Mad Max is every bit as brutal as you could’ve imagined. Filled with dangerous drivers, volatile weather, and clans of enemies that would like nothing more than to peel your skin from your flesh, the wasteland is something that should never be taken lightly. This rings doubly true for boss encounters.
Scattered around the wasteland are locations for players to take over. The biggest and most pivotal of these locations house a Top Dog, a general who is bigger, faster, stronger, and infinitely more deadly than anyone else you will face on your journey.
One of the first of these vicious wastelanders that you can encounter is Gaspa Grope, a large, mace wielding brute who can take off half of your health in a single hit. You’ll fight him on top of an old oil rig in the middle of the Blackmaws section of Jeet’s territory. The good thing is that you fight him one on one; any additional enemies would make this near impossible. The bad news is you’re surrounded by fire and explosives (which can actually also be a good thing).
To prep for this battle, have a couple of shotgun shells (just in case), a full canteen, and upgrade your fists to make life easier. Also, before heading towards the Gasworks location, head just to the south of it to find a wastelander with information on Gaspa Grope. This individual will let you know a safe way in, as well as inform you that Gaspa is especially weak against explosions. Take all the information you can get in Mad Max, since it can often spell the difference between life and death.
Head through the Gasworks as you would through any enemy base in Mad Max, steadily making your way to the top. If you need to heal, search for food instead of using your water whenever possible, this way you can have some water during the fight.
When you finally make it up to Gaspa Grope, he will seal the entrance to the fighting area with fire. Use this to your advantage. Let him walk towards you so he can take his big swing, but keep the fire directly behind you. when he swings roll out the way, his momentum will send him hurtling into the flame allowing you to do some extra damage as you strike him with your fists. After that initial attack, make your way to one of the explosive barrels scattered around the area and wait.
You have two options here, blow it up with your shotgun when he walks buy it, or have him hit one directly with his mace. Blowing it up yourself is much easier, but ammunition is scarce in Mad Max, even if you’ve upgraded your ammo scavenging skill. So if you don’t have any shotgun ammo, don’t worry, you can still get him to hit a canister.
If you’re having no luck with the canisters, you can continue to use the method you used at the very beginning of the fight. Stand right in front of fire and lure him to you, it will work every single time.
Keep in mind that you can only hit him after he does his large swing, if you hit him before, he will shove you then go for a heavy attack. The shove itself does basically no damage, but you must roll immediately after unless you want to meet the business end of Gaspa Grope’s mace.
Throughout the fight, he will have Mad Max‘s telltale white lines around his head when he’s vulnerable to be hit. Keep this in mind as you approach. As long as you maintain a safe distance and don’t try to rush the fight by charging at him, you’ll take him down after a few combos. He can only be killed with an interaction during your last combo, so make sure not to button mash. When stunned with zero health an “X” prompt (“A” on the Xbox) will appear. Watch Max bash his skull in, then go finish taking over the Gasworks. You’ve done well.
There you have it, a mighty foe taken down by little ol’ Max.
