There are a lot of great fights in the Dead Space remake. While the game’s cast of necromorphs make every encounter memorable, the two standout fights in the game are definitely the Leviathan and the Hive Mind boss fights. Not only do they have a lot of narrative weight to them, but the fights are challenging while also being excellent set pieces.
If you’ve made it to the final chapter of the game, Chapter 12: Dead Space, but are having some trouble with taking down the Hive Mind, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Here’s everything you need to know about beating the fight and finishing Dead Space.
Note: the following guide contains end-game spoilers for Dead Space.
More Dead Space guides:
| How to Replace the Damaged Tram | Power Nodes Explained | How to Get Security Clearance Level 1 | ‘Scan RIG to Unlock Workstation’ Explained | How to Fast Travel | How to Restart the Centrifuge | How to Find Autopsy Location | How to Get Security Clearance Level 2 | How to Beat the Brute Boss Fight | Is There a Photo Mode? | How to Get the Line Gun | How to Beat the Hunter Boss Fight (First Encounter) | Tissue Sample Location | How to Beat the Leviathan Boss Fight | How to Get Security Clearance Level 3 | How to Destroy Interior Tethers | How to Fix the Comms Array | Front Toward Enemy Trophy Guide | Z-Baller Trophy Guide | How to Beat the Hunter Boss Fight (Second Encounter) | What is Peng? | How to Reposition the Marker | How to Restore Power to the Junction |
Hive Mind Boss Guide
After learning the truth about what happened to Nicole and being double-crossed by Daniels once more as you try to get on the shuttle off Aegis VII, the Hive Mind will appear and kill Daniels in a cutscene. After it does, you’ll come face-to-face with the final monster of the game.
Scattered across the arena is a plethora of item boxes that you can destroy for loot drops. There are too many to open right once the fight starts, but as things go on, you’ll have opportunities to see what’s inside them. Additionally, a lot of the Hive Mind’s attacks will actually open them for you, leaving their contents scattered across the floor.
Phase 1
The first phase of the fight is relatively simple. The Hive Mind has five glowing weak points surrounding its mouth so you’ll need to take them all out with your weapons. Each one will take a few hits but aren’t terribly bulky.
As you fight the Hive Mind, it’s worth keeping in mind that in between its other attacks, it’ll frequently slam its tentacles into the ground. It’s usually easy to see when a slam is coming since the monster will reel back a little bit before bringing it down, but it can be a little tricky to get the hang of knowing where exactly the hit will come from. As long as you keep moving in the fight, however, you should be able to avoid most hits.
After you take out one of the weak points, the Hive Mind will reel back in pain and then start shooting out giant balls of body mass at you. These don’t pose much of a threat as long as you avoid being hit by them as they come out of its mouth. After hitting the ground, they’ll stick to where they are for a little bit and can be destroyed if they get in your way, but I really wouldn’t bother breaking them up since they don’t deal any damage to you and will dissolve after a few seconds anyway.
As the fight goes on and you destroy more weak points on the Hive Mind, it’ll shoot more balls at you, but, as mentioned above, they shouldn’t be too much of a pain. Once all five are taken out, the next phase of the fight will start.
Phase 2
The next phase is hardly a part of the boss fight at all. Essentially, the Hive Mind will take some time away from the fight as it reels back in pain and will summon some necromorph fodder to fight you instead. Gun through the necromorphs using your weapons and you’ll breeze through this phase without issue. Once all of them are dead, the next phase will start.
Phase 3
This phase of the fight is very similar to the first in that you’ll need to take out five weak points on the Hive Mind. Instead of having five spread-out points, however, the five glowing growths are found inside the maw of the beast.
Each time you take out one of the weak points, the Hive Mind will shoot a line of acid at you that severely limits the amount of space you have to move around while you wait for it to reveal its weak spots again. While you wait, you’ll be attacked by tentacle slams that alternate the side they come from. The best way to avoid taking damage here is to just keep moving up and down the arena until the Hive Mind tires and reveals its weak spots again.
About halfway through this phase, the Hive Mind will start shooting multiple lines of acid at you, but luckily they disappear quickly except for the final shot which divides the area in half like usual. Once it does, get ready for more tentacle slams.
After taking out all five weak spots inside the Hive Mind, you’ll be grabbed by one of the tentacles and held upside down high in the air. One final weak point will be revealed in the center of the monster’s head. Shoot it until it explodes and the Hive Mind will drop you safely on the landing pad as it dies.
With that, the fight will be over so all you’ll need to do is head back to the shuttle and watch the final cutscene of the game.
