The Bosses of METAL GEAR SOLID Ranked Easiest To Hardest

What follows is an article detailing Metal Gear Solid's 10 boss fights and how difficult I found them as a first-time player.

Please keep in mind that minor spoilers follow, so read on at your own risk.

10) Vulcan Raven

So, I found the fight with Vulcan Raven in the frozen warehouse very easy. Odd, indeed, when you consider that he is one of the very last bosses you encounter.

You must run around an icy storage room, weaving between a grid-like layout of shipping containers. Raven is packing a minigun, and he stalks you around said arena. To defeat him, break free from his sight line, hide amongst the containers, and throw down explosives for him to wander into.

Overall, it is a very enjoyable fight, which I think is due to its reliance on stealth and evasion, unlike all other boss fights.

9) Sniper Wolf

Another easy one was Sniper Wolf at the base of the communication tower. She can pinpoint your location and fire off rounds very quickly, but her inability to hide well and comparatively small health pool both make her a cake walk.

To defeat her, you need to have the PSG1 sniper rifle in your possession, then trade shots with her down the corridor. It is very straightforward. I only wish that I'd understood diazepam at this time and made the shootout even easier for myself.

All in all, I found this a little dull. There really isn't much meat to this fight, and having to backtrack to acquire the sniper rifle is irksome.

8) Sniper Wolf (Snowfields Rematch)

She's back and only marginally more difficult. And this time, you already have the sniper rifle to hand.

This rematch calls for very similar tactics as before: keep your head down, your eyes sharp, and your trigger finger itchy. And Wolf suffers from the same downsides as before, being only a little harder to overcome here because she has plenty more space to run around in.

Again, I did find this a little lacking. Although, I can appreciate its inclusion and the gameplay diversity it provides.

7) Hind D

Next up is the first clash with Liquid as he pilots the Hind D around the top of the communication tower.

So, you're going to need stinger missiles. Lots and lots of stinger missiles! After that, just hug the rectangular structure beside the rooftop exit to avoid his volley of heavy fire. Then, as he passes overhead, shoot him in the butt.

I will say that this fight was not difficult, as I had figured out my timings very early on. However, it is a long fight because Liquid's chopper is apparently made of reinforced diamonds, and it just won't die! Yes, this fight was tedious as hell, especially as Liquid's phase two goes at a snail's pace.

6) Revolver Ocelot

At entry six, we have the most charismatic Russian cowboy in all the lands: Revolver Ocelot.

This badass geriatric puts up one hell of a fight, considering just how early in the game he is encountered. You must sprint round a small, square room, taking potshots at Ocelot as and when he hunkers down to reload. However, the bugger just doesn't stay still, and he will constantly give it toes to new safe areas outside of your pistol sights. The guy can fire at lightning speed, and he even ricochets bullets around the area to catch you out.

This was, for sure, my favourite boss fight in the game! The urgency, the stakes, and just the character of Ocelot were all absolutely brilliant. However, at this point in the story, my fingers had barely learnt the controls, and as such, this one took me a few tries.

5) M1 Tank

All I can say is that Vulcan Raven really should've got a second tank because he was a far tougher nut to crack here.

To win, throw grenades at the turret gunner. However, as you go, make sure to avoid the tank's artillery, machine gun fire, and even its tracks, which are happy to pancake Snake without warning.

Ultimately, I did find this fight a little irritating for one simple reason: the throwing mechanic is plain unreliable in this game (for God's sake, Snake, just throw the damn grenade properly!). However, I really can't stay too mad at this fight because it does make you feel like a real action hero — singlehandedly destroying a tank in the middle of a snowy minefield with nought but hand grenades will do that, I suppose.

4) Psycho Mantis

In fourth place, I'm placing Mr Psychic-memory-card-reader because, much like the Hind D, his fight is a long one. This one is just harder because Mantis has many more tricks up his sleeve.

Honestly, the road to victory is a straightforward one: dodge, dodge, and dodge some more; kick Meryl in the face; kick Mantis in the face. Rinse and repeat. There really isn't much variation in Mantis’ psychic attacks, so once you have them memorised, it is curtains for him.

This one took me a few tries to suss out the patterns of Mantis’ attacks, but it didn't feel like it was worth the effort in the end. Sure, the psychic meta stuff was real neat, like switching the pad over to input two, but the fight just feels much too long to be enjoyable once again.

3) Liquid Snake

Finally, we reach the showdown with Liquid atop the smouldering remains of Metal Gear Rex. A battle for the ages between two brothers, two perfect soldiers.

So, there is simply no way that Liquid has Big Boss’ recessive genes because the guy is physically superior to Solid Snake. He hits harder, recovers more quickly, and can withstand sarcastic amounts of punishment. He is a tough little encounter here, but stay mobile and throw hands only when absolutely necessary, and you'll make it through.

What makes this fight a doozy is Liquid's ability to call on his personal i-frames perk whenever he damn well feels like it! I jest, of course, but this fight does highlight METAL GEAR SOLID's bad hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes Liquid can be comboed, but other times, he just gains temporary invulnerability and slaps you. Infuriating!

2) Gray Fox

The runner-up of “bosses that annoyed me” is the Cyborg Ninja (revealed to be Gray Fox). Oh boy, he sure was an early-game difficulty spike.

Victory in this fight means surviving several waves of Gray Fox's onslaught, with each one presenting new challenges to overcome (and FYI, there are no mid-fight checkpoints in this ‘90s game). There is even a deadly round of hide and seek at one point, which is trivialised by the thermal goggles (which I didn't have, sigh).

All in all, it is a very similar battle to the fist fight with Liquid at the end of the game… but much longer. Also, Gray Fox has tons more abilities than Liquid, so that only makes it harder. It started out fun, but retry after retry soured it somewhat.

1) Metal Gear Rex

And it all comes down to this, Metal Gear Rex! Who'd have thought that the game's toughest challenge would be the enormous, walking tank?

Rex is a two-stage boss fight, which requires another load of stinger missiles. First, you destroy its left-side sensor to blind Liquid, who is piloting the mech. Once that is done, phase two has you shooting rockets directly into the cockpit (but Liquid being Liquid, his health pool is ridiculous). Oh, and there are no mid-fight checkpoints once again!

All in all, this one was hell, and it was the toughest fight for a few reasons: Rex's insane speed, instant kill stomp, and heat-seeking missile barrages; the fight's lack of checkpoints; and the game's fixed camera, which often meant that I couldn't see Snake's position, leading to an aforementioned stomp.

And there it is, the many bosses of METAL GEAR SOLID ordered by how much they gave me (a noob) trouble. Still, I would take a rematch with any of these guys over The Fury any day of the week — if you know, you know.

How would you rank this gaggle of near-invincible badasses? Was your first-time playthrough similar to mine? Let me know in the comments.