Resident Evil 3 final boss strategies explained
How to finally take Nemesis down before leaving the city.
Resident Evil 3's final boss is not one but two encounters with Nemesis. But after so many battles which we swore was the last, what else did you expect?
After a traditional battle, you have to set up a Railgun in a final final mutated form before you can put him down for good and leave the city.
Both are tricky battles- and this page explains how to win both.
On this page:
Looking for something else? Visit our Resident Evil 3 walkthrough for more help.
How to reach and prepare for the final boss battles in Resident Evil 3
Once you have fully explored NEST 2 and solved the Vaccine puzzle, it's time to escape the facility.
After crawling through the air vent on the left, and the cutscene where you must push forward with the analogue stick prompt, you arrive in the Worker's Break Room safe room.
There are plenty of ammo and items to grab here, as well as the Disposal Centre file on wall next to the door.
You want to stock up on as much ammo and healing items as possible. If you have the Magnum, make sure you bring it with you, and combine any two High Grade Gunpowders in your box to make Mag rounds. Otherwise, Grenade Launcher rounds are essential, while a Handgun (a full clip and no ammo spare is fine as you need to shoot a handful of specific targets in the first battle) as well as a Shotgun are welcome if you can spare the room.
You'll also need plenty of healing items - Nemesis packs a punch, and though there will be some to find mid-battle, taking 3-4 full health items is recommended.
When head out the safe room (there's more ammo to the left) and head round down the stairs for a cutscene and a boss fight.
How to beat Nemesis in the first final battle
This is similar to your previous encounter with Nemesis in the Clock Tower Plaza. You can damage Nemesis at any time, but there are certain points where he will be more vulnerable after he sprints around the edges of the arena.
That doesn't happen straight away. In the first stage of the fight, he will do regular attacks on the ground. Keep your distance and dodge as many as you can with Quick Step, while firing away. If you have the Magnum, this first section will go by pretty quickly.
When he stops and appears to mutate, a cutscene with Carlos will then begin. At this point, Nemesis can sprint around the edges of the arena, and Carlos will call out a reactor.
When he does, shoot the red panels either side of the reactor. Doing so will shock Nemesis and stun him, exposing a pulsing red weak point for extra damage.
Hitting these panels are difficult with the Shotgun at range, while the Grenade Launcher rounds will drop after a certain distance. So you either need to get reasonably close to these reactors, or use a Handgun.
While this is happening, zombies will be let loose. There are only two or three at a time, but make sure you are aware of their locations before Carlos calls out. If you can take them out then great - but they can also prove useful when Nemesis is normally attacking, as he can get distracted and attack them instead.
Though you can damage him throughout the battle, it's those generator stuns you want to concentrate on. The second one will be different to the rest - he'll be sprayed with acid - but from there, it's possible to finish him entirely with your weapons.
His attacks in the final phases get pretty vicious, too - try and Quick Step as best you can, maintain healing, and if he goes berserk, it might be best to stay on the ground until his swings stop.
After the battle, and the cutscene, you'll be in a second Worker's Break Room. Get the Weapon Spec Sheet file here, various consumable items, and then save your game.
This is the final stretch - have as many long range weapons (Magnum, Grenade Launcher rounds, even the Handgun) on you, as well as healing items.
Now head out and along the walkway for a cutscene.
How to beat Nemesis in the second final battle
At the beginning, turn around straight away and interact with the Rail Gun twice - once to ready it, and another interaction to equip. Aim anywhere at Nemesis for a cutscene.
After the first shot, you need to power it up a second time. Along the edges of the room are generators, three of which are red.
You need to push them all in to power up the Rail Gun - but Nemesis will attack you while doing so.
You have to stun Nemesis by shooting all of the light coloured pulsing masses across his body. This is where your long range weaponry comes in handy. The Magnum is perfect as it's precise and very powerful (you won't be needing it after this is over, so don't spare the ammo!) otherwise use Grenade Launcher rounds and, in a pinch, the Handgun.
All the while, you need to avoid Nemesis attacks. These aren't the easiest to dodge while you're trying to aim, so if you get hit, there are two First Aid Sprays in both corners of the room on various crates, alongside some ammo.
Nemesis will slump down when all masses are destroyed, long enough to push in two of the generators.
You have to repeat this process again - taking out all the new fleshy masses - before he is stunned a final time, allowing you to push in the third generator.
Now interact with the Railgun again as you did at the start of the encounter, then press the button prompt on screen during the cutscene to finish him off. Finally!
Our full Resident Evil 3 walkthrough explains every aspect's of Jill's, including the Shotgun location, Bolt cutters and Lockpick locations, how to reset the Circuit Breakers to restore power in the Substation, find the Drugstore safe code solution and Aqua Cure clue, Police Station Safe, Locker codes, Hospital safe code and courtyard box for the Magnum explained.
How to complete Resident Evil 3
With Nemesis now dealt with, head through his Rail Gun-melted corpse, and cut right halfway through to the ladder in the corner.
Before going through the doorway, grab the final file of the game - the Suspicious Contract Memo - on the walkway to the left.
Now continue through to the elevator, then out and up the stairs to the roof to finish the game.
Congratulations for beating Resident Evil 3 - enjoy the ending!