Throughout Resident Evil 4 Remake, Leon will face hundreds of enemies and dozens of different monsters. Although most Ganados share broadly similar characteristics, each type behaves somewhat differently. Here, we explain the best ways to defeat every enemy, along with tips and strategies for beating every boss with ease.
Villagers are the first type of enemy you will encounter, and they appear throughout the Village. They are relatively simple enemies and wear no protection of any kind. You will encounter several different types:
The Broken Neck Ganado is a new type of enemy that you will encounter shortly after beginning the game, and it poses a genuine threat. When you see an enemy convulsing after falling to the ground, approach and finish them with your knife—an interaction prompt will appear—or keep shooting until they stop moving. Depending on how far you have progressed through the game, the enemy may rise again with a broken neck or produce a Plaga.
The Broken Neck Ganado is tougher, faster and more aggressive than an ordinary Ganado. It deals more damage, withstands more attacks before staggering and is a far greater threat overall. As Columbus would say: always double tap.
The legendary Dr Salvador from the original game—one of its most recognisable enemies—returns as an anonymous Villager, but he is every bit as vicious. He only appears on a handful of occasions, but he is extremely deadly every time.
Pay attention to the defensive prompts when he approaches, as you can press the corresponding button to perform a special block. This will almost completely destroy your knife, however, so retreating is preferable whenever possible. A single hit means death, so keep your distance. The enemy is extremely resilient, but his head is his weak point. Shoot it enough times and he will stagger. Do not hesitate: instead of performing a melee attack, get behind him and stab him with your knife. If you have the opportunity to kick him into a wall, do so. Once his back strikes the wall, you can approach and stab him from the front.
Overall, he is one of the toughest minibosses in the game.
The Brute is an entirely new enemy introduced in the remake, and it appears in the Village. This Villager is more dangerous than most, but far less threatening than Dr Salvador. There are three different variants. The first carries no weapon, so you simply need to shoot it while keeping your distance. It can charge towards you, but it is relatively easy to stagger and stab in the back or kick into a wall before stabbing it from the front.
The Hammer Brute has three attacks:
Colmillos are wolves infected with Las Plagas. Their attacks are limited to charging and biting. Although they cannot withstand much damage, their speed and ability to evade gunfire make them dangerous. In some cases, a Plaga emerges from their backs, making them even more threatening. Fortunately, they do not appear very often.
The Blade Plaga is the first exposed form of Las Plagas found in certain enemies. When some enemies take enough damage, their heads explode and this monster emerges. Bear in mind that this will not happen if you kill the enemy with a knife attack or finish them on the ground while they are convulsing before transforming. Once it appears, it becomes a very dangerous creature.
For a start, the host's body is almost invulnerable, and you will only deal meaningful damage by hitting the parasite. For fairly obvious reasons, it has fast and deadly medium-range attacks. These can be parried, although realistically only the most skilled players will manage to do so consistently. It is worth noting that a Flash Grenade will kill it instantly.
El Gigante is a miniboss that appears twice. On both occasions, you must shoot its head, which is its weak point. After dealing enough damage, a Plaga will emerge from its back. Focus your fire on the parasite until the giant drops to one knee, then approach and use the corresponding prompt to stab the creature several times. You will probably have to repeat this process. Throughout the fight, pay attention to El Gigante's posture to determine which attack it is about to perform:
During the first battle, a dog will help you if you freed it after leaving the Village Chief's Manor. The animal distracts the monster, makes the Plaga emerge more easily and can even cause El Gigante to bring part of the mountain down on itself, leaving it vulnerable. During the second battle, you can kill it instantly by staggering it over the grate in the centre of the room—attack the exposed Plaga until the monster drops to one knee—and then pulling the lever on the machine at the edge of the central platform.
The fearsome Bella Sisters from the original game are back. Broadly speaking, they are faster versions of Dr Salvador, although they have slightly less health. Their main danger is that they attack as a pair and appear only once in an area filled with other enemies. You will encounter one of them alone later, significantly reducing the threat.
You can block their chainsaws just as you can Dr Salvador's, but doing so will quickly destroy your knife for obvious reasons. Their attacks cause instant death, so maintain as much distance as possible. The strategy of shooting them in the head, kicking them into a wall and then stabbing them is highly effective.
This version of Colmillos is exclusive to the A Savage Mutt request. It is essentially a dog with a unique and extremely powerful Plaga capable of performing medium-range attacks, rapidly covering large distances and dealing considerable damage. It is also one of the few Plagas that cannot be killed with a Flash Grenade. The grenade will merely stun it, allowing you to approach and stab it, but this will not kill it outright.
Zealots are the basic enemies found in the Castle. They are slightly more complex than Villagers, so each type deserves a separate explanation. Bear in mind that some wear metal helmets, preventing you from shooting them in the head. In addition to the variants listed below, there are also unarmed Zealots and others carrying torches, Molotov cocktails, dynamite or flails. These are the most basic variants. The flail-wielding version simply swings the weapon before attacking, while the others behave like their Villager counterparts.
Surprisingly, the Crossbow Zealot is one of the most dangerous variants. These enemies almost always position themselves on elevated ground, can usually fire two bolts before reloading and often appear in groups of two or three. Fortunately, they cannot withstand much damage, so an accurate player can eliminate them quickly.
The scythe-wielding Zealot deals considerable damage at close range. The main danger is that if you see the enemy holding the weapon to one side from medium range, it is about to throw it. On the positive side, the Zealot loses the weapon afterwards and you can block it in mid-air. However, this will cause the enemy to lunge at you and restrain you, leaving you vulnerable to attacks from other enemies.
These enemies carry a large wooden shield and a flail. The flail attack has a noticeable delay, making it easy to anticipate, but the shield poses the real danger. For obvious reasons, you cannot damage the enemy until you break through it. Even then, you must shoot through the openings until the Zealot decides to discard it. They can also charge into you with the shield, all while other enemies attack as you focus on getting rid of the damned thing.
The key is to use penetrating or high-powered weapons, or shoot their feet. A weapon such as the Stingray can penetrate the shield and damage the enemy, while shooting a foot will force the Zealot to kneel, allowing you to perform a melee attack. This removes the shield even if the enemy gets back up.
This is easily one of the most dangerous enemies in the game, although fortunately it appears infrequently. The Staff Zealot does not attack you directly unless you get very close, and it flees when approached. What makes this enemy so dangerous is its ability to stun Leon and cause Plagas to emerge from other enemies' necks, all at the same time. Even when you hold a tactical advantage, this can force you to exhaust your ammunition dealing with a horde of irritating Plagas. Eliminate these Zealots as soon as they appear if you want to avoid trouble.
This is the strongest Plaga variant. It appears under the same conditions as the Blade Plaga, emerging when certain enemies take enough damage or are not finished off while convulsing on the ground. The Jaw Plaga can spit acid from a distance. Fortunately, its melee attack has a shorter reach, although it is even more lethal than that of its smaller counterpart. Naturally, it has an unnatural resistance to almost every attack. You will need considerable firepower to bring it down, but a Flash Grenade will kill it instantly.
The Garrador only appears twice. It is fairly manageable during the first encounter but becomes a fearsome opponent during the second. In both cases, it is a blind enemy that detects you through sound, including gunfire, running—you do not need to crouch—or bumping into objects. During the first encounter, use the chains hanging from the ceiling to attract its attention and create an opportunity to attack. Although you can kill it with ordinary gunfire, its weak point is on its back. You can approach, stab it and retreat. As long as you do not run, it cannot see you, but bear in mind that it attacks randomly while moving around.
Its attacks are usually erratic and performed in bursts, with the creature unleashing combos when it senses that you are nearby. Walking backwards is usually enough to avoid them. If it raises one claw and crouches, it is preparing to charge and impale you. It generally uses this attack when it knows your exact location. Move sideways and it will become stuck in a surface, allowing you to stab it in the back. During the second encounter, it is accompanied by an Armoured Garrador. Lure both creatures towards the bells. If you do this correctly, you can stab both and let them damage each other with their random combos. If they remain close together, they will strike one another, making your job easier.
The Plaga, or spider, is the parasite's independent form. When it is not attached to another enemy, it is easy to kill as long as you spot it. Otherwise, it will leap onto you and cause considerable trouble. Its greatest danger is its ability to possess other enemies.
This causes the possessed enemy to charge towards you at incredible speed. Stopping an enemy in this state is extremely difficult, so use your most powerful weapon and then finish off the spider. Otherwise, you are very likely to end up dead.
Armour enemies only appear at specific points in the Castle. To defeat one, you must first force the parasite to emerge from inside the armour. Do this by shooting the exposed part of the parasite, although that is easier said than done. After taking enough damage, the helmet will break or the Armour will drop to one knee, allowing you to kick the helmet off. You can then kill the monster normally or use a Flash Grenade to eliminate it instantly.
Its attacks depend on the sword's position. If it raises the sword above its head, the easiest option is to run towards the side on which the weapon is raised. If the blade is pointing over its left shoulder, for example, run towards its left side. It will perform a vertical strike that is easy to avoid. If it does not raise the sword, crouch, as it will perform a horizontal slash that passes over your head. During one mandatory encounter with these creatures, Ashley can help by throwing blue lanterns. She can also temporarily paralyse them with her lantern, although she cannot kill them.
This enemy is a unique Armour variant exclusive to the Merciless Knight request. It is simply stronger, faster and tougher than the other Armour enemies.
Novistadors are giant insects that can also fly. They only appear in certain areas of the Castle and near the end of the Island. Bear in mind that they can camouflage themselves, although you can still identify the shape of their bodies. If you hear buzzing, they are nearby. Remain alert, as they are easy to kill but dangerous because of the distance they can cover both in flight and with their airborne charge. Their only other major advantage is that they almost always attack in groups.
Be especially careful with the Novistadors in the flooded section of the Depths. You can spot them in the water by the glow of their eyes.
The armoured variant can only be damaged by attacking its weak point or arms, although shots to the arms deal very little damage. Its main danger is that it appears in a room with another Garrador and an endless stream of Zealots. You will need to use everything at your disposal and try to make it hit the other enemies, including the second Garrador. It behaves exactly like the standard version, but its armour naturally makes it much tougher.
This El Gigante appears on the Castle Battlements. Although it can be killed with ordinary weapons, you will normally need to wait until you can use the cannon. It later appears in the Mines alongside another El Gigante. You must stagger it in the centre of the platform and pull the lever, or wait until a scripted sequence leaves it with dynamite attached to its back. Detonate the dynamite and then fight it like an ordinary El Gigante.
This Island enemy carries a kanabo, a long, spiked club. At close range, it behaves like any other enemy carrying a blunt weapon, but from medium range it uses a charging attack that you can evade by pressing the corresponding button when the prompt appears. Some Soldiers may also carry crossbows, Molotov cocktails or dynamite. Bear in mind that, like other Soldiers, they may wear a helmet or body armour, or carry an impenetrable metal shield.
Another Island enemy that behaves like a Villager with a pitchfork. The most obvious difference is that its attacks electrocute and stun you, leaving you vulnerable to other enemies. Bear in mind that, like other Soldiers, it may wear a helmet or body armour, or carry an impenetrable metal shield.
This enemy can kill you with a single hit on the higher difficulties. Fortunately, it cannot withstand much damage and never wears a helmet or body armour, nor does it carry a shield.
This Brute variant appears on the Island and carries an automatic crossbow on its left arm. It essentially functions as a miniature machine gun, but if you shoot the red box in its centre, it will explode and leave the Brute limited to melee attacks. Its close-range attacks are the same as those used by an ordinary Brute.
The Regenerador is a special enemy found on the Island. Although it can be killed with ordinary gunfire, it has an infamous amount of health—more than most minibosses and arguably even some bosses. The proper way to kill it is to use the Biosensor Scope with a compatible weapon to locate the parasites inside its torso. Destroy all of them to kill the enemy.
Sometimes, after you defeat a Regenerador, it will rise again as this monster. It is faster than an ordinary Regenerador and can kill you with a single hit. You defeat it in the same way, except that its parasite is always located in its head. Be careful when it dies, as its body explodes and releases a wave of spikes that can damage you.
This special Regenerador/Iron Maiden variant is exclusive to the The Wandering Dead request. It is simply a stronger version, much like the other Powerful Threat enemies.
