Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered restores the abilities Kurtis Trent was originally meant to have, so you get the Chirugai blade and the Psychic Shield underneath the Strahov facility in Prague. Here's how to get through his boss fights.
Kurtis Trent's Weapons and Abilities
Kurtis has three things to work with:
- The Boran X: his custom pistol, rapid fire, and the one you want when you need to keep moving.
- The Chirugai: a discus-like blade that hits harder but takes longer to deploy, so timing matters.
- The Psychic Shield: cuts incoming damage, stops poisoning, and keeps Kurtis grounded against heavy attacks.
Weapon Switching
Most of playing Kurtis well is switching weapons quickly.
- Learn the quick weapon switching controls, they're in Menu > Options > Control > Shortcuts.
- The Psychic Shield needs the Chirugai equipped, and once the shield charge has started you can release the Chirugai draw button.
- Quick switch to the Boran X once the shield is active, which skips the animation of drawing the Chirugai again.
Proto-Nephilim
The Proto-Nephilim is Kurtis's first big fight. It's a half-Nephilim, and only the Periapt Shard will finish it off, so you've got to weaken it first.
Phase One
Start with the Boran X so you can keep moving. Once you're locked onto the Proto-Nephilim:
- Jump backward while firing continuously.
- When you reach the end of the room, leap over the creature.
- Turn, get the lock back, and carry on firing as you keep moving backward.
- Repeat until the Proto-Nephilim starts its escape sequence, which is when Kurtis can no longer lock onto it.
Phase Two
Once the Proto-Nephilim reappears:
- Stand at the opposite end of the metallic floor from the power lever.
- Equip the Chirugai and wait for the creature to materialize.
- Activate the Psychic Shield the moment it appears.
- Switch to the Chirugai and throw it as soon as the Proto-Nephilim reaches the floor and Kurtis locks on.
- Keep at it until the creature retreats.
If it gets too close and keeps damaging Kurtis after you've lost the lock, back off to force it to retreat, then return to your position and go again.
For the "You're Just a Monkey" achievement: heal completely before you enter the trigger area, equip the Chirugai, and run the same plan without touching the Boran X.
Mutated Boaz
The Mutated Boaz fight is a longer one, with four attack patterns: front claw strikes, poison spit, tail swipes, and toxic projectiles from her body pods. You need to destroy four body pods, and they're only vulnerable during specific attack animations.
First Phase
The Boran X is the pick for this one:
- As soon as Boaz approaches, fire at her head to force her to open the poison-launching pods.
- The side-to-side swinging motion is the tell that the pods are vulnerable.
- Use Kurtis's consecutive jumping to reach the pods quickly.
- When you're locked onto a pod, strafe sideways while firing rather than jumping, or you'll lose the targeting lock.
Ammo tip: open with a single Chirugai throw before switching to the Boran X.
Poison
- Watch for green globs both in the air and on the floor.
- A green health bar means you're poisoned, so use a Poison Antidote.
- If you haven't got an antidote, use a Large Health Pack instead.
- Activate the Psychic Shield before you take the antidote, or you'll get re-poisoned immediately.
Second Phase
She gets more aggressive from here, so switch to the Chirugai for the higher damage:
- Start by activating the Psychic Shield, which stops Boaz throwing you around the arena.
- While it holds, throw the Chirugai repeatedly.
- When the shield depletes, put it back up and carry on.
Final Phase
Boaz retreats with glowing blue eyes for the last stretch:
- Sprint to dodge the incoming projectiles.
- The Boran X is ineffective during this phase.
- The Chirugai still works, but the projectiles deal significant damage if they connect.
- Once Boaz stops the barrage, get the Psychic Shield back up and keep throwing the Chirugai until she's down.
The level may take a moment to conclude after she's dead.
TLDR;
For Proto-Nephilim: Use Boran X while strafing backward, then switch to Chirugai