Weapon Choices

[EvaPilot1]

So I'm aware the game has been out for a while and there are a bunch of guides already on the internet, but I'm interested in what people might think.

I've just reached chapter 3, and I've collected all treasures but not used the merchant at all. So I have the basic un-upgraded handgun and shotgun, and a bunch of cash.

I did this because I knew that weapon choices would properly open up in chapter 3 and I wanted money for it. I wanted to know what peoples weapon choices would be for chapter 3.

In terms of the handgun, I guess I can choose from any,

for the shotgun; get the riot gun now, or wait for the striker?

rifle; bolt action or semi auto?

mine thrower; should I bother?

I think it makes sense to get a TMP since I have a ton of ammo saved.


Also, regarding weapon upgrades. If I were to sell an upgraded gun, do I have to upgrade the gun again if I were to buy it?

[mdesaleah]

Did you miss the free handgun you get for destroying the blue emblems in Chapter 1?

[EvaPilot1]

No.

[KatArus]

This is a port of an experimental 'revolutionary' console game so it's innate difficulty is very low and you can pretty much beat it by banging your head against the keyboard, weapon choices are irrelevant and just make game more fun, convenient or easy.

[Rotten Ruthus]

I enjoy the Red 9, stock and all, because I’m a monster. The Blacktail is probably more practical, though.

Take the semi-auto. The bolt action animation is neat but will get you killed.

Get the Riot Gun if you really want, but definitely put money aside for the Striker later.

The Mine Thrower sucks. Anything you might use it for, you’re better off buying a Rocket Launcher for.

[Moogal™]

For the handgun i would choose red9, due to its superior firepower over the Blacktail, and use stock (inventory space won't be a big problem anyways later in the game).

I usually use the bolt action rifle because its cheaper and you dont get the semi auto until late, but semi is easier to use for beginners.

For shotgun the striker is best, but i usually use the normal shotgun so you can upgrade it early (on normal, maybe its better to go for striker on pro... dont remember)

Then i usually buy TMP, get broken butterfly for free (requires a bit of backtracking).

[EvaPilot1]

I was assuming it would be best to leave a few weapon types behind, but I realised that during the last few acts of the game your ammo expenditure goes up and it's pretty much better to have something of everything.

I took a Blacktail, Riot Gun, Semi-auto, TMP, Broken Butterfly and I had enough room to lug around the free rocket launcher for a while. (I used it on the assassin)

I think the red9 with stock makes sense if you want to main a handgun. If you need a backup for emergencies I feel that the Blacktail is a good choice due to its accuracy and firing rate. It's very easy to turn what looks like a bad situation around with some quick action with the Blacktail. Next time I play I would upgrade to the free punisher, and then upgrade to the Blacktail.

I went with the Riot Gun. I felt that it was a strictly better choice than the Shotgun but didn't try out the Striker. What I would say is that by the end of the game the Riot Gun and TMP were my go to weapons and I had a ton of shotgun ammo, and I think that says a lot for the efficiency of the Riot Gun. You don't have to get too close and you can use it on pretty much anything without having to worry too much about ammo.

I went with the semi-auto. Whilst the extra firepower of the bolt action is nice, I never really came across any situation where it would've made any difference. If you need the extra firepower I felt it was much easier to use the Magnum. I also felt that the scope was completely unnecessary until the infra red scope, at which point I am so glad I had the semi auto for the regenerators. I think trying to take the regenerators in close quarters with a bolt action would have been very stressful, but thankfully it was fairly stress free with the semi auto.

The TMP is a very nice gun but I also felt that the stock was unnecessary. Used sparingly you'll always have a ton of ammo and is suitable for use in pretty much any situation other than sniper range. I think not taking the TMP is doing yourself a disservice.

For the Magnum I had the free Broken Butterfly. What I would say is that this gun is very expensive to upgrade and I wonder if it may be better to spend those pesetas on upgrades for other guns and buying a Magnum with a more powerful baseline damage. There weren't that many situations where I had to use a Magnum. I also found that upgrading capacity refills your ammo, so whilst Magnum ammo is rare I always had some available. (I think it would be best to use the broken butterfly until you run out of loaded ammo, sell it and then buy a killer7)

I didn't use the mine thrower, but on reflection I think I had space for it in the later acts where it might have been useful. In later playthroughs I may make a point to buy one for the later acts after I've used up my free rocket launcher. (It may even be an economical choice to sell that rocket launcher and buy the mine thrower)

[Hikaru Nalgadura]

I´ve been playing RE4 for about 8 years, and over the time I tried so many ways of complete it, that I´ve arrived at a permament one. First, I don´t buy or tune up any weapon until the Red9 gets available with the merchant (I previously sold the Punisher and staied with the common pistol). Then I don´t buy the rifle until the first part of the castle, where I get the semiautomatic one. And I keep with the free shotgun (the one we find in the first part of the town) until the Striker gets available. So that is how my inventory is composed, just a Red9, Striker and semiautomatic rifle (no TMP). For some situations and bosses, as I have so much many, I buy a rocket launcher to make things easier.