Resident Evil 5 Enemy Guide

Written by: Simon Hill • Edited by: Eric Stallsworth
Updated Jun 1, 2011 • Related Guides: Resident Evil 5

Here is a guide to the various nasty enemies you’ll encounter in Resident Evil 5. They may be tough and hideous but don’t worry there’s always a way to make them dead.

Monsters Galore

If you’ve been playing Resident Evil 5 on the PC you’ll have noticed the array of horrible creatures intent on sucking out your bone marrow. From standard pawns like Majini up to boss characters like Ndesu, none of them are easy to kill until you know how. To be honest even when you know how many of them still aren’t easy to kill. This guide will give you some tips on how best to kill most of them. There are a few surprises in the later stages which aren’t covered here. You may also want to check out the Resident Evil 5 Weapon Guide.

Majini

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Your standard enemies are infected with “Las Plagas” and although they may resemble zombies they are a great deal more dangerous. They coordinate attacks, use weapons and have the ability to unhinge their jaws and try to bite your head off. They will grab you at times and you’ll need to be quick to break free. One of the best ways of dealing with them is to shoot them in the legs and when they stumble use a machete attack or a stomp to finish them off.

Kipepeo

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These winged flying creatures will sometimes detach themselves from inside Majini you have killed. They will try to grab your head and can prove very irritating, especially if you don’t notice them approaching. Shoot them on sight and don’t stop shooting till their corpses fall from the sky.

Chainsaw Majini

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These are the seriously angry guys with sacks over their heads and big roaring chainsaws, you’ll hear them coming. The best approach is to keep your distance because, funnily enough, a chainsaw strike is very hazardous to your health. Use the shotgun when they get close and explosives are always good, either grenades or proximity mines.

Executioner

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These big axe wielding freaks will mash you up if you let them get close. Luckily they are pretty slow. They have two attacks a big crushing blow down the way and a side to side swipe. If you make sure you don’t get cornered you should be fine. Use the explosive barrels dotted around to damage him, grenades are also good and the shotgun will do fine when he gets up close. You can also avoid him by jumping up to one of the platforms because he isn’t a climber, but watch out because the Majini are.

Dogs

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They attack in packs and they may look fairly innocuous but believe me they aren’t. The dogs are very fast and they have a leap attack which means they can be on top of you before you expect it. They can also latch on to you and sometimes their heads will burst open revealing the parasite within. Shoot them on sight with something powerful like the magnum, shotgun or rifle.

Crocodile

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In the swamp section you’ll encounter quite a few ridiculously huge crocodiles. The best approach is to run away. Why waste ammunition? You can kill them but there’s no reward, not even a pair of boots for Chris or a handbag for Sheva. Make sure you dodge and run if they catch you in their powerful jaws it’s game over.

Licker

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You’ll remember these crawling beasties with the long tongues. Well despite the name they don’t just want to lick you. They tend to come in groups and they’ll sneak up and then attack with real speed. They need something explosive to take them out so go for the grenade launcher. If they get close the shotgun will do, at distance use the rifle. In fact if you use the shotgun up close to blast them onto their backs you can follow up with a stab to the heart to kill them instantly.

Reaper

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These things look like giant insects and they can kill you off in the blink of an eye so handle with care. They have a spit attack from distance but you really don’t want to let them get close either so make sure that you waste them fast. They have weak spots marked in white, shoot those to stun and then shoot the main white weak spot to kill. You probably want to use something you can aim with accurately or you could always just pulp them with the rocket launcher.

Popokarimu

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This thing looks like a giant bat merged with a caterpillar and it is not friendly. It flies around, it scuttles along the floor, it screams and it bites you. The best way to defeat it is to keep constantly moving and laying proximity mines. When it triggers a mine it will be stunned and lie on its side. Run up and shoot the glowing area under its tail. You can tell if you are shooting the right area because you’ll see some blood splatter. Rinse and repeat until it doesn’t get up.

Uroboros

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The only thing these nasties can’t handle is fire. They look like a mass of deadly black spaghetti pouring out of a corpse and you can’t afford to let them get anywhere near you. The first one you encounter needs to be cooked in the furnace, more than once if you are playing on the higher difficulty. For the bigger versions you can also use the rocket launcher, incendiary grenades, flamethrower and eventually the laser satellite weapon. The rocket launcher is expensive but definitely the easiest option.

Ndesu

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This giant troll bloke has humans hanging from his belt. Apparently he was once human himself but now he is a shambling mass of monster and you’ll notice periodic bursting of nastiness on his shoulders and chest. Shoot the parasitic bits as fast as possible. If he throws a rock concentrate fire on it to shatter it, if he tries to stomp shoot his foot and he’ll flinch away and if he charges shoot his face and he’ll break off. The only time you want to switch fire away is when the Majini pop up to annoy you. Take them out fast and return to the Ndesu.

More Bosses

There are a few other boss fights to get through and you can find more information in this RE5 tips article. Hopefully this is enough to see you through. The best approach is definitely to buy the rocket launcher and save the ammo for the bosses. Good luck.