Has Spider-Man 2's surprise boss fight caught you off guard? In this guide, we'll be going through everything you need to know in order to defeat the symbiote boss in Spider-Man 2. We'll also be sharing some tips and tricks that you should use in the fight, as well as providing you with a general strategy for success.
Spider-Man 2's symbiote boss fight is something of a surprise, starting immediately after you defeat Kraven the Hunter. Moreover, the identity of your opponent in this boss fight will surprise many players, with Miles having to face off against someone who isn't typically a villain in the original comics.
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How do you beat the symbiote Peter Parker in Spider-Man 2?
In this boss fight, you'll actually be fighting against Peter Parker's Spider-Man, who has been enthralled by an alien symbiote that has taken over his mind. You'll previously have been playing as Peter before this fight, but when the fight begins you will swap characters to play as Miles Morales, attempting to free Peter from the symbiote's clutches.
As mentioned previously, the fight between Miles Morales and Peter Parker takes place immediately after you defeat Kraven the Hunter as Peter. Following Kraven's defeat to Peter wielding the symbiote, Miles steps in to prevent Peter from killing Kraven in cold blood. Tensions escalate, and as Kraven makes his escape you'll have to face down Peter and the symbiote.
Peter has 3 separate health bars that you'll have to fight through, each one paired to a different phase. In each phase, Peter has unique moves and abilities, and we'll be going through all of them and how to counter them in our guide below.
Phase one
Throughout this fight, Peter's basic attack is the same across all phases: a simple punch combo, that ends with a slam attack that he can use to travel over large distances with.
Peter also has a heavy attack where he slowly winds up a backhanded swing using his arm as a tendril. This attack will knock you high into the air and leave you stunned for a long period of time.
To prevent this, you should aim to block the attack, which will decrease the damage you take and prevent you from being stunned. If you're able to do so, you can parry Peter's heavy attack to launch a counter-offensive.
While you've been knocked into the air, Peter may use this as a chance to bring out his ranged attack. In this fight, Peter is able his ranged symbiote ability to fire fast-paced projectiles at you. You can dodge these if he's firing them at you when you're on the ground.
However, if he fires at you when you're stunned, you'll take huge damage unless you heal in mid-air. This makes it all the more important to prevent Peter's heavy attack from hitting you.
During the fight, you'll be able to use L1+R1 to ring the bell in the arena. This will stagger Peter and the symbiote for a long period of time, allowing you to set up a combo on him before he can recover. You're also able to hit Peter with your web shots, which will entangle him and prevent him from attacking you.
Generally, this fight is made easier by juggling between stunning Peter with the bell and with your web shots. Doing so will incapacitate him for large portions of the fight, allowing you to melt through his health quickly. Whenever you're not landing combos on Peter, always be on the lookout for a way to stagger him to get some free damage.
Phase two
Just as you did in phase one, you should still use your web shots and the bell to stun Peter whenever you can in phase two. Peter will try to keep the bell webbed up and will turn to shoot at it throughout the fight. You can interrupt his web shots to prevent him from muffling the bell during the fight.
At the start of phase two, Peter will probably open with a long-distance tendril attack. You can't parry this attack, but you can dodge out of the way quite easily when Miles glows with a red aura.
Now, Peter has gained access to more ranged symbiote attacks. He will hover above the ground with his tendrils raised, before unleashing a one-directional slam with a long tendril.
Additionally, he'll now be able to throw large symbiotic projectiles at you. These are slow-moving, but they do home in on Miles if you try to move out of the way. However, you can deflect them by pressing L1+R1. This will direct the projectile towards the bell, before causing it to toll. Most importantly, it will cause the bell to ring even if it's covered in Peter's webs. Always try to return the projectile back towards the bell when you can.
Moreover, if you're able to get the timing down, you should now try to trap Peter in your web shots when the webs on the bell are about to break. This means that Peter is unable to use his own web shots to muffle the bell when the bell is available. Furthermore, you'll be able to use the bell immediately after Peter breaks free from your web, so he's instantly returned to a staggered state.
Phase three
Now in phase three, Peter attacks faster and has gained access to a couple more symbiote moves. One such move is a radial spike attack, that hits everything surrounding Peter over a medium-range area.
You'll be able to foresee this attack when Peter uses it, marked by the blue rings that appear around his head. When these show, you should try to make as much distance as possible between yourself and Peter.
Peter will also have access to a new diving attack, that your only counter to is to dodge. Neither blocking nor parrying will work here, and the attack can't be interrupted. Being hit with it will deal 18 damage, so try to avoid it at all costs.
The most notable change in this phase, however, is Peter's ability to intercept the symbiotic projectiles you redirect towards the bell. Now, Peter can re-assert his control over the projectile's trajectory, and redirect it back towards you. You'll have to pay extra attention when you deflect these projectiles toward the bell and ensure that they reach their destination without interruption.
Once again, you'll have to utilise the various staggers that you can trigger on Peter to succeed in this fight. Once you've finally beaten your way through his third and final health bar, you'll have successfully exorcised the symbiote from Peter's body and completed the boss fight.
That's everything you need to know in order to take down the Peter Parker symbiote boss in Spider-Man 2! For more Spider-Man 2 guides like this one, why not check out our other boss walkthroughs, such as how to beat Scream or how to beat the final Kraven boss fight? We've also got guides on how to find Super Slingshot locations and how to use web lines if you're looking for tips on how to get around in Spider-Man 2.