Silent Hill 2 remake: How to defeat Maria / Mary 

After a grueling journey through Silent Hill (and other places), James Sunderland finally faces his inner demons and comes face-to-face with Mary. But is it her? Depending on the choices you have made, the Silent Hill 2 remake’s final boss will either be James’ thought-to-be deceased wife or a manifestation of his imagination. Either way, the boss fight plays the same regardless of whether you are fighting Maria or Mary. 

Phase one is all about attacking from a distance 

Maria/ Mary employs hit-and-run tactics during phase one. After spreading her arms wide, she will summon a swarm of moths that will roam the battlefield. These nasties will attack when you least expect it, so you should either dodge them or disperse them by attacking the swarm. 

Getting close to Maria/Mary during phase one will almost always cause her to transform into a swarm of moths and reposition herself. Ranged weapons like the Handgun and Rife will allow you to hit her from afar, but if you’re adamant about getting up close (or are just looking to get the “As Close as You Like” achievement), Shotgun blasts and melee attacks will work if you manage to catch her mid-animation. 

Apart from her swarm attack, Maria/Mary also has tendril swipes that come out in ones and twos. The boss’s body will jerk slightly to the side, indicating that a tendril swipe is coming. Dodge backward to avoid the first swipe and dodge sideways as Maria/ Mary lurches forward for the second attack. If you always assume that she will do the two-hit combo, you will never be caught by surprise. 

Maria/Mary also has a thrust attack where she leans backward before thrusting forward with her tendril. Dodging sideways allows you to avoid the boss’s pointy bit and get some good damage in. As with most of the Silent Hill 2 remake’s bosses, Maria/Mary also has a non-damaging roar that stuns and leaves you open to follow-up attacks, so be on the lookout for that as well. 

Phase two turns the final boss into a souped-up Flesh Lip 

Eventually, Maria/Mary will extend her bed frame appendages and smash the floor, causing it to collapse and drop you below. From this point onward, the Maria/Mary fight is similar to another Silent Hill 2 remake boss, the Flesh Lip. Maria/ Mary will start crawling in the ceiling and dropping down to attack you. Keep an eye out for sparks along the ceiling and listen for the boss’s movements, as these cues let you know her location.  

Maria/Mary will almost always follow a drop attack with a tendril swipe or two. She is a little slower than she was in phase one, so you can attack her after her failed drop attack attempt, dodge the tendril swipes, and get some more hits in before she retreats into the ceiling. 

Amidst the darkness and the drop attacks, Maria/Mary will spawn swarms of moths to attack you. She does this remotely, so you cannot capitalize on any openings. Avoid or disperse the moth swarms as soon as you see them and focus on the bigger threat that is looming above you. 

Maria/ Mary’s final phase has a lot of moves you need to watch out for 

Maria/Mary puts her recently freed bed frame appendages to good use in her final phase. Her most common move is where she strikes the player up to two times with her metal appendages. She lifts a single appendage before each strike, giving you ample time to dodge them. Maria/ Mary will sometimes lift and drop both of her appendages simultaneously for a double strike, so be wary of the attack’s increased area of effect. 

Her appendage swipe covers a wider area than her strikes but fortunately doesn’t have any follow-up swipes. Be on the lookout for when she raises her right bed frame appendage (she’ll hold it in the air longer than an appendage strike) and dodge backward to avoid getting hit. 

Like the Flesh Lip, Maria/Mary has a charge move where she runs in a straight line before attacking. The boss will lift its right appendage and flap its upper short appendages before charging directly forward. Dodge to the side and pull out your Shotgun or melee weapon so you can punish Maria/Mary at close range. Be aware that due to her new appendages, Maria/Mary now has a grab attack.

In addition to these new moves, Maria/Mary also employs her entire phase one moveset. She’ll occasionally summon swarms of moths at a faster pace, do tendril swipes and thrusts, and teleport away when you get too close. She will also roar, leaving you open to all her attacks and dealing irreversible ear damage to James.

Keep a reasonable distance from the boss, use the ammunition and healing items dotted around the arenas, and you’ll eventually defeat the source of James’ nightmares. Remember to finish off Maria/Mary after the initial ending cutscene, as you can’t complete the game otherwise! 

If you have yet to make it to Maria/Mary, perhaps you’re having trouble with one of the other Silent Hill 2 remake bosses? Consider checking out our guides for other bosses including the Pyramid Head, Abstract Daddy and Mandarin, among others!