Metal Gear Solid Delta: How to Beat The Pain

The second big boss encounter in Metal Gear Solid Delta, you encounter The Pain as you explore Chyornaya Peschera Cave. This Metal Gear Solid Delta guide explains how to beat The Pain.

How Do You Beat The Pain in Metal Gear Solid Delta?

As has been teased in previous cutscenes, The Pain is a man who can control hornets. Full stop.

When you find him in the cave network, he'll be stood on a large rock in the middle of a pool of water. He won't move from this position at any time, but he will use his hornets to attack you in a variety of different ways.

Use the opening minutes of the battle to get a feel for the arena, and how you'll need to dive underwater constantly to avoid taking damage. Just like Ocelot, you can defeat The Pain either lethally using Weapons labelled DMG, or non-lethally, and get a new Uniform for your troubles.

During the first phase of the fight, you can't damage The Pain while he's covered in hornets. Don't use Grenades when he's in this state either, as the hornets will pick up the live Grenade up and throw it back at you. Instead, wait for him to attack and then use a blast of the M37 shotgun (you hopefully picked up beforehand) to scatter the hornets and leave him vulnerable.

From there, you can either continue to damage him with the M37 for lethal damage (out of the water on a rock), or swap to the MK22 for a non-lethal approach. Also, when you dive into the water, The Pain will lose track of your position. Surface out of his eyesight, and you can get a free shot in.

The Pain will continue to throw poisonous hornets into the water if he knows where you are, and will summon a tommy gun (through the hornets, somehow) and shoot it like a traditional machine gun.

When you have The Pain at half health (either lethally or non-lethally), a cutscene will play and he'll take off his mask and shoot hornets at you like a gun.

In this second phase, The Pain can throw bundles of hornets at you, like grenades. If you're out of the water while the grenade is forming, shoot it with the M37 to destroy it. Besides that, the strategy remains the same of using the water for cover, and surfacing out of his eyesight. When he simply walks around with bees near him — but not attached — that's your main window to deal damage.

Did you find our guide revealing how to beat The Pain in Metal Gear Solid Delta useful? Let us know in the comments below and check out our Metal Gear Solid Delta guide for more help and information.