Metal Gear Solid 2 speedrunner discovers first boss skip

A speedrunner has discovered a way to skip the first boss encounter in Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a milestone occurring approximately 25 years after the game's original release.

The skip allows players to bypass the fight with Olga Gurlukovich during the Tanker prologue. Traditionally, defeating Olga is necessary to obtain the USP pistol, which is required to neutralize explosives on the ship. The new method involves dragging an unconscious guard to a laser-monitored zone to trigger the explosives. By performing a specific roll toward a checkpoint at the exact moment of detonation, players can exploit a save-state behavior that registers the explosives as already neutralized. This allows the player to proceed through the section without the USP or the boss fight.

This discovery is expected to significantly impact speedrunning community strategies, as removing a combat sequence alters movement routes and timing for the remainder of the game.