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Adam Smasher is most vulnerable after you break the armor plate over the cybernetic heart on the right side of his chest. Electrical damage, frag grenades, Weapon Malfunction, and Cyberware Malfunction are the most practical counters identified for the fight. Survive by treating rockets as area-denial attacks, preserving a route to move, and using the short recovery windows after charges, jumps, and repositioning.
Where the fight happens and how it is structured
You fight Adam Smasher during the Totalimmortal main job in Arasaka Tower. The encounter has three broad phases, and his equipment and behavior change as his health falls. The phase boundaries are not presented as fixed universal statistics: the commonly cited guide values—about 60% health for the reinforcement phase and about 15% for the final phase—are approximate observations and can shift with difficulty, patch behavior, and how quickly you damage him.
Plan for a battle that combines heavy ranged fire, destructive attacks against cover, dangerous melee pressure, and enemy reinforcements. A build that can only stand still and trade damage will eventually lose its safe position.
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The right-side cybernetic heart
The clearest targeted weak point is the cybernetic heart on the right side of Smasher’s chest. It is protected by a front armor plate. Damage the plate first; once the heart is exposed, concentrate accurate fire on it for increased damage. This is a mechanical weak point, not a guarantee that every weapon or status effect will produce the same result.
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Electrical damage
The encounter guide identifies Smasher as susceptible to electricity. Electrical weapons, ammunition effects, or abilities are therefore a sensible damage choice when your build supports them. The evidence does not establish one universally best electrical weapon, so use the option you can control accurately while moving.
Frag grenades and cyberware disruption
Frag grenades can damage Smasher and his cyberware, making them useful when he is stationary, recovering from a jump, or committed to another animation. Weapon Malfunction reduces the effectiveness of his long-range attacks. Cyberware Malfunction is described as a high-damage quickhack and can be part of a netrunner’s burst sequence.
Chemical damage is a poor priority
Gamepressure’s strengths-and-weaknesses summary lists resistance to chemical damage. Do not build your entire plan around chemical effects when electrical or direct physical pressure is available.
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| Attack or behavior | What to watch for | Best response |
|---|---|---|
| Right-hand cannon | He keeps distance and brings the cannon to bear. | Use solid cover when it is available, then fire during a reposition or recovery. Do not remain behind cover that he is actively destroying. |
| Charge | Smasher commits to a forward rush. | Move laterally rather than backing away in a straight line; keep a dodge or dash available for the final approach. |
| Jump attack | He launches and marks a landing area. | Leave the landing zone. A quick lateral jump can avoid the impact. After landing, he briefly kneels, creating a punish window. |
| Punch combinations | He closes to melee range and chains heavy strikes. | Do not trade in front of him. Break to the side, create distance, and shoot during the recovery after the combination. |
| Rocket barrage | He kneels or leans forward; red circles appear on the ground. | Exit every marked circle immediately. The circles are impact zones, not places to hold position while attacking. |
| Cover destruction | Repeated fire or explosives remove your protection. | Use cover as a temporary tool, not a permanent bunker. Move between positions before your escape route disappears. |
| Reinforcement call | It occurs in the middle phase as his health drops. | Keep enough space to turn, identify the new threats, and clear anything that blocks your route around the rockets and melee attacks. |
Phase 1: full arsenal and readable recovery windows
At the start, Smasher can use his full arsenal. The right-hand cannon makes exposed open ground dangerous, while charges and jumps punish players who retreat in a straight line. Keep one piece of cover between you and the cannon when possible, but choose cover with a second exit because he can destroy it.
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When he charges, a quick lateral jump or a well-timed side movement avoids the line of attack. For a jump, leave the projected landing area rather than trying to interrupt the leap. His brief kneeling animation after landing is one of the safest early opportunities to damage the chest plate or exposed heart.
How to deal damage safely
- Open from a position that gives you a clear view of his right chest and at least one escape direction.
- Use controlled shots to break the front plate instead of spending all ammunition on center-mass armor.
- Switch attention to the exposed heart only while you can still see the floor around V; stop firing when a rocket marker or melee approach demands movement.
- Use grenades or a quickhack during a committed attack or landing recovery, not while you are trapped against a wall.
Phase 2: lost hand, rockets, and reinforcements
After substantial damage, Smasher loses his right hand and changes the rhythm of the encounter. The guide places the reinforcement call at roughly 60% health. Treat that percentage as an approximate trigger, not a promise that every difficulty and patch uses the identical value.
Rocket-barrage procedure
- Watch his upper-body animation. Kneeling or leaning forward is the warning that rockets are being prepared.
- Look for the red circles on the floor and identify the nearest unmarked route.
- Move out of every circle immediately; do not wait for the last second to finish a reload or a charged attack.
- Once the impacts end, re-establish a position with a clear view of Smasher and the remaining enemies.
Rocket markers can overlap with cover and with one another. A reserve dodge, dash, or stamina segment is more valuable than using every mobility charge to gain a few extra shots.
Managing reinforcements
New enemies can interrupt the movement you need to escape rockets or melee range. You do not always need to eliminate every reinforcement before damaging Smasher, but you do need to remove threats that cut off your intended route. Clear a nearby shooter, flanker, or doorway blocker, then return to Smasher when the arena is navigable.
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Use travel and recovery moments
When Smasher turns away or moves between positions, the guide recommends using that travel window for controlled shots. These moments are especially useful for reloading, applying Weapon Malfunction, throwing a frag grenade, or delivering a short burst to the heart without standing in front of an active cannon.
Phase 3: finishing a weakened Smasher
The guide describes the final phase as beginning below approximately 15% health, after Smasher has been severely weakened and deprived of his main weapons. The encounter becomes a finish phase, but melee range remains dangerous. Keep the same lateral movement discipline and do not assume that a nearly empty health bar makes a punch combo harmless.
Spend remaining grenades, healing charges, and ammunition deliberately. If you have already exposed the heart, short accurate bursts are safer than a long animation that leaves V inside melee range.
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Stealth is a legitimate route rather than a gimmick. Break line of sight, reboot his optics, or use cameras to distract him and leave combat. The encounter guide says a first stealth attack can remove up to 40% of his health; that is a guide observation, not a guaranteed result for every build, difficulty, or patch. Additional stealth opportunities may appear after you deal with other enemies.
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A practical stealth sequence
- Before attacking, identify cameras, solid line-of-sight blockers, and a retreat path.
- Use a distraction or optics reboot to separate Smasher from the immediate search area.
- Deliver your strongest controlled opening attack, then break line of sight instead of forcing an extended exchange.
- Once alerted enemies are handled, look for another safe approach rather than repeating the same exposed angle.
Stealth front-loads damage and lowers the length of the open fight, but it can fail if reinforcements or cameras remove your hiding route. Keep a conventional combat plan ready.
Can a netrunner beat Adam Smasher?
Yes. Quickhacks can support or even define the encounter, provided V has a cyberdeck, enough RAM, and an Intelligence investment that supports the desired hacking perks. CD PROJEKT RED explains that hacking lets players reach information from afar and infect networks or manipulate groups of objects and enemies. Quickhacks consume RAM; RAM recovery and queueing options are influenced by Intelligence attributes and perks.
Quickhack priorities
- Cyberware Malfunction: the guide identifies it as a high-damage option against Smasher.
- Weapon Malfunction: use it to reduce the danger of his long-range attacks while you reposition.
- Follow-up damage: spend the opening created by a debuff on the exposed heart, an electrical attack, or a frag grenade.
Do not assume a fixed upload time or damage value. Those results vary with cyberdeck, perks, difficulty, and game patch. Queueing several hacks can be powerful, but draining RAM before a rocket barrage leaves you without the control tool needed to survive it. Keep a reserve for the next dangerous animation.
Choosing a build and managing resources
| Build approach | Advantages | Requirements and risks |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical or physical ranged build | Can exploit the stated electrical susceptibility and attack the heart from a safer distance. | Needs a route around red rocket circles, accurate aim, ammunition, and a reserved dodge or dash. |
| Melee build | Can punish jump landings, cannon recovery, and other committed animations with high close-range damage. | Must avoid punch combos and landing impacts; staying in melee range continuously is unsafe. |
| Netrunner | Can apply Weapon Malfunction and Cyberware Malfunction from range and use cameras or distractions. | Requires a cyberdeck and RAM management; upload timing and damage depend on build, difficulty, and patch. |
| Stealth hybrid | Can front-load a large opening hit and shorten the exposed combat phase. | Needs line-of-sight breaks and a fallback plan when cameras or reinforcements expose V. |
Resource checklist
- Carry enough healing to survive a missed rocket escape or one melee mistake.
- Reserve at least one mobility action for the next telegraphed attack rather than spending every charge offensively.
- Keep ammunition for the heart after its plate breaks; do not empty the useful weapon during the armor stage.
- Netrunners should track RAM before each hack sequence and preserve capacity for Weapon Malfunction or Cyberware Malfunction.
- Frag grenades are most valuable during a landing, reposition, or other moment when Smasher cannot immediately pressure V.
Troubleshooting common failures
“I keep dying to rockets.”
You are probably treating the red circles as a timing challenge instead of a movement instruction. Stop attacking as soon as the kneel or forward lean begins, leave all marked zones, and avoid routes that end at a wall or destroyed cover.
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“Cover works once, then stops working.”
Smasher can destroy cover. Use it to break the cannon’s line of fire, then rotate to another position before the first piece is gone. A cover-only strategy without a movement route is not stable.
“My melee build cannot reach the heart.”
Do not chase him through every transition. Wait for a jump landing, cannon recovery, or travel window, then close for a short burst and disengage before the punch sequence starts.
“Quickhacks run out before they matter.”
Reduce the number of queued hacks, keep RAM for a defensive or control hack, and use the upload window to move rather than stand still. Intelligence perks that improve RAM recovery or queueing can change the practical rhythm, but exact values depend on the build.
“The fight feels different from an older guide.”
CD PROJEKT RED’s Patch 1.5 notes documented improvements and fixes to enemy combat AI, including Adam Smasher boss-fight behavior. When comparing timings or animations, identify the game version or patch; do not assume an older video describes the current encounter exactly.
A reliable decision framework
- At the start: choose a position with cover and a lateral escape, then work on the right chest plate.
- When the plate breaks: switch to the heart only during safe sight lines and recovery windows.
- When he kneels or leans: prioritize leaving red rocket circles over damage.
- When reinforcements arrive: clear only the enemies that block movement or can interrupt your escape, then resume pressure.
- When he turns or travels: reload, recover RAM, apply Weapon Malfunction, or use a grenade before the next attack cycle.
- Near the end: keep lateral movement and finish with controlled damage rather than a reckless melee trade.
The consistent principle is to convert Smasher’s committed animations into your damage windows. The heart, electricity, grenades, and quickhacks improve damage or control, but movement determines whether you live long enough to use them.
Quick Recap
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