To beat El Tiburón in Tainted Blood, manually shoot the glowing weak spots on his armor with pistols, then punish him in melee after the armor breaks while managing the soldiers, ammo, and food in the arena.
El Tiburón is the boss at the end of Tainted Blood, and the fight is awkward until you understand that his armor has its own rule. You are not trying to out-sword him at first; you are stripping the armor, creating an opening, and then fighting him normally once he can actually take melee damage.
Where El Tiburón appears in Tainted Blood
Tainted Blood is Sequence 12, Memory 03 in Havana. The mission starts near the large church, where you investigate the area, use Eagle Vision, and identify the suspects before following them through the city.
That tailing route leads to a fortress. From there, you infiltrate by using the rooftops and walls, then drop in from above to air assassinate Torres’ decoy. That assassination is what triggers the fight against El Tiburón, Torres’ heavy personal guard.
How El Tiburón’s armor works
| Mechanic | What |
|---|---|
| Melee immunity at first | Do not try to sword-fight him until the armor breaks. |
| Glowing weak spots | Manually aim pistol shots at the left shoulder, right shoulder, then chest. |
| Respawning soldiers | Clear nearby guards when you need space, but expect more to arrive. |
| Ammo and food | Loot fallen soldiers and tables around the arena to restock and heal. |
| Axe combo warning | Back away when his axe glows bright red. |
KEY!The rule that matters most is simple: sword attacks do not work at the start. El Tiburón’s armor blocks normal melee damage, so slashing at him early only wastes time and leaves you open to his axe.
To make him vulnerable, equip your pistols and use manual aim on the glowing armor points. His weak spots are the left pauldron, right pauldron, and chest. Once those shots land and the armor breaks, you can run in for a takedown and then damage him with your sword.
Use manual aim instead of quick-fire so your pistol shots hit the glowing armor spots instead of wasting ammo on center mass.
How to beat El Tiburón in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
The fight is won by creating safe shooting windows, breaking the armor with three aimed pistol hits, and then punishing El Tiburón once melee damage starts working.
STEP 1/10
Clear the guards first
Kill the nearby soldiers so you have enough breathing room to aim at El Tiburón without being surrounded.
STEP 2/10
Equip your pistols
Switch to your pistols, check that they are loaded, and keep an eye on your ammo count.
STEP 3/10
Shoot the left shoulder
Manually aim at the glowing red weak spot on his left shoulder and fire.
STEP 4/10
Reload before the next shot
Reload after the first hit so you are ready for the next armor spot instead of scrambling under pressure.
STEP 5/10
Shoot the right shoulder
Aim at the glowing weak spot on his right shoulder and land the second pistol shot.
STEP 6/10
Deal with respawning enemies
Clear reinforcements as they appear, using their drops and the arena supplies to keep bullets available.
STEP 7/10
Shoot the chest
Aim at the glowing chest weak spot and fire the third armor-breaking shot.
STEP 8/10
Run in for the takedown
Immediately close the gap and press the takedown prompt to remove a large chunk of health.
STEP 9/10
Damage him after the armor breaks
Once the armor is gone, your sword attacks can hurt El Tiburón, but his axe combo is still dangerous.
STEP 10/10
Dodge the red axe attack
When his axe glows bright red, get away from him before the long combo starts.
Video help
How to survive after the armor breaks
Once El Tiburón is vulnerable, treat him like a heavy enemy with a punishing weapon. Stay patient, let his attacks finish, and only commit to melee when you have space to back out again.
His axe combo is the move that gets players killed. If the axe glows bright red, do not try to trade hits; move away and wait for the recovery window. The combo is long enough that forcing attacks through it usually costs more health than it saves in time.
Keep the soldiers under control as the fight goes on. If they crowd you, kill the smaller enemies first, then go back to El Tiburón. If your health or ammo drops, use the food, ammo on tables, and bullets from fallen guards before re-engaging.
Mistakes that make El Tiburón harder
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Trying to sword-fight him before the armor breaks | Use aimed pistol shots on the glowing armor spots first. |
| Standing too far away | Stay close enough to bait melee pressure instead of giving him room to use pistols. |
| Wasting ammo with quick-fire | Manual aim each shot so it hits the weak spot you need. |
| Ignoring reinforcements | Thin out nearby soldiers whenever they interrupt your aim or block your escape. |
| Forgetting arena supplies | Grab ammo and food from the area when the fight starts stretching out. |
Most failed attempts come from treating El Tiburón like a normal captain. The fight is built around changing tactics: pistol precision first, melee punishment second, with short breaks to manage the arena.
Do not panic if more soldiers arrive after you clear the first group. They are part of the fight, and they can help you restock bullets if you loot them between openings.
Smoke bomb shortcut for El Tiburón
There is an optional shortcut where players drop a Smoke Bomb and then quick-shoot to strip El Tiburón’s armor quickly. It can speed up the weak-spot phase when it works, especially if you are comfortable chaining the action immediately after the smoke lands.
Use it as a shortcut, not the main plan. Its reliability may vary by version, so the consistent method is still to manually aim at the left shoulder, right shoulder, and chest, then finish the fight after the armor breaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you beat El Tiburón with swords only?
No, not at the start. His armor blocks early sword damage, so you need to break it with aimed pistol shots before melee attacks work properly.
Where are El Tiburón’s weak spots?
The armor weak spots are on his left pauldron, right pauldron, and chest. They glow red when you aim at him during the armor phase.
Why are my attacks not damaging El Tiburón?
Your melee attacks are hitting his armor. Switch to pistols, manually aim at the glowing armor spots, and land the required shots to make him vulnerable.
Do more soldiers keep spawning during the fight?
Yes. Soldiers continue to enter the arena during the fight, so clear them when they crowd you and use their drops to keep your ammo stocked.
Is the smoke bomb trick required?
No. The smoke bomb shortcut is optional. The reliable method is to break the armor with manual pistol shots, then finish El Tiburón with melee attacks and pistol damage as needed.
Leave a Reply