I'm also playing as Xian and here's my tactic - Always opt for bladed weapons with Thugs.
Rather than charging in and taking a bunch of erratic swings, try to aim directly for the upper arms.
If you take a moment to decide where to swing you can usually amputate his arm with just one hit.
Repeat on the other side as well.
Now the only thing that you have to watch out for is his bite.
Try to time the rest of your advances between these attacks and it shouldn't take long to kill him at all - maybe 4 or 5 swings depending on where you hit him.
Also, remember that you always have your fury mode as well (if you've opted to put skill points in that tree).
Fury works great with Thugs and will kill them in very few hits.
Just make sure to time your attacks correctly because you can still get knocked down by his punches.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/9885/spugsley
Find a pillar or an object, and run around it.
They are often quite slow to turn around
that's when I get in a bunch of hits.
Of course, if you have a molotov, grenade, or exploding canister, that's the easiest way of dealing with one.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/3917/l I
Wait until the thug takes a swing at you, then quickly hit him once.
He should start to yell and wave his body about, without actually swinging at you, you then have about 2 seconds to get in as many hits as possible (preferably going for his arms) before he starts attacking you again.
Rinse and repeat until he's dead.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/12087/Mr Smooth
One deo bomb from far enough away not to hurt you.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/12549/punisher
I would recommend this for ALL characters past act II The easiest way to take down a thug would be to get it by itself, then grab out a shotgun.
At point blank range, you should be able to blast its head off, using a minimum of one to five shots, depending on the character.
Of course, Purna has her advantages but it can still be achieved.
Shotguns can be found in one of the Police Station lockers and in level 2-3 chests
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/13196/Pottsy
I found a great way to handle thugs with any character, not just Xian Mei!Just stand a distance away so that his swings wont hit you, but you can kick him (yes this works).
For some reason kicks make him roar.
Keep kicking until you see him ROAR.
Now here's your chance to get in and attack the arms!
(If you actually make him stumble when you attack him after his roar, jump backwards quickly using back + space since he WILL counterattack) Repeat this action, keep kicking out of range of his swings, until he ROARS, then get in and attack the arms.
Just remember, if the thug stumbles, he WILL do a counterattack, so jump back when you see him stumble.
Soon both arms will be cut or broken, so now aim for the head, and watch out for his bites.
Thugs = free XP!
(Much easier if you have a weapon with an impact-like mod, once you land a crit you can headstomp him)
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/13884/Kad
The absolute easiest way to kill a thug as Xian Mei requires you to get 2 things
but once you have them, will allow you to kill a thug effortlessly, in seconds without taking a single hit.
You will need: Head stomping ability.
Hand of Glova (developers
mod from brown skull)
Once you have these two, run right up to the thug and use the glove.
It will shock him and immediately knock him back and throw him to the ground.
Walk right up to him before he stands up, aim at his head, stomp.
Xian will stomp on his head and instantly kill him.
I've been doing this as her for some time now
and it works perfectly.
Use the glove sparingly, if possible, because it does cost quite a lot to repair.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/17025/v1ru5
If you walk in and hit him once then, press S(back)
then press spacebar (jump) you will jump out of the way of his swing.
You can keep getting hits this way without taking damage, if you are careful.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/4581/RyanTM
I've found that both thugs and floaters are pretty easy if you can run up on them and around their back.
Once behind them they are too slow to turn, so you can kick that aish with impunity.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/None/
Wait until he does his Tarzan, arm waving animation then run in slashing as you strafe to a position behind him, if you have the Toxic or Old Smokey Mods, the proc usually goes off by the time I'm behind them where I just hack away whilst they're throwing up or in midst of electrocution spasms.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/12359/Chris Lee
I found the best way, I aim for each shoulder (Never use Digital for Xian or SamB) using Analog control setup, and Swing diagonally according to the side, this will chop each Arm off, it shouldnt miss if u have a decent Sharp weapon close to your Level.
Once both arms are gone, he cant knock u down anymore.
I either just beat at him while keeping my Distance (he will headbutt/bite) or u can break one of his legs to make him a sad excuse for an enemy
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/12692/Garrett Soriano
I am playing as Xian. Is there a way to kill thugs without being hit by it? It seems to take 10-15 weapon throws to kill the thug as Xian. Is there a better way to kill it?
What is the best way to kill thugs as Xian?
gaming.stackexchange.com
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gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/30042
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/4581/RyanTM
Amlways opt for bladed weapons with Thugs. Try to aim directly for the upper arms. Find a pillar and run around it. They are often quite slow and you can get in a bunch of hits. You could also try blasting his head off at point blank range. Choosing specific weapons, as well as, taking advantage of their slowness are the most prominent ways of killing thugs.
Using bladed weapons to amputate both arms is a valid strategy. Taking advantage of Thugs being slow offers a way to kill them. A deo bomb could be a solution. Using a shotgun from point blank range is suggested. A combination of items and skills offers a way to kill them.