Summary
Now that the Separate Ways DLC update has added a few new characters to The Mercenaries inResident Evil 4 Remake, the mode is now packed with content, and there are plenty of rewards that can be earned by aiming for thoseA and S rankson each of the stages. The free update added two new characters, along with two character variants that have the same melee attacks, but different weapons from their original forms.
Thanks to the brand new Mayhem Mode feature that’s been added to theRemakeversion of Mercenaries, all the characters now feel unique with each of them leaning into an entirely different playstyle. Still, this mode has always been about racking up combos and achieving a high score, so it’s always good to know exactly who’s the most effective at taking down hordes of Ganado with their set of equipment and personal abilities. Here’s how each of the Mercenaries characters inResident Evil 4 Remakerank when taking into account their effectiveness, and also just how fun they are to play in general.
8Luis
Luis almost feels like a character who’s purposefully stripped back to present more of a challenge to the player, and this is due to his weapons and melee attacks which just aren’t quite as strong as his allies. Whilehis Red-9 possesses a high rate of fireand has pretty decent damage, his only other weapon is a bolt-action rifle which can be a little risky to use when Dr. Salvador or the Bella Sisters are charging toward him.
His Dynamite is also very difficult to use which is a shame considering how game-changing a lot of the other character’s Mayhem abilities are. The best way to use it is by placing it down and manually detonating it by luring enemies in and shooting at it directly, but this can use up some valuable time in the process. There is at least his Pipe Swing move which is guaranteed topop a few Ganado heads off, but he’s fairly weak overall.
7Leon (Original)
Leon’s original variant is essentially the most well-rounded character of the bunch which isgreat for survival, but in terms of reaching high scores, he might take a little extra effort than other characters. His guns are actually pretty good, and while his handgun is the most basic version, his Riot Gun and Stingray can still clear out groups in a matter of seconds. His Mayhem Mode drastically improves his speed and makes him more or less unstoppable. Just make sure to stay accurate when activating it as it won’t last long.
Where he falters is in his moves and the rest of his equipment. While Leon’s roundhouse kicks are incredibly fun to pull off, many of the other characters have attacks that can cover a bigger radius, alongside just having stronger attacks in general. He also spawns with a single First Aid Spray and no grenades to speak of which can leave him pretty unprepared fordealing with mini-bosses.
6Ada (Original)
Fans had beeneagerly awaiting Ada’s return to theRemakeas a playable character ever since the game was released, and she certainly didn’t disappoint, bringing with her some incredible weapons and fun melee attacks to play around with. Ada has a kick similar to Leon, but she can actually grapple towards the enemy while doing it which can make for a great escape method after being surrounded. Her Blacktail might not be a powerhouse in damage, but the rate of fire makes it lethal when she’s using her Mayhem Mode, which enhances her speed and damage.
She also has a handy Sawed Off Shotgun which is great for crowd control and keeping mini bosses at bay. Her only real downside isher Crossbow, not in the sense that it’s weak, but because of just how long the thing takes to reload. A lot of the time, players will need to run around the map avoiding attacks just to get the Crossbow ready that does make it a bit of a burden sometimes, but she’s otherwise a ton of fun to play and very reliable.
5Leon (Pinstripe)
This classy mafioso version of Leon hasthe Chicago Sweeper, a 1940s-style machine gun that boasts incredibly high damage, and when Mayhem Mode is activated, it can wipe out a staggering amount of enemies in one go. His Broken Butterfly also makes very quick work of any brutes or enemies with large health pools like the Garradors, but his pump action shotgun is a little unreliable because of how slow it is.
It would have been nice to have seen a few new moves added with the flashy aesthetic, but Leon’s Pinstripe variant is still very fun to play regardless, especially due to just how devastating the Chicago Sweeper is. Also, similar to regular Leon, it’s best to seek out some grenades as soon as possible when picking this character.
4Ada (Dress)
Ada’s signature TMP makes a return in her Dress variant, and she also has a deadly Stingray sniper anda Rocket Launcherto go with it. It can admittedly be tricky knowing when to exactly deploy the rocket considering it’s a one-hit kill to anything, so it helps to know what the major boss for the specific map is and try to bunch them in with as many enemies as possible before firing.
She still has her grappling hook kick which is great for AOE attacks and getting out from a sticky situation, but she doesn’t have any moves that seem overpowered. Her main gameplan is therefore building up time with the rapid TMP and her deadly kicks before then gathering a ton of points from the eventual Rocket Launcher blast.
3Krauser
Krauser has a fairly steep learning curve to his character, but if players can get into the rhythm of his knife slashes and are skilled enough to time the strikes correctly, he is capable of racking up a combo like nobody else. His TMP is a decent weapon that’s good for making space, and his explosive crossbow is devastating at range, but it’s Krauser’s knife that’s going to decide whether a game earns the high score or not.
While it’s extremely strong for how fast Krauser attacks, there is a slight delay in between slashes where enemies can stagger Krauser, so players will need to be aware of their surroundings at all times. When using Mayhem Mode, Krauseractivates his mutant formand lets out a giant slash in front of him, giving him a great option for controlling hordes. He very much has a risk-and-reward playstyle that can easily go wrong but is also near-unstoppable when used efficiently.
2Hunk
Anyone who was worried that Hunk might end up being nerfed between the original and the remake ofResident Evil 4can luckily breathe easy as he’s just as overpowered this time around, and potentially even more so thanks to his abilities. Despite only having an LE-5, this SMG is capable of dishing out tons of damage, and since it’s his only weapon, Hunk will be picking up plenty of ammo for it. It’s by far the best gun in the entire mode when it comes to sustainable damage, but Hunk’s Mayhem ability takes it to a whole new level entirely.
When Hunk’s Mayhem bar is full, he will gaininfinite ammo, giving him more than enough time to clear out a map with just his LE-5 in hand. He also doesn’t need to reload during Mayhem Mode, in case it wasn’t already strong enough. Hunk is also capable of taking down bosses like Salvador with a single hit due to his neck-break attack, and he can make reaching high scores extremely easy. He’s probably a little too powerful for his own good, but there’s one other character who still manages to beat him out.
1Wesker
Rather than limitinghis super-human abilitiesto the lore, Capcom always decides to make them part of Wesker’s abilities when he appears in Mercenaries. Not that anyone’s complaining because it makes him an absolute joy to play. The XM96E1 is a unique handgun with great critical hit damage and his Killer 7 makesquick work of bosses, but it’s Wesker’s melee combat where he truly becomes game-breaking.
When a character’s leg-sweep attack is enough to instant kill up to five enemies, you know you’re playing as a real superhuman. Wesker’s also able to teleport to a staggered enemy, similar to Ada’s grapple hook, but much faster. Every single one of Wesker’s attacks will instantly kill regular enemies, and since this earns extra time, it makes getting that S++ Rank a cakewalk with him. He also has a parry attack that can deflect anything, including grab attacks and chainsaws. This isn’t even mentioning his Mayhem ability where he unleashes a combo of attacks and makes him invulnerable. If this is Wesker inResident Evil 4, words can’t describe how strong he’s going to be if a remake ofResident Evil 5ever does happen.
