Best Weapons in Resident Evil Village

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There are a lot of guns to choose from in Resident Evil Village–but just like in all the other games in Capcom’s legendary survival horror franchise–there isn’t usually enough money in a single playthrough to collect them all. With that restriction in mind, you’re naturally going to want to know which guns are the best weapons to aim for and upgrade in Resident Evil Village.

Here are a few of the best weapons in RE8, where and how to get them, and the different ways they can be upgraded to make them even better.

10 Best Weapons in Resident Evil Village, Ranked Good to Best

Note: Some of these weapons require you to have beaten the game once already or complete certain challenges to obtain.

Others can be obtained remarkably early and used throughout your entire first playthrough.

LEMI Semi-Automatic Handgun

Starting off our list of the best weapons in Resident Evil Village, we have the LEMI Semi-Automatic Handgun. This simple pistol is the first weapon that Ethan Winters gets. It’s handed to him by a shotgun-wielding villager right after our reluctant hero first sets foot in this new, werewolf-infested nightmare.

Despite being your starter weapon, it’s actually one of the most useful and reliable handguns in the game. The LEMI isn’t fancy, but it’s quick, accurate, and packs enough punch for you to use it throughout most of the game.

A majority of players will be much better off spending their money on upgrading the LEMI than they would be buying any of the other handguns offered to them in most of their first playthrough.

It can also be further upgraded using mods, namely with the LEMI – High-Capacity Mag and the LEMI – Recoil Compensator. These custom parts considerably boost ammo capacity and accuracy, making the gun even more deadly. The LEMI might not be flashy, but it’s reliable.

W870 TAC Shotgun

Nothing says zombie survival quite like a good shotgun. The W870 TAC Shotgun is an excellent weapon that will last you through most of the early to mid-game. It has a wide spread, which makes it ideal for shooting from the hip and for fighting mobs of enemies.

You can find it right after you leave House Beneviento. Just search through the group of houses that used to be blocked by vines, and you should be able to find it tucked safely inside one of them.

Once you’ve got it in hand, you can upgrade it at the Duke’s shop. By using the W870 TAC – Foregrip and W870 TAC – Improved Gunstock, you’ll be able to greatly reduce recoil and improve the rate of fire. Perfect for punching your way through a crowd.

V61 Custom Machine Handgun

One of the common themes in a lot of Resident Evil games is bullet scarcity. Players typically want to line up their shots carefully and make sure every one of them counts, which is why the LEMI is so good in the early game.

This becomes less of an issue in the later parts of the game, though. There comes a point where handgun bullets are abundant enough that players can afford to spray their enemies with a hail of hot lead. That’s why you might want to consider picking up the V61 Custom Machine Handgun.

This weapon is fully automatic, so all you have to do is aim and hold down the trigger. Each individual bullet might be a little weaker than one fired from a traditional handgun, but your DPS will increase dramatically.

The V61 can be upgraded with the V61 Custom – Gunstock, V61 Custom – Long Barrel, and V61 Custom – Drum Magazine, giving it more ammunition and better accuracy.

Handcannon PZ

Imagine firing a handgun that has the same force as a sniper rifle, and you’ll get a good idea of what the Handcannon PZ is all about.

The Handcannon is one of two weapons in the entire game that makes use of sniper rounds. While it doesn’t have the range of the F2 Rifle (which we’ll get to later), it deals more than twice the damage.

Technically, it’s weaker than the magnums (in a bullet-for-bullet comparison), but the higher availability of sniper ammo means that players will be able to get a lot more utility out of it.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to finish the game before you can get your hands on this choice weapon. After doing so, it will be made available in the extra content shop for 60,000 challenge points. But once you obtain and upgrade it, you can easily one-shot werewolves at close range with reckless abandon.

M1851 Wolfsbane

As we mention above, magnums are even more powerful than the Headcannon and come with their own ammo type. The only downside is that said ammo type is a rather scarce drop in Resident Evil Village. That being said, it’s still good to have a quality magnum to make use of the rounds you manage to get.

One of the better magnums you can get in the game is the M1851 Wolfsbane. The best part? It’s free and deals double damage against Lycans. Though it is rather easy to miss if you don’t know where to look.

You can find the M1851 near Salvatore Moreau’s lab after defeating him in his giant fish form. Simply search the last house near the lab. The door will be locked, so you’ll have to squeeze through a hole in the back of the building to get in.

The M1851 already packs a hefty punch right out of the box, but you can upgrade it even further in the Duke’s store and by getting the M1851 Wolfsbane – Long Barrel and M1851 Wolfsbane – Increased Capacity Cylinder custom parts once you reach Heisenberg’s factory.

Dragoon Assault Rifle

Assault rifles are a bit of a mixed bag in Resident Evil Village. On one hand, rifle ammunition is far from limitless, so you have to be rather conservative with your bullets. On the other hand, fully automatic rifle fire is just about the deadliest and most satisfying experience in the game.

Players first get to try out the Dragoon Assault Rifle during the section towards the end of the game where you get to play as Chris Redfield. This allows players to get a taste of what it feels like to shred the enemies who’ve been trouncing Ethan the entire game into little, bullet-ridden pieces.

As for obtaining the gun for yourself, you can only buy the gun after your first playthrough. It will be available in the extra content shop for 30,000 CP. Once you purchase it there, you’ll be able to get it in the Duke’s shop for 200 Lei.

Luckily, there’s a way around the limited bullet capacity too. You can buy infinite ammo for the rifle in the extra content shop for 50,000 CP. It’s expensive, but you’ll be virtually unstoppable on your next playthrough and can feel like a bullet-spewing god.

SYG-12 Shotgun

There are a lot of shotguns in Resident Evil Village. Most of them are designed to be slow-firing powerhouses that do a ton of damage while conserving ammo. That’s fine for the mobs found in the early game, but the late-stage monsters require the player to be a little quicker on the trigger.

The SYG-12 is a semi-automatic shotgun that allows you to start dropping shells with reckless abandon. It starts out with a 1.4 rate of fire and can be improved even further in the shop. Players can also customize it with the SYG-12 – Red Dot Sight, SYG-12 – Long Barrel, and SYG-12 – Drum Magazine.

Players will be able to purchase the SYG-12 from the Duke’s shop just as soon as they reach Heisenberg’s factory.

F2 Rifle

They say the best things in life are free, and that’s certainly true of the F2 rifle. It’s one of the very few true powerhouse weapons you can get in Resident Evil Village just by playing through the campaign.

The F2 has a slow rate of fire, but that’s okay. Designed like a true sniper, it’s meant for lining up powerful shots with unshakable accuracy. While this weapon wasn’t made for shooting from the hip, it’s surprisingly good at that too.

You’ll find the F2 sitting in a chair, just waiting to be scavenged, as soon as you finish making your way through the Castle Dimitrescu attic area.

Once you have it, the F2 can be upgraded at the Duke’s shop by attaching the F2 Rifle – High Magnification Scope, F2 Rifle – Cheek Rest and F2 Rifle – High-Capacity Mag. custom parts. It’s a must-have weapon for your first (and subsequent) playthroughs of Resident Evil Village.

WCX Assault Rifle

The WCX is a short-barrel assault rifle that pretty much kills anything you point it at. As we mentioned with the Dragoon, it’s easy to run out of ammunition with the assault rifles in Village, but this one makes every bullet worth it.

It has some of the best stats of any weapon in the game, but the real magic comes in when you attach the WCX – Foregrip and WCX – Red Dot Sight custom parts to it. These two components dramatically upgrade the power, speed up the rate of fire, and reduce recoil, making the weapon, fast, powerful, and accurate.

The WCX is another weapon that can only be unlocked after the first time you beat the game. Once you unlock New Game +, you can obtain the WCX by unlocking it in the bonus content store and then purchasing it from The Duke right before you enter Castle Dimitrescu. 

S.T.A.K.E. Magnum

The top spot on our list of best weapons in Resident Evil Village goes to the S.T.A.K.E. Magnum. This semi-automatic magnum’s incredible firepower, coupled with its accuracy, comparatively high rate of fire, and relatively low recoil makes it just about the deadliest weapon in the entire game. All magnums are powerful, but the S.T.A.K.E. takes it to another level.

Unfortunately, the S.T.A.K.E. is another of those weapons that can only be obtained after you’ve already beaten the game once. Only you’ve started a New Game +, you can purchase it from the Duke’s Emporium just as soon as you reach Lady Dimitrescu’s Castle.

You can further upgrade it with the S.T.A.K.E. – Improved Grip and S.T.A.K.E. – High-Capacity Mag. custom parts as well as by upgrading its general stats like any other weapon.

It’s a lot of work to get the S.T.A.K.E. maxed out, but if any gun in the game is worth it, it’s this one.

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Thanks for reading our list of the best weapons in Resident Evil Village. Be sure to check out some of the other guides and lists while you’re here, and don’t to forget to subscribe to stay up to date with all future articles!

Happy gaming!