Should You Knock Out or Kill Enemies & Bosses in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater?

We’ve been fighting our way through hordes of baddies since the beginning of time, and sometimes it’s refreshing to see another way to go about things. In Metal Gear Solid 3, there’s a different way to get past the rogue’s gallery of enemies you’ll come across.

For years, we’ve been asking for some consequences for our actions. Ironically, RPG developers have listened to our requests, and while they’ve frequently fallen short, we’ve had some success in that area in recent years – like Baldur’s Gate 3. For Metal Gear Solid 3, Konami used this concept for more emergent gameplay moments such as getting past regular enemies and taking down annoying bosses. But the question now becomes: How does it affect the game if one goes down either road, and should you knock out or kill enemies in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater? Here is what you need to know.

Related: Will There Be a Metal Gear Solid 6?

Should You Knock Out Enemies in Metal Gear Solid 3

If you want to go the non-lethal route and knock out enemies in Metal Gear Solid 3, it’s a bit tougher, but the rewards are much more worth it. For one, it makes it easier to get the no-alert reward, which features stealth camo, something that makes everything in the game trivial in future playthroughs. Secondly, it causes special camo to be dropped from bosses after defeating them. These camos offer great bonuses like infinite stamina and making your footsteps silent, even when running.

Should You Kill Enemies in Metal Gear Solid 3

Killing everyone in Metal Gear Solid 3 isn’t so bad initially. The problem comes in late in the game when you encounter The Sorrow. We won’t spoil it, but the number of kills you have is very instrumental in how this fight will go. Outside of that, there’s no real benefit or detriment to killing everyone you come across. In fact, you may have an easier time with bosses due to the much larger arsenal of weapons that is available to you. We recommend using this method for your second playthrough whenever you unlock the Patriot machine gun.