Resident Evil 4 Remake can be quite punishing. If players aren’t adequately equipped with the right items, some of RE4 Remake’s enemies can quickly become overwhelming. Fortunately, there are a couple of items that can make combat significantly more forgiving.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is one of the most action-heavy Resident Evil games in the last few years. Whether it’s from crazed villagers, vile insects, or any of RE4 Remake’s other numerous abominations, Leon will take plenty of hits and be attacked by waves of enemies. It’s for this reason that players will quickly realize how important it is to keep Leon equipped with a few health items at all times. There are several items that interact with Leon’s health in different ways. That being said, there are only two items that increase Leon’s maximum health, which players will definitely want to look out for in their playthroughs.
Resident Evil 4's Yellow Herbs
Colored herbs have been a staple in the franchise since the first Resident Evil, and that doesn't change here. Resident Evil 4 Remake players will want to make sure to search for yellow herbs scattered across the game’s locations. When mixed with green and red herbs, they give Leon a boost to his maximum health with an additional healing bonus to varying degrees. Mixing a single green and yellow herb together will increase Leon’s maximum health and restore a small amount of health, mixing two green herbs and a yellow herb together increases his maximum health and restores a moderate amount of health, and mixing a green, red, and yellow herb together increases maximum health while restoring a large amount of health.
While yellow herbs are a helpful component to upgrading Leon, they can be a bit hard to come by. Each chapter will have at least one yellow herb hidden somewhere. There is one yellow herb per chapter in Chapters 1 through 12, and two yellow herbs per chapter in Chapters 13 through 15. Since it can be a chore to find all the yellow herb locations in RE4 Remake, the merchant does sell one yellow herb from the moment Leon meets him in Chapter 2.
Resident Evil 4's Rhinoceros Beetles
In addition to the yellow herbs, Leon can also increase his maximum health by consuming rhinoceros beetles. These are even more rare than yellow herbs, with only three available to find throughout the entire game. Finding Resident Eivl 4's rhinoceros beetle locations can be tricky and time-consuming, but it’s absolutely worth it for players to beef up Leon with health before some of the devastating boss fights that show up later in the game.
There’s also a monetary benefit to finding rhinoceros beetles. Just one of those rare insects sells for 10,000 pesetas, which can be used to buy or upgrade weapons and other gear that will aid Leon in combat. Additionally, if Leon has the Rhinoceros Beetle charm equipped while selling the beetles, they’ll sell for double the initial price. Having the edge in health and weaponry is important in Resident Evil 4 Remake, as it can make some of the major fight sequences significantly easier than they would be without it.
In general, Leon’s health can drain quickly and some of the enemies that players will encounter in the game can deliver one-hit kills depending on how high Leon’s maximum health is. On top of that, it’s not even just the boss fights that players have to look out for, as plenty of the standard enemies, like RE4 Remake’s Regeneradors, have fairly powerful attacks as well. For players to have a much smoother experience fighting off the Plagas and saving the president’s daughter, it is crucial to take advantage of the yellow herbs and rhinoceros beetles at their disposal.
Resident Evil 4 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
