Dead Rising: Frank West looking cool on a motorcycle.
Image via Capcom/Steam.

What is the best way to defeat Special Forces in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

Spotted a survivor!

Zombies are one thing, but when the Special Forces show up in Dead Rising, it’s a whole ‘nother ball game. It doesn’t matter how well-armed you are; they will shoot back. More frustratingly, they’re armored. So, what is the best way to defeat them?

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The Spec Ops soldiers are a heavy presence on the fourth day: Overtime Mode. They arrive at the Willamette Mall and immediately start gunning everything down indiscriminately. On the plus side, they do a lot to thin the hordes of zombies, but they’re also a lot more dangerous. They largely travel in pairs, and they can easily be identified by their flashlights and laser pointers. They’ll also loudly proclaim that they’ve spotted you, so it’s hard not to know when one is nearby.

They’re all armed. Most of them carry automatic assault rifles, while some go as far as packing a rocket launcher. Again, this comes with the advantage that you can take their weapons, which are very effective against zombies. However, they’re armored. It takes quite a number of bullets to take them down, and headshots don’t work against their helmet. It can still be an effective strategy to just unload on them until they drop, but not the faster, and it leaves you open to attacks from elsewhere.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Spec Ops Soldier being Suplexed
Screenshot by Destructoid

How to one-hit kill Spec Ops soldiers in Dead Rising

There is a way to instantly kill Spec Ops soldiers in Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster, and it isn’t very hard. It won’t take any uses off of your weapon, and it can be done quickly.

By the fourth day, you should have significantly leveled up Frank. If you’re above level 20, you probably have the “Lift Up” skill, and if you’re above level 26, it’s possible you have “Suplex.” Both of these skills are used similarly, and both will eliminate soldiers with one hit. They’re also performed rather easily. You hold RB and press X next to the soldier on Xbox controllers and R1 and Square on PlayStation. The difference is that Lift Up is done when the soldier is facing you, while for Suplex, you need to get behind them. Suplex is a single move, however, whereas Lift up is the action of first picking the soldier up, then another to throw them.

To get close to the soldier, make use of your roll. Keep moving and zigzag while rolling, and you should be able to close the distance rather quickly. Once you’re next to them, the soldier is helpless. If you’re lucky, you can simply walk up behind them and grab them before they notice you. You don’t even have to be careful about it; their situational awareness is not very impressive.

There are other skills that Frank learns, such as Face Crusher and Disembowel that are just as effective, but you don’t learn them until later on at levels you might not even reach until New Game+.


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Image of Zoey Handley
Zoey Handley
Staff Writer - Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She got her start blogging with the community in 2018 and hit the front page soon after. Normally found exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her best to remain chronically uncool.