Resident Evil 2 Remake: 7 Tips The Game Doesn't Tell You

resident evil 2

Resident Evil 2 Remake is a lovingly crafted recreation of the original, and it’s also a totally new experience whether you’re a classic RE fan or a newcomer. Everything, from the smallest details, have been changed in some way. And, because this is a horror game, it doesn’t spend very much time explaining all the mechanics at work.

There are plenty of little features you might not even know are possible, so we’re breaking down all the barriers and revealing everything you need to know about the Resident Evil 2 Remake.

And we’re not even close to being done. I just know there are more secret tricks and weird tips worth sharing, so I’ll update this article with anything else that I discover as I dig deep into this revitalized horror classic.

More Resident Evil 2 Remake guides on Gameranx:

You Can Kill Lickers With Just A Knife

Lickers might be blind, but they’re still incredibly dangerous. On top of that, these long-tongued beasts are total bullet sponges. They’ll soak up damage and just keep coming! If you want to kill Lickers without wasting a whole lot of damage, you can use the Combat Knife — and it only takes about 6-8 swings to end them.

How? Lickers really are blind, so the trick is simple. Just walk behind them. They’ll soft aggro on you if you’re close, so give yourself some room, get behind them, then pull out your knife and approach. Even with the knife out, you can continue to swivel around to attack to stay behind them — hitting Lickers with a knife stuns them, so you can stunlock them with some quick knife jabs until they’re totally dead.

Walking Is Incredibly Powerful Against Everything

Or you can simply walk by them. Resident Evil 2 remake actually has a stealth system, and every enemy is alerted by sprinting. Sprinting alerts zombies, Tyrants, lickers, and more creepy crawlers. Most of the time, you can avoid enemies simply by walking. If a zombie isn’t looking directly at you, a walk is all you need to get around it. You can walk at any speed too — just don’t sprint. You’ll be shocked by how passive zombies are when you aren’t running around all over the place.

Of course, zombies are also drawn to gunfire.

Don’t Aim For The Head — Aim For The Legs!

Zombies in Resident Evil 2 remake are incredibly resilient. They’re bullet-sponges that just keep coming. You’ll leave an area, and the same zombies will just keep coming for you. Unless you blow off their heads, no zombie is truly dead. That’s why it’s actually better to shoot off zombie arms / legs instead. Especially the legs.

With the shotgun, you’ll mostly want to aim for the head. But, if you’re using a peashooter like any of the standard pistols, you’ll save ammo if you shoot out their legs instead. The damage done to a zombie is permanent, so they might still be alive, but a crawling zombie is much easier to escape.

Combine Red Herbs & Blue Herbs To Take Less Damage

Here’s something that’s different — a major chance from the original. I’ve seen players and reviewers wonder why there are so many Blue Herbs everywhere. Blue Herbs do more than just heal you when you’re poisoned. If you combine a Blue Herb with a Red Herb, you’ll get a “Fortification” buff. This makes you more damage resistant for a pretty good length of time. You’ll see a Shield icon in the bottom-right corner of the HUD; that doesn’t just mean you’re immune to poison, you’re also a whole lot tougher.

Every Enemy Has A Different Weak Point

The head isn’t everyone’s weak spot. Weak spots in RE2R are special regions that deal “critical” damage when shot. Critical damage is totally random, but sometimes it’s incredibly powerful. Against bosses, you’ll always want to aim for the weak points. Here’s a quick list of every enemy, and all their weak spots.

Zombies: Head
Licker: Exposed Brain
G-Adult: Exposed Eye (Shoot through the shoulder to make the eye appear.)
William Birkin: Exposed Eye
Ivy Plant Zombies: Pulsating Cores / Any fire-based weapons.
Tyrant: Exposed Heart

Calibers Are Important – Weapon Damage Tiers

Weapon calibers can get confusing once you reach the B-Scenario and collect the high caliber .45 handguns. Some weapons aren’t as strong as they might appear, and some weapons are actually much more powerful than you might think. Here’s a quick rundown of the weapons — from the least powerful, to the most powerful.

Weapon Tiers – Weakest To Stronger
- Lowest Damage – 9mm
  - Samurai Edge (Base)
- Low Damage – 9mm
  - Matilda
  - Samurai Edge (Upgraded)
  - SLS 60 (Base)
  - JMB HP3
- Good Damage – .45 Caliber, Shotgun, Etc
  - Single Action Army
  - M19
  - SLS 60 (Upgraded)
  - Shotgun (Base)
  - SMG (Base)
- High Damage – Shotgun & Grenades
  - Grenade Launcher
  - Shotgun (Upgraded)
- Best Damage – Magnum
  - Lightning Hawk

Survive Long Enough Against The Final Boss, And You’ll Get The Only Weapon You Need

For the final tip, let’s dive into spoiler territory. I’m going to keep this very, very vague — but, like several bosses in the RE series, someone offscreen throws your character a rocket launcher during a final encounter. You can actually avoid using any ammo at all in this fight. You can drop grenades / flash grenades to stall the final boss, and wait until you hit 1:30 — the rocket launcher will be automatically thrown to you. You don’t need to damage the boss at all.

If you’re low on ammo, you can still win if you’re quick and clever. The problem is just surviving until you can get the launcher.