Merchants are often a safe haven in Resident Evil games. The sight of a merchant means safety from the various enemies hunting the player down. In Resident Evil Village players are greeted by the traveling Duke as he rolls his way out of his carriage in front of the great Castle Dimitrescu.
This happy-go-lucky guy follows players as they face the perils of Ethan's journey through the village and his quest to find his daughter. Duke offers some great items that can only be acquired through him and can even cook the player a healthy meal or two.
Updated January 29, 2022, by Jason Wojnar: Resident Evil Village tuned out to be on the most celebrated triple-A titles of 2022. It is especially impressive considering how old the franchise is, yet it is still going strong today. Because Village uses a lot of conventions established in Resident Evil 4, players will have to deal with the in-game economy. With that in mind, this list will be of particular help to inexperienced players. Players should follow it closely to get the most out of the currency they acquire while exploring the haunting environment of the titular village.
11 Extra Baggage
- Cost: The first costs 10,000 Lei, and the second costs 30,000 Lei.
- Availability: The first becomes available after meeting the Duke, the second goes on sale after leaving Castle Dimitrescu.
Because Resident Evil Village's inventory system is the most similar to Resident Evil 4, players have to pay close attention to the way they organize items. Extra Baggage goes on sale from the Duke at certain points during the campaign, and it is recommended that players buy them as soon as possible.
Extra Baggage allows players to carry more items and not worry about excess ammunition or a new weapon causing a problem with an overflowing inventory. Players will be particularly glad they bought it if they invest in customizable weapon parts, another worthwhile investment
10 Recipe: Shotgun Ammo
- Cost: 2,500 Lei
- Availability: On sale after seeing the Duke in the Vineyard
Shotguns are, by far, one of the best weapons that Ethan ever gets his mutilated hands on. Throughout the game, players will end up getting a grand total of three shotguns. Each one of these gets more and more powerful. The downside to these powerful weapons is that they come with limited ammo.
It's a good idea to get the recipe for shotgun ammo so that Ethan can craft more for when it inevitably runs out. Players will be thankful to have a secondary way to get ammo.
9 Samurai Edge Pistol
- Cost & Availability: Free from the duke for owners of the Trauma Pack
Players who bought the version of Resident Evil Village that came with the Trauma Pack or bought the Trauma Pack later on will be able to buy the Samurai Edge Pistol after meeting Duke. This pistol can be easy to overlook since its stats don't appear to be much better than the starting pistol.
The Samurai Edge is actually pretty powerful, and can stop players from needing to upgrade a pistol for a long time. Players who bought the Trauma Pack can use this pistol for most of the story without the need of changing it out. This can help save some money in case it is needed for something else.
8 Karambit
- Cost: 1,000 CP and then 100 Lei from the Duke
- Available in New Game Plus
Of course, players already know that Ethan starts off with a knife in the game. As soon as Ethan gets into the village, he can pick up a knife that is sitting on the table in one of the early-on buildings. This knife can be useful, but what is more useful is the Karambit that players can purchase from the Bonus Content Shop.
Running through the game with this knife can really help conserve ammo. It can also be used to get players the melee-only trophy. It is powerful enough to take down standard enemies with a few hits instead of the dozen that the normal knife takes.
7 Ammo
- Cost: Ranges from 150 Lei per bullet to 1,000
- Availability: After Castle Dimitrescu and after the Vineyard and in New Game Plus
It's no surprise that ammo can be pretty scarce in a Resident Evil game. Some players may end up using so much ammo throughout the game that they run out of it constantly. Luckily, Ethan's good pal Duke has ammo for sale whenever he reaches a new area. The quantities can be pretty generous as well. Duke will typically have Shotgun, Handgun, and Sniper Rifle ammo available.
While it is always good to have as much ammo as possible, one should only buy it in case of emergencies. Maybe a boss is causing particular trouble on Nightmare difficulty and a few extra bullets will help even the odd. Ultimately, players are better served fully exploring the environment for ammunition and even being economic with using bullets by relying on the knife and even running from unnecessary encounters.
6 Recipe: Explosive Rounds
- Cost: 3,000 Lei
- Available in New Game Plus
What is more scarce than shotgun ammo? Explosive ammo. Explosive ammo is useful for the boss fights after retrieving it from the Waterwheel House.
This important weapon can help take down Moreau, Uriel, and a host of other smaller enemies that will gang up on players as they go through the Stronghold. Players will easily find themselves using more ammo than they are picking up, so it is a good idea to get the recipe just in case.
5 V61 Custom
- Cost: 180,000
- Available for purchase in Heisenberg's Factory
Pretty late into the game, players will get access to the V61 Custom pistol. This weapon ends up being sold by the Duke once players reach Heisenberg's Factory. This is also the most powerful of all the standard handguns in the game. Upgrading this gun can make it a very useful tool for the variety of enemies that appear in the factory.
Since handgun ammo is the most plentiful, it is also important to have as much power as possible. Since this pistol is automatic, it can be very useful against enemies that can take a lot of damage.
4 SYG-12
- Cost: 180,000 Lei
- Availability: On sale after meeting the Duke at Heisenberg's Factory
Speaking of having the most powerful guns, the Syg-12 is the most powerful shotgun that players can get their hands on in Resident Evil 8. Like the V61 Custom, the Syg-12 becomes available for purchase from Duke after players reach Heisenberg's Factory.
This shotgun is also very good at taking down enemies thanks to its more focused shots and the fact that it's semi-automatic. Increasing the fire rate and firepower of this weapon can make it a dangerous force to deal with.
3 Weapon Parts
- Various different parts become available at different parts of the game
Weapon parts are always good items to invest in. Why? Because they upgrade their associated weapons. These upgrades can mean increased firepower, magazine size, and better sights. These items can also be useful for players who are trying to unlock infinite ammo for their weapons.
To unlock infinite ammo for most of the weapons, players will need to equip all the weapon parts to a gun and upgrade it completely.
2 Recipe: Pipe Bomb
- Cost: 3,000 Lei
- Available: After defeating Dimitrescu
Along with the GM79 grenade launcher, Ethan gets access to mines and pipe bombs to help blow away the enemies. Grenades are nice and so are flashbangs, but pipe bombs are just as good and require different materials to make.
Having more explosive options will come in handy later on in the story when new types of enemies with armor appear. It will also help when even tougher enemies like mini-bosses and bosses appear. These threats can easily be taken down fast if a player has enough explosive power.
1 Recipe: Sniper Ammo
- Cost: 4,000 Lei
- Available: At the Vineyard
Sniper ammo is another type of ammunition that is hard to come by in Resident Evil Village. Sniper ammo is also one of the most useful types of ammunition in the game. The sniper rifle is found pretty early in the game, but it can be used all the way to the end thanks to the power it possesses.
When the sniper rifle is upgraded it can deal damage similar to magnum. It possesses the ability to one-shot many of the lower-level enemies, so it is a good idea to keep it stocked with ammo.
Resident Evil Village is out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC