In Resident Evil Requiem, you will eventually encounter the Umbrella Commander. We’ll show you how to defeat him.
The Umbrella Commander in Resident Evil Requiem is one of the mid-bosses designed to make your exploration a bit more challenging. While he isn’t a mutated monster with special abilities, his strength clearly lies in close combat. If you understand how to react to his phases and stay composed, the fight can quickly turn in your favor. Here’s what you need to know.
The Umbrella Commander Relies on Close Combat
Visually, he strongly resembles classic Umbrella operatives from previous entries and is often referred to by players as “Hunk” from Resident Evil 2. Fully equipped, masked, armed with an axe, and far more dangerous than he first appears. While he does carry a firearm, his focus is clearly on direct confrontation. That’s exactly where you should engage him.
The fight works best if you lean into what he wants: close combat. Parrying is not optional here, it’s your most important tool. With precise timing, you can briefly throw him off rhythm and immediately counter. Two to three well-executed counter sequences are enough to trigger the next phase.
The key points are:
- Stay close and force him into your parry window.
- Don’t attack greedily, react to his combos instead.
If you try to deal damage from a distance, you’ll quickly get punished by precise shots. The Commander has excellent aim and capitalizes on every opening.
Phase Two: Flash and Fog
Once he has taken enough damage, his behavior changes significantly. He uses flash grenades to temporarily blind you and tries to grab you in the chaos. If you get caught, you need to break free as quickly as possible, otherwise you may have to restart the fight. Especially in Nightmare mode, proper timing is crucial here.
Shortly after, he deliberately worsens visibility in the arena. Thick fog spreads while he takes cover and fires short bursts from a distance. In this phase, he tries to keep you at range and control the pace of the fight.
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Don’t give him that advantage. Keep moving, keep him in sight, and actively close the distance again. If you let him control the fight from afar for too long, it becomes much more chaotic and harder to manage.
Aggressive Attacks and Axe as a Reward
As his health drops, the Commander significantly increases his pace. His axe attacks often come as double strikes with slightly offset timing, meaning a single parry is no longer enough. You need to be ready for the second hit immediately.
He also uses delays. Some attacks are slightly held back to throw off your timing. Pay less attention to the initial movement and focus more on the actual moment of impact.
In the final phase, he combines all mechanics. Fog, high pressure, and fast close-range attacks hit you at the same time. Clean timing is crucial here. Stay controlled, keep the distance short, and use clear openings for precise counters.
After defeating him, you’ll receive his weapon. The Commander’s axe deals solid damage and is especially useful for reliable parries in future encounters.
