We honestly don’t know how Ethan Winters does it. Resident Evil is an intense experience that bumps up the action quickly with vampires, lycans, and far, far worse out to get you. Not exactly a friendly welcoming committee, but our seven top Resident Evil Village tips and tricks for beginners will see you tackling monsters and securing treasures in a manner that’d make even Jill Valentine proud.
7 Resident Evil Village tips and tricks for beginners
© Capcom
1. Keep moving
Resident Evil Village’s monsters are ruthless, often swarming you in numbers and taking more than a few headshots to bring down. No matter what Jill and Chris’ tank control training may have taught you, standing your ground isn’t a great idea here.
Keep yourself moving while fighting and you’ll not only distance yourself from swinging blades and hands, but open up opportunities to use the environment. Explosive barrels or mines can down multiple foes at once, and shooting flour bags will stun anyone up close, leaving them open for headshots. Take a few shots, then reposition to keep those ghouls at a distance.
2. Don’t forget to guard
Ethan might pass himself off as an everyday Joe, but he’s far more durable than he looks. If enemies do get up close, using L1 or LB to guard will massively reduce any damage taken, and in some cases even result in Ethan kicking them back to repel the attack. It seems silly to stick your hands up to block a swing from an axe, but as you’ll learn through Resident Evil Village’s story, Ethan’s hands can take an awful lot of punishment. If anyone gets close, hit that guard button.
© Capcom
3. Smash, grab, and look up for rewards
Treasures abound in Resident Evil Village, and while the rarest require tackling bosses or following treasure maps, you can make yourself a huge amount of Lei simply by being observant. Lots of treasures and Lei stashes are stored in glass cabinets you can break with your knife, but a huge number of valuable Crystal Shards are also found in ceilings.
As you explore places like Castle Dimitrescu, check the ceilings of each room careful for the glint of treasure. They’ll flash with light periodically, and a quick handgun bullet will drop them to your floor for easy pocketing. You’ll also see bird cages hanging from trees every now and then which can be shot down for loot and money.
4. Check your map
Resident Evil Village’s map does everything it can to help you, so check it often. If a room is colored blue, you’ve already found and collected everything available in it. If it’s colored red, there are still items or secrets to be found. This is a great way to figure out where treasures are hidden, as a seemingly empty hallway marked red definitely has something for you to collect. Revisit red locations if you want to grab everything the game has to offer.
In addition, locked doors and containers are all marked with the item you’ll need to access them, making planning your paths back through levels a cinch. You know, assuming you can avoid the gigantic vampire lady and others trying to kill you. Minor concerns, really.
© Capcom
5. Get crafty
With so many enemies desperate to claw your face off, you’ll run out of ammo quickly if you’re not careful. Rather than manage a desperately finite resource though, Village encourages you to craft more supplies with gunpowder and scrap metal. There’s plenty of it around, and you shouldn’t be afraid to spend it.
When you meet the Duke and gain access to the shop, we’d recommend purchasing the recipes to craft shotgun (and eventually sniper) ammo as soon as possible. This will mean you’re rarely if ever caught short of supplies before a tough fight.
6. Upgrade capacity for a free refill
In addition to supplies, the Duke can upgrade your weapons in a number of different ways. Normally we’d opt for increased firepower, but if you’re running low on ammo, a capacity boost will help. Upgrading your capacity will fully refill your current magazine or shell count, granting you free ammunition when you’re running low. It’s therefore beneficial to pick this upgrade when running empty, or by avoiding a reload when you know you’re near to the shop.
7. Save your meat!
Calm down. The only thing saucy here is what the Duke is cooking up for you. If you see wildlife in Resident Evil Village, you'd do well to shoot it. Crows will drop money, but other animals will allow Ethan to harvest meat. You can sell this to the Duke for money but we'd really recommend holding onto it. Further down the line you'll unlock the Duke's Kitchen, which can cook up permanent boosts to Ethan's abilities in exchange for harvested animal meat. So if you do encounter any beasts early, keep hold of the food you obtain from them.
Those were our top Resident Evil Village tips and tricks. Got any advice of your own? Share it in the comments below. We’ve got loads of other Resident Evil Village guides available, so take a look at our hub page for the game to find out more.
