Enemies and how to defeat them in Resident Evil 2 Resident Evil 2 Guide and Walkthrough
Last update: 03 April 2023
In Resident Evil 2 there are five types of basic opponents and two bosses in total. Enemies differ in stamina, susceptibility to attacks and attack strength - the amount of damage dealt, and frequency of occurrence. The most numerous groups include ordinary zombies, which are often better avoided because they are very slow, instead of losing valuable ammunition.
Enemies can sometimes throw themselves at you and grab you or knock you down. For standard enemies, if you don't perform a counterattack, you will take standard damage. If it is a boss or the Tyrant (or your health is low), you die after such an attack. Counter-attack by pressing the action button (spacebar), and you must have a knife, a fragmented grenade or a flash grenade in your gear. You can recover your knife after defeating your opponent; grenades, in addition to stopping an enemy attack, also deal damage to them, the flash grenade dazzles your opponent, giving you time to escape or a quick weapon attack.
Zombie
Ordinary Zombies are the most numerous opponents in the whole game. If you want to save ammunition, finish enemies off with the knife after a headshot. You can also simply flee.
You can never be sure that the zombies won't rise again until you smash their heads to pieces. For this reason, the basic pistol is not always sufficient; however, an accurate close shot, e.g. from a shotgun, guarantees that the opponent will not rise any more. When you shoot zombies from a basic gun and they fall, it's not certain whether they won't attack you again later, when you pass through this location again.
Many new zombies at the police station enter the building through the windows. It's worth barricading the windows with boards to prevent the appearance of new enemies in frequently visited areas.
Contrary to appearances, zombies can sometimes be pretty insidious. If you see an untouched, lying, untouched opponent, bypass him or make a "check shot." It is not uncommon for such enemies to wait until you come up to them to grab your leg or to wake up after a certain action, e.g. opening a cabinet next to it.
Lickers
Lickers move on four limbs low on the ground, but can also walk on walls and ceilings. They attack by jumping on you and hitting you with a great tongue. They are very sturdy and dangerous if you only fight them with basic weapons. If you move around them unnoticed and quietly (not running or shooting with weapons) you will usually avoid them - they are blind and they use your hearing; however, they will attack you when you are very close. They can't open doors, so it's easy to escape with the front door.
Dogs
You will find zombie dogs for the first time in the underground car park under the post, playing as Leon; Claire will encounter them only on the way from the post to the Orphanage. They are fast, but not very resistant - it is not worth wasting special ammo on them. They don't tend, like classic zombies, to rise when you knock them down. They can pass through fences.
Sewage mutant
On the second level of Resident Evil 2 - in the Canals - you will encounter many large mutants in the water. In order to defeat them, just like in a boss fight, you must aim at their eyes on their right tentacle. Firearms (flame thrower/grenade launcher) is great for fighting them. Due to the fact that (apart from the mentioned weapons) a lot of ammunition is needed to defeat them, it is best to try to bypass them as far as possible. If they catch a player, this can result in death (or at least severe injury and possible poisoning) - always carry a knife or grenade with you to be ready for a counterattack. These monsters don't leave the water, so you're safe on land.
If the hero moves away from the monster for a long distance, they release small floating monsters, which automatically locate the hero. They deal minor damage and give you the status poisoning which can be healed by an herbal mixture containing blue herb. You can shoot down these monsters or get out of the water: then they will die by after a while, and they can't get out of the water.
Ivy zombie
Ivy zombie you will meet in some places in the Nest. They are similar to ordinary zombies and there is usually no need to kill them, and it is better to shoot them and sneak past them. An effective method of fighting against them is to destroy the yellow bladders on their bodies; fire is also a good idea (Leon's litters of fire or Claire's grenade launcher). An Ivy zombie attack can give you poisoning status.
The Tyrant
The Tyrant This is another mutant that appears on the Police Station (after returning to the station from the police parking lot and extinguishing the helicopter) and in the Nest (after collecting a band giving a 3rd level of authorization, in the greenhouse).
This monster is characterized by the fact that it is immortal and that from when you meet it, it will track the player until you finish the game stage. That's why it's a good idea to do all the side activities (collecting resources and solving puzzles) before you reach the stage where the Tyrant appears in the location. The Tyrant will not catch you in safe locations with the game record points (except the main hall), e.g. in the Head Office (Claire), or in Darkroom.
The Tyrant is very dangerous when he encounters a hero, he can simply hit them by dealing damage or grab them: if he catches you, you have to counter-attack (with a knife or a grenade). If you don't do it - you die. The tyrant can open doors and climb ladders. You can stop the Tyrant for about a minute by dealing damage to him - his coat works like armor, so only damage to the head will have the intended effect. When weakened, he will kneel down on one knee and remain in this position for a while before continuing to chase you again.
Boss "G" - William
When playing Resident Evil 2, you are fighting several battles with the main boss in its various stages of development. Winning each fight is required to continue the game, so it's important to know when you can meet them so you can prepare yourself properly for the fight. If you don't take enough ammunition and medication with you, you may lose the battle.
The key to victory in any battle (except for custom battles with the Tyrant) is to hit the enemy with the big eye(s) on his body - other types of damage are not effective. It's always a good idea to get ammunition, medical supplies, as well as grenades and knives - these will be used to counter-attack if you are caught by your opponent (if you can't counter-attack, the opponent kills you immediately after grabbing you - including the Tyrant).