Gatling Man/gameplay

Gatling Men have much more health than regular enemies. They do not flinch from weak attacks but will stagger from headshots from stronger weapons. Even while stunned, the player is not given the option to use melee prompts. Gatling Men only walk, meaning the player can outrun them if they are following and not shooting.

A shot to the head will occasionally knock their berets off, revealing their bald heads. Outside of The Mercenaries their bodies do not disintegrate after they are defeated.

Moveset
With the Gatling attack, the Gatling Man will fire swing his weapon into a firing position after spotting a target, then spool the gun and shoot, mowing down anything hit, including the player, scenery objects and even other Ganados. This attack is highly damaging, as it can take a fourth of the player's health in Normal difficulty. The wind-up animation is relatively slow and highly telegraphed, allowing the player to move to a safer location.

If shot in the head with strong weapons such as a Magnum or a Shotgun, or hit with an explosive, he'll be stunned, disrupting his attack. Gatling Man will pause for a few seconds whenever he hits the player but will resume firing shortly. If the player is too close to Gatling Man, he will perform the Swing melee-type move, which deals moderate damage and knocks the player back a short distance.

Encounters
The Gatling Man can be identified by listening to the sound he makes such as grunt or laughing:

Strategy
One of the best and most efficient ways of killing a Gatling Man is to get to an area where you and him are at a good enough distance, and keep on taking potshots with a rifle or magnum when he starts to attempt aiming again. You can do this with whatever weapon you want, but the safest way would be with the Rifle or Magnum, since he cannot walk up and hit you when you're far away.

Another effective way to kill him is to go right up to him then shoot him in the face with a shotgun as it will stagger him if it has been sufficiently upgraded. Make sure to shot him after his staggering animation has ended to continue "stun locking" him to death. Shooting too early could result in being attacked.

The absolute best and effective way of killing a Gatling Man is to lure him in leaping up a ladder. If it's timed, you can knife him out of the air and make him have to jump back up each ladder below it. Repeating this strategy is key for saving ammo for later purposes, Mercenaries or not.

Gatling Men can be used to kill other Militia soldiers "by proxy" by luring them into his line of fire. A single shot will heavily injure or kill most Ganados.

The Mercenaries
They appear in the mini-game The Mercenaries in the third stage. Killing them yields a base of 10,000 points and they will drop a First Aid Spray. The following is a helpful list of strategies for each character in the Mercenaries mode.


 * Leon Scott Kennedy - Leon as he only has the Riot Gun and occasional grenade drops. Aiming the Riot Gun at Gatling Man's head will do more damage than body shots. The player shouldn't get to close as the Swing move is faster than the Gatling Man's gunfire attack. Grenades are much safer. Saving the explosive barrels for the enemy is also recommended.
 * Ada Wong - Her rifle is very effective. Aiming for his head will cause him to flinch. Her Incendiary grenades can be used to also stun him and other Ganado close by.
 * Jack Krauser - His Plaga arm should be saved to fight the enemy. If his arm needs to charge, using a flash grenade to escape and stall for time.
 * HUNK - Hand Grenades should be saved and used against them. HUNK's TMP can stun him if unloaded on Gatling Man's head. Caution should be taken however since HUNK may get hit by Gatling Man while attempting to stun him with the TMP.
 * Albert Wesker - The Killer7 should be used, but sparingly to deal with the others that eventually spawn. If the semi-auto rifle is used, the player should aim for the head to stagger and deal maximum damage. If low on ammo, Grenades can be useful.