Quick hits: Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) is two games in one — Grace's first-person survival horror and Leon's third-person action. The tips below cover both. Biggest mistake new players make: treating it like a standard shooter. Leg shots stagger. Head shots stop reanimation. And whatever you do, do not waste your blood transfusions.
Difficulty advice: start on Casual if you're here for the story, Standard if you want the intended balance. You can never raise the difficulty after lowering it.
The Cheat Sheet: 10 Tips at a Glance
Tip 1: Pick Your Difficulty Once — and Never Lower It
Requiem offers three difficulties: Casual, Standard, and Insanity.
The catch: if you drop the difficulty mid-run, you cannot raise it back up on that save. That is the fastest way to lock yourself out of the harder endings and trophies.
Casual exists for story players and horror newcomers. Standard is the intended experience. Insanity is for masochists who already know the layout.
Tip 2: Match the Camera to the Character
Capcom recommends first-person for Grace and third-person for Leon — and they're right.
Grace's sections are RE7-style dread. Tight first-person makes them scarier and helps you spot environmental details before they spot you.
Leon's sections are RE4-style action. He needs the wide third-person view to read crowds and time his melee counters.
You can switch cameras anytime mid-campaign, but the default pairing is the intended one.
Tip 3: Shoot Legs, Not Heads — Usually
Here's the combat secret that the game never spells out: zombies reanimate if you don't destroy the head.
That's not just flavor. Destroyed heads stay dead. Intact heads mean the corpse gets back up later — sometimes as a far nastier Blister Head that mutates mid-fight.
So your plan changes by situation:
Tip 4: Craft Constantly — Here's What's Actually Worth It
| Situation | Aim | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing a room you'll revisit | Head | Permanently kills; prevents reanimation |
| Escaping a crowd | Legs | Leg shots stagger and slow pursuers |
| Low on ammo | Legs | One leg shot buys you the door |
Crafting opens early and runs on two currencies: Scraps and Infected Blood (collected from downed zombies).
The recipe that matters: Hemolytic Injector = 1 Scrap + 60 Infected Blood.
Injectors destroy reanimated corpses and melt Blister Heads. Carry one whenever possible.
Two rules the guides all agree on:
- Wait until your Blood Transfusion Bag is full before using it. Using it early wastes the heal.
- The crafting menu pauses the game, so build mid-combat without shame.
Tip 5: Cancel Reloads to Stop Wasting Bullets
Requiem's reload cancel is trivial once you know it: tap the reload button to cancel a missed reload, then re-tap to reload.
Why it matters: canceling after a partial reload keeps your ammo count high when a zombie staggers toward you. In Grace's sections, a dropped magazine can be a death sentence.
Tip 6: Scrap Your Knives (Leon's Hatchet Is Forever)
Knives in Requiem are crafting fuel, not weapons. Scrapping them feeds your scrap economy.
Exception: Leon's hatchet is indestructible. It never breaks, it parries, and it's free damage on staggered enemies. Use it generously and never replace it.
Tip 7: How to Survive The Girl
The Girl is Requiem's stalker-type threat. She is unkillable. Do not fight her.
The rules are simple:
- She hates light. Headlights, flares, and lit rooms slow her down.
- She drops from ceilings. Watch doorframes and vents when she's active.
- When she appears: run. Not away from her — toward your objective. She herds you.
There's also a spider-infested segment later with an on-screen arachnophobia warning. You've been warned.
Tip 8: Leon's Shopping List
Leon has a merchant system, and you'll be tempted to splurge on guns. Don't. Buy these first:
Tip 9: Save Like It's 1998 — Because of the Endings
| Item | Cost | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| Body armor | 8,000 credits | Yes — it's effectively a second health bar |
| Upgraded body armor | 15,000 credits | Yes, after the first purchase |
| Supply box upgrades | Varies | Only when you're full between chapters |
| New weapons | Varies | After armor, not before |
Requiem has multiple endings: "Hope", "Destruction", and "Elpis".
Your choices and progress flags determine which you get. The classic ink-ribbon save option also means save scarcity is a real mechanic.
Keep two or three rotating save slots. You will thank yourself at the 8-hour mark when you want the other ending.
Tip 10: Tune These Settings Before You Die
- Aim assist: the Aim Snap and Aim Follow sliders go from 1–10. Turn them up if the zombie hitboxes feel unfair; turn them down if you're a purist.
- The flashlight does NOT attract zombies. Shine it whenever you need to. Players waste hours crouch-walking in the dark for nothing.
- The map marks missed items. If a room shows uncollected loot, it's worth the trip back.
- Photo mode is free since the March 2026 update. Your horrors deserve documentation.
Grace vs Leon: The Full Breakdown
| Grace Ashcroft | Leon S. Kennedy | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | First-person | Third-person |
| Vibe | Survival horror, RE7 | Action horror, RE4 |
| Resources | Scarce — every bullet counts | Kill-points buy upgrades |
| Threats | One zombie is a crisis | Hordes, chainsaw freaks |
| Playstyle | Stealth, panic, escape | Fights back, roundhouse kicks |
| Difficulty to master | Hard | Fun from minute one |
Both characters are mandatory — the campaign switches between them. But knowing which half you'll love helps you pace your inventory and your nerves.
What the Tips Miss: the 8–12 Hour Campaign
Don't expect a 40-hour epic. A first playthrough runs 8–12 hours, with real replay value from the endings, an unlockable challenge mode, and the free Leon Must Die Forever roguelite DLC (20 stages, free since May 2026).
The earlier review on this blog covered the full verdict — read it here if you're still deciding.
FAQ
What difficulty should I start Resident Evil Requiem on?
Casual for story players, Standard for the intended experience. Insanity is the third option. You cannot raise the difficulty once you lower it, so choose deliberately.
Is Resident Evil Requiem scary?
Grace's first-person sections are the scariest Resident Evil since RE7. Leon's sections are action-horror. If you're horror-averse, start on Casual and play during daylight.
How do I permanently kill zombies in Requiem?
Destroy their heads. Zombies with intact heads reanimate, sometimes as Blister Heads. Leg shots stagger but don't kill.
What is the hemolytic injector recipe?
One Scrap plus 60 Infected Blood. It destroys reanimated corpses and melts Blister Heads.
How many endings does Requiem have?
Three main endings: Hope, Destruction, and Elpis. Keep rotating save slots to see them all.
Does the flashlight attract zombies?
No. Shine it freely — the map even marks missed items for you.
How long is Resident Evil Requiem?
8–12 hours for a first run, 25–30 for completionists. Speedrunners have done it in under 4 hours.
Related Reading
- Resident Evil Requiem Review: Is RE9 Worth It in 2026? — our full verdict
- Resident Evil Requiem System Requirements & Best PC Settings — what you need to run it well
- The Best Horror Games of 2026: 15 That Actually Scared Us — where Requiem sits in this year's lineup
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