Resident Evil 4/Weapons and upgrades

Weapons (Main game)
These are the guns you are able to get in RE4's main game. This also covers both the unlockable weapons and the PS2 exclusives.

Pistols
All the Pistols except the Handgun can be bought from the Merchant.

Handgun
This is Leon's starting pistol. Weak power, but when upgraded to its maximum will allow heads to explode more often. Uses Handgun ammo.

Punisher
A pistol that is able to pierce through mulitiple enemies at once. A bit more powerful than the Handgun and saves ammo due to it's pericing ability. It could be said that the gun's name may be a reference to the comic book anti-hero "The Punisher". Uses Handgun ammo. A special objective in the main game both allows you to have the Punisher for free if 10 blue medalians are found and shot, shooting all 15 before buying the Punisher allows you to buy it with a free firepower upgrade.

Red 9
A very powerfull pistol that Luis also uses. But when recieved, it has a slower reload time than the other pistols due to it having to be reloaded from the top. When a stock for the Red 9 is bought, the high recoil from the gun is reduced. Uses Handgun ammo.

Broken Butterfly
The first weapon that uses Magnum ammo that is RARE to find. It's powerfull, but it also has a slow reload time, low ammuniton capacity, high recoil and magnum ammo is rare to find. It's description has a reference to Dirty Harry.

Killer 7
The second weapon that can fire magnum ammo. It's more faster than the Broken Butterfly in both firing speed and reloading speed, but like the Broken Butterfly Magnum ammo is hard to find. The gun itself is a reference to another Capcom game called Killer7 where Kaede Smith uses the same gun but it has unlimited ammo in Killer7 compared to RE4.

Matilda (UNLOCKABLE)
A gun capable of firing three bullet bursts. It is unlocked after beating the main game. It is also the same gun that Leon used in Resident Evil 2 when you found upgrade parts for his handgun. Uses Handgun bullets.

Handcannon (UNLOCKABLE)
Unlocked after beating the Mercenaries minigame with all unlocked characters on all 4 levels with 5 stars each level and 20 stars each character. The ultimate pistol, but ammo is even MORE rare than the magnum ammo since it uses a different type of ammo.

Shotguns
The shotgun is found in Chapter 1-1 in once of the houses. The other two shotguns have to be bought from the Merchant.

Shotgun
The first of three shotguns you get, at close range it is powerful enough to kill some enemies, but as range from the enemy increases, the range decreases. Uses shotgun shell ammo.

Riot gun
A slightly more poweful shotgun that is a bit more faster on reload speed, but shares the same weakness as the shotgun. Uses shotgun shells.

Striker
While the appearance might seem to be a grenade launcher, it is really a shotgun that holds more ammo than the other shotguns and is capable of firing shells more quickly. Also shares the same range weakness as the other shotguns. Uses shotgun shells.

Sniper Rifles
These weapons are your long range weapons that can be purchased from the Merchant. There are THREE scopes for the two sniper rifles, two of them are purchased from the merchant and the other MUST be found and is required for later in the game.

Other weapons
These can be bought from the merchant, but the weapons marked with "UNLOCKABLE" is only unlocked by either beating the main game or Assingment Ada amd are purchased from the merchant.

TMP
A cross between a uzi and a machine gun. It is the only machine gun available that you can get in the main game before you gain access to the Chigago Typewriter after beating the game. It has a high recoil that is countered by purchasing the stock for the TMP. The TMP uses its own ammo that is easy to find and useful in situations involving mulitple enemies coming at once.

Rocket Launcher (Regular/Unlimited ((Unlimited IS UNLOCKABLE)))
A one shot weapon that is expensive, but one can be found in RE4. It is incapable of reloading and is discarded in the same way grenades are (meaning that if the rocket launcher is used, it dissapears from the inventory screen). The unlimited rocket launcher however has unlimited rockets and is never discarded unless sold. There is a third rocket launcher in the game, but that is only used at the very end of the game. Close range is SUICIDE, so fire at mid-to-long range from the target.

Mine Launcher
Like the name says, it launches a mine that explodes after a few seconds. A scope can be purchased for more acurate aiming. But the mines can also damage you in it's splash dammage so watch where you fire. Uses mines for ammo.

P.R.L.412 (PS2 exclusive UNLOCKABLE)
A unlockable weapon that can be obtained after beating the PS2 version of RE4 in Professonal difficulty.

Handgun
This is the gun Leon begins his mission equipped with. While it holds its own in the earliest sections of the game, it won't be long before bigger, bolder and all-round better guns start calling and this pea-shooter is sold and replaced. It's worth noting that regardless of the handgun you are equipped with, Leon will always be seen holding this gun in cutscenes where he is armed. The handgun takes up 3 X 2 spaces of Leon's inventory.



Red9
Modelled after the famous Mauser C-96, the Red9 is a large and powerful handgun. It takes up more inventory space than any other standard 9mm handgun in the game (4 X 2 spaces), but is well worth it due to its reliability, efficient use of ammunition and, of course, impressive firepower (when fully upgraded, it packs more of a punch than the regular Shotgun!) However, recoil calls its accuracy into question, requiring an attachable stock to be used properly, and it has the smallest magazine capacity and longest reload time of all the handguns.

Punisher
A simple upgrade from the first Handgun Leon uses, it must be earned by destroying 10 of the blue medallions dotted around the farm and the church perimeter and reporting back to the mysterious Merchant. It is marginally more powerful than the Handgun, but its main feature is that it can penetrate bodies - meaning that shooting a Ganado will also damage another if they are lined up. Not much to go crazy over, but hey - it costs you nothing. Shoot down all 15 of the medallions before claiming your prize and you also get a free firepower upgrade.

This is also the gun Ada Wong uses in the Assignment Ada scenario.

Blacktail
The last of the standard semi-auto handguns to appear, the Blacktail's best feature is its incredible rate of fire (particularly when upgraded). This firearm is best suited to those who like to 'run-and-gun', and its quick reload speed and good ammo capacity make it handy for the cabin scene with Luis. A fully-upgraded Blacktail is deadly in the right hands.

In the main game, Ada carries this pistol with her at all times (despite not using it in Assignment Ada).

Matilda
Only available from the Merchant after the game has been completed once, the Matilda takes on the form of a HK VP70 with attached stock (used previously by Leon in Resident Evil 2). While it hardly makes for an essential purchase, the Matilda has the ability to fire off three 9mm rounds at once - meaning that your enemies can be felled in a third of the time. However, some gamers find that it really does nothing but eat up ammunition three times as fast.

Broken Butterfly
The Broken Butterfly is a hugely powerful .45-calibre revolver. Despite a small ammo capacity and a painfully slow reload time, this gun makes bosses come crashing to their knees with alarming ease - particularly when upgraded. However, ammunition is scarce throughout the game, so it's best saved for the bigger, badder enemies who cross Leon's path. If you don't fancy shelling out for an early Broken Butterfly from the Merchant, a free one can be found in the castle - but you'll need a little help from Ashley Graham to get at it.

Killer7
Named after another then-forthcoming Capcom title, the Killer7 is probably more suited to gamers who prefer speed over firepower (chances are that these are the same gamers who chose the Blacktail over the Red9). With a detachable magazine, the poor reload speeds of the Broken Butterfly are done away with - but firepower is compromised. Unlike most of the weapons in Resident Evil 4, the Killer7 has no 'exclusive' upgrade available.

Handcannon
Using the super-rare .50 Action Express ammunition, the Handcannon will kill almost anything it hits with a single hit. To unlock it, you must get 5-star rankings on all four maps in The Mercenaries with all five characters. Quite a feat, to be sure! Only once upgraded does the Handcannon really come into use - its exclusive upgrade allowing the player infinite ammo. Enjoy!