The boss of Heisenberg's Factory in Resident Evil Village is not Heisenberg himself, but the failed experiment Sturm. Sturm is one of Heisenberg's biomechanical creations he has sent upon Ethan to tear to shreds. Like the other creations Ethan has faced, he will need to exploit Sturm's red power core to defeat it.
Throughout the factory, Ethan has a number of encounters with Sturm before the actual fight. Sturm chases Ethan down a corridor twice, aiming to chop him up with its propeller face—a design controversial for allegedly being stolen. Ethan can also find a note on Sturm written by Heisenberg, who concluded the creation was a complete failure. Heisenberg is making all these biomechanical soldiers as bioweapons for an army to take down Mother Miranda.
Sturm's propellers, invulnerability in the front, and ability to break through walls can make him an intimidating boss. Additionally, it will eventually ignite into flames and be able to shoot fire. However, with the right weapons and strategies, Sturm can be taken down with ease.
Tips, Tricks, & Strategies for Beating Sturm in Resident Evil Village
The first thing the player will notice with the Sturm boss fight is how small the arena is. The boss area is a series of brick walls, making the space very claustrophobic. Worse yet, Sturm's main attack is running at Ethan, trying to cut him up with its propeller face—yet another brutal injury to endure in Resident Evil Village. Because of this, the first thing the player will want to do is to use Sturm to break down the walls. As the player saw in Sturm's intro, it can break down the brick walls around the arena. Sturm's running attack is also very predictable as it will not stray from its forward path once it starts running. With this in mind, the player can position themselves by the walls they want to be broken, wait for Sturm to start running, and then dodge out of the way. This will open up the arena, allowing the player to dodge more easily. Something the player should note is that Sturm cannot break every wall. Any structure that has piping or looks more metallic, Sturm will run into the wall and get stuck for a moment. This is important for reaching Sturm's weak point.
Throughout the long Heisenberg's Factory level in Resident Evil Village, Ethan has had to deal with Heisenberg's Soldats. These enemies stand out because they can only be harmed if shot in their core. Just like those enemies, Ethan can only deal damage to Sturm by attacking its core. The difficulty with Sturm's core is that it is located on its back, and Sturm is constantly trying to face Ethan. The player can use the same strategy as before to counter this to get behind Sturm. If the player leads Sturm to run into an unbreakable wall, the player can get behind it and shoot the red power core weak point and deal damage. Any weapons can work for the fight; however, shotguns, rifles, and magnums are the player's best option. If the player chooses to use a shotgun, it is most effective for them to get in close behind Sturm. This ensures every bullet will land on the power core.
When enough damage has been dealt, Sturm will enter its second phase, where Sturm will ignite and become more aggressive. When Sturm is on fire, it will run at Ethan three times, one after another. Sturm is much more elusive while on fire, and it can be difficult for the player to find a good opening. However, if the player leads Sturm in the right way, they can get this Resident Evil Village boss to run past, then the player can turn around and shoot the core as Sturm is running. Eventually, Sturm will cool down and lose the fire. This will cause him to return to his behavior in phase one before he reignites again. The player should make sure to lay on as much damage as possible while Sturm is in this less aggressive state.
While on fire, Sturm will also be able to shoot fire. Sturm will give an audio cue (a revving-up sound) when it is about to shoot. The player should focus on avoiding the fire by simply running, although the safer option is to hide behind a wall. If the player can get behind Sturm, it is possible to exploit him by dealing fire damage. While dealing fire damage, Sturm cannot change the way it is facing. This means the player can use this time to shoot a few shotgun shells or magnum rounds into its core.
Some other strategies the player can use are to utilize explosives, especially mines. If Sturm has its back against a wall or the player is struggling to get behind it, the player can throw a pipe bomb, so it lands near Sturm's feet, preferably behind it. If done correctly, the explosion will hit its core. The player can also use the environment to guide Sturm into walking over a mine. If the whole room has been cleared of brick walls, there will still be a few indestructible pillars near the walls. The player can use them as corners to escape Sturm and funneling Sturm's movement. They can turn these corners and place a mine when Sturm follows the player through. Sturm will eventually step on the mine, dealing it even more damage. If the player can keep avoiding Sturm and keeps dealing damage, the player will survive the boss fight and be able to move on to face Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village is available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.