Both times!
Leon’s old friend Jack Krauser is back in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and this time Capcom tries to craft more of a connection between the two with some of the re-releases narrative choices. However you feel about that direction, you do need to kill him eventually. Here’s how you do it.
The first Krauser fight
This first encounter with Krauser in the middle of the campaign will effectively train you up for what’s to come. Krauser will taunt you into battling with knives, which is the best way to approach this particular fight.
Get used to parrying with the L1 (LB) button: I’m talking every time Krauser slashes at you, even in quick succession. You can even see when a parry can be used by looking at the knife section of the HUD on the right side of the screen (showcased in the gallery above).
The timing window isn’t too tough, but most importantly, parrying attacks can trigger a reeling state for Krauser, which can be followed up on with a melee strike (the prompt will appear above his head). After the melee hit connects you’ll want to get some quick knife slices in, then reset your stance and go on the defensive.
You can play offensively here (and it’s really satisfying once you learn the timing of his attacks), but it’s safer to wait and react to his hits. You’ll lose very little health and won’t waste ammo trying to take him out with traditional weaponry. After dealing some damage to Krauser he’ll retreat, and you’ll be able to continue the story as normal.
The second Krauser fight – Phase 1
This second fight in the ruins is for all the marbles. Similar to the first game, Krauser has set up a funhouse of sorts of traps for you to navigate, leading to the eventual showdown.
Because this is in fact a playground, you need to treat it like one. Be cautious when running around, but have a sense of urgency when you move through the level. The first area is a tad different, as you’ll need to make your way to the upper level in the small ruins to the left of where you start; then interact with the wheel to open the door to the next part of the battlefield.
To beat Krauser, you’ll want to make use of your arsenal of guns (unlike the first time around), as well as all of the tips we noted above in the more intimate knife fight. His primary means of attacking you at a range is his explosive bow: hide behind the terrain and have your rifle or pistol on the ready after he fires. Pop up and shoot him in the head if possible.
At a medium range, I’ve found that the pistol is great for getting a few shots on him as he attempts to dash in close for another knife battle. Once you make it to the part where Krauser greets you on top of a platform and says “this is it, soldier,” you’ll know you’re in the last main portion of the battleground. Making it to this area is imperative, because you can waste a lot of ammo on Krauser beforehand if you’re not careful: and you can’t kill him here anyway. Deal enough damage to him here to trigger a cutscene that will destroy the floor and plop you into the final act of the boss battle.
The final arena encounter with a monstrous Krauser – Phase 2
It’s time for the final showdown with a transformed, monstrous version of Krauser that resembles the Tyrant enemy type in the core series. Krauser is extremely fast and can be on you in an instant: but there’s a trick you can use to allow yourself to get some safe potshots on him.
Always try to move to a different level than Krauser, which will trigger a short leaping animation, or an attack that can be dodged. For instance in the gallery above, we climbed the ladder up when Krauser was on the bottom floor, and were able to get some quick pistol shots in. When he leapt up we dropped down. Krauser will often use a slam that can be dodged here, which has an exaggerated lengthy animation that can be punished. Parrying is also an option here, but is not required.
Fighting near the ledges is generally a bad idea, as he can knock you off (forcing you to mash the interact button to get back on the platform). If your knife is repaired/ready to go you can slice at him and pull yourself up quicker. Krauser has a ton of health, so just keep firing until he goes down: there’s no tricks or special cutscenes to trigger at this point. After taking him out you’ll earn the “You Used to be a Good Guy” achievement. This is one of the select few fights where a Rocket Launcher will come in handy: but make sure you use it on this second phase in the arena, and not before.
