Resident Evil 5 Weapons Guide

Written by: Simon Hill • Edited by: Eric Stallsworth
Updated May 22, 2011 • Related Guides: Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is a tough game to survive. There are infected people running riot and all manner of nasty monsters eager to spill your blood. If you want to make it through in one piece you need to master your weapons. Check out this RE5 weapons guide for advice.

Resident Evil 5 Weaponry

Resident Evil 5 is a fight for survival and you can only win it by unleashing some serious firepower. You’ll face all kinds of enemies and many of them can withstand huge amounts of damage. You need to use the right weapons and make sure you upgrade them in order to build up the firepower required. In this guide we’ll take a look at the weapons in Resident Evil 5, where to find them, the upgrade system and the unlockable guns.

Melee Weapons

click to enlarge

Your standard issue machete is a really useful weapon and you will use it to open boxes and crates without wasting ammunition. It also deals out a powerful blow which is often essential in close quarters combat if you run out of ammo or have the wrong gun equipped.

Machete – you’ll be equipped with this from the start.
Stun Rod – this becomes available after Chapter 2.3 (store purchase).

Basic Handguns

click to enlarge

There are a few choices in the handgun category and you will most likely always have a handgun on you during the game. Handgun ammunition is scattered around the levels quite liberally. Used correctly the handguns can be very useful. The best approach is to shoot enemies in the legs so they stumble forward and then you can quickly get in close and follow up with a powerful melee attack. All of the handguns can be upgraded and their performance will be dramatically improved if you do upgrade.

M92F – this is your standard issue pistol and you’ll be equipped with it from the start of the game.
H&K P8 – this handgun becomes available after Chapter 3.1 (store purchase).
SIG P226 – this handgun becomes available after Chapter 5.1 (store purchase).
M93R – this handgun becomes available once you have fully upgraded the M92F (store purchase).

Magnum Handguns

click to enlarge

These are much more powerful than your basic handguns but they are also slower to fire and reload and they tend to hold fewer rounds. Luckily they are much more powerful so you can go straight for headshots to take down enemies.

S&W M29 – this handgun becomes available after Chapter 3.1 (corpse in village after swamp).
L. Hawk – this handgun becomes available after Chapter 5.3 (in sarcophagus).
S&W M500 – this handgun becomes available once you have fully upgraded the S&W M29 (store purchase).

Shotguns

click to enlarge

In any game with tight corridors and sudden burst out attacks from creepy creatures shotguns are a soothing presence in your armoury. Great at close range for doing maximum damage and useless at longer distances the shotgun really is a specialist weapon and it has to be used in the right circumstance or you won’t last long. Shotguns are ideal for blasting groups of opponents but sadly the ammunition is limited.

Ithaca M37 – this shotgun becomes available after Chapter 1.2 (old building next to hotel).
Benelli M3 - this shotgun becomes available after Chapter 3.3 (second set of floodgates).
Jail Breaker - this shotgun becomes available after Chapter 6.1 (in the ship’s hold).
Hydra – this shotgun becomes available once you have fully upgraded the Ithaca M37 (store purchase).

Machine Guns

click to enlarge

I’m not a big fan of the machine guns in RE5. They are horribly weak and the high rate of fire means they empty in the blink of an eye. They can be handy for spraying groups and buying some time but you can easily waste a whole clip on a single enemy and that makes the machine guns pretty impractical in my book.

VZ61 – this machine gun becomes available after Chapter 1.1 (next to gate the helicopter destroys).
H&K MP5 – this machine gun becomes available after Chapter 2.1 (lab office).
AK-74 – this machine gun becomes available after Chapter 5.1 (warehouse).
SIG 556 – this machine gun becomes available after Chapter 5.2 (near dumpster).
Gatling Gun – this machine gun becomes available once you have fully upgraded the VZ61 and it’s just for Chris (store purchase).

Rifles

click to enlarge

Rifles are ideal for long range sniping and there are several sections in Resident Evil 5 where you’ll want to pick off the enemies ahead before you proceed. They also have terrific power but they are so slow to fire and reload that they are rendered useless for close combat. You should always have a rifle in your inventory.

S75 – this rifle becomes available after Chapter 2.1 (building past locked gate at docks).
Dragunov SVD – this rifle becomes available after Chapter 2.2 (mining office locker).
H&K PSG-1 – this rifle becomes available after Chapter 5.3 (catwalk area).
Bushman Bow – this crossbow becomes available after you fully upgrade the S75 and it’s just for Sheva (store purchase).

Explosive Weapons

click to enlarge

Sometimes you need something a bit bigger than a gun to take out a massive grotesque monster or a group of rabid zombies. Explosives are always useful, especially for boss fights. They are fairly rare though so use them carefully.

Rocket Launcher – this becomes available after Chapter 3.1 (capsized boat).
M40 Grenade Launcher – this becomes available after Chapter 4.1 and features various ammunition types (statue).
Hand Grenade – you’ll find these all over the place and they are great for taking out groups. There are three types (explosive, incendiary and flash).
Proximity Mine – you’ll find these scattered less liberally than the hand grenades and they are more powerful so save them for boss fights.

General RE5 Weapon Advice

Here are some general tips on weapons in Resident Evil 5 to round things off.

Always make sure you keep your equipped gun loaded and don’t move forward while you are in the process of loading in case you trigger an attack.
Always search each area thoroughly for ammunition because it is scarce.
Always break open boxes, jars and crates so you can find more pick ups and cash or treasures to sell for cash.
Always upgrade your favourite weapon to the max.

You may also be interested in some Resident Evil 5 Tips & Hints.