Resident Evil 2 is Capcom's 2019 rebuild of the 1998 survival horror classic, released on 24 January 2019 and constructed from scratch on the RE Engine rather than remastered. Rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield arrive in Raccoon City on the worst possible night and end up barricaded inside the police station while an outbreak works through the population outside. The over the shoulder camera and modern controls replace the fixed angles and tank controls of the original, but the resource discipline is intact: ammunition is scarce, healing herbs need combining, and every corridor you clear can be repopulated. Each character has a separate playable campaign with a second run variant, and the difficulty tiers change the rules rather than just the numbers, with Hardcore removing autosave entirely. Treat it as a game about route planning and inventory management that happens to be terrifying.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Raccoon City streets | Four scenarios across two characters basics | Claire 1st Run | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Raccoon Police Department | Ink Ribbons and Hardcore saving mastery | Claire 1st Run | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | R.P.D. underground facility | Inventory slots and item combining + gear | Leon 1st Run or Claire 1st Run | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Sewers | Build optimization | Leon 1st Run | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | NEST | Min-max | Leon 1st Run or Hardcore difficulty | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Raccoon City streets)
The opening stretch, where the game teaches you that ammunition does not solve problems and that walking past a threat is a valid answer. Short, linear and deliberately claustrophobic compared with what follows.
Level/Difficulty: Opening hour Key Rewards: Starting handgun, first healing items, the first taste of the resource economy
What to Do in Raccoon City streets
- Learn Four scenarios across two characters. The game holds four scenarios: Leon, Leon 2nd, Claire and Claire 2nd. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Claire 1st Run as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Hip pouches beat ammunition in value terms. Every extra inventory slot means one fewer trip back to an item box, and trips cost time, which feeds directly into your rank.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: W-870 or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Four scenarios across two characters fundamentals
- Claire 1st Run selected and functional
- Raccoon City streets main content cleared
- Ready for Raccoon Police Department
Phase 2: Early Game (Raccoon Police Department)
The heart of the game and one of the most carefully built maps in the series. It is a hub you return to repeatedly as new keys and tools open shortcuts, and learning its loops is the single biggest skill gain available.
Level/Difficulty: Roughly the first half of every scenario Key Rewards: Shotgun or grenade launcher, hip pouches, most weapon upgrade parts, safe room typewriters
What to Do in Raccoon Police Department
- Work on Ink Ribbons and Hardcore saving. On Standard and Assisted the typewriters save freely and autosave picks up the slack. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for W-870 if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The item box is shared across every box in the game. Nothing you store is stranded, so store aggressively rather than carrying things because you might need them two rooms later.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to R.P.D. underground facility.
- Consider whether Leon 1st Run might suit your playstyle better than Claire 1st Run.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Ink Ribbons and Hardcore saving integrated into gameplay
- W-870 acquired
- Raccoon Police Department fully cleared
- Ready for R.P.D. underground facility
Phase 3: Mid Game (R.P.D. underground facility)
The transitional area beneath the station, tighter and darker than the halls above it. Route knowledge matters here because there are fewer alternate paths when something is following you.
Level/Difficulty: Mid scenario Key Rewards: Key items that gate progress, additional gunpowder and upgrade parts
What to Do in R.P.D. underground facility
- Master Inventory slots and item combining. You carry a fixed number of slots and expand it with hip pouches found around the map. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Matilda. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Ink Ribbons only exist on Hardcore. If you have never played the game, do not start there, because a bad thirty minutes with no autosave is genuinely lost progress.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Weapon upgrade parts for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Inventory slots and item combining mastered
- Matilda acquired or in progress
- R.P.D. underground facility fully cleared
- Ready for Sewers
Phase 4: Late Game (Sewers)
A maze of walkways and water with limited sightlines and enemies that punish running blindly. It is also where HUNK's bonus mode The 4th Survivor begins, running from the sewers to the R.P.D. front gate.
Level/Difficulty: Second half of the scenario Key Rewards: Progress key items, a strong test of ammunition discipline before the final stretch
What to Do in Sewers
- Finalize your build. You should be running Leon 1st Run or Claire 1st Run with optimized gear.
- Matilda should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Finishing with the good ending in under four hours unlocks an Ink Ribbon with unlimited uses. That single unlock is what makes repeated Hardcore attempts reasonable.
- Rank system and infinite ammo unlocks optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into NEST.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Matilda upgraded to max
- Sewers fully cleared
- Ready for NEST
Phase 5: Endgame (NEST)
The underground laboratory that closes out each scenario, cleaner and more clinical than everything before it and with a much tighter time pressure. Bring what you have saved rather than expecting to find it here.
Level/Difficulty: Final act Key Rewards: Endgame ammunition, the final encounters, and the completion time that decides your rank
What to Do in NEST
- NEST tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- S rank on Standard needs under three hours thirty on a first run and under three hours on a 2nd Run. Hardcore tightens those to two hours thirty and two hours.
- The endgame loop: run NEST, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Hardcore difficulty for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Rank system and infinite ammo unlocks mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- NEST fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Shooting every zombie in the police station. Many can be walked around, and the ammunition spent on them is the ammunition you will want two hours later.
- Starting on Hardcore for the atmosphere. No autosave plus Ink Ribbon gated typewriters means a mistake can cost a genuinely long stretch of progress.
- Hoarding the Lightning Hawk or the Spark Shot until the credits roll. Both exist to solve specific fights, and finishing with a full magnum reserve is not a win.
- Carrying raw gunpowder, spare key items and every herb at once, then having no free slot when something worth taking appears.
- Assuming this is the 1998 original with better graphics. The remake rebuilds encounter placement, puzzles and item locations on the RE Engine, so old route knowledge misleads more than it helps.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Hip pouches beat ammunition in value terms. Every extra inventory slot means one fewer trip back to an item box, and trips cost time, which feeds directly into your rank.
- The item box is shared across every box in the game. Nothing you store is stranded, so store aggressively rather than carrying things because you might need them two rooms later.
- Ink Ribbons only exist on Hardcore. If you have never played the game, do not start there, because a bad thirty minutes with no autosave is genuinely lost progress.
- Finishing with the good ending in under four hours unlocks an Ink Ribbon with unlimited uses. That single unlock is what makes repeated Hardcore attempts reasonable.
- S rank on Standard needs under three hours thirty on a first run and under three hours on a 2nd Run. Hardcore tightens those to two hours thirty and two hours.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Resident Evil 2 Guides
- Resident Evil 2 Resident Evil 2 Overview
- Resident Evil 2 Best Builds
- Resident Evil 2 Tier List
- Resident Evil 2 Beginner's Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Tips & Tricks
- Resident Evil 2 Weapons Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Combat Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Boss Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Maps & Locations
- Resident Evil 2 Crafting Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Classes & Characters
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