The critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4 marked a real paradigm shift for the franchise. A 2005 GameCube exclusive (for a time), this was the title that did away with a lot of the trappings of survival horror as we knew it. Gone were the clunky controls and characters taking four to seven business days to turn around, replaced with a far more action-oriented style of play.

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It may have begun life on the GameCube, but the success of Leon S. Kennedy’s second adventure has seen it ported to just about every other system in existence since. Whether players are on their first playthrough or they've completed the game countless times over the years, these tips and tricks should come in handy.

Updated on July 21st, 2022, by Jack Pursey: Capcom has finally announced that they are remaking the classic Resident Evil 4. The Japanese studio has had a lot of success with its remakes lately, with the Resident Evil 2 remake, in particular, being a huge hit with fans and critics. Many people still believe that Resident Evil 4 holds up today, though it will still be great to play a new take on the iconic game.

For those wanting to try the original before the remake arrives, we've updated this list to include a few more RE4 tips.

13 Loot From Dead Birds

Dead birds droping ammo

You know a game is full of danger around every corner when even the birds are packing grenades, for some reason.

Throughout Resident Evil 4, though particularly at the start of the game, birds can be found perched or flying around the game area. If players shoot one of these birds, they will often be rewarded with ammo, money, or even grenades. Thankfully, the birds won't ever drop their grenades on Leon.

12 Free The Dog For Help In A Boss Fight

Leon and a dog fighting El Gigante

Within the first few minutes of Resident Evil 4, players will hear a dog whimpering. If they follow the sound and go slightly off course, they will find it caught in a trap. After just discovering that birds drop grenades, many players would be forgiven for killing the dog and thinking that it drops a rocket launcher or something.

However, players should definitely free the dog, as it will be thankful and return the favor by helping Leon in the first El Gigante boss fight later on.

11 Shoot Incoming Projectiles Out Of The Air

Enemy approaching Leon with an axe

The enemies in Resident Evil 4 have a tendency to throw their weapons at Leon, whether it be axes, knives, or deadly scythes that slice the player's head off in one shot. Thankfully, tank controlling Leon out of the way isn't the only option, as projectiles can be shot out of the air.

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This isn't easy, of course, though it's an incredibly satisfying move to pull off, and it will leave the enemy open for attack.

10 Take Down Krauser With Just Your Knife

Via: YouTube (World of Online)

Players will surely notice that Jack Krauser, Leon’s former-ally-turned-foe, is pretty darn handy with a knife. He’s an agent experienced with all manner of firearms and other weapons, but the simple knife seems to be his favorite.

The game’s trying to tell players something here. In the later stages of the game, Leon will engage in a super-dramatic boss battle with Krauser. When he breaks out his trump card, that absurd, mutated, blade-like extend-o-claw of his, most players wouldn’t think of falling back on their own knife, but they'd be surprised how very effective it is on him, staggering him and dealing huge damage. It’s tough to pull off, with his range and the cramped area on top of the tower working against the player, but they’ll put him down in seconds this way.

9 Make Short Work Of Verdugo With The Rocket Launcher

Verdugo staring at the camera

Another thing that Resident Evil 4 players have surely noticed is that rocket launchers are incredibly effective. Just point the boom-y end at who/whatever needs taking out, and they explode out of existence. They’re in very short supply and don’t come cheap, though, so players have got to use them sparingly (outside of the horror game's secret weapon, a rocket launcher with infinite ammo, naturally).

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To get the best bang for your buck out of that single shot, players will want to save it until the late-game encounter with Verdugo, Salazar’s infamous “right-hand man.” Near the end of the castle segment, this lightning-fast and nigh-invulnerable beast attacks in an area littered with cans of liquid nitrogen. Simply “use” one of the cans when the creature is in range to temporarily freeze it in place. While it’s immobilized, a single hit with the rocket launcher will defeat it.

8 Make Good Money At The Shooting Range

Via: Steam Community

When players first gained access to Resident Evil 4’s shooting gallery minigame, they might have wandered in, tried out a round or two, then decided it was more trouble than it was worth and left. It can be a bit of a slog, after all, and the bottlecap figurines players can collect won’t mean much to anyone other than completionists.

However, it’s worth sticking with, especially in a new game run when players want to pump every upgrade they can into their favorite weapons. In the menu, they’ll notice that the bottlecap figures they collect are displayed in rows. Players are rewarded a nice cash reward for every row they complete, and while it’s not a huge amount, it’s certainly worth the free money once a playthrough. Always go for the bonus Salazar targets, and it won’t take long at all!

7 HUNK Can Dispatch Those Pesky Bella Sisters With Ease

Via: Steam Community

The Mercenaries is a bonus mode within the game, an arcade affair that sees players dispatching waves of enemies across familiar Resident Evil 4 locales (and one that isn’t) for high scores. Each stage is inhabited by a miniboss exclusive to that area, all of whom are very dangerous and can end the player's run in a flash if they aren’t careful.

Players probably know that Krauser can one-shot any of them with a simple use of his arm transformation attack. However, they may not be aware that HUNK can do the same thing to the Bella Sisters, the minibosses in the village. All players have to do is stun them with a headshot or flash grenade, then run up and perform their Neckbreaker melee attack. They’re the only miniboss this trick works on, so it’s very niche, but it sure is satisfying!

6 All Knife, All The Time

Leon with a knife in Resident Evil 4

So, yes. We’ve already seen that Leon’s humble combat knife really does a number on Krauser. Experienced players will also be aware of the simple yet effective handgun shot, melee, knife-knife-knife technique carries players surprisingly far through the game.

Only true experts, however, know how to really utilize this to its fullest. Enemy attacks tend to be very telegraphed, meaning that players can easily dodge, dash in to knife them, dodge out again and repeat. It’s absolutely not practical in terms of damage, but Leon can stagger foes, cause them to drop their weapons, and just defeat them outright with this technique most of the time if players are patient.

5 Make Ashley Invincible

Via: YouTube (Master LL)

In games that take themselves super-seriously sometimes, with their gore, adult content, and nonsensical plotlines, it’s fun to unlock a costume that’s just a little out there. Leon’s 1930s gangster outfit, complete with fedora? You’d better believe we’re down with that.

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As a bonus, choosing this costume when starting a new playthrough will also outfit Ashley in a suit of armor. Not only does this look similarly ridiculous, but it also serves a practical purpose in the game! In her armor, Ashley is completely impervious to just about all damage, and she’s too heavy for enemies to carry away. The best part? They still try to do so, which treats the player to a comical animation where they buckle under her weight and drop her. True experts know how to utilize this invincible Ashley as bait to prevent Leon being swarmed.

4 Use The Las Plagas Removal Laser As A Deadly Weapon

Well, yes, this one is a bit of a cheat. You see, the Las Plagas removal laser players can unlock as a weapon is strictly non-canon. That machine Leon and Ashley used to remove their parasites during the game’s climax? This tech is just a little more sophisticated than that.

Completing the game on Professional mode grants the player the P.R.L. 412 for subsequent playthroughs on that save file. It’s a very cool sci-fi-looking weapon that fires beams of light in quick bursts or concentrated charged shots. It’s capable of one-shotting just about everything in the game and boasts unlimited ammo (watch its charge level, though).

3 Using Dynamite Ganados As Deadly “Allies”

Via: YouTube (Butcher T)

Early in the game, those dynamite ganados sure can be deadly enemies. Should players get themselves caught in a blast, they’ll deal absurd damage to Leon, potentially killing him outright. They’re the bane of inexperienced players.

However, those who have mastered Resident Evil 4 often see these enemies as a huge help rather than a hindrance. They’re just as dangerous to their fellow ganados as they are to Leon, and with a little luring, players can lead dynamite ganados to wipe out waves of their allies without even having to fire a shot.

2 Exploiting Capacity Upgrades

Via: Resident Evil Modding

Now, for the most part, ammo doesn’t tend to be too much of an issue in Resident Evil 4. Enemies are quite generous with their drops. However, certain special weapons, such as the magnum, require players to be a little pickier with targets. They’re boss killers and should be used as such.

To help with this, players can exploit a handy little trick within the weapon upgrade system. When boosting a weapon’s capacity, the merchant will throw in a free magazine. If players save these upgrades for when they've fired all their ammo, it’ll pay dividends.

1 Those Deadly Doors

Via: Kotaku

While Leon and his various lumpen enemies are much more mobile than anything the series had offered up to this point, their movements are still quite clunky. As we’ve mentioned previously, though, this only means that enemies are easier to manipulate. Back in 2005, when players double-tapped the “open door” prompt to kick it open instead, stunning and knocking back the enemies that were trying to break it down, they felt like a true action hero.

It's surprisingly how far this concept can be pushed. One canny player, YouTube’s Dante Ravioli, has defeated the chainsaw-wielding miniboss (and even the deadly Verdugo) using only a door!

Resident Evil 4 is out now on PC, GameCube, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and Oculus Quest 2.

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