Since there are so many guns in Resident Evil Village, it helps to know which weapons to upgrade right away.
Resident Evil 7’s down-to-earth tone and grounded game design meant that weapon upgrading didn’t exactly have a place. Ethan could still craft like in previous games, but RE7 was going for a smaller scope that called back to the original game alone. Resident Evil Village is the other side of the Lei, embracing every little oddity that’s made Resident Evil the franchise it is.
Resident Evil Village is as much a love letter to the series as it is a breathtaking sequel to Resident Evil 7. Weapon upgrading returns in Village, giving Ethan a wider armory of weapons to choose from than in Resident Evil 7. Since there are so many guns in Resident Evil Village, it helps to know which weapons to upgrade right away.
Updated June 6, 2023 by Rhenn Taguiam: Thanks to Resident Evil: Death Island, fans of the Resident Evil franchise will finally have the opportunity to have the major cast of the series interact with each other in yet another fight for their lives. While Death Island takes place in what might be a zombie-filled Alcatraz Island, its 2015 setting makes for a perfect transition between 2013’s Resident Evil 6 and 2017’s Resident Evil Biohazard.
Although fans could only hope that Death Island finally connects the dots as to what made Chris Redfield join Blue Umbrella, the film may shed some light into his darker self that Ethan Winters will constantly encounter in Resident Evil Village. And for players of the latest numbered entry in the franchise (outside the remakes), just how can players upgrade Ethan’s weapons to make his adventure more worthwhile as they try to gleam more insights into the more rugged Chris? 10 LEMI Handgun
The LEMI Handgun, which is the first firearm Ethan finds in the story, isn’t worth holding onto for the whole game, but it’s going to be the players’ main weapon in Castle Dimitrescu during a first playthrough, so it’s worth upgrading.
Lei isn’t abundant during the early game, but money isn’t particularly hard to come by after the Castle. Make sure to prioritize the LEMI’s Power and Rate of Fire for upgrades. The LEMI’s default Reload Speed isn’t too hot, but it’s serviceable for the Castle. The best way to use the LEMI is to damage enemies and then swap to a stronger gun for the kill.
Unfortunately for the LEMI Handgun, even its fully-upgraded form is outclassed by the M1911 upon its acquisition, making this weapon rather unremarkable in terms of overall gameplay. In worst-case scenarios, players can at least ensure they secure an upgrade to this weapon’s firepower via the Duke in order to pick off some of the easier foes before dishing out the big guns. Training with this handgun is a viable option, considering this is one of the few available guns in the Castle 2, Factory 2, Mad Village 2, and Village 2 stages of The Mercenaries game mode. 9 M1897 Shotgun
The M1897 Shotgun will be found in East Old Town right before Ethan is attacked by the swarm of Lycans. The M1897 is the weakest Shotgun in the game and should be replaced as soon as possible, but it has the potential to be lethal during the early game.
Upgrading the M1987’s Power and Ammo Capacity will eat up a fair bit of cash in the Castle, but enemies will drop dead fast. After leaving the castle and finding the W870 shotgun following the House Beneviento segment, Ethan should sell the M1897 and invest in upgrades toward the new weapon.
Being the game’s beginner shotgun, the M1897 is extremely useful as a burst weapon in the starting stages of the game. While the W870 TAC Shotgun is a more powerful shotgun in the long term, acquiring upgrades for the M1897 can make it a useful backup weapon for players who prefer extremely short-ranged encounters. 8 F2 Sniper Rifle
The F2 Sniper Rifle will be found inside the attic of Castle Dimitrescu in the room before stepping onto the roofs. Despite being obtained so early into the game, the F2 Sniper Rifle is one of the absolute best guns in Resident Evil Village. Fully maxed out, the Sniper Rifle is about as strong as a base Magnum – which is already beastly.
Players should fully upgrade the F2 Sniper Rifle by the end of the first playthrough (especially to unlock Infinite Ammo in the Bonus Shop), but prioritize Power and Rate of Fire first.
