Since 8 May 2026, players of Resident Evil Requiem have been able to download a new update that includes the free Leon Must Die Forever mode. Behind this ominous name lies a kind of time-limited roguelike experience that replaces the familiar Mercenaries mode, albeit in a rather unusual way. Here, we will explain what it is, how it works and what its objectives are.
The first thing you need to do is, of course, make sure you have downloaded the latest version of Resident Evil Requiem. Once you have done so, select Extra Games > Leon Must Die Forever from the main menu to access this game mode.
The first thing you will see when accessing this game mode and while the game loads is a screen displaying a series of named routes.
As soon as the game begins, you will find yourself in the Wrenwood Streets area with access to the Hand Axe and Alligator Snapper. You will also notice that there is a timer and that enemies have clearly visible health bars.
At the first junction, you will already notice one difference from the original map: a weapon crate. These can be found at fixed locations in each area and contain random weapons, some of which may be significantly upgraded and marked with a star.
If you look closely, you will see a yellow bar on the left-hand side of the health circle. This bar fills as you eliminate enemies, and once it is full, you can refine a power-up. This mechanic allows you to activate abilities for that particular run. These mainly consist of passive abilities and upgrades of all kinds—such as increased damage for a particular weapon type or greater firepower under specific conditions—as well as "instant-use consumables", such as repairing the axe, which cannot be sharpened as it can in the main game.
But how do you gain more time? The main way is by clearing areas, which we will discuss in a moment. Every time you move on to the next area, you will receive a substantial time extension. You can also gain a few additional seconds from certain passive abilities and by shooting the coloured spiders scattered across the map. These spiders grant 70 seconds by default, although you can unlock an extra feature that increases or decreases the amount of time awarded depending on their colour.
To move forward, you need to find the red doors scattered throughout each area. Generally speaking, they can be found in the locations where you would complete one of the story objectives in that section, although others are directly in your path and much easier to spot. The door will always tell you where it leads, and its destination within the story and its level should give you an idea of how difficult the next area will be.
As you progress, you will encounter two types of special enemy: red zombies and blue zombies. Red zombies are vulnerable to melee damage, meaning that the axe and melee finishers will deal the most damage to them. To deal more damage to blue zombies, you need to successfully parry one of their attacks. They will then become more vulnerable to all types of damage for a few moments.
These zombies will drop special items, usually upgraded weapons that will make things easier later in the run.
In addition to the power-ups that disappear and must be obtained again during every run, Leon can acquire a series of permanent upgrades in this mode. To obtain them, go to the Special Content section, which can be accessed from both the game's main menu and the Leon Must Die Forever start screen. Once there, you will see new unlockable items exclusive to this mode. These range from inventory upgrades and permanent changes to power-ups to access to new weapons, such as the rocket launcher, and the ability for spiders to change colour, causing them to grant more or fewer seconds depending on their current colour.
Of course, you will need to spend XP to unlock these options. Do not worry if you have already purchased every item for the main game, as new Leon Must Die Forever Challenges have been added, allowing you to earn more XP with which to unlock the new content.
Unfortunately, there are not. The only rewards you can unlock by defeating Victor—who will always be the final boss, regardless of the route you follow—are head accessories for Leon that allow him to begin each Leon Must Die Forever run with certain weapons and/or special abilities. There are no rewards for the story mode, so do not expect the kinds of bonuses normally awarded for completing Mercenaries mode in other games. Of course, infinite ammunition is unlocked through a different method here, unlike in previous Resident Evil games that featured that mode.
