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Resident Evil 4 Remake Chapter 1 introduces players to a terrifying new world of parasitic viruses and religious fanaticism, set in the backdrop of a rural Spanish village. Six years after the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon S. Kennedy has been assigned to a government task force charged with recovering the President’s kidnapped daughter. After losing his escorts in an attack, Chapter 1 of Resident Evil 4 throws Leon into the deep end against an onslaught of violent villagers and fearsome foes.
This guide will walk players through Chapter 1, covering the first hour of the Resident Evil 4 remake and going over events from the start of the game up to the Lakeside Resort.
Hunter’s Lodge
Proceeding the opening cutscene, follow the forest path forward under the barbed wire and into the darkened house. Explore the building until coming across an ornate doorway decorated with animal bones, and take a right from here through a door and into another cutscene.
After the scene ends, take the Hunter’s Lodge Key from the body of the Ganado that Leon killed, exit the room and use the key on the ornate door.
Heading down into the basement, walk forwards until coming across the body of the missing police officer. From here, backtrack to the basement entrance, where the player will be attacked by their first enemy. This Ganado will rush at Leon and try to grapple him; if successful, Leon can either struggle free or use some of his knife’s durability to immediately stun his attacker.
After dealing with him, head upstairs to see another villager exit a room to the right. As always, players can choose whether to engage in combat or run past. Regardless of choice, head into the room on the right and go to the second floor. Through a door on the landing, a cutscene will trigger, leading Leon out of the house.
Approaching the Village
Take the path forward and across the blood-soaked bridge. At the end of the path are a dilapidated cabin and a barrel Leon can break to obtain some ammo. Inside the cabin is Resident Evil 4’s first typewriter, at which the player can save their game, access their storage, and customize their attache case.
Leaving the cabin, head forwards and take a right, crouching under a fallen tree to find two more Ganados around a car. Further uphill and to the left, a bear trap lies in wait for inattentive players.
Shoot these or walk around them to prevent them from slowing progress. Along this path to the left is a small shack in which some resources can be found, along with an enemy waiting to attack.
Reaching the end of the path, Leon will open a large gate adorned with severed heads leading to the Village Square, where he can use his binoculars to witness a gruesome execution.
Village Square
From the entrance, players can sneak around the houses to the left to find a lone villager raking the mud, giving them the opportunity to perform a stealth kill at the cost of some knife durability. Regardless, players will eventually be forced to tackle this large group of enemies in open combat in order to progress.
In the Village Square, endless swarms of Ganados will attack the player, forcing them to constantly move around the arena, picking off enemies one by one. Some Ganados will set down bear traps near Leon, while others will use hatchets that they can swing or throw. Using Resident Evil 4’s parry mechanic can deflect these weapons and help players avoid taking too much damage in this segment.
After a while of fighting regular enemies, Resident Evil 4’s infamous Dr. Salvador will appear, threatening to instantly kill the player if they get too close. Though the Chainsaw Man can be downed, killing him requires a surplus of powerful ammunition which players don’t likely have at this point. For now, it’s better to keep plenty of distance by clearing out lesser Ganados while continuously looping the arena.
While it’s generally better to avoid entering buildings during this fight to prevent being surrounded in a confined space, struggling players may attempt to find useful items around the Village Square. For example, in the two-story house on the left side of the arena, Leon can find a Shotgun on the second floor.
This building also has windows that Leon can vault through, and though Villagers will use ladders to reach him, he can kick them down to reduce their numbers and jump from the roof at any time to avoid getting trapped.
After fighting off the hordes long enough, a distant bell will toll, and Leon’s attackers will turn passive, triggering an iconic Resident Evil 4 cutscene and ending the fighting.
Farm
Once the fight in the Village Square ends, loot any items in the area and push forward through the gate that the Chainsaw Man appeared from at the northeastern tip of the map. Continuing along the critical path, Leon will spot the windmill Hunnigan told him about. In a building to the right is another typewriter.
Onwards, Leon can find two villagers that can be stealthily dispatched as the area is explored. Not much can be achieved here yet, so keep going towards the large gate. To the right of this gate is a blue Request notice that tasks the player with destroying all the Blue Medallions in the area.
Achieving – or ignoring – this, head through the archway and into a room on the right. Walk slowly through here as a tripwire can be heard beeping in the distance. Approach the tripwire’s explosive to disarm it. At the end of this corridor is a ladder leading up to the mill, behind which players can find a Yellow Herb that will permanently increase Leon’s health.
Taking the ladder up will lead to a contraption with a missing gear that Leon must replace before he can progress. To obtain the gear, head through the door directly opposite the lever and drop down behind the barn. Follow the path around and shoot the lock off the door to enter the barn. Inside is a lone villager that can be quickly dispatched before a ferocious Cow-Headed beast breaks through the doors and attacks.
Fighting the Cowhead Ganado
This is a difficult fight that players can choose not to engage with. If they decide it’s too much, grab the missing gear from the barn table and run back towards the mill. If players want to challenge themselves, make use of all the gear that Leon has acquired thus far to take him down.
Cowhead will use his large hammer to take hefty swings at Leon, severely damaging his health. Luckily, these attacks can be dodged with the crouch button, after which Cowhead can be countered with the Shotgun or Pistol.
A good number of lesser Ganados will join Cowhead in his attack, so players should make use of any Flashbangs or Hand Grenades they have to keep the crowds under control. Once the Cowhead Ganado is down, players can grab some Velvet Blue from his corpse for selling to Resident Evil 4's Merchant later.
Lakeside Settlement
After obtaining the missing gear from the barn, take it back to the mill and insert it. Pulling the lever will lift the gate, allowing Leon to drop back down and head through it. Crossing the bridge on the other side of the gate will take Leon to a courtyard.
Unable to open the gate ahead, go right and move the cart out of the way to continue forward. Head down the path until a villager triggers a landslide trap, forcing Leon to take a right turn around it.
Avoiding the hatchets being thrown by the two Ganados on the bridge above, make a run forward – dealing with any Resident Evil enemies in the way – until Leon emerges from a tunnel and into the Lakeside Settlement.
Directly ahead is a Ganado throwing pipe bombs from a window, encouraging players to move fast through this area. Be careful, though, as the gap in the fence ahead is guarded by a bear trap, while the tripwired shack to the left offers more cover but could prove more dangerous. This area can prove lethal to unprepared players, so look out for traps, stay on guard, and take cover from the two grenadiers in the area.
Once the area has been cleared and looted, keep heading east and shoot the lock off the cabin door. Head through the back of the house, disarm the corridor tripwire, and move the bookshelf aside in the second room.
Locate the noise source in the next room and take out the axe-wielding Ganado before opening the hatch on the floor. In the basement, investigate the squirming body bag to trigger a cutscene and end the chapter.
Resident Evil 4 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.