of more on the hips and backs of its legs, but(t), c’mon.
Target the butt first. Hitting the weak spots on the Brute’s back lets you remove limbs just like other necromorphs, so your first goal is to get the legs off and slow it down. Any weapon works here (but there’s a certain satisfaction to the Ripper’s blades).
Aim for the armpits next. After the legs, move your aim to the (back of the) armpits and just unload whatever weapon you have handy. If you have more Stasis, hit it again and keep shooting. If you don’t manage to put it down before your Stasis charges run out, you’ll need to fall back on catching the acid balls it spits (which works quite well, actually), the Flamethrower, or the Pulse Rifle’s Proximity Mines.
Best weapons and ammo setup for Brute fight
Flamethrower stands out as the top weapon for the Brute fight due to its area-of-effect damage that bypasses the boss’s frontal armor, allowing safe frontal spraying while dodging charges.
Recommended Weapons
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Flamethrower: Primary choice-stock 200+ fuel cells; fire in bursts from medium range, retreating as it charges. Easiest “cheese” strategy with minimal positioning needed.
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Pulse Rifle: Excellent secondary for back weak spots (armpits/hips); equip proximity mines for 1-2k damage bursts after Stasis. Use 150+ rounds.
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Ripper: Precise for dismembering arms/legs post-Stasis; carry 100+ blades from nearby benches.
Ammo Setup
Prioritize scavenging the Main Atrium pre-fight: grab Flamethrower fuel tanks, Pulse Rifle clips, and Ripper blades from wall boxes and corpses. Aim for 2-3 full inventories-conserves nodes for upgrades like damage boosts. Stasis packs are essential (3+); no need for Line Gun or Plasma Cutter unless low on alternatives.
Line launcher placement strategy for Brute
The Line Launcher in Dead Space remake isn’t a direct combat tool against the Brute but excels for mobility in the Main Atrium arena, letting you quickly reposition to its back for weak-spot shots.
Optimal Placement Strategy
Fire lines high across the wide open space between the central platform and upper ledges/walkways on opposite sides-aim at sturdy railings or beams about 20-30m away to create zip-lines that span the Brute’s patrol paths. This keeps you elevated and mobile, dodging ground-based charges while circling behind for armpit/hip targets post-Stasis. Avoid low placements near walls, as they limit escape angles during acid spits or sweeps.
Execution Tips
Launch onto a line as it charges (after Stasis slows it), strafe mid-air if needed, then drop and shoot-repeat to maintain distance in the multi-phase fight. Upgrade speed/duration beforehand for smoother zips; pair with Flamethrower for safe damage during transits. Stock cells from nearby dispensers for 4-5 uses.
