Control guide: Tommasi boss fight (Containment / Sterling AWE)

Control’s Tommasi boss fight is a late-game rematch in the Containment / Sterling AWE area. It’s also arguably the most difficult, frustrating fight in the game because Mr. Tommasi can basically two-hit kill you.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to beat Hiss-corrupted Tommasi by doing four simple things: using best weapons, saving Launch (and Energy), taking advantage of built-in cover, and prioritizing weaker enemies.

Equip the right weapons

We’re putting this first because it’s so important. We struggled with Tommasi for longer than we’d care to admit until we worked out the right weapons. If you read nothing else, read this section and equip two weapons:

• Pierce is invaluable because of its ability to break shields. It’s also the most powerful single-shot weapon in Control, which makes it deadly for unshielded enemies, too.
• Shatter, Control’s shotgun, is also great for busting up shields, but it’s best when other Hiss join Tommasi. Shatter is equally effective against enemies in the air and on the ground, and because of its spread, you don’t have to worry about precise aiming. Just aim in the general direction, and they’ll go down in a few hits. If you have a Shatter Projectile Choke Weapon Mod, equip it.

Use Pierce to shatter Tommasi’s shield. Then use Pierce to shoot Tommasi. He’s great at dodging everything except Pierce.

Save Launch for weak enemies

Using Launch on Tommasi works about 0.00000000001% of the time by our rough estimate. It’s super powerful when it connects, but don’t let that lure you into relying on it.

Save Launch and your Energy meter for the Hiss you’re all but guaranteed to hit — and that’s basically anyone and anything other than Tommasi — and for deploying Shield as necessary.

Save your Shield and use natural cover

By the time you arrive at this boss fight, you’ll have the ability to create a shield. By all means, Shield yourself when necessary to avoid taking damage — like when you’re out in the open collecting blue health orbs — but Shield is expensive to deploy, and your Energy is more valuable elsewhere.

Remedy Entertainment/505 Games via Polygon

Use natural cover — particularly the stone structures jutting up from the ground near the entrance — to avoid most of Tommasi’s supremely powerful attacks. Why create a shield when you can get one for free? Doing this preserves your Energy for using Launch and Seize more than Shield.

Duck out of cover to take a few shots, and then return.

Prioritize the invisible Hiss Distorted

A few times during the fight, weaker Hiss will join Tommasi. We talked about what to do with them above — mostly shoot them with your Shatter shotgun — but we’re breaking one enemy out here because it is the worst.

If you see the telltale vapor trail of a Hiss Distorted, make killing it your top priority. You should already be using natural cover between you and Tommasi, and you should have Shatter equipped. If you see that distortion, start firing at it. Use Launch. Make it dead before it makes you dead. Because it will in no time at all. You can see us doing that below.