Resident Evil Village: Duke - Merchant Resident Evil Village guide, walkthrough

Last update: 07 May 2021

This page of the Resident Evil Village guide provides all the information about the Duke, the merchant. You will learn where you can meet the trader, what types of goods and services Duke offers, whether you can sell unwanted items to Duke, and what currency is used to make transactions.

• Key information
• The Duke - where to find him?
• The Duke's best goods
• Ethan's best stats upgrades

Key information

Duke the Merchant is one of the few friendly characters you'll encounter in Resident Evil 8. He resembles the merchant from Resident Evil 4, being neutral to the events of the game world and helping to restock supplies and acquire new valuable items.

You'll come across the Duke multiple times throughout the game. He appears in various places across the village and the castle - we have compiled them in the next subsection. You can't kill or rob Duke, but on the other hand you don't have to fear any attack from him.

When you speak to Duke, you will be presented with three options to choose from by default:

1. Buying Supplies - The Duke sells mostly unique items (the most valuable ones are listed further in the text), but you can also buy standard supplies (e.g. ammunition). Additionally, several items can be picked up at his shop for free.
2. Selling Items (The Duke's Purse) - at the Duke's shop, you should primarily dispose of any artifacts you find that are not part of kits (more information about artifacts can be found on a separate page in the FAQ chapter). In addition, it is a good idea to sell less necessary items clogging up your inventory.
3. Upgrading weapons (Gunsmithy) - you can upgrade each weapon in several different categories (e.g. firepower or magazine capacity). You should definitely make upgrades to frequently used weapons.

All of the above transactions require the Lei currency, which you can acquire by selling equipment to Duke and finding it in the game world along with other loot. The current number of credits held is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.

Later in the game, a fourth option (The Duke's Kitchen) is also unlocked - supplying Duke with ingredients to cook. This concerns "trophies" gained from killing living animals. Ethan can eliminate chickens, pigs or fish. Each slain animal will drop an item. Note that these collectibles take up most of the inventory space.

The best upgrades that you can unlock by delivering ingredients to Duke are described at the bottom of this page.

The Duke - where to find him?

You'll meet the Duke in fixed places. He changes his location as you progress through the game, so you won't have to go back to previous locations to trade with him or use his services.

Your first encounter with the Duke will occur on the way from the village to the castle. You can't miss it. A conversation will start, during which Duke will introduce himself and offer his services.

You can meet the Duke inside the castle. He is staying in the Merchant's Room on the ground floor - there's also a typewriter here.

After returning to the village, you'll find the Duke in the Altar, a location associated with one of the puzzles. The Duke will offer new items in addition to those that were previously available.

Duke appears in a larger area with a reservoir – Ethan explores it when searching for Moreau. You will find the trader in the same building where the sludge control mechanism is.

You will also meet Duke while exploring Heisenberg's Factory in the final phase of the campaign. He is in a square room that turns out to be a freight elevator. The Duke will offer new items in addition to those that were previously available.

The Duke's best goods

An important note is that Duke's offer is updated throughout the game. You cannot purchase the best items from him early in the game. Fortunately, many useful items can be purchased starting from the very first meeting.

The best stuff available from the beginning of the game:

1. Extra Baggage - 10000 Lin - you can permanently increase your inventory size. This is one of the most important upgrades, especially since Ethan will find a sniper rifle taking up a lot of inventory space while in the castle.
2. Recipe: Shotgun Ammo - 3000 Lin - the blueprint will allow you to craft shotgun ammo. This is very helpful as the shotgun is great for defeating bosses. You will not find much ammunition through exploration alone.
3. Recipe: Sniper Rifle Ammo - 4000 Lin - the blueprint will allow you to craft sniper ammo. It is best to make the purchase after unlocking the sniper rifle in the final part of your first visit to the castle. The extra ammo will come in handy for attacking flying monsters and in at least one boss fight.
4. Lockpick - 0 Lin - the game should offer your first lockpick for free, and you should definitely take advantage of this option, as lockpicks are found in very limited quantities in the game world.
5. Samurai Edge AW Model-01 - 200 Lin - this gun is available only if you have purchased the version of the game that includes the Trauma Pack. The new weapon is very cheap and you can use it instead of your main gun.
6. LEMI High Capacity Mag - 8000 Lin - this gun upgrade increases the magazine capacity. It's important because RE8 features many strong monsters that will be able to withstand a large number of hits. You may find yourself reloading your weapon multiple times before winning the battle.
7. M1897 Hair Trigger - 9000 Lin - this shotgun upgrade improves its rate of fire. This can definitely come in handy during boss fights when a single hit is not enough to knock down or kill an enemy.

The best items available after returning to the village from Dimitrescu's Castle (Altar location):

1. Extra Baggage - 30000 Lin - this is the second suitcase to permanently increase your inventory space. Consider purchasing it to make sure you can collect all the things you find. You can get the necessary credits by selling the artifact for defeating the boss from the first visit to the castle (it is worth 25000 credits).
2. Recipe: Pipe Bombs - 2500 Lin - the blueprint will allow you to produce pipe bombs. They can be helpful not only in combat, but also when trying to knock down weakened walls, behind which there may be some treasures.
3. F2 Rifle High Magnification Scope - 15000 Lin - this sniper upgrade equips the rifle with a much better scope. It's worth investing in this upgrade if you enjoy using the sniper and want to reduce the risk of missing shots.
4. F2 Rifle Cheek Rest - 20000 Lin - this second sniper rifle upgrade stabilizes your aim as you prepare to fire. Again, this upgrade will increase your chances that every shot you fire will be accurate.

Best items available after returning to the village from House Benevento (after defeating boss Donna Benevento):

1. Recipe: Explosive Rounds - 3,000 Lin - This is an extremely important purchase because you will be able to make explosive rounds for your grenade launcher. Remember to find the grenade launcher - its location is described on the Weapons page.
2. Recipe: Flashbangs - 3,000 Lin - With this recipe, you will be able to make blinding rounds for your grenade launcher. They are very helpful, e.g. in defeating the Stronghold boss Urias but also blinding other strong enemies.
3. LEMI High Capacity Mag - 9,000 Lin - This is an upgrade to the LEMI pistol thanks to which it will be able to hold more bullets in the magazine. It's worth the purchase - this weapon requires you to fire a lot of shots to defeat enemies.
4. W870 TAC Improved Gunstock - 22,000 Lin - This is an upgrade to the second shotgun that reduces the recoil when firing. This will help you to shoot more accurately and thus deal with monsters faster.

The best items added to the offer when visiting Heisenberg's Factory:

1. SYG 12 - 180,000 Lin - An extremely expensive item, but it is worth the purchase. This is a great semi-automatic shotgun that, even in its base version, offers high damage and a good rate of fire.
2. SYG 12 Red Dot Sight - 42,000 Lin - This is an upgrade to the SYG12 shotgun that will further increase the firepower and firing rate. This will make the shotgun an ideal weapon for eliminating durable enemies encountered near the end the of the game.
3. M1851 Wolfsbane Increased Capacity Cylinder - 100000 Lin - This is an upgrade to the Magnum revolver that increases the cylinder capacity. It is especially useful when confronting the game's final bosses.

Ethan's best stats upgrades

The option to unlock stat upgrades becomes available on your second visit to the village. The Duke will inform you that you can provide him with cooking ingredients, which you will get by killing, most of all, chickens, pigs, or fish swimming in water tanks. Giving the Duke enough ingredients will provide you with a dish for free and will unlock a permanent stat boost. Here are the best upgrades to get:

1. Herbed Fish - requires Fish x3, Poultry x2 - consuming this dish will slightly extend the main character's health bar. It will be easier for you to keep Ethan alive.
2. Three-Flavored Mititei - requires Fish x4, Poultry x2, Meat x3 - consuming this dish will extend Ethan's health bar. The effect is stronger than with the previous dish.
3. Tochitura de Pui - required Poultry x4, Meat x3, Juicy Game x1 (unique trophy) - consuming this dish will significantly extend the protagonist's health bar. This dish extends the energy bar the most.
4. Sarmale de Peste - required Fish x6, Finest Fish x1 (unique trophy) - consuming this dish allows Ethan to move faster. This can be useful even when simply exploring the area.