Resident Evil 3 released on April 3, 2020, bringing with it all the nightmarish encounters one comes to expect from the storied survival horror franchise. Jill has only a small arsenal of weapons at her disposal, but she makes it count. There are quite a few to choose from, but these are the five best and worst of the bunch.
Fortunately, all weapons have their use in certain scenarios, and the player will have to rely on all of them to live through the zombie infestation. The higher difficulties especially require the player to balance ammunition and resources by tactfully using both weak and powerful firearms. Even with all this in mind, some weapons just feel better to use than others.
10 Worst: G19 Handgun
Jill's starting gun remains a close companion throughout the campaign. However, that doesn't mean the player is using it because of their preference towards the smaller gun.
Most would love to blast zombies away with the Shotgun or Lightning Hawk, but enough ammunition just isn't lying around Raccoon City for the heavier weapons. To get the most out of the relatively weak gun, be sure to aim for the head.
9 Best: Assault Rifle
Only in the easiest difficulty does Jill have this gun. On all other modes, the Assault Rifle is exclusively for Carlos.
In a game focused on accuracy and headshots, it feels good to have access to hundreds of bullets and be able to unload a whole bunch of them into one zombie. It comes in handy during Carlos' last segment when he is defending an unconscious Jill and Tyrell from a horde of zombies breaking into the Hospital.
8 Worst: Lightning Hawk
Don't get this entry wrong; the Lightning Hawk is an incredible gun. The only problem is the lack of ammunition. It holds eight bullets in the magazine, and Jill only finds a couple of more during the campaign. Even with gunpowder, one should not expect to have a lot of ammo.
Because of this, it is best relegated to boss fights. To complete the Record and net eighty kills with it, one will have to farm kills at the NEST 2 laboratory by reloading a save numerous times to rack up a quick body count.
7 Best: Frag Grenade
Do not underestimate the Frag Grenade's utility. A few rooms in the campaign are simply littered with zombies, making the weapon a solid tool for breaking up the large group.
They also take down a Hunter Beta with one grenade, which goes a long way towards conserving ammo, because those enemies are real bullet sponges. They are few and far between, however, so make sure each throw counts.
6 Worst: Flash Grenade
In Resident Evil 4, the Flash Grenade was invaluable for immediately destroying the parasites that emerged from an enemy's exploding head.
However, the same cannot be said for their inclusion in Resident Evil 3. They help escape a tough spot, but they don't do any damage to the enemies, so one will still have to shoot up the place.
5 Best: Shotgun
There's nothing better than destroying the undead with a shotgun. Any piece of horror fiction worth its weight in blood knows to give the hero a shotgun, just ask Ash Williams from The Evil Dead.
Jill acquires hers early in the game, and it stays a valuable friend for the campaign's duration. While it is a bad idea to use it on most normal zombies, save it for the Hunter Betas and Drain Deimos.
4 Worst: Combat Knife
Like in most of the modern Resident Evil titles, the knife is a good tool for saving ammo by stabbing zombies after knocking them down.
Unfortunately, they sometimes take a lot of stabs before being down for the count. Even worse, the item takes up a space in the inventory, which is a real problem when trying to keep as much ammunition as possible.
3 Best: Grenade Launcher
Not only is the Grenade Launcher powerful, but it also comes with four different types of ammunition, all with unique advantages against certain enemies. It is an all purpose machine of death.
On the harder difficulties, it is best to save it up for the tough boss encounters, which eat up most of the player's ammo. Nothing makes one feel more powerful than lobbing explosives at an enemy.
2 Worst: Burst Pistol
Like the Handgun, this small step up from the base weapon is not terrible, but it is not as menacing as the Shotgun or Lightning Hawk. After becoming so accustomed to the single-shot pistol, acclimating to the burst fire may take some getting used to.
Once the player adjusts to its feel, however, it can do some real damage. Unfortunately, at the end of the day one simply doesn't feel cool or intimidating with it.
1 Best: Infinite Rocket Launcher
This is the only item on the list which is bought from the shop. It is extremely expensive, costing over sixty-two thousand points, but well worth the investment. Once this beast of a weapon is in Jill's hands, all other weapons become obsolete.
Don't waste points buying the other weapons available; save them up for the Infinite Rocket Launcher. Farm kills and get S ranks on the lower difficulties to accumulate points. Once bought, the "Nightmare" and "Inferno" difficulty modes become far more manageable.