Resident Evil 3 is a quick journey through Raccoon City, but it can be tricky for inexperienced players. Even for those familiar with the series, the "Hardcore" difficulty mode can prove a challenging, yet ultimately more satisfying, way to play the new remake.
To make the jaunt through the devastated city a little easier, the following list will provide ten tips all players should follow upon their first playthrough of Resident Evil 3. Fortunately, future runs get easier after the shop opens and players use points earned through completing Records to buy special items, some of which are essential to beating the game with an S rank.
10 Make Every Room Blue
The game is generous enough to let players know when a room still has items left inside. Once an area is clear of resources, it is marked blue on the map. Be sure not to miss anything. Not only does it keep one's health and ammunition full, but one also finds weapon add-ons and Hip Pouches to expand inventory space. Resources are especially scarce on harder difficulties, making this essential.
9 Run Away When You Have The Chance
The golden rule of classic Resident Evil is to kill only when running or dodging is not an option. Especially if a room will only be entered once, there is no sense on wasting bullets on zombies the player will never see again. Depending on the difficulty, the game doesn't even give the player enough to kill every enemy in the game, so one does not want to be left with no bullets when it really matters.
8 Save Power Weapons For Powerful Enemies
It is tempting to blast away normal enemies with the Shotgun or Grenade Launcher, but resist the urge. Use the Handgun on zombies and line up those headshots while reserving the big guns for the two types of hunters.
The only time this rule should be broken is when playing as Carlos, who is given more Assault Rifle ammunition than Handgun bullets. The game throws powerful bad guys at Jill often, so the power weapons will still get plenty of love.
7 Don't Waste Ammo On Nemesis
Like Mr. X from Resident Evil 2, hurting Nemesis only slows it down. Given the scarcity of ammo on the higher difficulties, it is best to run away from the monster instead of engaging it. There are select moments where staggering it causes the beast to drop items, but other than those moments, fighting it just wastes precious ammo.
6 Adjust Sensitivity
Every shot counts. Missing by a hair because the aiming feels wonky is upsetting, especially when only a few bullets remain in the inventory. Adjust the sensitivity to one's liking for the best results when lining up those sometimes tricky headshots. Fortunately, shooting is better than it has ever been in the series, but the default options may prove too sensitive for some players.
5 Save Often
Unlike classic Resident Evil games, there are no Ink Ribbons to worry about and no limit to the amount of saves one can make, even when going for those S rank runs. Save often and keep several different save slots for the first playthrough.
The player may have accidentally expended too much ammo and will find it valuable to load an earlier save and be more economical with their bullets.
4 Make Powerful Ammunition
Jill finds gunpowder she mixes to create ammunition. Depending on the two types she mixes together, the former S.T.A.R.S. member can create Handgun, Shotgun, or Magnum ammo.
It is more recommended to create the latter two types more often, due to their scarcity in the world and how invaluable they are to taking out Hunters and Paleheads. Don't abstain from making the former altogether, but prioritize the other two.
3 Wait To Heal
Always try to find a Green and Red Herb combination before instead of healing with only one Green Herb. Even when one manages to make the souped-up healing item, wait until Jill's health is in the danger state before using it.
There's no sense in wasting it in a cautious state. Healing items are more plentiful than in Resident Evil 2, but like everything else in the game, they are finite.
2 Save Magnum Ammo For Bosses
Anybody who has played Resident Evil in the past knows this rule. The Magnum is often the most powerful gun in the game, but ammunition is particularly scarce.
Because of this, the gun is best reserved for bosses. On "Hardcore" mode the boss encounters tend to use up most of Jill's ammunition before defeat, making it more important to save this gun for the challenging monsters. One can also make ammunition for it by combining two High-Grade Gunpowders.
1 Master The Dodge
The dodge is an invaluable tool for escaping scrapes with zombies. After a successful one, Jill can line up a perfect shot in slow motion. When ammunition is so valuable and running is sometimes the better option, knowing how to dodge is essential.
It also comes in handy during most boss battles. Take some time to practice it by purposefully letting zombies come close and strike, observing the visual cues, and perfecting the timing.