Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2 is here and it’s delivering a ton of heart-stopping scares. While this survival horror game certainly embraces the ideology of the 1998 version, veterans of the series will still find quite a few new challenges waiting for them. Outside of the setting and major story moments, you cannot rely on previous knowledge of Resident Evil 2. It’s best to treat this as a fresh, new entry rather than a straight remake of the original.
For those just starting out, here are 10 beginner tips to help you survive the nightmarish world of Resident Evil 2.
1) Save Your Ammo
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This might seem like a no-brainer but the ammo count between my first and second playthrough was pretty substantial. On the Standard difficulty, it takes roughly three shots to the head to kill a zombie. This will change due to the adaptive difficulty, but you should never shoot a ghoul in the body unless you absolutely have too. Also don’t feel like you need to kill every zombie you come across, it’s perfectly fine to just run by them.
Additionally, don’t use shotgun or grenade launcher ammo on basic zombies. These should be exclusively used against specialty monsters such as Lickers or the bosses. Given the scarcity of certain types of ammo, it’s vital that you only use them when powerful foes present themselves.
2) Read Everything
There are a lot of notes, books, and manuals scattered throughout Resident Evil 2. Even though some of this simply offers insight about what happened, others hold vital information. You will find the majority of safe codes in notes either nearby their respective safes or somewhere else in the game. Other notes will explain the weakness of certain enemy types like how Lickers are blind and plant zombies have to be burned for them to truly die. If you come across a note, we strongly recommend reading it.
3) Board Up All the Windows
As you explore Resident Evil 2, you’ll come across zombies banging on windows and eventually breaking them. This might appear to be a one-time event, but these open windows serve as ways for the zombies to continuously infiltrate the Racoon City Police Depart. You can barricade these windows with Wooden Boards found throughout the game. These are wooden boards with yellow tape wrapped around them.
Once you board a window up, zombies will be unable to enter that location. Always make sure to cover up the windows, especially in major hallways and rooms that you’ll end up visiting multiple times. The last thing you want is to be low on ammo and health only to have a swarm of zombies waiting for you.
4) Learn to Manage Your Inventory
Inventory space in Resident Evil 2 is very limited, so it’s important to manage what you’re carrying. Players start out with 8 spaces, but these can be upgraded by finding Hip Pouches in safes and other parts of the world. If you’re just starting out we recommend carrying one healing item, a stack of ammo or each weapon, a knife, and have the rest of the spots open for key items/supplies you find.
While it’s totally fine to keep backtracking if you want to carry more items, but you won’t encounter any tough foes until you obtain the circular valves. Also, make sure to combine your ammo together and any healing items to reduce clutter in your inventory.
5) Make Sure Every Key Item Has a Red Checkmark
There are a ton of Key Items in Resident Evil 2 and many of them will be used for multiple things. Resident Evil 2 will alert the player that a Key Item has exhausted its use when a red checkmark appears in the bottom right corner. If an item does not have this mark, this means it has another use somewhere in the game. Sometimes you’ll need to examine an item like the S.T.A.R.S. Badge for the second use to become apparent.
For actual keys, once you’ve unlocked a door it will remain unlocked even if you aren’t carrying the key. We suggest going around the map, unlocking all the doors you can when you get a new key. This will ensure it doesn’t take up needless space in your inventory.
6) Fighting Tyrant/Mr. X is a Waste of Time
As you progress through the game, Tyrant/Mr. X will occasionally appear to inconvenience you. You cannot kill Tyrant so don’t waste your time dumping ammo into him once he is stunned and goes down on one knee. It should take roughly 3-4 shotgun blasts or 3 hits from a grenade launcher to knock down Tyrant. Don’t bother wasting pistol ammo on him, as he will just make you waste a lot of your rounds.
Flashbangs and grenades also work wonders, especially if he has cornered you in a hallway or small room. After you stun Tyrant, bring up your map (which pauses the game) and plan your route accordingly. You do not want to waste time meandering about the RCPD because Tyrant will get up again and he will find you.
7) Always Carry a Knife
Knives are one of the most important tools in Resident Evil 2. While they do degrade after extended use, they are terrific for saving yourself from being grappled. Being bit by a zombie or any type of infected monster deals a ton of damage. The only way to fight one off when they initially grapple you is to either stab them or use a grenade. Since you never want to waste a grenade, make sure to have a knife on you.
You can also use knives to slash at corpses and check to see if they’re zombies. This does a minimal amount of damage to the knife and is a solid way to alert yourself if a ghoul is coming. Just don’t try to slash a zombie to death, as it will take an obscene amount of time.
8) Be Patient
When playing the remake of Resident Evil 2 it’s vital to not just rush through areas unless you’re being chased by something. There are a ton of zombies that just hide behind doors or around corners waiting to take a bite at of you. Because of this, make sure to use the camera and peak around corners to ensure that you don’t get attacked.
This is also true for shooting at enemies if you are playing on Standard difficulty or above. Be patient and only shoot an enemy when you can land the headshot. Just firing with reckless abandon is a very good way to get yourself killed.
9) Unlock These Lockers/Safes First
This section will tread a bit into spoiler territory, so if you’re determined to discover every secret by yourself then skip this entry. For those wanting to gain an edge against the undead, there are a few lockers and two safes you can open up very early on. The codes for these cannot be found until a little bit later into Resident Evil 2. However, if you need some extra supplies here are the codes for each of these items:
- Shower Room Locker – CAP
- 3F Hallway Locker – DCM
- West Office Safe – Left 9, Right 15, Left 7
- Waiting Room Safe – Left 6, Right 2, Left 11
These combinations will not change if you are starting out as Claire or Leon, so feel free to use them at your leisure. Remember, unlocking these early won’t give you a drastic advantage, but the weapon upgrade in the Waiting Room safe does help Leon.
10) Know What Healing Items Do
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Just like previous Resident Evil games, players can use different types of herbs to heal themselves. While these can be consumed raw, it’s strongly advised that you combine them together to increase their potency. However, Resident Evil 2 doesn’t tell you what benefits these give you when combined. Here’s a quick breakdown of about what specific herb combinations do:
- Green Herb + Green Herb = Restores a moderate amount of health
- Green Herb + Red Herb = Restores a large amount of health
- Blue Herb + Green Herb = Cures poison and restores a moderate amount of health
- Blue Herb + Red Herb = Gain temporary damage resistance
Make sure to always combine your herbs and once you make it to the sewers always carry a Blue + Green Herb since enemies down here deal poison damage. Additionally, the Red+Blue Herb is fantastic for boss battles, especially near the end of the game. The increased damage resistance will certainly help you combat tough foes and you should have one in your item box.