Resident Evil 4/Weapons and upgrades

Below is a list of weapons (with the appropriate stats) found in the main single player campaign of Resident Evil 4. The weapons used in Mercenaries, Assignment Ada and Separate Ways are not covered.

Handguns
Leon starts with the Handgun, others must be bought from the Merchant. All handguns use 9mm Handgun ammo, found in red boxes (and sometimes as red-aura drops from slain enemies). Handgun ammo is stored 50 rounds per two spaces. With the exception of the Red9 and the Matilda, all pistols take up a 2x3 space in your inventory.

Handgun
This is Leon's starting pistol. Weak power, but when given its exclusive upgrade will cause critical hits from headshots (Either instantly killing a human enemy, or destroying the head and bringing the Plaga within to near-death) five times as often. 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. Nevertheless, players that prefer to keep flash grenades instead of selling them could benefit greatly from this handgun, due to the Exclusive upgrade multiplying the critical hit chance by 5. 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. May also increase chance of critical hits on suplexes when held.

Exclusive Effect: The chances of achieving a critical one-hit-kill is multiplied by five. (available at 4-3)

Punisher
A pistol that is able to pierce through two enemies at once (Five with the Exclusive Upgrade). It is modeled after the FN Five-SeveN. Any handgun ammo saved by the piercing ability, however, tends to be negated by the lowered Firepower. It could be said that the gun's name may be a reference to the comic book anti-hero "The Punisher". A special objective in the main game both allows you to have the Punisher for free if the 10 blue medallions are found and shot (dotted around the farm and the church perimeter), while shooting all 15 before visiting the Merchant allows you to buy it with a free firepower upgrade (which, in this case, is a clear upgrade to the original unupgraded Handgun). You may buy this the first time you meet the Merchant.

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

Exclusive Effect: The ammo used can penetrate up to five enemies at once. (available at 4-4: last merchant for 40, 000)

Red 9
Modelled after the famous Mauser C-96, the Red9 is a large and, shot for shot, potentially the single highest firepower Pistol you may possess. The drawback to this is the smallest magazine capacity, slowest reload time, slowest refire rate, poor recoil, and a larger inventory footprint (2x4) than all other pistols. While a stock can be bought to negate the recoil, this increases the inventory footprint to 11 spaces (2x4 for the weapon, 1x3 for the stock). The Red9's firepower surpasses any low-level shotgun with a maximum power of 6.5 (with the exclusive upgrade). Some argue that the efficiency of ammo usage makes this a good weapon. Choose this gun if you like aiming over spraying. You may buy this weapon and its stock once you rescue Ashley from the church.

Exclusive effect: Firepower rises to 6.5 (5.0 in the GameCube version)

Blacktail
The last of the standard semi-auto handguns to appear, the Blacktail is the most well-rounded (and fastest non-burst firing when upgraded) pistol available. It has the same reload time as the Handgun, fires even faster, has roughly twice the Firepower, and a larger magazine capacity. However, it falls behind the Red9 in pure firepower, even after its Exclusive upgrade. You may buy this weapon once you enter the castle.

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

Exclusive effect: Firepower rises to 4.5 (3.4 in the GameCube version). (available at 4-4: last)

Matilda (unlockable)
The Matilda takes on the form of a HK VP70 with attached stock which is also the same gun that Leon used in Resident Evil 2 when you found upgrade parts for his handgun. It can be unlocked by beating the main game, purchasable immediately. It has somewhat average Firepower (on par with the regular Handgun), reloads quickly, and can belch out its bursts very rapidly in groups of three, meaning that your enemies can be felled in a third of the time. However, most players find that it really does nothing but eat up ammunition three times as fast. With its Exclusive upgrade, it gains a 100 round magazine. The Matilda occupies a 2x5 space (the largest for a pistol) in your inventory.


 * Initial cost: 70,000
 * Exclusive cost: 35,000
 * Exclusive effect: Capacity 100
 * Total upgrades cost: 233,000
 * Total + initial: 303,000
 * Maxed-out resale value: 152,000

Shotguns
Your shotgun is, in general, considered a crowd-clearing weapon. Even the weakest one has a penchant for being able to catch large groups in the blast radius of its shells. Note that, while the weapons are all hand-loaded weapons, the reload animation only has you loading two shells to get a full magazine. With the exclusion of the Striker, shotguns have a 8x2 inventory footprint. Shotguns use Shotgun shells, which use 2x1 spaces to hold 25 and in normal and pro each 2x1 holds 15 rounds. All shotguns can be bought from the Merchant.

Shotgun
The Shotgun is your basic shotgun, of course. Average attack power, good spread. Unfortunately, it tends to be slower than other weapons. Good for knocking ganados off their feet. The Exclusive upgrade for the Shotgun allows it to do full damage from any range. You can pick up a free shotgun off the wall of the trap house, in Chapter 1-1 - and you will need it, to fend off Dr Salvador.

Exclusive Effect: The shotgun will give the same amount of damage at any range of fire. (available at 4-4: last)

Riot gun
The Riot Gun is a very, very slight improvement over the regular Shotgun. Larger magazine capacity, same spread, slightly greater attack power (unless you fully upgrade both weapons, but then don't get the Exclusive upgrade on the Riot Gun). It has a unique trait in that it aims slightly faster than other weapons (this is what "easy to handle" means). You may buy the Riot Gun when you enter the Castle.

Exclusive effect: Firepower rises to 10.0. (available at 4-4: last)

Striker
A semi-automatic, drum-fed shotgun. The Striker is, in essence, the best of all worlds — highest attack power, highest fire rate, fastest reload, and a relatively massive magazine. The only downside is the very short range. The Exclusive upgrade for this weapon is a 100 round magazine — perfect for those huge crowds. The striker has a 5x2 inventory footprint. You may buy the Striker from the merchant at the bottom of the spike trap.

Exclusive Effect: Increases Capacity to 100.

Magnums
Your Magnum is, to be blunt, your heavy hitter. Even chainsaw ganados will drop within three rounds of a high-level Magnum. Magnum ammo comes in boxes of 10, and both Magnum pistols take up 4x2 spaces of inventory.

Broken Butterfly
This .45 calibre revolver-style Magnum is the second most powerful ammo-based weapon in the game. Its Exclusive upgrade makes its Firepower skyrocket (50.0). Unfortunately, the price for this is a slow reload even at maximum level, needing to pay for Exclusive upgrades in order to make it more effective than the Killer7, and the highest magazine size possible being 12 rounds. This is generally not a concern, as ammo is scarce, and thus most players will reload the gun at their earliest convenience when they find magnum ammo. Great weapon for bosses when maxed out. You may buy the Broken Butterfly as soon as you enter the Castle, or you can get one for free after reuniting with Ashley by backtracking to a locked door before the maze area, next to the fountain.


 * Initial cost: 38,000
 * Exclusive cost: 150,000
 * Exclusive effect: Firepower becomes 50 (available at 5-3:2)
 * Total cost: 455,000
 * Total + initial: 493,000

Killer 7
The Killer 7 is the second of the magnums - a 1911-style automatic with an attached laser sight. The gun itself is a reference to another Capcom game called Killer7. It has no Exclusive upgrade, and its firepower is weaker than a fully upgraded Broken Butterfly, but it sports a faster firing speed, a faster reload speed, a larger capacity, and reduced recoil. While you will need to fire more shots to take something down with it, it is a very cost effective weapon. You may buy the Killer7 at the first Merchant on the Island.


 * Initial cost: 77,700
 * Exclusive cost: N/A
 * Exclusive effect: N/A (Exclusive is not available for this weapon)
 * Total cost: 260,000
 * Total + initial: 337,700

Handcannon (unlockable)
Unlocked after beating the Mercenaries minigame with all unlocked characters on all 4 stages with 5 stars on every level. While it is an astoundingly powerful weapon (even when not upgraded), it has the annoying disadvantage of requiring .50 caliber ammo, which rarely appears within the main game - this means you must find it via enemy drops, or Random Item barrels. After upgrading it all the way to exclusive, this weapon gains the advantage of unlimited ammo. The Exclusive Upgrade also gives the Handcannon 99.9 firepower.


 * Initial cost: Free!
 * Exclusive cost: 200,000
 * Exclusive effect: Unlimited ammo and firepower 99.9
 * Total cost: 790,000

Rifles
These weapons possess a unique advantage over the other weapons - a zoom-able scope. The primary use for the rifles is long-range precision shooting. With a little practice, you can take out targets from great distances. The rifles possess two drawbacks, however. When aiming, you have a very, very small field of view, and the firing speed can, at times (especially with the bolt-action) be somewhat glacial. All rifles, and their unique scopes, must be purchased from the Merchant. Both scopes occupy a 1x3 footprint in your attache case. Rifle boxes hold a maximum of 10 rounds, and, like all other ammunition, take up 1x2 spaces in your inventory.

Bolt-Action Rifle
The Bolt-Action Rifle is the weapon for those who value power over any other statistic. Reload? Slow, especially if your magazine is not empty. The bolt-action will have you needing to re-aim after every shot, as you will lift your eye away from the scope to manually work the bolt and chamber the next round. Magazine size starts at 5, and remains smaller than the semi-auto. In exchange for this, an Exclusive Bolt-Action will do as much damage as an unupgraded Handcannon. Thus, the Bolt-Action Rifle is often referred to as the "Poor Man's Magnum". The Bolt-Action Rifle and its scope may be bought from the Merchant from your first visit. The Bolt-Action rifle occupies a 9x1 space in your inventory.

Exclusive effect: Firepower rises to 30.0 (18.0 in the GameCube version). (available at 4-3)

Semi-automatic rifle
The Semi-Automatic Rifle is the Bolt-Action Rifle's hyperactive brother. A high firing speed, a faster reload, no need to work the bolt, and a magazine size starting at 10 rounds. Players playing the Gamecube version will most likely want to use this rifle over the Bolt-Action, but players on other platforms will want to consider the choice carefully. You may buy this weapon and its scope once you reach the Castle. The Semi-Automatic Rifle has a 7x2 inventory footprint.

Exclusive effect: Firing speed drops to 0.80 (0.40 on the GameCube). (available at 5-1)

Infrared scope
You will find this in the Freezer on the Island. This can be attached to either rifle, and casts the world in an infrared light when you aim. You may zoom, while this is in use, though it is not as effective as the buyable specialized scopes in this regard. While you can, if you're willing to burn lots of ammunition, kill Regeneradors without it, adding this to your rifle allows you to see the parasites on the Regeneradors' bodies, allowing you to conserve ammunition. Like the other scopes, the Infrared Scope occupies a 3x1 inventory footprint.

Other weapons
These special weapons include both unlockable weapons and weapons that do not fit into any other category.

Combat knife
Never discount the knife. It is always instantly available, and does okay damage, for a weapon with infinite ammo. By knocking down an enemy, then slashing them, it is possible to save a fair amount of ammo, and you will find your knife has applications even in boss fights.

The Knife is also different for the Characters it represents:

Leon's and Ada's Knife are exactly the same in performance but they look different. Leon's Knife looks similar to that of the Survival Knife in Resident Evil: Rebirth, while Ada's looks similar to a Switch blade or a butterfly knife.

Krauser in the Mercenaries sports a bigger knife with more power and damage but is restricted to the Mercenaries mode only.

TMP
The TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol) is a submachine gun based off of the Steyr TMP. It uses special 9mm ammunition (100 to a box). It occupies a 2x3 footprint in your inventory, and also has an optional stock (2x2 footprint). If you choose to use the TMP, the stock is highly recommended, as it turns a highly inaccurate weapon into a fairly precise stream of bullets. You may buy the TMP from the Merchant on your first meeting. You may buy the stock from the Merchant on your second meeting.

 Exclusive effect: Firepower rises to 1.8. (available at 4-4: last)

Chicago Typewriter (unlockable)
The Chicago Typewriter is a weapon that does 10 firepower worth of damage per round, and is a fully automatic, devastating weapon with unlimited ammunition. Strangely, you are still able to reload the gun, but are not required to do so (although doing so while using Leon's mafia outfit causes an amusing little animation).

It costs 1,000,000 Pesetas from the merchant in the main game and 300,000 Pesetas in Separate Ways. It has a 3x7 inventory footprint.

The ability to buy it is unlocked on completion of Assignment Ada (GameCube/PC/Wii) and/or Separate Ways (PC/PS2/Wii). If you unlock it for the main game, it can only be purchased during a new game plus (based on a cleared game save). Unlocking specifics:
 * How to unlock
 * GameCube: complete Assignment Ada.
 * PC: complete Separate Ways to unlock it in the main game. Complete Assignment Ada to unlock it in Separate Ways.
 * PS2: complete Separate Ways to unlock it in the main game. Complete Assignment Ada to unlock it in Separate Ways.
 * Wii: complete Separate Ways to unlock it in the main game. Complete Assignment Ada to unlock it in Separate Ways.

Rocket Launcher/Infinite Launcher/Special Launcher
The Rocket Launcher is a single-use weapon that devastates anything it hits. It costs 30,000 Pesetas to buy from the Merchant (You do find one in the Castle, however.) No statistics are given for any of the launchers and thus are not available within the table. Please note that the damage of the rocket launchers is actually a percentage, ranging from an unknown minimum to 100% damage on some enemies and bosses when hit dead on. After using it once, Leon will automatically throw it away, and you will need to enter your inventory to choose a new weapon. All rocket launchers are equipped with zoom scopes. They devour 8x2 spaces in your inventory.

Ada throws you the Special Launcher during your battle with Saddler. When you are given this weapon, using it on Saddler will earn you a one shot kill - however hitting him can sometimes be difficult. You can also beat Saddler without this weapon and use it elsewhere in the game. Some players recommend saving the special launcher and selling it when a new game is started from that data, as it is worth more than the regular rocket launcher.

The Infinite Launcher is, in essence, a rocket launcher that automatically reloads after every shot without any animation on your part. Leon draws this quicker than the regular launcher, as well. No statistics are given, and thus the exact reload speed and firing speed are unknown. After your first play-through, you may buy it from the Merchant for 1 million Pesetas.

Grenades
There are three types of grenades. All grenades take up a 2x1 space in your inventory. None are for sale so use them wisely.


 * Flash Grenade: Sell: 500 PTAS
 * These create a flash of bright light. Stuns or blinds enemies. Does little damage on its own but you can use the delay to make an escape or use melee attacks. Instantly kills exposed parasites


 * Incendiary Grenade: Sell: 1000 PTAS
 * These set an area on fire. Does moderate damage and distracts enemies while they frantically try to put the fire out.


 * Hand Grenade: Sell: 2000 PTAS
 * These are your stereotypical fragmentation grenades. They kill, or at least severely wound all enemies within the area of effect.

Minethrower
This weapon fires Mine-Darts at enemies which detonate after a short period of time. You may purchase a scope for this weapon, which gives it increased accuracy and a first-person zoom view. A large number of players despise this weapon, citing its low fire rate, large inventory footprint, lack of usefulness without a scope, and the relative scarcity of its ammunition. While it is true that the Minethrower has a low fire rate and large footprint, it does not require the scope to be of any use, and the scope can even get in the way, and its ammunition is not as scarce as stated, due to how it drops. If the player has a total of 8 or fewer darts, in the Mine Thrower and the inventory, there is a chance to drop more darts until the number of darts the player has in total is 9 or greater, at which point the game refuses to drop more. It is worth noting that the firepower stat does not actually measure firepower, but rather the blast radius of the darts. The actual firepower is on-par with that of a Hand Grenade. Used in the hands of a knowledgeable individual, the Minethrower can be a devastating weapon.


 * Initial cost: 28,000 (9,800 in the PAL version)
 * Scope cost: 8,000
 * Exclusive cost: 30,000
 * Exclusive effect: Homing darts and blast radius increase (available at 5-1)
 * Total upgrade cost: 183,000
 * Total + initial + scope: 219,000

P.R.L. 412
This weapon is unlocked once you have completed the game on Professional. The Plaga Removal Laser, Model 412 is a condensed, weaponized version of the larger mechanism used to kill the Plagas inside Leon and Ashley near the game's climax. It uses a concentrated burst of radiated light energy to exterminate Plaga parasites, thereby killing their hosts from the inside out.

A weak or uncharged shot acts as a flash-bang grenade that does a moderate amount of damage to enemies in front of the weapon. A fully charged shot will automatically fire at any enemy or breakable object in view, and will kill all enemies (and most bosses) in one shot. This weapon is free upon completion of Professional in any file that has completed the game. It occupies 3x7 spaces in your inventory.

Not included in the GameCube version. Initially added as exclusive content for the PlayStation 2 version, it was later included in all future ports. The main weakness of the P.R.L. 412 as it is in the PlayStation 2 version is that it only has an effect on enemies directly in front of it, and accuracy tends to suffer, though it is possible to eliminate multiple enemies in one shot if they are all gathered along the beam's path at once. However, in later issues of the game (Beginning with Wii edition), the P.R.L. 412 is upgraded to allow it to fire a "scatter blast" upon a complete charge, which discharges multiple beams in one shot that instantly key in to destructible objects and enemies, destroying them easily at any distance with less of a need for perfect aim.