Lo final showdown between Nathan Drake and Rafe Adler in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End introduces a new mechanic minutes from the end, a full blown sword fight. The battle is basically a long quick time event and especially at advanced difficulties it is sadly famous for being ruthless. In this guide we propose how to defeat Rafe along with some useful tips.
The final chapter of Uncharted 4, A Thief's End, sees Drake fighting for his life in Henry Avery's galleon. Betrayed by Nadine, Rafe is beside himself: the galleon is on fire, Sam is motionless under a heavy wooden beam, and Nate is unarmed - up to a point. On the surface, it looks like a simple confrontation: to parry a shot coming from the left, press the Triangle (Δ) key, while one from the right is neutralized with Circle (O). The problem with Uncharted 4's final boss comes from the fact that it's very difficult to read Rafe's movements, especially the first few times. Rafe will in fact begin to make longer and longer and more complex combos, and the thought flies back 300 years, when Henry Avery and Thomas Tew have killed each other for an immense treasure but cursed by greed.
Rafe in Uncharted 4: things to know
- The directions of the blows are from Nathan's perspective (watch out for shoulder movement).
- At lower difficulty, Rafe's shots are slower.
- The hit must always react with Triangle (Δ).
- Have you already completed the game and are looking for the trophy? Try the Slow Motion mode.
- If you manage to defeat Rafe without being injured you will unlock the Swordsman trophy.
- Each stage has a checkpoint.
The phases of the clash
Lo Clash with Rafe can be divided into five distinct phases. They all share the strategy of that of parry all shots and press the Square (□) key when it appears on the screen, without overdoing it. It is possible to distinguish the phases according to the sentences uttered by Rafe, reported here in both Spanish and English. Driven by the fury of the battle, as mentioned, it will be really difficult to follow Rafe's movements, which most of the time does not follow a precise order. Uncharted 4 is pretty lenient in this respect, which is why pressing both Triangle (Δ) and Circle (O) keys quickly turned out to be an inelegant but functional trick.
- Phase 1: Tutorial, Drake without a sword
The first phase of the fight is a quick tutorial in which Rafe lists Nathan Drake's achievements from the previous chapters. Each adventure corresponds to a stroke and these precise keys to press.
- Rafe talks about Shambhala: Triangle (Δ)
- Rafe talks about Rub al Khali: Circle (O)
- Rafe talks about El Dorado: Triangle, Circle (Δ, O)
- Rafe says "Nathan Drake is a legend [...] I asked you to stay out of it" (Nathan Drake is a legend ...): Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Circle (Δ, O, Δ, O)
Once the last combo is avoided, a scene will start that sees Nate on the ground. You will need to repeatedly press Triangle (Δ), and then once again to grab the sword.
- Phase 2: Drake with sword, 2/3 hit combo
It officially begins when Rafe exclaims "Swordshots?" (You know how to sword fight?).
- Phase 3: 4-5 hit combo
It officially begins when Rafe exclaims “Stay still! Don't put off the inevitable ”(Come on, quit prolonging the inevitable) after a hold. Introduces a spin attack, parable with Circle (O).
- Stage 4: Rafe is wounded, 5/6 combo
Exclamation "Courage, phenomenon" (Come on, legend) reported. This is the very last phase of the fight and sees a relentless Rafe make very long combos. The stage ends with Rafe cornered before kicking Drake to the ground.
- Phase 5: Sam's intervention
Sam has the strength to pass the lost sword to his brother so that he can defend himself from Rafe's assault. Fortunately, in this last phase Rafe will always do the same combo and the keys to press are the following:
- Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle, Triangle (Δ, O, Δ, Δ, Δ, Δ)
- Press Triangle (Δ) repeatedly
- Triangle, Circle, Triangle (Δ, O, Δ)
The battle is practically over, we leave you the satisfaction of pressing the last button and thus defeating Rafe once and for all and what Naughty Dog has in store for Nathan Drake. Hoping that this guide was useful, we just have to invite you to read the Uncharted 4 review and remind you that the title will also be playable on PlayStation 5. Sic parvis magna.
► Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is an Action-Adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony for PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 10/05/2016
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 90%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Uncharted 4 Review: A Thief's End
