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.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matilda | S | Leon players clearing corridors and dropping single zombies without spending shotgun shells | Leon's starting handgun, and with the stock and extended magazine parts it becomes a controlled burst weapon rather than a pea shooter. |
| W-870 | A | Crowd control in tight interiors and emergencies at arm's length | Leon's shotgun, found in the police station and the answer to anything at close range or anything blocking a doorway. |
| Lightning Hawk | A | Heavy enemies and boss encounters where a wasted second costs health | One of the most powerful firearms in the game and available relatively early, dropping most common enemies in a single shot. |
| GM 79 | B | Claire players who need to break a grab or push through a blocked route | Claire's grenade launcher, firing flame and acid rounds. |
| Spark Shot | B | Claire's late campaign encounters where conventional ammunition falls short | Claire's electrical weapon, situational for most of the campaign and specifically effective against G in its fourth stage. |
S-Tier: Matilda
Leon's starting handgun, and with the stock and extended magazine parts it becomes a controlled burst weapon rather than a pea shooter. It carries the early police station on ammunition efficiency alone.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Leon players clearing corridors and dropping single zombies without spending shotgun shells |
| Key Mechanic | Four scenarios across two characters |
| Recommended Build | Leon 1st Run |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Matilda: Pairs naturally with Leon 1st Run thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: W-870
Leon's shotgun, found in the police station and the answer to anything at close range or anything blocking a doorway. Point blank shots can remove heads outright, which is the cheapest way to make a corridor stay clear.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Crowd control in tight interiors and emergencies at arm's length |
| Key Mechanic | Ink Ribbons and Hardcore saving |
| Recommended Build | Claire 1st Run |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using W-870: Pairs naturally with Claire 1st Run thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Lightning Hawk
One of the most powerful firearms in the game and available relatively early, dropping most common enemies in a single shot. Ammunition is scarce enough that most players hoard it far longer than they need to.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Heavy enemies and boss encounters where a wasted second costs health |
| Key Mechanic | Inventory slots and item combining |
| Recommended Build | Leon 2nd Run |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Lightning Hawk: Pairs naturally with Leon 2nd Run thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: GM 79
Claire's grenade launcher, firing flame and acid rounds. It does as much work stunning and interrupting as it does killing, which makes it the tool for creating space rather than clearing rooms.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Claire players who need to break a grab or push through a blocked route |
| Key Mechanic | Weapon upgrade parts |
| Recommended Build | Claire 2nd Run |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using GM 79: Pairs naturally with Claire 2nd Run thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Spark Shot
Claire's electrical weapon, situational for most of the campaign and specifically effective against G in its fourth stage. Charging it fully matters far more than firing it often.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Claire's late campaign encounters where conventional ammunition falls short |
| Key Mechanic | Rank system and infinite ammo unlocks |
| Recommended Build | Hardcore difficulty |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Spark Shot: Pairs naturally with Hardcore difficulty thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Raccoon City streets
- W-870 → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Lightning Hawk → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Matilda → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- 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.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
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 Walkthrough
- Resident Evil 2 Beginner's Guide
- Resident Evil 2 Tips & Tricks
- 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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- Dead by Daylight Weapons Guide: horror game with similar mechanics
