Resident Evil Requiem's new "Leon Must Die Forever" DLC shadowdrops for free — Capcom turns zombie roundhouse kicks into a roguelike mode, and more are coming
Take on hordes of increasingly challenging zombies and monsters in Resident Evil Requiem's new "Leon Must Die Forever" mode.
Resident Evil Requiem, the latest title in Capcom's legendary Resident Evil series, has received its first major DLC update via a shadowdropped announcement.
The update in question is a new game mode called "Leon Must Die Forever". It's a roguelike challenge mode where players, as fan-favorite Leon Kennedy, must fight through waves of zombies and monsters to eventually confront the game's main villain, Victor, in a showdown.
The first thing you need to know is that Leon Must Die Forever won't be immediately available to play once downloaded. You will need to complete Resident Evil Requiem's main campaign on any difficulty first to unlock the new game mode.
Leon Must Die Forever works in a similar fashion to Resident Evil's staple Mercenaries Mode from past titles. As Leon, you're required to kill waves of zombies and monsters to reach the final boss within a time limit (which you can extend by shooting special rare monsters that increase it).
There are five difficulty settings available for Leon Must Die Forever. Each setting is more grueling than the last, including one extremely difficult setting that is sure to test even the most skilled Resident Evil players.
What sets Leon Must Die Forever apart from Mercenaries is the inclusion of Roguelike elements. Killing enemies will fill an Enhancement Gauge, which you can spend on giving Leon Kennedy passive abilities that buff his damage output or tank heavy hits.
In addition to Leon Must Die Forever, this free DLC update also features several bug fixes, gameplay balance changes, and in-game adaptive triggers, vibration functions, and motion sensor functions being added for the PS5's DualSense Wireless Controller.
2026 is looking to be another major win for Resident Evil
This isn't the only DLC Resident Evil Requiem is getting; Capcom is currently working on a full DLC expansion that will add a new storyline to the game and will be released at a later date (which is currently unspecified as of this writing).
Resident Evil Requiem has quickly proven itself to be another huge success for Capcom as it sold 5 million copies in just five days, and it's been showered with praise from critics and fans alike.
Even our die-hard Resident Evil fanatic, Executive Editor Jez Corden, gave RE9 a near-perfect review score of 4.5/5, stating that, "Resident Evil Requiem represents another win in what could be one of Capcom's best product slates in recent memory."
So, if you've completed Resident Evil Requiem's main campaign and want an excuse to shoot, kick, hack, and slash monsters again as Leon Kennedy, then Leon Must Die Forever is the perfect time to jump back into the world of survival horror.
🗨️Over to you
What are your thoughts on Resident Evil Requiem's new "Leon Must Die Forever" mode? Does it motivate you to revisit this blockbuster hit, or are you planning to wait until Resident Evil Requiem's story DLC expansion drops before replaying (or maybe playing it for the first time if you haven't already)?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll below.
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Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran with over 35 years of experience who primarily covers Xbox and PC gaming news and spotlights discounts on the best laptops, peripherals, and other electronics. He's also a diehard fan of JRPGs, action games, beat em’ ups, and Capcom’s Monster Hunter series
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