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Resident Evil 4 Remakebrings back the fan-favorite score attack mode, The Mercenaries, which first appeared in the original RE4 game. This high-intensity subgame lets players throw caution to the wind and blast their way through dozens of enemies at a time with little regard for ammo. It’s a cathartic way to show Los Illuminados who’s boss!
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Best of all, The Mercenaries allows players to try fighting as characters besides Leon. Each playable character has a unique loadout and play style, entirely changing your approach to each map. We’ve got all the info on each character - which one is right for you?
Updated June 06, 2025:The Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4 Remake came with a free update for The Mercenaries. With the addition of Ada and Wesker, the classic roster is complete once more! We’ve added entries for both of these iconic characters.
Leon
When you play The Mercenaries for the first time, the only available character is Leon. Chances are you’ll feel pretty comfortable with his style, as it’s effectively identical to the main game. He has the most balanced loadout of all the characters, and uses the melee moves to which you’ve grown accustomed.
Leon is theonly character with a shotgun, and it will be your primary defense against elite enemies like Doctor Salvador. Try to conserve your Shotgun Shells for bosses and situations where you’re cornered and need to clear a path. you may also use it strategically during Mayhem Mode to drive up your score, aseach pellet that hits will earn bonus points.
If you prefer the standard crosshairs, you can freely equip and unequip the Laser Sight from the SG-09.You’ll have to do it at the beginning of each match, however.
Mayhem Mode
Leon’s Mayhem Mode is as straightforward as it gets - while it’s active, hemoves faster and deals more damage with attacks.Most headshots with the SG-09 will be fatal to standard Ganados while in Mayhem Mode - just watch out for emerging Plagas! While other characters are best saving Mayhem Mode for boss fights and clutch situations, you may use it pretty freely as Leon without having to worry.
If you complete every map with an S-Rank or higher as Leon, you’ll unlock hisPinstripeloadout, which is an SMG-focused build that uses shotguns and magnums for backup.
Luis
Luis is unlockedafter achieving an A-Rank or better on any map as Leon.As someone who relies more on his wits than his weapons, Luis can be a tricky but rewarding character to use. He’s theweakest character in close combatdue to his slow melee attacks and basic knife butexcels at long range.However, the lack of safe sniping positions on most maps means heneeds to keep movingin order to survive.
If you’re stuck in close combat, useperfect parriesto stagger enemies. Luis has a slow but powerful wide swing when several enemies are around, and using it as much as possible when cornered is key when playing as him.
The Red9 hits hard, but its slow firing and reload speed coupled with its limited ammo capacity make it easy to get cornered. Always aim for weak spots anduse melee followups to escaperather than to rack up kills.
The M1903 is fully upgraded and even has a Biosensor Scope, making itvery easy to pick out targets.Whenever you’re sniping, remember to check behind you after every few shots - the Ganados will try to sneak up on you if you aren’t vigilant.
Save the Flash Grenade for emergencies until you find more; Luis has the hardest time dealing with bosses, so you may need to use it to escape a chainsaw charge rather than to kill Plagas.
When Luis enters Mayhem Mode, heplaces a bundle of dynamitethat will explode after a few seconds. Once it explodes, you canmanually place another oneas long as you’re still in Mayhem Mode. With a full meter, you can usually deploy three bombs in a single Mayhem.
Dynamite is Luis' primary means of handling groups, since he doesn’t have a shotgun or SMG. Find a moderately safe spot, ideally one with an easily-accessible exit, and hold out for as long as you can. When things start to get rough,enter Mayhem Mode and run. Keep dropping bombs to ward off any pursuers until you reach your next position, then repeat the process.
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Krauser
Jack Krauser isunlocked after getting an A-Rank or better on any map with Luis.As you might expect after playing the main story, he’s a tireless melee machine! Krauser can rack up ridiculous combos by simply standing in the middle of the stage and slicing up any Ganados that get within arms reach, and his tactical gear lets him use the environment to his advantage.
Krauser’s knife is the standout in his arsenal; unlike the one in the main game,it never breaks, allowing you to use it as much as you want. You can evenparry chainsawswithout having to worry!
Krauser’s knife animation is very different from Leon’s. Keep the knife at the ready (the same way you’d make a thrust attack with Leon) and Krauser will make rapid swings that can catch multiple enemies!
The Compound Bow has limited ammo, and you’ll only find more arrows in small quantities, so it’sbest saved for bosses.The blasts from the explosive arrows are more than capable of scoring a knockdown on elite enemies, letting you close in for several knife strikes before they get back up.
The TMP doesn’t have the stock equipped, so it’svery inaccurate.The best use for it isdetonating red barrels, so be careful not to pick up too much SMG ammo. Otherwise, you’ll clutter your inventory late in the match!
Entering Mayhem Mode causes Krauser to assume his mutated form from theboss fight at the end of Chapter Fourteen. He can’t run or use ranged weapons (including grenades) while transformed, but his arm blades hit like a truck. He also gains access to a charge attack that willquickly drain his Mayhem meterbut heavily damage anything in his path.
Unlike other Mayhem abilities, Krauser’s isbest for cutting through large hordes.It can also put down enemies like Brutes with little problem, butleaves you open to insta-kill attacks like chainsaws.
Hunk
Hunk, the mysterious member of Umbrella’s elite security division, isunlocked after getting an A-Rank or better on any map with Krauser.He has a limited arsenal, but hismelee followups will instantly kill any foe- including bosses! This attack is slow, however, and doesn’t have an area effect like Leon’s roundhouse kick, so don’t rely on it too much or you’ll quickly run down the clock.
Starting Inventory
Hunk’s sole firearm, the LE-5, deals exceptional damage at close- and mid-range. A quick three-round burst will drop most standard Ganados and canstagger bossesto allow for a deadly melee attack. Its reload time leaves something to be desired, though, and Hunk’s knife won’t stand up to many parries, so if you get overwhelmedthrow a grenade and flee to a better position.
Hunk’s Mayhem Mode lets players unleash a torrent of bullets; as long as it’s active,Hunk’s gun never runs out of ammo or needs to be reloaded.It’s a great way to eliminate a lot of enemies quickly, or to focus fire on a single boss.
Ada
Ada Wong has a close-range fighting style that relies onstaggering and following up with melee attacks. She moves slightly slower than the other characters, but against a staggered enemy she canuse her grappling hook to quickly close the distancebefore delivering a devastating kick.
Most of Ada’s attacks will come from her custom Blacktail handgun. If you find yourself surrounded,use the shotgunto clear a path and escape; it has an enormous spread, which is great for crowd control butlimits its use against elite enemies.
For tough enemies like Garradors, you’ll want to use theBlast Crossbow.Its reload is extremely slow, so make every shot count!
Ada’s knife is weak but durable, and isbest used for counters and finishers.
Ada’s Mayhem Mode isidentical to Leon’s, increasing her speed and attack power. It’s worth noting that since it increases the animation speed of her character model,Mayhem Mode reduces reload timeswhile active.
Completing every map with an S-Rank or higher as Ada unlocks her classic outfit and loadout from the original Resident Evil 4, which uses a TMP to deliver a hail of burst fire.
Wesker
Although he mostly operates behind the scenes in Resident Evil 4, Albert Wesker is the primary antagonist for much of the series. The biological enhancements to his body make himone of the most powerful characters in the entire franchise. Wesker’s might is on full display in The Mercenaries, though it may take some getting used to. He’s unlocked aftercompleting any map as Ada.
Wesker has a lot of offensive power thanks to hispowerful, accurate weaponsandabundance of grenades.However, hedoes not start with any healing items, which can be a problem if you take damage early.
Wesker alsocannot find or equip knives.This means that he cannot perform knife finishers or counters, but hecan still parrythanks to his martial arts training. He cannot make normal melee attacks, but his follow-up against staggered enemies is amoderate-range teleportthat deals massive damage.
Wesker’s parry has amuch slower animationthan those of other characters, but itautomatically counterattackswhen it successfully blocks a strike… even chainsaws.
Entering Mayhem Mode allows Wesker tomake followups as though they were regular melee attacks,as many times as you can mash the button until the meter runs out. Just be sure not to get too cocky around enemies with instant-death attacks, and you’ll have little to fear while your Mayhem is active.
