You may recognise many of the bosses in Spider-Man 2 from the Marvel comics. One such villain is Kraven the Hunter, who plays a pivotal role in the plot of Spider-Man 2. This guide is here to give you all the information you need to beat Kraven the Hunter, with tips and tricks to help you take him down as fast as possible.
Kraven is one of the main antagonists in Spider-Man 2, and you'll have several showdowns with him across the game. There's one particular fight that may give you some trouble, but this guide should help you resolve any issues or challenges you encounter.
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How do you beat Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man 2?
You'll trigger the boss fight with Kraven during the "Anything Can Be Broken" mission. This fight will be your main showdown against Kraven during the game's story, and the difficulty of this battle fully justifies him being one of the game's main villains.
During the fight, you'll have to work your way through Kraven's two health bars, and thus, his two phases. That's one less than the Lizard boss had in your previous encounter, but don't be fooled; Kraven poses one of the most substantial challenges you've faced up to this point. Thanks to his rapid movement and an almost endless moveset, Kraven is a formidable opponent.
Phase One
In phase one of the fight, you'll be fighting against Kraven using only his fists, as well as him having the ability to call in aerial strikes from his fellow Hunters. These air strikes are trivial in phase one: they're often restricted to the edge of the arena, so as long as you stay fairly central they shouldn't be a bother. They're marked by yellow orbs on the floor, that turn red when the impact is imminent, and also have a very distinct whistling sound effect as they come down.
Kraven has a limited moveset in phase one, as he wields only his fists to fight against you. He'll have a string of punches that can knock you down and leave you open to further damage, as well as a kick at the end of his combo that can send you flying through the air. Usually, an air strike will be called in after a successful kick from Kraven, due to the distance that opens up between you, although it will rarely hit you in this phase.
The last attack in Kraven's arsenal in phase one is his leaping punch, where he'll dive toward you swinging his fist. Again, this punch does huge damage, and the delayed swing makes it a challenge to counter. Use the yellow rings that appear around Kraven's head to judge when the punch lands, as they will turn red when he's about to make contact with you.
To counter Kraven, you can always parry his punches if you're able, or they're easily dodged. Even Kraven's leaping punches can be parried, although the timing is harder to nail. However, make sure you don't let his punches catch you, as they do high amounts of damage and stun you for quite some time.
Even though he's unarmed here, don't underestimate the damage that Kraven can do. It will only take a few hits for you to be wiped out. You'll need to be precise with your movement, be patient, and strike back whenever his guard is down in order to get through this phase of the fight. To attack, we recommend using your symbiote abilities whenever possible, as they offer the greatest amount of damage against him.
Phase Two
Once you've managed to deplete Kraven's first health, you'll enter into a cutscene. This marks the start of phase two, which is fought in a much larger arena. Now, Kraven has the ability to go invisible, and his support from the Hunters is even more effective. Their air strikes are far more accurate to your position, and might actually pose a threat.
The biggest challenges you'll have to contend with in this fight are Kraven's pure speed and invisibility. Kraven can now dash huge distances as well, making him incredibly mobile. You'll have to be on your guard, and ready for him to appear from anywhere at any time. When he's about to attack, you'll see a white blur appear from wherever Kraven is about to strike. Use this to anticipate his movement and stay one step ahead.
You'll still have to deal with Kraven's punches and kicks from phase one, but he's also ditched his fists for something a little more dangerous. Now wielding a two-handed axe, Kraven will swing his axe wildly in a spinning motion. On the third swing, he winds up to a dive attack that has a heavy delay, reminiscent of an attack from Margit the Fell Omen in Elden Ring. Your best bet here is to block the attack - you'll lose 5HP, but it's incredibly hard to dodge and get the timing right.
Additionally, Kraven has the ability to throw a spear at you and hit you from long range. He's quite vulnerable when doing this, so if he starts to get his spear out you can attack and disarm him. You can do this by pressing L1+R1 to throw a barrel or piece of debris at him to stun him and knock him off balance.
Sadly, it doesn't end there. Kraven also now has the ability to climb trees and equip a massive sniper rifle, marked by a bright green laser. You'll want to get out of his line of sight as soon as you can or charge him down before he can get a shot in. If you do get up close, you'll be able to get two or three hits in before he disappears again.
If that's not enough, Kraven can also summon mechanical dogs by whistling. You'll want to dispatch these as quickly as possible so that you can focus on the main fight. The mechanical dogs aren't very strong and can be taken down with a simple button combo. However, they're an unnecessary distraction for what is an already challenging boss fight, so you won't want them causing a nuisance for long. Expect to deal with multiple waves of these beasts throughout the fight.
Finally, the last scenario you'll have to contend with in this fight is when Kraven throws his spear at the bell, central to the arena. This will cause you to be briefly stunned, as well as temporarily disable all of your symbiote abilities while the bell tolls. This is probably the most substantial attack at Kraven's disposal in phase two, as your symbiote abilities are your main source of damage output.
When the bell tolls, you'll immediately want to fire your webs at the bell to dull its ringing. As soon as you do this, you'll regain access to your symbiote abilities and be able to take the fight back to Kraven. So long as you stay afloat against his huge repertoire of attacks, you'll have the chance to slip in attacks wherever you can to get his health down to zero. Manage this, and you'll have beaten Kraven the Hunter.
That's all we've got on how to beat Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man 2. For more on the game, why not check out our guides on whether Spider-Man 2 has a New Game Plus, or how to take pictures of landmarks? We've also got guides on how to swing kick enemies and how to perform stealth takedowns, both useful skills you'll need to reach the fight with Kraven the Hunter.