Resident Evil 4 Remake: Unlockables, Ranked

Who doesn't want to play as Leon while wearing some cute cat ears?

Just like the original Resident Evil 4, the remake offers numerous unlockables. While some got removed, most of them returned in this new version, plus plenty of new additions as well. Not only are there unlockable costumes, but accessories, too, and many have awesome perks tied to wearing them.

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Most of these special accessories are unlocked by beating all four difficulties with an S+ rank. Doing this on the higher modes especially is some of the hardest challenges in the game. Only the costumes and accessories that give you exclusive perks will be counted, plus all the unlockable weapons.

This first one is the least helpful of the bunch. The Deer Antlers accessory is unlocked by beating Standard difficulty with an S+ rank, which you'll likely do anyway to get every achievement/trophy. It greatly increases the damage of knife attacks. You'll rarely need this perk, except for perhaps the Krauser fights.

The knife does good damage against him, but in virtually every other scenario, it's worthwhile to use a different special accessory. Remember, you can only equip one at a time and can't swap during fights. This means you're best off equipping the outright best one for a given scenario.

The special accessory awarded for clearing Assisted difficulty with an S+ rank is the Wolf Tail. Instead of greatly increasing your knife damage, your melee attacks get the damage boost. Since you'll use melee much more often than the knife, this is a great accessory to wear.

If you're a beginner, some of the higher-tier special accessories will be better, but the Wolf Tail is great for experienced players on all the difficulties. That melee attack boost does make a difference in many areas of the game. The only downside is that obtaining it is a bit out of the way since it's unnecessary for achievement progression.

Unlike the other special accessories, you don't need an S+ rank to get the Gas Mask. You simply need to beat Professional mode once. The Gas Mask perk is pretty interesting, as it allows you to enable aim assist no matter the difficulty. Hardcore and Professional modes disable aim assist, but you can still use it with this equipped.

This is incredibly helpful with getting headshots in, although it's wise to disable it if you're trying to shoot the blue medallions. Since you'll likely get this earlier than any of the other special accessories, it's great to use up until you get some of the higher-tier ones.

Of the three bonus weapons, the Primal Knife is the weakest but also the most useful. What makes this weapon good is that it has infinite durability. The Fighting Knife is still the strongest knife in the game, but you need to repair that. Most people who play RE4 Remake will use knives primarily to escape grabs.

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That drains the durability quite a bit, but with a maxed-out Primal Knife, you can escape grabs all day, every day. This weapon is fantastic for New Game Plus but just okay for New Game. You'll probably want to get the exclusive for one of the other bonus weapons on a first run, but overall the Primal Knife is still very good.

The best machine gun in all of Resident Evil 4 and one of the best weapons in the whole game is the Chicago Sweeper. It's fast, has decent accuracy, and deals a good amount of damage. The only downside is the poor range, as shooting enemies from afar will end badly. Just like all the other bonus weapons, its exclusive perk offers infinite ammo.

You can shoot forever if you want. This makes it great for S+ ranks, as you should have enough Spinels to get a free exclusive upgrade from the Merchant around the time you enter the castle. Even when you unlock the best bonus weapon, the Handcannon, you should still use the Sweeper on S+ runs as it's more reliable at that point.

Resident Evil 4 remake's ultimate reward is the Cat Ears. To get it, you must beat Professional with an S+ rank, and that ain't easy. You can only save 15 times, and in Pro mode, saving acts as a checkpoint that you must return to if you die. That's brutal, but unfortunately, the ultimate reward isn't all that.

The Cat Ears accessory gives you infinite ammo, which sounds awesome on paper. The issue is you still need to reload. This is a noticeable setback, and it's plain odd that Capcom needed to balance out this ultimate reward. If you're going to give out infinite ammo, you might as well go all the way with it. The Cat Ears are still very useful but don't offer real infinite ammo as they should.

Only one costume in the game offers an exclusive perk, and that's Armor Ashley. You must beat Hardcore mode or higher with an A rank to get it. Like the classic game, this costume makes Ashley immune to enemy attacks, and whenever a baddie tries to pick her up, the massive weight of the armor is too much for the enemy to bear.

It's still possible for the enemy to capture Ashley if you try to leave without her being close enough. This can happen at the end of the garden maze, for example. However, for the most part, as long as you wait for her to drop from the enemy, you should be okay. All of this makes Armor Ashley one of the most useful unlockables in the whole game.

The best accessory for the majority of players is the Chicken Hat, and you must beat Hardcore with an S+ rank to get it. It's nothing like the one in Metal Gear, as RE4's Chicken Hat greatly decreases the damage you receive. For beginner players, this is incredibly helpful on all difficulties and should be your main accessory.

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You'll need this, especially for Professional, because enemies hit like a truck on that mode. Once you get more experienced and learn the safest routes to ensure low damage, you should put on one of the other accessories like the Wolf Tail. Still, for most people, the Chicken Hat is the most useful of all the accessories.

Out of all the bonus weapons, the Handcannon is the best one. It used to be the hardest to obtain, as you needed to beat Professional from a New Game without using bonus weapons. However, with the addition of Mercenaries mode, you can now simply obtain an S rank on all three maps to get it as well. This is far easier than unlocking it the normal way.

The Handcannon, once maxed-out, is the most powerful gun in the game and offers infinite ammo. It shreds through enemies, but keep in mind its accuracy. You'll miss a lot of shots if you keep firing repeatedly, which doesn't make it the most reliable weapon. It does have better range than the Chicago Sweeper, at least, and it's still a great weapon but not the best in the title.

The best unlockable and straight-up best weapon in the game has to be the Infinite Rocket Launcher. There's a reason why this weapon is only obtainable in New Game Plus, as it's just that destructive. It's pricey, though, costing two million Pesetas.

You should be able to afford it by the end of your second playthrough, and when starting your third, it's time to wreck house. The Infinite Rocket Launcher has a surprisingly decent firing rate, one-shots virtually everything in the game, plus has a massive blast radius. It makes the game a cakewalk, but do ensure you don't hurt yourself with the splash damage.

NEXT: Best Weapons In The Resident Evil Series, Ranked

A gaming enthusiast from the northwest. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Portland State University with a GPA of 3.49. Has done article work for Keen Gamer. His favorite games are Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden II. Super Ninja on the Prowl.