The Resident Evil franchise is known to take risks and shake up the core gameplay formula. Resident Evil 3 introduced more enemies and action set pieces to the standard formula, while Resident Evil 4 changed how action games were made. Though the core gameplay loops are similar across the series, each game has the potential to be significantly different than the last.
Resident Evil Village is no stranger to shaking up the standard formula. It builds off themes and gameplay pieces from its predecessor, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, while adding a host of new mechanics. Because the games are constantly changing, it's easy to make mistakes when playing them. Village can be difficult at times, and there are a number of errors that can make the experience even tougher.
10 Not Utilizing Blocking
Though some previous RE titles have featured a guard ability (for example, Mark in Resident Evil Outbreak) the idea of blocking enemy attacks is foreign to most players. Resident Evil 7 allowed players to throw their hands up and guard against enemy attacks, reducing oncoming damage and sometimes providing an opening for counterattacks.
Resident Evil Village expands on this ability by allowing Ethan to shove enemies away after a block. Now, enemies can be stunned with good blocks, creating space for players to recover and fight back. Blocking is incredibly important to success in Resident Evil Village, especially on harder difficulties. Many old-school fans will want to dodge enemy attacks, when guarding may be the better option.
9 Forgetting About The Meal System
Perhaps one of the most important changes introduced in Village is the meal system. Before, players could shoot local flora and fauna for resources like healing items or ammo, but Village rewards players with actual animal meat. Players should keep an eye on the map for chicken, fish, and goat icons signifying hunting areas.
With meat in hand, players can speak to the Duke and have him prepare meals. Each meal takes a certain amount of meat to make, but each offers permanent upgrades to Ethan. These range from health pool upgrades to flat movement speed buffs, so meals should always be a priority. Most hunting doesn't even require ammo, and players can successfully hunt most animals with the knife.
8 Failing To Explore Areas
Though many consider Resident Evil Village a short game, it's full of large areas brimming with secrets and goodies for players to collect. Players should always check their trusty maps to see if the areas around them appear blue or red. The outside areas of the map won't show item completion, but most indoor zones will show the player if they've gotten every item via their color-coding on the map.
If an area is marked as blue, then the player has found every item in that zone. However, if it is red, there's still something to be found. Treasures, healing items, and ammo all count as undiscovered items, though lore and files will not. For players looking for an extra boost to their stash, searching carefully for items can be very rewarding.
7 Using The Magnum Needlessly
The magnum is one of the most powerful weapons in the RE franchise and this is no different in Village. This weapon can take down bosses with ease — if the player has the ammo for it. While it can be tempting to plow through lycans and zombies with the powerful revolver, wasting magnum rounds can make later bosses very troublesome.
Most enemies can be beaten with Ethan's arsenal of weapons, not including the magnum. Players should reserve the magnum for boss fights or absolute emergencies. Otherwise, Ethan's shotguns, rifle, landmines, and pipe bombs should be more than enough to clear the hordes of monsters trying to tear him apart.
6 Failing To Disarm Enemies
Some enemies in Village shoot Ethan with flaming arrows, while others attack with melee weapons ranging from sickles to longswords. Many players forget that these enemies can be disarmed. An unarmed enemy bite might do just as much damage as a sword or axe, but disarming is still very advantageous for the player.
Disarming reduces the range from which enemies can hit Ethan, giving the player more time to deal with each enemy. Weapon-wielding foes can be disarmed by attacking the arm that carries the weapon. Most minor enemies will drop their weapon and they won't pick it back up. Be warned, though, that tougher bosses and mini-bosses won't drop weapons no matter how much Ethan attacks their arms.
5 Killing Every Single Enemy
Though the Resident Evil franchise has changed a lot over 25 years, one theme has remained. Item management and ammo conservation have always been important. While Resident Evil 6 turned the players into borderline superheroes, Ethan Winters will need all the resources he can get in Resident Evil Village.
Many players feel like they have to defeat every enemy they come across in Village. While this may make the player feel safer, there are areas where it's best to play defensively and outrun enemies. Heisenberg's factory brims with heavily armored soldats. Many players will chew through their resources to defeat them when many can be easily dodged and outmaneuvered. Sometimes it's better to holster the handgun and run than lose the ammo.
4 Selling Treasures That Can Be Combined
While players struggle to deal with inventory management and gathering resources, they also need think about their economy. Resident Evil Village brings back the monetary systems from Resident Evil 4 & 5 and allows players to gather treasures that they can sell for high prices to the Duke. Money can be just as critical as ammo.
While many treasures can be sold as they were found, some can be combined with other treasures to make something even more valuable. Players should keep a keen eye out for treasures they can combine. It's an easy mistake to just sell items on the list. Luckily, the Duke will offer unsatisfied voice lines in response to these mistakes, and players will hopefully not make them in the future.
3 Attacking Lady Dimitrescu & Her Daughters
Players will come face-to-face with the imposing Lady Dimitrescu fairly early on in the game. The Lady of the castle and her three daughters are powerful adversaries that can easily dispose of Ethan if given the opportunity.
Many new players will try to fight off Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters before their actual fights. However, this is simply a waste of resources. The player can't defeat the Lady nor her monstrous daughters early on. Instead, players should focus on saving ammo for the actual set boss fights against each of the vampiric witches, where Ethan can defeat them for good.
2 Not Using The Best Items
While saving ammo and resources for big fights is a good practice, many players make the mistake of being too conservative. Ethan can use a lot of weapons in Village, more than he had in the Baker Estate. He can shoot down enemies with his handgun, blow enemies away with the shotguns, lay traps with landmines, or clear whole packs with pipe bombs.
These resources exist for a reason. Players worried about using up all the explosives take comfort in the fact that they can craft these items or buy them from the Duke. The only resource that should truly be saved for special occasions is magnum ammo, as it is rare and cannot be crafted or bought. Players will often be afraid to use their entire arsenal, and often take more damage from enemies as a result.
1 Forgetting To Craft Items
Most resources that Ethan finds across the village will be placed inside his attache case. Players will sometimes have to play Tetris inside their inventories to fit everything and still gather more. However, some items won't appear in the case, and will be kept in their own inventory. These include chem fluid, herbs, gunpowder, rusted scrap, and metal scrap.
Essentially, Ethan's crafting items won't appear inside the attache case's main screen. As a result, many players forget they have these items. Crafting meds and ammo is critical to surviving the horrors of the village. Players should always remember to check the crafting screen before using money to purchase items from the Duke.