Resident Evil 2 (2019): Every Weapon, Ranked

Resident Evil 2’s remake boasts a large arsenal of weaponry for dual protagonists Leon and Claire. Some weapons are exclusive to each character, and can only be obtained and used within that character’s specific story. Resident Evil 2 doesn’t skimp out on the fun, as the weapons the player can find all have some utility.

Whatever weapon the player has found should be useful against zombies, lickers, or the ever-stalking tyrant of Mister X. They are bound to be a threat depending on how the player uses them, and what they prioritize upgrading. Leon and Claire can turn from hunted to hunter.

Updated on October 25, 2024, by Jake Fillery: A survival horror as scary as Resident Evil 2 demands players to make willing sacrifices to their inventory. If players want a decent chance of surviving the torment of zombie horrors and Mr. X, then there are a few weapons that are going to be essential for each playthrough. Listed below, is every weapon in Resident Evil 2, ranked in terms of usefulness. Whether it’s a late-game unlock, DLC or found at the start, these tools might just save the day.

21 Broom Hc

Ada’s Classic and Limited Run of a 9mm Double-Action

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• How to Get: Play as Ada during Leon’s Sewers Chapter

The Broom Hc may seem small, but it’s utterly deadly. Those who want to try it out for themselves will need to reach the Ada segment in Leon’s campaign or try their luck as Daniel in his survivor mission. It might not be the strongest pistol that packs a punch against zombies and other grotesque monsters, but it will get the job done in the right hands.

The Broom Hc isn’t high on the list due to its appearance being limited, but it’s a rare weapon that features in Ada’s hands which makes it worthy of featuring. Players who are swarmed might struggle a tad with this weapon due to its lack of power, but its quick aim speed and reload make it an easy gun to pick up and shoot.

20 MUP

Stagger Zombies or Aim For the Head to Drop Them

• How to Get: Play as HUNK or Ghost in their Survivor scenarios

The MUP is exclusive to HUNK and Ghost in their respective Survivor missions, meaning they cannot be played in the campaign for Leon and Claire. However, for those Survivor missions, players can have a relatively easy time thanks to the fact that this gun plays a lot like the JMP Hp3, just without the upgrades and modifications that make that weapon so great.

The MUP can be a reliable choice of weaponry, and its 16-shot capacity makes it a welcome addition to any arsenal, as it gives players the freedom to miss a shot and the freedom to take on multiple foes at once without the fear of reloading, plus, the headshot damage is pretty great.

19 Combat Knife

Cut Tape and Cut Throats

• How to Get: Found in Campaigns

The Combat Knife might just look like a standard military-grade knife, but it’s definitely more than meets the eye. The Combat Knife can easily save Leon and Claire in the most difficult situations since it can be used as a melee weapon to stab enemies when ammo is low or to lose even further durability of the knife to plunge it into a lunging zombie’s neck to stop their attack from dealing more damage.

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While the Combat Knife isn’t going to be able to attack every zombie, and its durability is limited, the fact that it can be used in quick-time events and cut tape to unlock new areas showcases that it’s always a good idea to keep a Combat Knife or two in the inventory.

18 Hand Grenade

Explode Zombies For Easy Swarm Kills

• How to Get: Found in Campaigns

A hand grenade is an absolute classic weapon in war, and it meshes very well against zombies. The hand grenade unleashes metal fragments that destroy anything in the surrounding perimeter, making a party of flesh, guts, and limbs for the disgusting zombies that stalk the corridors of Raccoon City’s Police Department.

These weapons can often be dangerous, as the blast zone is rather big, and the throw radius is not the greatest. However, the explosions surely do a lot of damage and are great for eliminating bosses like they are just ordinary enemies in the game.

17 Flash Grenade

Stun Zombies For Easy Takedowns

• How to Get: Found in Campaigns

Up to three flash grenades can be stocked in the players’ inventory. It’s a greatly effective way to get around enemies or disable them so that players can take advantage of their stunned state. It flashes enemies in the blast radius and can be used in a defensive situation if the player gets grabbed, but remains less effective in a counterattack.

It’s a pretty good RE2 weapon to make the game easier, all things considered, as the flash grenade is effective against all enemies, and none are immune to its grand bright blast. Even the player can be affected by it, and somewhat disorientated, like a sucker punch from Mister X.

16 Chemical Flamethrower

Burn Through Enemies That Won’t Stop Coming Back

• How to Get: Found In The Supplies Storage Room In The Lower Sewers

The chemical flamethrower can be obtained during Leon’s campaign by solving the queen/king puzzle that can be located in the sewers. What makes the chemical flamethrower a worthy tool, is that it can permanently kill the Ivy-type enemies.

The chemical flamethrower isn’t great against other enemies like regular zombies, but can rather quickly take out stronger foes. However, because the flamethrower takes up two inventory slots, and requires a large amount of gunpowder for ammunition, it isn’t the highest-ranking weapon.

15 Matilda

Leon’s Trusty Handgun That Can Do No Wrong

• How to Get: Leon’s starting weapon

As Leon’s default weapon, the Matilda holds up to 12 handgun bullets. Although the weapon can be upgraded, its potential never reaches the heights of other weapons.

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The Matilda is known as a relatively weak weapon, but as a starting pistol, it gets the job done. It can help stagger zombies or tear off limbs with a few shots. Ammo is easy to come by, and it has a range that shotguns would deny. Yet, players should not rely on this weapon for the difficult late game.

14 Samurai Edge

Utilize DLC to Unlock a Hard-Hitting Pistol

• How to Get: Beat The Game With An S Rank On Standard Or Hardcore / Purchase “All In-Game Rewards Unlock” DLC

In Resident Evil 2, all weapons also include the pre-order and DLC bonus, Samurai Edge. It’s a sought-after gun and has a long-standing history with the Resident Evil franchise. With a maximum magazine size of 15, it’s already a weapon to conquer, even without the ability to upgrade it.

However, its magazine size isn’t a test feature of the gun, as the real kicker comes from the fact that there are four variants of the Samurai Edge handgun. Each variant has unique advantages for players to bring into the game on their next run.

13 Spark Shot

Stun Zombies to Leave Them Incapacitated

• How to Get: Found In The Supplies Storage Room In The Sewers (Lower)

The spark shot is a stun gun that can be described as Claire’s campaign version of Leon’s shotgun. It can be found on a wall in the Supplies Storage Room in the lower sewers after the player finds the King Plug.

This weapon needs to charge each shot. However, it can cause a large amount of damage to enemies, and slow them down. The gun can be used to zap enemies and leave them stunned so that the player can ignore them and run past them. Unfortunately, ammo is quite scarce, as the player will need Needle Cartridges, which are only in select locations.

12 Quickdraw Army

Embrace the Cowboy-Aesthetics With a Hip-Firing Revolver

• How to Get: Found In 2nd Playthrough In The Police Station’s Guardroom

Fans of westerns would be eager to get their hands on this handgun. Sadly, it can only be obtained after completing Claire’s campaign. Players will need to embark on the second scenario, which is more challenging. It can be located in the Guardroom by Claire.

This six-round revolver can fire rapid shots, with low recoil. The moderate damage dealt with each shot makes for an effective tool against the zombie hordes. However, each round needs to be unloaded and reloaded individually, making for a grueling reload time.

11 M19

Send Zombies Back to the Grave With a Consistently Powerful Handgun

• How to Get: Found In 2nd Playthrough In The Police Station’s Guardroom

Once players complete Leon’s campaign, they can decide to embark on the scary adventure again, with a few differences along the way. One such difference is the inclusion of the M19 handgun, which acts as a replacement for the Matilda handgun. It can be found in the Guardroom in Leon’s second scenario.

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This counterpart to Claire’s Quickdraw Army Handgun has its advantages and disadvantages. Each shot packs some power, but since the weapon is not upgradeable, it must be reloaded time and time again due to its 7-round capacity. It does house a better headshot chance than Claire’s weapon though.

10 SLS 60

A Snubnose Revolver For Hard-Hitting Headshots

• How to Get: Claire’s Starting Weapon

This stubby revolver can be found in Claire’s inventory at the start of her campaign. It’s a 5-round revolver and has a moderately high chance to kill zombies with a single headshot due to its power. The weapon itself has a rather slow reload time, which can be perfect for the slow-moving zombies at the start.

Fortunately, the SLS can be upgraded to reinforce and quicken the reload time, as well as to fire High-Powered Rounds. It can become quite a lethal weapon, especially since it is one of the first guns available to Claire.

9 MQ 11

Shred Through Enemies With a Light and Versatile SMG

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• How to Get: Within The Weapons Locker In The Armory

As Claire, when the player obtains the USB Dongle Key, they can unlock this weapon in the Armory. With a magazine size of 24 bullets, it can hold a plethora of ammo. However, for new players, it might be difficult to manage this SMG, since it has quite the recoil due to the high firing speed.

Through upgrades, the weapon can be a killing machine, holding up to 50 bullets in a magazine. The weapon of pros, and with the silencer attachments, zombies and especially clickers will be none the wiser.

8 GM 79

Burn or Explode Foes With a Lightweight Grenade Launcher

• How to Get: Open The Weapons Locker In The Safety Deposit Room

The player has two opportunities to obtain the GM79. The first is in the weapons locker at the back of the Safety Deposit Room, after acquiring the Weapons Locker Key Card. The second opportunity is in the Security Room in NEST. This powerful grenade launcher only has one magazine size, but quite the kick.

The GM79 can use different ammo types, such as flame and acid. It’s a great weapon for dealing with a cluster of zombies, and can even hold back the terrifying Tyrant and other bosses with ease. Unfortunately, its low capacity and slow reload speed can be a burden.

7 Anti-Tank Rocket

An Incredible Explosive That Easily Takes Down the Largest Foes

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• How to Get: Given To Leon By Ada For The Super Tyrant Boss Fight

This character-exclusive weapon is only available to Leon when he is fighting the Super Tyrant. It’s a gift from Ada during one of the final confrontations of the game. It’s a shame players cannot get their hands on this weapon sooner, as it’s an overpowered monster when it comes to taking down the worst of them all.

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The Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher houses four rockets, but ammo cannot be found in the game. It’s a tragedy to restrict such a powerful weapon to a boss fight, but it certainly makes fighting the fashionable coat and hat-wearing Super Tyrant all the easier.

6 LE 5

High-Accuracy and Fast-Firing Makes for a Decent Zombie Killer

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• How to Get: Finish The Game On Hardcore With S Rank / Purchase The “All In-Game Rewards Unlock” DLC

The LE 5 can be found as one of HUNK and Ghost’s weapons in The 4th Survivor and The Ghost Survivors missions list. It’s quite similar to the MQ 11, but lacks a silencer, and also includes a magazine count of 32. Despite its loud shooting, and lack of ammo, it’s still a powerful gun, and pretty effective against those ghastly and gross Resident Evil clickers.

Players can also obtain the infinite ammo version of this weapon if they finish the game on Hardcore with an S rank, meaning that another smooth run is guaranteed with all the bullets a zombie apocalypse survivor could ask for.

5 Minigun

Shred Through Zombies With a Heavy Yet Unstoppable Minigun

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• How to Get: Located In The Small Room Next To The Turntable In Laboratory B3

In a small room next to the Turntable, Claire can find the gigantic Minigun. With a magazine capacity of 400, and the weapon already at its maximum, the Minigun is a powerful ally against the zombie hordes. A perfect weapon for protecting Sherry Birkin.

Whilst players won’t be able to find ammo scattered, they can still use it against the powerful bosses found within the game. The weapon can deal with anything thrown in its way, and both Claire and Leon can use a version with infinite ammo, but only after Claire’s scenarios have been completed on Hardcore mode with an S+ rank.

4 W-870

Get Up Close and Personal With Zombies Thanks to the Boom Stick

• How to Get: Weapons Locker At The Back Of The Safety Deposit Room

With Leon making his way through the RCPD, he can find the shotgun at the back of the Safety Deposit Room. Although it requires the Weapons Locker Key Card, it’s not something players who will explore can miss. Alternatively, it can be found in the Security Room in NEST later in the game.

The shotgun holds great power behind each shot. Upgrading the shotgun will provide the weapon with less spread, a higher ammo count, and a greater fire rate and reload speed. It’s a great weapon that can be used throughout the majority of Leon’s run.

3 Lightning Hawk

Great Stopping Power Will Erase Zombies in Their Tracks

• How to Get: Found Within The Weapons Locker In The Armory

When Leon uses the USB Dongle Key in the Armory, he can obtain the Lightning Hawk. This 7-round capacity handgun provides ultimate power and accuracy, at the cost of .50 caliber ammunition.

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As a semi-automatic magnum pistol, the gun is suited for those always on the move. Its major disadvantage is the high recoil, but its high base damage and a high chance of critical damage make it one of the best weapons in the game, and a great choice of weapon to battle Resident Evil 2‘s terrifying villain.

2 JMB Hp3

• How to Get: Found In The Trunk of A Police Car In The Parking Garage

When Claire obtains the Car Key, located in a Tin Storage Box at the Firing Range, she can open the trunk of a police car that is located in the Parking Garage. Here, the player can get their hands on the JMB, a 9mm 13-shot handgun.

This weapon is a marvel of firepower, especially considering how many rounds it contains. Equipped with a laser sight and a high-capacity mag, this weapon can be a warrior. Those infected with the T-Virus or G-Virus do not stand a chance. Similar to the SLS60, it completely overshadows it due to its heightened focus, magazine count, and fast reloads.