Resident Evil 4 quickly enshrined itself as one of Capcom’s finest achievements when it originally launched in 2005, eventually finding itself ported to most consoles, including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Series consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC. With a from-the-ground-up remake coming from Capcom in 2023, the wonderful array of weaponry the original game featured has fans speculating on what weapons will return and what will be changed.
The arsenal made available to Leon Kennedy and an array of other characters in the game’s Mercenaries mode is quite vast, especially for a shooter from 2005, with upgrades and customization that would become standard fare as shooters progressed and evolved up to the present day. Let’s look at Resident Evil 4’s weapons and see which were essential components of a player’s adventure and which could be left on the Merchant’s table.
18 P.R.L. 412
The 412 is overpowered by design. Unlocked for free after beating the game on Professional Difficulty, the 412 can one or two shot every single enemy and boss in the game, firing a charged beam cannon not dissimilar to fellow Capcom staple character Mega-Man.
While this destroys the challenge presented in the gameplay, using the P.R.L. 412 to better navigate and explore the game world for secrets and easter eggs makes these processes much simpler, and sometimes killing an annoying boss in a single shot is the catharsis players need.
17 Striker
The Striker is an expensive weapon to purchase and upgrade, costing 435,000 points from initial purchase to final upgrade. Firing fast from the hip, the Striker may have low range and low accuracy. However, with Leon being frequently funneled into tight spaces by mobs of infected villagers and grotesque monsters, having a get-out-of-jail shotgun at the ready is an invaluable asset. Fully upgraded, it holds 100 rounds, reinforcing this gameplay use and relieving the player of having to worry about keeping its magazine topped off.
16 Chicago Typewriter
What’s a shooter without a Thompson? Unlocked by completing the Separate Ways mode (or Assignment Ada on the GameCube version), the Chicago Typewriter packs a powerful automatic punch with unlimited ammo, costing 1,000,000 points once unlocked and available, and it’s well worth every last penny.
The Chicago Typewriter is perfect for players on repeat runs that want to give some Chicago Mob love to the Las Plagas-infected beasts standing between Leon, Ashley, and freedom.
15 Rocket Launcher (And Variants)
Resident Evil 4 gives players three flavors of RPG to pick and choose from.
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Standard Rocket Launcher:
It’s found in 3-3 inside the castle or
costs 30,000 points
from the Merchant. The Launcher takes up a lot of space within Leon’s inventory, as does the spare rocket ammo — extremely deadly but costs a lot of space that could hold grenades, healing items, or spare ammo.
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Rocket Launcher (Special):
This weapon is handed to Leon by Ada Wong during the boss fight with Saddler. If held onto and not used, the player can sell it for 30,000 or use it in New Game+ to
instantly kill Saddler
at any point during the fight. -
Infinite Rocket Launcher:
It is available for 1,000,000 points once players beat the game. This launcher
has an endless ammo supply
, negating the issue of ammo storage that the base model carries, allowing for frequent and exciting use in repeat playthroughs.
14 TMP
Resident Evil 4 lacks in one category, and that’s automatic weapons. The TMP is the player’s only real automatic weapon during a standard playthrough, and it’s an essential component for players hoping to survive. The TMP is accurate and effective, hitting projectiles out of midair and staggering groups of infected villagers with ease, allowing Leon to have a sliver of breathing room while being mobbed by monsters from all sides. The 340,000 point cost to purchase and fully upgrade it is justified for having the best full-auto protector that in-game currency can offer Leon and the player.
13 Handcannon
A special beast of a weapon, the Handcannon is the ultimate magnum in Resident Evil 4. Available for free for getting 5 stars in every mission and with every character in the Mercenaries mode, the Handcannon is expensive to upgrade, costing 790,000 points to max out, but rewards the player with a massive damage boost and infinite ammo upon completion. If players are willing to grind out perfection, they will be greatly rewarded for their efforts.
12 RED-9
A military staple and the best handgun in the game. The Red-9, a historic and rare variant of the C-96 pistol, costs 14,000 points up-front and an additional 331,000 to fully upgrade. The RED-9 is powerful, accurate, and fast to reload but takes up a bit more inventory space than some other handguns in the game. The RED-9 is man’s best friend when rescuing the President’s daughter.
11 Rifle (Semi-Auto)
The Semi-Auto is an excellent upgrade to the standard Sniper Rifle, with a faster fire rate and better effectiveness in close-quarters situations. The Semi-Auto is accurate, hard-hitting, and stylish, costing 35,000 points to purchase, with an upgrade tree improving the fire rate further. If players can spare the inventory space, this rifle is worth keeping strapped to Leon’s back.
10 Riot Gun
A hard-hitting semi-automatic shotgun, perfect for pumping damage into bosses and groups of approaching infected. The Riot Gun has better range and accuracy than the Striker but a smaller ammo capacity. The final upgrade is another boost to the weapon’s damage output and costs 32,000 points upfront, with a total upgrade path costing 415,000 points. This is a good weapon for clearing a pathway before being mobbed on all sides.
9 Killer7
No Resident Evil is complete without a hard-hitting magnum, and the Killer7 does it in style. A visual reference to the Terminator’s sidearm in the first film, the Killer7 hits hard throughout most of the game, even without upgrades. While it is slow firing compared to more standard handguns, the Killer7 brings power and aesthetic for the low cost of 77,700 points up-front.
8 Punisher
The Punisher is a straight upgrade to Leon’s standard handgun and is extremely affordable in the early game.
Shooting 10 of 15 Blue Medallions hidden throughout the early stages will make the Punisher available for free, and hitting all 15 will have it come with an upgrade for free. Alternatively, the Punisher can be bought for 20,000 points, and the final upgrade (costing 276,000 points to reach) will let the weapon penetrate up to 5 enemies per shot.
7 Shotgun
The standard shotgun is introduced beautifully to the player right as they’re cornered by a village worth of infected, including a chainsaw-wielding maniac. While also available to purchase for 20,000 points, the free one is very hard to miss, and the final upgrade for it greatly reduces damage drop-off over range, which is a perk that sets it apart from the other shotgun options.
It is a pump-action shotgun, however, and even fully upgraded, it is slower to fire than the other two shotguns in the game.
6 Broken Butterfly
The weakest magnum-styled handgun, this one comes in the form of an old-fashioned revolver. The Broken Butterfly can be purchased from everyone’s favorite Merchant or found inside the castle for free. If the player comes across it, it’s best to keep it around to sell off for better weapons later on, as the Killer7 or standard handguns quickly outpace the Butterfly in most situations. The weapon looks and sounds beautiful, but beauty alone doesn’t guarantee survival.
5 Rifle
This bolt-action beauty is an iconic weapon from this game and will likely be the sniper rifle players use throughout most of the game, given the lack of sniping opportunities and the allocated inventory space compared to other weapons at the player’s disposal.
Costing only 7,000 points from the Merchant, the Rifle is one of the cheapest power weapons to acquire, but the slower fire rate and close-quarter nature of many encounters in the game limit its usefulness besides a few select segments of the game.
4 Blacktail
The Blacktail is fast-firing and accurate but an absolute drain on the wallet to upgrade. Available from the Merchant when Leon reaches the castle, it will cost 362,000 points to buy the Blacktail and fully upgrade it, rewarding players with a very accurate and deadly pistol.
However, considering the cost of the weapon and the time it takes for it to become available, the RED-9 and Punisher are more affordable and have more time to shine in a standard playthrough, rendering the Blacktail a fun novelty in later playthroughs more than a standard carry weapon in the game.
3 Matilda
Leon’s Resident Evil 2 carry weapon returns, but it’s less than glorious. Available after completing the game once for 70,000 points from the Merchant, the Matilda is a three-round burst pistol that can spew damage but is far from accurate.
The burst function takes away from the precision that single-shot weapons excel at in Resident Evil 4 to stun, disarm and hit precise targets, but is less effective at being a damage hose like the TMP or shotguns. This leaves Matilda in an awkward niche that renders it a fun gimmick more so than a genuine tool to aid Leon’s time of need.
2 Handgun
The starting pistol for a fresh playthrough, the Handgun fills the role of being an early-game tutorial piece quite well. Sadly, the variety of pistols in the game renders this weapon all but useless after the initial village and encounter with the Chainsaw maniac as the Merchant’s roster of available guns begins to expand greatly.
The Handgun is iconic in its own right, but iconography alone doesn’t make up for mediocre stats, even when fully upgraded.
1 Mine Thrower
The Mine Thrower is large, cumbersome, and serves no purpose that standard hand grenades and the Rocket Launcher can’t fulfill. It fires explosive darts that detonate shortly after impact, giving it more range than a grenade but a delay to the detonation, unlike the launcher.
It can be fun to goof around with in subsequent playthroughs but serves no unique or must-have gameplay niche that isn’t done better with other weapons and equipment on offer.
