Resident Evil 2 Remake - 6 spoiler-free tips for surviving the outbreak
Resident Evil 2 Remake tips.
Resident Evil 2 Remake might be an old game reimagined, but forget what you know. You’re going to visit places you recognise and bask in nostalgia, but this is a new game through and through, changing up the mechanics and scenes from the original.
To help you get through it, here are some spoiler-free tips.
Learn to read the map
Resident Evil 2 Remake takes place in a police station that was converted from an art museum. Shutters, locked doors, and arcane mechanisms block you at every turn. If you want to learn the layout of this place, you’re going to have to consult your map often. Luckily, the map has a few handy features to make your life easier.
If a room is marked red, that means there’s either an item or something you haven’t interacted with in there. If you’re stuck for where to go, it’s probably a room marked in red. On top of that, the game also marks any doors you try to open, even telling you which symbol key you need to open it. Make sure you try every door you pass to fill out your map.
Alternatively, check out our Resident Evil 2 Remake walkthrough.
Learn inventory management
You can only carry so much stuff, so you need to make smart choices about what to stash away and when. You need to know where you’re heading and take only the key items you’ll need to use when you reach your destination. If a gun has no ammo, just store it away and grab it back when you find some more. If you have lots of healing items, stash them away and only carry one on you at all times.
Another cool new feature of this remake is that it marks key items that have outlived their usefulness. If you unlock every door a key can open, a little tick appears next to it in your inventory - this means you can safely discard it.
Here’s where to find all the keys in Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Use those Wooden Boards!
There are Wooden Boards throughout the police station and they’re easy to overlook. They often offer no immediate benefit and they take up a space in your inventory. However, you can use them to save yourself some headaches later on. If you interact with windows in the station, you can board them up to prevent any zombies breaking through.
I found the best places to board up are the window near the Dark Room and as many windows as you can in the West Corridor. Trust me, that corridor becomes a b***h later on if you don’t board some windows up - a gauntlet of gnashing teeth and rotten appendages.
Run past zombies if you can
It might seem counterproductive, but it’s often best to bypass zombies if you can. You can pump ten rounds into a zombie’s head and it still might not be dead if the RNG gods forsake you. You need to conserve that ammo. Kill any zombies that are blocking your way, by all means, but don’t go out your way to clear out the station.
Often, a single shot to the head is enough to stagger a zombie so you can get past. And sometimes it’s best to take out their legs so they’re slower and less of a problem when you’re backtracking.
Don’t waste ammo on the Tyrant
The Tyrant - or Mr. X - hunts you through a good chunk of Resident Evil 2 Remake and you can’t kill him. You can damage him enough to delay him for a bit, but it’s a massive waste of resources and time. Just keep running and you’ll lose him eventually. You can also take refuge in safe rooms.
If you do manage to lose him, be careful with zombies - your bullets can draw him right to your location. If you’re playing as Claire, the SMG and its silencer are handy for this reason. Here's how to get the SMG in Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Don’t munch lone herbs
Try save up herbs until you can mix all three types together. A Green Herb on its own restores a slither of health, but you can mix it with a Red Herb to get even more of a boost. If you mix both of these with a Blue Herb, you get a big health kick and a damage resistance buff for a short while - it’s worth holding off.
Check out our Resident Evil 2 Remake herb recipe guide for all the combinations.