METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE: Complete Guide

A guide to PlatinumGames' Raiden action game: parrying (the game's most important skill), Blade Mode and Zandatsu, what to buy with BP, the File-by-File outline, bosses, collectibles and unlocks, and PC-specific notes.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC patch of 7 March 2014. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: Revengeance is a finished single-player game. The PC version (January 2014) includes all DLC: the Jetstream and Blade Wolf story missions, the VR Missions, and the alternate bodies. It also adds a Cutscenes and Codecs viewer, a boss-only chapter select, graphics options, and a ZANGEKI setting that controls how many cut pieces enemies break into. The last official patch (7 March 2014) fixed crashes when changing resolution and a bug where Armstrong wouldn't drop Repair Nanopaste or trigger his final QTE below 60 fps.

Quick Start

• There's no block button. Parrying is your defense. Push the stick toward the attacker and press Light Attack as the attack arrives. If you learn one thing, learn this.
• Watch for the attack glint. Enemies telegraph their attacks with a flash. Parry as the hit is about to land. Tighter timing gives a perfect parry that opens a counterattack.
• Zandatsu heals you. Cut an enemy in Blade Mode, slice the glowing blue target area, and press the prompt to rip out their repair unit. You get full health and energy back.
• Buy Defensive Offense early. It's the dodge (Light Attack plus Jump), bought with BP in the customization menu. Some attacks can't be parried and have to be dodged.
• Ninja Run deflects bullets. Hold it to move quickly, auto-climb obstacles, and block most small-arms fire.
• Spend BP on HP and Fuel Cell upgrades. A longer health bar and more Blade Mode energy make every fight easier.
• Use your subweapons. Rockets for helicopters and Gekkos, grenades for groups, and a cardboard box or drum can for stealth. Repair Nanopaste is your emergency heal.
• Normal is fine for a first run. The game gets much harder on Hard, Very Hard and Revengeance, which is where the achievements are.

Controls and Core Mechanics

Action | How | Notes

Light attack | Light Attack | Also the parry input when paired with a direction

Strong attack | Strong Attack | Heavier hits and launchers

Parry | Direction toward enemy + Light Attack | Time it on the attack telegraph. Works even with your back to the enemy

Dodge (Defensive Offense) | Light Attack + Jump | Buy it with BP. Required for unblockable attacks

Ninja Run | Hold the Ninja Run button | Speed, auto-traversal and bullet deflection

Blade Mode | Hold Blade Mode, then aim with the camera or attack buttons | Slows time. Cut along any angle while energy lasts

Zandatsu | Blade Mode, cut the blue area, press the prompt | Full heal and energy refill

Ripper Mode | Activate at full energy | Temporary power boost. Every cut goes through

Subweapons and items | Weapon and item wheels | Rockets, grenades, Nanopaste and more

PC players can rebind everything. Most people agree that a controller makes parrying feel more natural, though keyboard and mouse works.

Parrying in depth

• Normal parry: Blocks the attack.
• Perfect parry: A tighter timing that immediately opens a counterattack.
• Unblockable attacks (grabs and certain heavy boss moves) have to be dodged with Defensive Offense. When a parry fails against a boss move, that move is probably one of these.
• Parrying works while you're attacking, so you can often cancel a combo into a parry.
• If you're struggling, go into VR Missions or an early File and practise on basic cyborgs until the timing is automatic.

Blade Mode and Zandatsu

• Energy fills as you attack and parry. Blade Mode spends it.
• Zandatsu requires a weakened enemy (after a combo, a perfect parry counter, or a finisher) and a cut through the highlighted area. It restores all HP and energy. On high difficulties, this is your main source of healing.
• Harvesting: Cutting off specific body parts can collect items. Cut off enemy officers' left arms for data (there's an achievement for collecting all of them).

Progression: What to Buy with BP

BP (Battle Points) come from kills, mission rankings and collectibles. Spend them in the customization menu between chapters.

Priority | Upgrade | Why

1 | Defensive Offense (dodge) | Essential for bosses and grabs

2 | Life upgrades | More room for mistakes

3 | Fuel Cell (energy) upgrades | More Blade Mode and more Zandatsu chances

4 | Main weapon (HF Blade) upgrades | More damage

5 | Extra skills and moves | Launchers, aerial options and combo extenders

Upgrades carry into new playthroughs, so a New Game Plus run on a higher difficulty is much easier than starting that difficulty fresh.

Story Outline (Files)

File | Name | Highlights

R-00 | Guard Duty | Tutorial and prologue. Boss: Metal Gear RAY. First meeting with Jetstream Sam

R-01 | Coup d'État | Abkhazia. Bosses: Blade Wolf (LQ-84i), then Mistral

R-02 | Research Facility | Guadalajara, Mexico. Rescue the kidnapped children. No major named boss

R-03 | Mile High | Denver, first part

R-04 | Hostile Takeover | Denver and World Marshal. Includes the pagoda

R-05 | Escape From Denver | A shorter escape section

R-06 | Badlands Showdown | Boss: Jetstream Sam

R-07 | Assassination Attempt | Final bosses: Metal Gear EXCELSUS and Senator Armstrong

The Denver Files (R-03 to R-05) include the Monsoon and Sundowner fights, in that order.

Boss Tips

Bosses are listed in story order: RAY (R-00), Blade Wolf and Mistral (R-01), Monsoon and Sundowner (Denver), Sam (R-06), then EXCELSUS and Armstrong (R-07).

• Metal Gear RAY: Stay mobile, parry the melee swipes, and use Blade Mode when the game prompts you. Cutting off its tail gets you the "Steel Tail" achievement.
• Mistral: Parry her polearm strikes, especially once she uses many arms. Blade Mode lets you cut the arms and the environment during openings.
• Blade Wolf: Watch for its dashes and chainsaw strikes. Parry and counter, and use rockets or grenades if you struggle.
• Monsoon: His magnetic attacks throw debris. Ninja Run deflects projectiles, and Blade Mode can cut incoming objects. When he splits apart, the game tells you how to deal with it.
• Sundowner: His shields block most attacks. Parry to open them up, then punish. Save Blade Mode for his vulnerable windows and dodge the unblockable moves.
• Jetstream Sam: A pure skill check. Almost everything can be parried, so time your parries and don't mash. His strikes are fast and he reads spammed inputs.
• Metal Gear EXCELSUS: A big, multi-phase fight. Use Ninja Run and Blade Mode when the game prompts you.
• Senator Armstrong: His nanomachines make him very durable. Parry and dodge his unblockables, and learn which attacks need Defensive Offense. Before the final phase, make sure you have Repair Nanopaste.

Weapons and Unlocks

• Boss weapons are unlocked by defeating bosses: L'Etranger (Mistral's polearm), Dystopia (Monsoon's sai), Bloody Rose (Sundowner's pincer blades), and Murasama (Sam's blade, unlocked after you finish the story). A unique weapon changes your Strong Attack moveset while your HF Blade stays on Light Attack, so try each one; buying everything in customization counts toward "Ich Liebe Kapitalismus!".
• Alternate bodies are included on PC: White Armor, Inferno Armor, Commando Armor, Raiden's MGS4 body and the Cyborg Ninja. More bodies and weapons unlock through collectibles and VR Missions.
• Collectibles: Data storage devices, enemy officers' left arms, soldiers hiding in cardboard boxes, humanoid Dwarf Gekkos and civilians to rescue. Each has an achievement ("Data Mining", "A Big Fan of Lefties", "Peekaboo", "Tearing Away the Disguise", "Humanitarian Assistance").
• VR Missions: Unlocked by finding VR terminals hidden in the story Files ("Analysis Complete" for unlocking all of them). Complete them for "VR Master", and set the top score on each for "Virtually Flawless". The DLC VR Missions have their own pair ("DL-VR Master", "Hero of the Metaverse").

DLC Missions (included on PC)

• Jetstream (DL-Story-01: Brazilian Wind): Play as Sam with a Quick Draw-focused moveset. The "Jetstream" achievement asks you to clear it on Revengeance difficulty in an hour or less.
• Blade Wolf (DL-Story-02): Play as Blade Wolf in a stealth-heavy mission that emphasizes Hunt Kills, with Khamsin as the boss. "Fangs of Fury" asks for a Revengeance clear in an hour or less, "Wolf's Pride" for a no-damage Khamsin kill on Hard or above, and "Predatory Instincts" for 30 Hunt Kills.
• In Sam's mission, "Draw, Pardner!" wants 100 kills using Quick Draw.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Trying to play it like a dodge-heavy action game. Parrying is the core defense. Mashing dodge won't work.
• Not buying Defensive Offense. Unblockable attacks will wreck you without it.
• Forgetting Zandatsu. It's your main source of healing, especially on higher difficulties.
• Hoarding BP. Spend it every time you can. HP and Fuel Cell upgrades help immediately.
• Skipping subweapons. Rockets make Gekko and helicopter fights much faster.
• Rushing codecs and dialogue. Codec calls give hints and flavor, and there's an achievement for listening to most of them.

Advanced Tips

• Parry-cancel combos. You can parry during your own attack animation, so stay aggressive.
• Do Zandatsu during perfect parry counters. They often leave enemies open to a clean cut.
• Ripper Mode for tough groups. Every cut goes through, so combine it with Blade Mode to clear crowds.
• Farm BP in VR Missions and repeat Files before trying Very Hard and Revengeance.
• "Stormbringer" requires all S rankings on Revengeance difficulty. Use New Game Plus upgrades and learn each boss's patterns first.
• Don't take damage on Hard or above against Mistral, Monsoon, Sundowner, Sam and Armstrong for their no-damage achievements ("Prodigal Murderer", "Genius Destroyer", "Truly Human", "Chosen by History", "The Politics of Silencing Foes"). Practise them in the boss-only chapter select.
• Easy-to-miss Story achievements: cut off the finial at the top of the pagoda in R-04 ("Menace to Society"), destroy all Gun Cameras in R-01 ("No Flash Photography!"), clear R-05 in under 7 minutes ("Great Escape"), finish R-03's abandoned railroad without AR Mode ("A Walk in the Dark"), and reach the R-07 objective unspotted ("Surprise Attack!").
• Parry chain: "What Doesn't Kill You..." needs 10 parries in a row within one minute. Crowded fights against basic cyborgs are the easiest place to get it.

FAQ

How do I parry in Metal Gear Rising? Push the stick (or movement key) toward the enemy and press Light Attack just as the attack is about to hit. Perfect timing opens a counterattack.

Does the PC version include all DLC? Yes. Jetstream, Blade Wolf, VR Missions and the alternate bodies are all included.

What difficulty should I play first? Normal. Very Hard and Revengeance unlock later, and your upgrades carry into new playthroughs.

What does the ZANGEKI option do? It changes how many pieces enemies can be cut into. It's a PC-specific performance and visual setting.

Why won't Armstrong's final QTE trigger? This was a bug that happened below 60 fps. The 7 March 2014 patch fixed it. Make sure your game is up to date, and keep the framerate at 60.

How long is the game? The story is short compared to most action games, but it's built for replays on higher difficulties.

Sources

• Steam store page and patch announcements for METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Wikipedia
• METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE Steam achievements list