Resident Evil Village best weapons & upgrades guide: Full tier list

❘ Published: 2021-05-19T16:46:00

To adequately face-off with the twisted Dimitrescu family and other evil figures, you’re going to need to know about the best weapons you can wield. Here’s an in-depth guide to Resident Evil Village’s best weapons with top upgrade tips, and a full tier list too.

The hype has been very real for the next major chapter in the famous Resident Evil franchise. The survival-horror icon has been a mainstay in the genre, cultivating a legacy over the past 25 years. Resident Evil Village is a bigger, grander version of Resident Evil 7 with more big moments and epic characters.

There’s a bit more of a focus on combat and making the most of the game’s strong arsenal of guns is vital. So to topple Lady Dimitrescu and her cohorts, here are all the weapons you’ll gain access to during the main story, and tips on which ones to upgrade to best serve your purpose.

Also, check out our guide to making money fast in Resident Evil Village and how to get a lightsaber in Resident Evil Village.

Here’s an explanation of our tier system:

S-Tier weapons are the best for every situation
A-Tier are amazing in their own right
B-Tier weapons are just missing something
C-Tier ones are not worth your time

Our Resident Evil Village weapon tier list:

S-Tier: F2 Rifle, M1851 Wolfsbane Magnum, SYG-12 Shotgun
A-Tier: M1897 Shotgun, GM 79 Grenade Launcher, V61 Machine Pistol, W870 TAC Shotgun
B-Tier: M1911 Pistol
C-Tier: LEMI Pistol

LEMI Pistol

As with any Resident Evil game, you will start off with a rudimentary Pistol designed to just help you scrape by the game’s first few meaty encounters. The LEMI is no different, and even with upgrades, it will quickly become an afterthought after a few encounters with Lycans.

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Just use it as much as you can early on and forget about conserving ammo, especially with the game’s first major Lycan set-piece, as health is far more important.

Best LEMI Pistol upgrade

The easy focus for the LEMI is to upgrade its Power to get the most of it before it quickly becomes redundant.

M1911 Pistol

The M1911 isn’t too dissimilar to the LEMI in many respects as it’s a fairly standard weapon that’s base stats are just a bit better. We do love the fire rate on it, and, again, it’s a useful weapon to use at the time of acquiring.

It’s always good to smack an enemy with a face full of Shotgun pellets, before switching to something like the M1911 to quickly finish them off.

Best M1911 Pistol upgrade

It comes with a generous fire rate and packs a decent punch, so we’d recommend you upgrade its Ammo Capacity to have a few extra bullets in reserve.

V61 Machine Pistol

When you finally come across the V61 Machine Pistol, you can pretty much wave goodbye to any of your Pistols as the V61 will take over their responsibilities now.

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It’s useful in practically any situation or battle, and once you slap an upgrade or two on it, it will quite often be your go-to gun.

Best V61 Machine Pistol upgrade

The description even says, “capable of even greater firepower,” and that’s what we want to do here. Upgrade the V61’s Power, and it’s superb in late-game action. Adding to its power allows it to tackle more powerful Sniping Lycans and tougher bosses more easily.

M1851 Wolfsbane Magnum – Best Handgun in Resident Evil Village

There’s a giddy moment in Capcom’s games when you finally get your hands on the game’s Magnum. The M1851 Wolfsbane Magnum carries on the Resident Evil legacy by providing players with yet another unbelievably powerful gun.

Even more so than the GM 79 Grenade Launcher, we highly recommend you conserve its use and preserve its limited ammunition, waiting until you encounter significantly more dangerous foes.

Best M1851 Wolfsbane Magnum upgrade

We know it’s a recurring theme, and it’s going to continue, but the Magnum is so incredibly powerful, and expensive to upgrade that even one adjustment to its Power can be the difference-maker in dropping a boss much quicker.

M1897 Shotgun

Your first punchy weapon you obtain in Resident Evil Village. It does what every other basic Shotgun has ever done, be a monster up-close, and kill enemies in one or two shots at the expense of fire rate and reload time.

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With the M1897, you need to master the art of patience. Wait for an enemy to be within touching distance of your person before unleashing a devastating shell into them to possibly kill them in one shot. Or at the very least leave them on the brink of death.

Best M1897 Shotgun upgrade

We’re opting for two here as you will have the M1897 for a long period of time, and we recommend prioritizing its Power and Rate of Fire. It’s self-explanatory for its Power, and the Rate of Fire is a must to help you finish off some Lycans before they get a chance to pounce at you.

W870 TAC Shotgun

A better version of the M1897, the W870 TAC Shotgun could potentially be your main weapon if you’re good at conserving and making ammo. Again, concentrate your shots, aim for the head, and your patience will be rewarded with greater damage done.

Best W870 TAC Shotgun upgrade

In the same way that the W870 Shotgun debuts as a solid weapon like the M1911, we’re also going to focus on its Ammo Capacity as it needs it initially.

SYG-12 Shotgun – Best Shotgun in Resident Evil Village

A late-game addition to the pack, the SYG-12 Shotgun will become the de facto Shotgun, especially with enhancements to improve its capabilities. It’s powerful, fast, and is very well-balanced.

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You can probably sell the other two shoguns, if you still have them, once you have the SYG-12.

Best SYG-12 Shotgun upgrade

A gun that is already so powerful on its own, it’s best to spend your Lei carefully on its Reload Speed. You can munch your way through its ammo, and to improve its crowd control, you’ll need to have it ready to go ASAP.

F2 Rifle – Best Sniper Rifle in Resident Evil Village

In the right hands, the F2 is potentially the best (non-Magnum) weapon in the game. Even though the description says “specialized for taking out long-range targets,” the gun can ideally be used at any distance.

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Picking off enemies without letting them get a sniff of you is invaluable and will save you lots of health. It can pop heads and getting the weapon sway upgrade from The Duke makes it unbeatable.

Best F2 Rifle upgrade

Power. With the F2’s forgiveness in terms of landing shots, it makes complete sense to upgrade the F2’s power and increase its capabilities to kill in less than three shots, and even be an instant headshot kill.

GM 79 Grenade Launcher – Best Grenade Launcher in Resident Evil Village

Another staple of the Resident Evil franchise is the age-old Grenade Launcher. As usual, ammo is a bit more scarce compared to the other firearms on this list, meaning it’s more of a specialist weapon.

Save it more for bosses and sub-bosses, perhaps even keeping it away in storage most of the time to free up room for other ammo, health, and important items.

Best Grenade Launcher upgrade

Unfortunately, the Grenade Launcher cannot be upgraded, but this isn’t too surprising given how destructive it is already.

Resident Evil Village post-game weapons

Once you’ve completed Resident Evil Village, there are a number of other weapons you can go about unlocking to use in the main game itself on another playthrough.