The Resident Evil 2 remake has a surprisingly large amount of different enemy types. Said types range from standard zombies and zombie dogs up to the terrifyingly fast Lickers and imposing G-Virus Shamblers. With such an eclectic mixture of foes, it’s tough to know which weapons are best for dispatching them. Fortunately, we’ve done the legwork and gathered our data into this handy guide.
Standard Zombies
Standard zombies can absorb a surprisingly high amount of punishment, even when you’re going for headshots. Try to stick with single-shot weapons like your standard pistol since spraying zombies with automatic fire is usually a waste. If you can spare the ammo, a single shotgun blast or magnum shot to the head will usually put down a zombie for good.
Zombie Dogs
Zombie dogs are quick, but they’re also quite frail. Three to four pistol shots is usually enough to deal with a zombie dog. Automatic weapons like the SMG are also effective in tight quarters where the dogs don’t have room to zip around.
It’s usually best to avoid shooting at zombie dogs if you can since they’re hard to pin down. If, however, a fight can’t be avoided, best to stick with low-caliber weapons.
Lickers
Lickers can be a right pain to deal with since they’re fast and they can dish out heavy damage. If you need to put a Licker down, don’t skimp on the firepower. The shotgun, magnum, and grenade launcher are all solid choices for dealing with Lickers.
G-Virus Shamblers
These sewer-dwelling monstrosities are quite resilient to normal gunfire, but they do have a telltale weak spot. Damage their left shoulder enough and you’ll reveal a large glowing eye which, when burst, results in instant death.
The Shambler will grab you if you get too close so it’s best to stay back and fire from afar. Expose the weak point with your pistol and then deliver the coup de grace with your magnum. In a pinch, Shamblers are also weak to the grenade launcher’s fire rounds (don’t bother using acid rounds) and the flamethrower.
Plant Zombies
These late-game enemies may not appear all that different from standard zombies, but looks can be deceiving. If a plant zombie grabs you and you don’t have a counter item, they’ll one-hit-kill you. Shooting the small yellow growths on a plant zombie’s body can temporarily disable it, but it won’t stay down. The only way to permanently defeat a plant zombie is with fire damage. If you’re playing as Claire, hit them with the grenade launcher’s flame rounds. As Leon the flamethrower is your best bet.
For more on the Resident Evil 2 remake, be sure to check out our general gameplay tips guide. We also recently posted a review roundup for the game.