Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is filled with Easter eggs that were present in the original PS2 release, and some of them even let you skip entire portions of the game. For example, you can kill The End way before his boss fight in Metal Gear Solid Delta, letting you avoid the sniper duel in Sokrovenno entirely.
Killing The End early in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater requires a specific weapon obtained from an optional area, and even then, you only have a brief window to shoot him before he’s wheeled away to safety. It’ll also prevent you from obtaining certain items exclusive to The End’s boss fight, like Moss Camo, which is one of the best camouflage patterns in the game. Here’s how you can kill The End early in Metal Gear Solid: Delta Snake Eater and unlock The Early End trophy/achievement.
Spoiler Alert: Some narrative and gameplay spoilers will be included below as they relate to the game up until The End’s boss fight.
How to Kill The End Early in MGS Delta: Snake Eater
You can kill The End after the cutscene at Ponizovje Warehouse Docks shortly after defeating The Pain. As soon as the cutscene ends, The End will remain on the docks in his wheelchair. A guard will come to escort him back inside, but there’s a brief window where you can use a sniper rifle to shoot The End. He takes a few shots to go down, but hitting him enough times will cause him to explode like other Cobra Unit bosses.
Once you get the trophy/achievement to pop, you can reload your last save to continue your playthrough normally. The End will still be alive, and the kill won’t count for your records if you reload.
Where to Find the SVD in MGS Delta: Snake Eater
You can’t do this Easter egg without a sniper rifle, however, so you need to make a quick detour to obtain the SVD before you reach Ponizovje Warehouse Docks. After defeating The Pain and reaching the river area patrolled by guards on hovercrafts, you’ll find yourself at a branching path. The right path takes you to Ponizovje Warehouse Docks, while the left path takes you to Ponizovje West.
At Ponizovje West, you can find a munitions storage room with a bunch of supplies and an SVD sniper rifle. There are only a few guards patrolling Ponizovje West, but reinforcements will arrive via hovercraft if you raise the alarm. Once you have the SVD, you can head to Ponizovje Warehouse Docks and snipe The End. It’s also a good idea to call Para-Medic and make a manual save beforehand just in case you miss.
If you do everything correctly, you’ll be able to skip The End boss fight in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. When you reach Sokrovenno later on, you’ll be able to freely explore without any pressure from The End. There’s not much to see in Sokrovenno with The End out of commission, so you can just skip right ahead to the famous ladder scene at that point in the game.
