You are twenty minutes into the Peace Walker Type II fight, your rations are completely depleted, your Carl Gustav launcher has exactly one rocket left, and suddenly, the dreaded nuclear launch sequence initiates. We have all been there—staring helplessly at the Game Over screen in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 because these massive AI weapons are absolute bullet sponges that ruthlessly punish even the slightest tactical error. Fighting the AI machines requires a fundamental shift in how you play the game; stealth goes out the window, and heavy ordnance becomes your best friend.
Editor’s Note: After logging well over 1,000 hours in the original releases and now fully dissecting the upgraded mechanics and precise hitboxes in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2, I have mapped out the exact AI behavior patterns and loadouts you need. This is not just about surviving the encounter; it is about systematically dismantling these mechs to farm their AI memory boards efficiently. If you want to build the ultimate Metal Gear ZEKE, you need to understand the anatomy of these mechanical beasts.
TL;DR: The Short Answer
- Pupa (Hovering Tank): Equip the LAW or Carl Gustav launcher. Focus your fire on the caterpillar treads to immobilize it, then unload on the cylindrical AI Pod. Dodge its lightning attacks by staying highly mobile and using the arena’s limited cover.
- Chrysalis (VTOL Interceptor): Bring the FIM-43 Stinger or XFIM-92A. Use Chaff Grenades to disrupt its targeting systems and blind the Kidnapper drones. Lock onto the AI Pod and the Radome to ground it quickly.
- Peace Walker (Nuclear Deterrence Mech): Equip your highest-damage rockets (CG, RPG-7) and the Battle Dress. Shoot the leg joints to slow its mobility. When it initiates the nuclear launch sequence, hit the spherical AI Pod with everything you have to interrupt the countdown.
- General Tactic: Always enter the AI Pod at the end of the fight to rip out the memory boards. To farm specific colored boards, you must damage the corresponding mech parts during the fight while leaving the AI Pod pristine.
Table of Contents
- TL;DR: The Short Answer
- The Anatomy of AI Weapons: Preparation and Loadouts
- How to Beat Pupa (The Hovering Tank)
- Hub & Spoke: Expanding Your Tactical Knowledge
- How to Beat Chrysalis (The VTOL Interceptor)
- How to Beat Peace Walker (The Nuclear Deterrence Mech)
- The XMODhub Solution: Bypassing the Grind
- Metal Gear ZEKE Farming: AI Memory Boards and Scrap Parts Guide
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Verdict
The Anatomy of AI Weapons: Preparation and Loadouts
Before you even step foot onto the battlefield to figure out How to Beat Pupa, Chrysalis, and Peace Walker Bosses, you must understand how METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 handles vehicle and mech combat. Unlike human enemies, AI weapons have segmented health pools and armor plating.
Your loadout is the single most important factor in these fights. You must equip the Battle Dress uniform. While the Sneaking Suit is phenomenal for the infiltration missions, it offers abysmal damage resistance and limits your heavy weapon slots. The Battle Dress allows you to carry up to three primary weapons, which is mandatory for the later Type II and Custom variants of these bosses.
You must also heavily invest in Mother Base’s R&D team. Do not attempt these bosses without at least a Rank 3 LAW or RPG-2, and ensure your Supply Marker is upgraded. You will run out of ammo—this is a guaranteed mechanic of the game, not a reflection of your aim. Calling in supply drops efficiently is half the battle.
How to Beat Pupa (The Hovering Tank)
The Pupa is the first true AI weapon you face in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2. Designed by Huey Emmerich, it utilizes Shagohod-style treads and a massive hovercraft chassis.
Pupa’s Core Mechanics
Pupa relies on high-speed ramming attacks, machine gun fire, and an area-of-effect lightning strike. The arena is circular with a few indestructible pillars. Pupa will frequently boost around the perimeter, making it difficult to land unguided rockets. Its weak point is the cylindrical AI Pod mounted on its front.
Common Mistakes
The most frequent error players make is shooting the heavily armored hull of the Pupa. Rockets fired at the main chassis will do significantly reduced damage. Another common mistake is hiding behind the pillars for too long; Pupa’s lightning attack can arc around cover, and its ramming speed can easily catch you off guard if you are cornered.
Alternative Methods
If your rocket launchers are under-leveled, you can utilize heavy machine guns like the M60 or PKM equipped with Armor Piercing (AP) rounds. While this requires you to stay out of cover longer to sustain fire, it provides consistent DPS. Another highly effective alternative is placing C4 or Anti-Tank Mines in the narrow pathways of the arena. When Pupa initiates its charging animation, detonate the explosives right as its treads pass over them to deal massive structural damage and temporarily stun it.
Advanced Tips
For hardcore players looking to farm parts for Metal Gear ZEKE, you need to manipulate the AI board system. If you want mobility boards, you must destroy Pupa’s thrusters and treads without damaging the AI Pod. Use sniper rifles to surgically remove the peripheral components. Once the health bar is depleted, you will enter the pod. Because you left the pod undamaged, the memory boards inside will be fully intact and ready for extraction.
Hub & Spoke: Expanding Your Tactical Knowledge
Mastering the heavy-ordnance combat against AI weapons is only one side of the coin in this massive compilation. While you are blowing up mechs in the Peace Walker segment, the MGS4 portion of the game demands a completely different, highly nuanced approach to boss fights. If you are aiming for the coveted Big Boss emblem or want to unlock all the facecamos, you must learn How to Defeat the B&B Corps (Non-Lethal Guide) in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2. Balancing the explosive chaos of AI weapons with the tranquilizer-focused precision of the B&B fights is the true mark of a veteran in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2.
How to Beat Chrysalis (The VTOL Interceptor)
Chrysalis takes the fight to the skies. This VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) craft is incredibly agile, armed with a devastating railgun, and escorted by annoying little drones called Kidnappers.
Chrysalis’s Core Mechanics
Chrysalis will hover out of range of most conventional weapons, occasionally swooping down to fire missiles or its railgun. The Kidnappers will attempt to grab you, interrupting your reloads and leaving you vulnerable to Chrysalis’s main cannons. The boss features a Radome (the spinning radar dish on top) and the standard AI Pod.
Common Mistakes
Trying to hit Chrysalis with unguided rockets like the RPG-7 is an exercise in frustration and a massive waste of GMP. The boss simply moves too fast. Furthermore, ignoring the Kidnapper drones is a fatal error. Many players try to tunnel-vision the boss, only to be stun-locked by the drones while Chrysalis charges its railgun.
Alternative Methods
The standard approach is using the FIM-43 Stinger. However, if you lack guided munitions, a high-powered sniper rifle (like the WA2000 or PTRS1941) is a fantastic alternative. By tracking Chrysalis’s flight path, you can land critical hits directly on the AI Pod or the Radome. Destroying the Radome severely cripples its evasive maneuvers and accuracy.
Another incredible alternative strategy relies heavily on Chaff Grenades. Throwing a Chaff Grenade instantly disables all Kidnapper drones in the area and completely scrambles Chrysalis’s targeting systems. During this window, you can safely call in supply drops or line up perfect shots without fear of retaliation.
Advanced Tips
To maximize your damage output and farm ZEKE’s head parts, use the Chaff Grenade method combined with the M47 Dragon (if you have unlocked it via late-game R&D). Wait for Chrysalis to initiate its railgun charge—it remains perfectly stationary during this animation. Throw a Chaff to blind its tracking, then hit the AI pod with a guided missile. The resulting damage will interrupt the railgun sequence, dropping Chrysalis closer to the ground for follow-up attacks.
How to Beat Peace Walker (The Nuclear Deterrence Mech)
This is the ultimate test in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2. Peace Walker is a bipedal nightmare equipped with drill missiles, an EM pulse generator, a poison beam, and a nuclear launch sequence that acts as a hard DPS check.
Peace Walker’s Core Mechanics
The fight is broken into distinct phases. Peace Walker will stomp around the arena, fire S-Mine drill missiles that burrow underground, and emit an EM pulse that deflects all explosive projectiles. Its most dangerous mechanic is the Nuclear Launch: Peace Walker will hunker down, a countdown will begin, and you must deal a massive amount of damage to the spherical AI Pod to interrupt the launch, or it is an instant Game Over.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is firing rockets while the EM pulse is active. You will see a visible blue dome of energy around the mech. If you fire a rocket into this dome, it will be deflected, wasting precious ammo and potentially hitting you. The second major mistake is poor Supply Marker management. If you wait until you are completely out of ammo to call a drop, Peace Walker will likely initiate the nuclear launch while you are waiting for the box to fall from the sky.
Alternative Methods
If you are struggling with the DPS check during the nuclear launch sequence, you need to change your weapon synergy. Instead of just rockets, bring the M60 or another high-capacity LMG. When the launch sequence starts, fire your Carl Gustav, immediately switch to your LMG, and empty the belt into the AI Pod while your rocket launcher auto-reloads in your inventory (a hidden mechanic in the game).
You can also utilize Strike Markers. If you have upgraded your Mother Base intel and combat units, calling in an artillery strike directly on Peace Walker during its stationary launch phase deals catastrophic damage and almost guarantees an interruption.
Advanced Tips
Targeting Peace Walker’s legs is a high-level strategy. Dealing enough damage to the joint mechanisms will cause the massive mech to stagger and fall to its knees. This provides a massive window of opportunity to unload into the AI Pod without dealing with evasive movements or the EM pulse. Furthermore, when the drill missiles are fired, do not just run away. You can actually shoot the missiles out of the ground before they detonate, saving you from taking splash damage and keeping your positioning optimal for counter-attacks.
The XMODhub Solution: Bypassing the Grind
Let’s be completely honest: figuring out How to Beat Pupa, Chrysalis, and Peace Walker Bosses is fun the first time. But when you need to fight the Custom variants of these bosses 50 times to farm the specific AI boards required to build Metal Gear ZEKE and unlock the game’s true ending, the grind becomes excruciating. The bullet-sponge nature of the Type II and Custom mechs can drain hours of your life.
This is where XMODhub changes the landscape entirely. Instead of stressing over supply drops and ammo management, you can utilize XMODhub to streamline the grind in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2.
By activating features like Infinite Ammo, No Reload, and God Mode, you can turn a grueling 25-minute boss battle into a 3-minute surgical extraction of the exact AI boards you need.
Here is how to take control of your time:
- Download and Install XMODhub: Access the platform and install the lightweight client on your PC.

- Auto-Detect METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2: Launch the game, and XMODhub will automatically hook into the application, bringing up a tailored overlay.
- Toggle Your Enhancements: Enable Infinite Ammo and Infinite Health. Equip your strongest rocket launcher and effortlessly farm the AI Pods for ZEKE parts without the tedious resource management.
Download METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 Trainer Now
Metal Gear ZEKE Farming: AI Memory Boards and Scrap Parts Guide
Understanding How to Beat Pupa, Chrysalis, and Peace Walker Bosses is only the first step; harvesting their components to build Metal Gear ZEKE is the ultimate goal in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2. The AI weapons drop two distinct types of loot: Scrap Parts (physical components like heads and legs) and AI Memory Boards (color-coded chips used to upgrade ZEKE’s combat logic).
To successfully extract these parts, you must meticulously manage your damage output during the fight. Destroying a specific part of the boss will damage the corresponding AI boards in the pod, rendering them useless for extraction. Conversely, leaving a part completely untouched allows you to harvest its boards, but significantly reduces the chance of acquiring the physical Scrap Parts.
AI Boss Loot Table and Targeting Strategy
| AI Weapon Boss | Key Scrap Part Drop | Associated Memory Boards | Recommended Target Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupa | Hover Unit / Pupa Head | Mobility (Blue) | Caterpillar Treads, Thrusters |
| Chrysalis | Radome / Chrysalis Head | Sense (Green) / Control (Yellow) | Wings, Radome (Damage to drop scrap) |
| Peace Walker | Legs / Peace Walker Head | Attack (Red) / Control (Yellow) | Leg Joints, Drill Missile Launchers |
Navigating the Custom Difficulty Spike
To farm the elusive Custom Heads for your ZEKE, you must face the Custom variants of these bosses in the Extra Ops missions. These variants have exponentially higher health pools and aggressive attack patterns. The optimal strategy here is to completely avoid damaging the AI Pod while heavily focusing your fire on the specific physical part you want to extract (e.g., shooting only Chrysalis’s Radome). Bringing top-tier weapons like the M47 Dragon and the Infinity Bandana is practically mandatory for these endgame encounters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an S-Rank on the AI Weapon boss fights?
To achieve an S-Rank in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2, you must complete the mission under a strict time limit, with zero deaths, and without using any stealth-camo items. Kills do not apply here since mechs are unmanned. The key is bringing the highest tier rockets (like the M47), wearing the Battle Dress, and skipping supply drops by using the infinity bandana (if unlocked) or just having perfect accuracy on the AI Pod.
Why can’t I extract the colored AI boards when I enter the pod?
If the memory boards are blacked out or destroyed when you enter the AI Pod, it means you dealt too much damage to the pod itself during the fight. To extract intact boards, you must deplete the boss’s health bar by shooting its body components (treads, wings, legs) and leave the cylindrical/spherical AI pod completely undamaged.
What is the best weapon for the Peace Walker Type II fight?
The absolute best weapon is the M47 Dragon launcher, but it requires a very high R&D level. If you do not have it, a combination of the Carl Gustav (for raw damage) and the FIM-43 (for tracking) alongside the M60 Armor Piercing machine gun is your best bet for consistent DPS.
Do I need to fight them multiple times to build Metal Gear ZEKE?
Yes. Building ZEKE requires specific scrap parts (legs, head, power unit) and AI memory boards. You will likely need to fight the Main Ops versions, the Type II versions, and the Custom versions multiple times to gather enough high-tier parts to make ZEKE viable for Outer Ops and the true ending.
Final Verdict
Learning How to Beat Pupa, Chrysalis, and Peace Walker Bosses in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2 boils down to preparation, loadout management, and understanding the specific hitboxes of the AI Pods. You must respect the mechanics, utilize Chaff Grenades and supply drops efficiently, and know exactly when to strike to interrupt their devastating ultimate attacks.
However, the sheer volume of grinding required to build Metal Gear ZEKE can test the patience of even the most hardcore fans. If you want to experience the rich narrative and the true ending without spending 40 hours shooting rockets at the same metal legs, XMODhub is your ultimate quality-of-life upgrade. With support for over 5,000 titles—including similar tactical espionage and resource-heavy games like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Death Stranding—XMODhub ensures you spend your time enjoying the game’s mechanics rather than suffering through its repetitive grinds. Equip your Battle Dress, load your launchers, and take down the AI deterrence network.
Stop Grinding, Start Enjoying.
Bypass the tedious resource gathering and unlock your full potential instantly.

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