How to Beat Plant 43 in Resident Evil Requiem (RE9)

Plant 43 is the boss guarding the entrance to the ARK Facility. This three-headed bioweapon hits hard but has clearly telegraphed weak points — and a satisfying explosive cinematic finisher. Complete strategy below.

Boss overview: A modernized Plant 42

Long-time Resident Evil fans will recognize Plant 43's lineage — it's a clear callback to Plant 42 from the original Resident Evil. This iteration has been bioweaponized into something far more dangerous: a three-headed plant with snapping mandibles, a pulsing flower core, and explosive seed pods.

You'll encounter Plant 43 immediately upon entering the ARK Facility courtyard. There's no warm-up — the cutscene rolls and the fight starts in seconds.

Plant 43 anatomy and weak points

Pre-fight preparation

Before stepping into the ARK courtyard, prepare the following:

1. Sweep the supply boxes — there are two destructible supply boxes on the right side of the arena. Get them at fight start.
2. Equip the SMG as your primary — its high fire rate is perfect for shredding the side buds quickly.
3. Have the Marksman 1A ready — single-shot precision rifle for the central flower.
4. Stock at least 2 First Aid Sprays — Plant 43's middle-head rush deals significant damage if it connects.
5. Reload everything before the cutscene triggers.

Step-by-step strategy

// PHASE 1: DESTROY SIDE BUDS

The fight begins with all three heads active. The two side buds will lunge at Leon with snapping bites. The central head spits seed projectiles.

1. Sprint to the right side of the arena — destructible supply boxes are here.
2. Stay mobile — circle the courtyard counter-clockwise to avoid the side buds' lunges.
3. Focus fire on the LEFT side bud first — it has slightly less HP than the right.
4. SMG bursts work best — empty 1-2 magazines per bud.
5. Watch for the middle-head rush — when the central flower charges forward, sidestep immediately.

// PHASE 2: TARGET THE CENTRAL FLOWER

Once both side buds are destroyed, Plant 43 enters its vulnerable state. The central head's maw opens fully, exposing the glowing red flower.

1. Switch to a precision weapon — Marksman 1A or fully-upgraded shotgun.
2. Wait for the maw to open — the flower is only vulnerable when the mouth is fully extended.
3. Land 3-4 precise shots on the flower core.
4. Dodge the seed projectiles — Plant 43 spits clusters of explosive seeds during this phase.

The cinematic finisher

This is the highlight of the fight. After enough damage to the central flower, Plant 43 thrashes violently and vomits — dislodging a truck full of explosive canisters directly in front of Leon.

// HOW TO TRIGGER THE FINISHER

1. Land enough flower shots — typically 3-4 hits with Requiem or 6-8 with handgun.
2. Watch the cutscene briefly — Plant 43 will rear back and spit out the truck.
3. Quickly aim at the canisters — they're labeled with hazard symbols, easy to spot.
4. Fire one shot — any weapon works; the canisters are weak to all damage.
5. Massive explosion = instant kill. Cinematic plays out automatically.

Insanity difficulty tips

Insanity-specific changes:

• Side bud HP scales ~2x — bring more SMG ammo or use Hand Grenades
• Seed projectile splash damage increases — keep moving even when reloading
• Middle-head rush one-shots if armor is broken — repair armor before this fight
• The canister finisher window is shorter — about 2.5 seconds. Don't hesitate.
• Infinite Ammo trivializes this fight — Infinite Requiem one-shots the flower core in 2 hits

What comes next

After Plant 43 falls, Leon enters the ARK Facility's interior corridors. Your next major encounter is The Commander — the second-hardest fight in the game and the source of the Mortal Edge Hatchet (mandatory for the Victor Gideon final boss).

Don't skip Plant 43's drop pickups — Hand Grenades and Requiem Bullets sometimes drop from the corpse. Sweep the area before exiting.