Despite being the franchise that helped popularize the undead in video games, zombies are the least threatening enemy to deal with in Resident Evil.
This series has featured all kinds of horrifying creatures to deal with, including bio-engineered mutants, cultists infested with alien parasites, and evil humans who have gained superpowers through viruses while still retaining their intelligence.
Resident Evil Village is no different, as its bestiary consists of gothic horror-inspired monsters, including vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-esque cyborg zombies, and much more.
With such a stacked roster, you're going to need all the help you can get to beat these creatures of the night.
So we have compiled a list of every major enemy and boss in the game and have come up with tips and strategies that will give you the edge in hunting them down instead of being hunted by them.
Warning: There are major story spoilers ahead, including some unofficially announced enemy types and bosses, so read at your own discretion.
How to beat RE8 bosses and enemies
1. Common enemies
Let's start things off by taking a look at the common enemies you will be frequently facing. These freaks can be deadly even by themselves, but when grouped, they're a living nightmare.
Lycans
They might look like werewolves, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
While Lycans are the most common enemy type you'll encounter in Resident Evil Village, like zombies from previous games, they move very quickly, jump far, and can dodge attacks.
Like zombies, they can swarm at you in large numbers (wolves travel in packs, after all), so sometimes the best strategy is to run. They can also bite you if they get too close, so be sure to keep your distance anyway you can.
If you do decide to take them on in a fight, you'll manage as long as you have a decent supply of ammo or a shotgun.
On standard difficulty, Lycans take around seven handgun shots, but less if you can shoot them in the head.
Lycans (large)
These might look more advanced than regular Lycans, but they're mostly just Lycans in armor and with somewhat more dangerous attacks.
You take them down the same way you would a normal Lycan, except you need to be more careful about where you place your shots.
Luckily, you can crack their armor if you hit it in the correct place.
Moroaica
Here's a fun bit of trivia: all of the enemies you'll encounter in Castle Dimitrescu are female; men have all been harvested for their blood.
Women and girls, on the other hand, have been experimented upon by Lady Dimitrescu and Mother Miranda, turning them into blood-sucking monsters like the Moroaica and the Samca.
Moroaica are the most common enemy type in Lady Dimitrescu's area. They're a lot slower than Lycans, but they tend to appear in much more cramped areas, like the castle dungeons, so it's not as easy to run.
They also carry swords, so they can sweep at you from further away. However, because they shamble a lot more than run, their attacks are slow. They also travel in packs. If you run into one Moroaica, chances are there will be more.
Like Lycans, they also take a few shots to go down.
Samca
You'll spot the Samca once you start wandering around the outdoor areas of Castle Dimitrescu. They're like the Moroaica, except they have large wings and a long tongue, the latter of which is used to suck blood.
As you can imagine, they're tougher to fight than the Moroaica since they can fly and dodge your attacks. I found the best way to deal with them is to wait for them to fly in close and then shoot off rounds into their heads, whether with a handgun or shotgun.
They fly a little too quickly for the sniper rifle, but if you're faster with a long range weapon, it's worth it to try and get rid of them before they get too close.
Hauler
Heisenberg's Factory has a lot of enemy types, but Haulers are the most basic. As you can see from the design, a Hauler is a villager with a large weapon and a metal visor. The visor, however, is key here.
All of Heisenberg's enemies go through at least two stages of difficulty. Since this is the first stage of Heisenberg's experiments, you only have to deal with the visor, which protects its head.
Just shoot off or destroy it first before moving on to the rest of it.
Soldat Elris
The Soldat Elris are the next stage in Heisenberg's Frankenstein-esque creatures.
These have a chainsaw-like drill on one arm and a visor that protects their head. This is also the stage that introduces the reactor, which is filled with a parasite that powers them.
From now on, you need to shoot at the reactor first before taking out the enemy. Luckily, the reactor is on the chest here, so it's an easy target.
Shooting at the reactor with your shotgun or a more powerful gun stuns the enemy, although they will try to protect that area with their arms. Then, make sure you take out the visor for an easier time.
Soldat Zwei
Up next is the Soldat Zwei. Instead of just one drill, it has two, and the reactor is on the back instead of the front. Two drills means the Zwei's attacks hit a lot harder.
However, if you notice, there's no visor here, so its head is exposed.
Soldat Jet
Up next is the Soldat Jet. As you can guess from its pose and name, this is a Soldat with a jetpack, which it can use to hover and jump to you a lot faster than some of the other enemies.
It can also use the jetpack for charge attacks, so make sure you block or get out of the way.
It's covered in way more armor than its lesser brethren, so you'll need your grenade launcher to strip away some of it. Then, aim for the reactor once you've gotten rid of his armor.
A word of warning: Soldat Jet have been known to travel in pairs.
Soldat Panzer
This isn't even the Soldat's final form! The Panzer is completely covered in armor and is wielding not just one or two, but multiple drills. This is where you take out your grenade launcher.
A direct hit will start stripping the Panzer of its armor, which will expose the reactor on the front of his body. A few shotgun bullets directly at the reactor will eventually shut it down before it explodes.
2. Mini Bosses
Resident Evil Village has its fair share of mini-bosses that are far more dangerous than the common enemies.
They will require a lot more bullets, wits, and firepower in order to take down.
Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela
We retain the gothic, classic horror feel with these striking foes. While the enemies in the village are closer to werewolves, Lady Dimitrescu's three daughters, named Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela, are more like witches or vampires.
After a cutscene where they torture you, they'll be chasing you around the castle. Both the Tall Vampire Lady herself and her daughters will be stalking you as you try to find your way out.
Unlike their mother, they're a lot faster and can travel as a swarm of bugs, meaning your bullets are useless.
We won't spoil the reveal for you, but they do have a weakness, which you'll need to exploit in one-on-one fights.
It'll become obvious once you get there (or if you're knowledgeable on vampire weaknesses in folklore), but then you can use your guns to take them out.
Varcolac
If you thought the Lycans were scary, you haven't met a Varcolac yet. You meet the first one while you're going through the village on the way to the reservoir.
These are evolved Lycans that no longer harbor any human traits, and their fur is starting to turn white.
While their size might be terrifying at first, unlike their smaller Lycan siblings, they can't enter homes (they try, but they don't fit), so hiding is a viable option. Plus, if you hide long enough, it'll run away and begin avoiding you until you come closer.
If you want to face one in a fight, you'll need some of your stronger weapons, or at least just a shotgun. A good way to deal a lot of damage is to lure it towards you and make it step on a mine.
Urias
At first, I described this as a "gorilla man" but in actuality, Urias in Romanian just means "giant."
The Urias, a much larger werewolf-like creature, and his giant hammer in Resident Evil Village first appears in the first big Lycan fight, but you'll get to fight him one-on-one in Heisenberg's Stronghold...or sort of one-on-one.
He's extremely strong and is a formidable opponent on his own, but being the former leader of the village, he has a lot of loyal followers. Unload as much as you can into him before he jumps out of the way and sends out regular Lycans to fight.
Make sure to run around the fighting area to collect all the resources you can. You'll need a lot of firepower.
Urias Strajer
Oh did you think the Urias fight was over? Unfortunately, there are two. The Urias Strajer is Urias' older brother, both pre- and post-Lycan transformation.
The difference here is that, as the guardian of the Megamycete parasite, he's a lot bigger, a lot stronger, and a lot more terrifying. He's too much even for Ethan to handle, so you'll be fighting him as Chris Redfield.
You can unload as many bullets into him as you want — shooting him in the back where the tentacles are does stun him — but you need to use the Target Locator in your inventory to signal to your squad where to drop support fire.
Doing this three times on standard difficulty will defeat him.
Sturm
If you thought the Soldats couldn't have any more armor, you thought incorrectly.
The Sturm is the ultimate Heisenberg creation, a heavy armored mutant with a giant propeller made of chainsaws on the front of his hulking body, which it can use to blast through walls.
Unfortunately for this beast, those propellers are so large that they cut off its arms.
Like with the other Soldats, you can knock pieces of armor off of him with your grenade launcher or shotgun. However, you need to attack the reactor directly, which is on its back.
The easiest way to do this is to lure it into a charge attack and move out of the way so it gets stuck in a wall. Then, unload whichever weapon you have into the reactor while it's stuck. Do this a few times, and you'll destroy him for good.
The "Baby"
We apologize for putting this image in your mind once again (or for the first time, and in that case, we're very sorry). The "Baby" is a giant, giggling creature that attacks you in Donna Beneviento's doll workshop.
It's made from the Mia doll that you have to take apart to escape, and it'll chase you as if it thinks you're its dad.
You can't let this baby get you because if it grabs you, it will kill you instantly by eating you. To make matters worse, you won't have any of your weapons with you during this, so you can't fight back.
Your only option is to run away and unlock the elevator to escape before the "Baby" gets you. We recommend committing the layout of the doll workshop to memory at any opportunity, so you know where to go and what hiding spaces to take refuge in.
3. The Lords
While there is a major boss that is behind all the goings on in Resident Evil Village, you have to deal with her underlings first. These are the four Lords and represent four powerful families in and around town.
You'll have to take each of them on to find your daughter Rose and face Mother Miranda. What we enjoyed most was that each of them is completely different from one another, and all harken back to a past Resident Evil enemy type or something wholly new.
Lady Dimitrescu
We, of course, have to start with the Tall Vampire Lady herself. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu quickly gained the attention of the internet in her reveal thanks to her towering height (she stands at around 9 feet 6 inches tall), striking white look, and thirst for Ethan's blood.
She functions like Mr. X from the Resident Evil 2 remake in that she's an unkillable force that stalks you around Castle Dimitrescu. When she finds you, she'll use her long reach and retractable claws to get at you.
Like with previous bosses, she uses her size to her advantage, but you can also use it to her detriment. When she's ducking into a room, use that opportunity to run.
Despite her arguably being the breakout star of the game, she's not its big boss. She reports to Mother Miranda.
Even so, when you force her into final form, you'd better watch out because that's when the real battle begins. In this form, Lady Dimitrescu turns into a giant dragon-like monster with her human body fused on top.
Most of her body is invulnerable during this form, so you will need to shoot at what's left of Lady Dimitrescu's human form to deal damage while avoiding getting crushed by giant claws and teeth.
Donna Beneviento and Angie
Director Morimasa Sato told IGN that U.S. Capcom employees were most terrified of Donna Beneviento's design, and if you have an aversion to puppets, you might agree.
Donna Beneviento is a mysterious figure shrouded in all black with a veil and operates a puppet named Angie, who is wearing a dirty wedding dress.
However, when you first meet Donna Beneviento, it might seem like Angie is in charge. She's the first one you see when you wake up in the Lords' meeting. She's very enthusiastic while Donna is not.
House Beneviento is located on the outskirts of the village and rarely receives visitors. It's become overtaken by dolls that Donna has created and imbued with the power of the parasite, so they come alive.
You find out later that while she took the parasite into herself, just like all the other Lords, she split the power among her many dolls, with Angie being the leader.
To defeat Donna and her dolls, you will need to solve House Beneviento's puzzles, escape the "Baby", and stab Donna's Angie doll three times. Two of Angie's locations are random, while her first location is always in the bedroom upstairs.
Salvatore Moreau
Moreau is as grotesque as Lady Dimitrescu is striking. His design is reminiscent of mermen, although it's tough to see what he fully looks like thanks to a large cloak he wears.
The only parts of him that are visible are his large lower face, his feet, and hands. He also wears what looks like a small crown made of bones.
However, take off the cloak, and you'll see a pulsating mass with eyes coming out of the back of his head. That's his brain, which has grown and mutated thanks to exposure to the Cadou parasite.
Moreau lives in a reservoir near a deserted fishing village where rumors of a giant fish monster are rampant. They, unfortuantely, turn out to be true, although Moreau and the fish aren't separate creatures — they're one and the same.
He's the Lord with the least affinity with the Cadou parasite, and is therefore the most mutated. He says that the other Lords look down upon him, and as such, he's lonely.
You'll face a completely mutated Moreau at the end of the area, and it'll require a lot of weaponry to kill. To take him out, you will need to wait for Moreau's human body to appear out of the mouth of it's mutant fish form and shoot it.
Other strategies including planting landmines everywhere and luring Moreau near some explosive barrels placed all over the boss arena before blowing them up.
Make sure to take cover while fighting Moreau because it can produce acid rain that will melt you in seconds, and keep running so you don't get crushed by Moreau's massive weight in its mutated form.
Karl Heisenberg
Heisenberg was seen in multiple trailers before he was properly introduced. He has a unique look that looks sort of out of place in a rural Eastern European village thanks to his wide-brimmed hat, long hair, sunglasses, and large coat.
He carries around a giant hammer and a cigar, and has the power to levitate metal through magnetism like Magneto from the X-Men series.
Heisenberg holes up in his own personal factory that lies on the outskirts of town and is more technologically advanced than what you see in both the village and in the other Lords' areas.
He's the youngest of the four Lords, which seems to create a lot of insecurity. Lady Dimitrescu, specifically, shows she doesn't respect him. He has the most affinity with the Cadou parasite and can control all forms of metal.
However, he hates what Mother Miranda has done, putting hiim under her control, and seeks Rose as a weapon to take control back.
You'll need to make your way through his factory of mechanical horrors to fight him. When you corner Heisenberg, he will fuse with his creations to transform into a gigantic, robotic monstrosity.
Fortunately, you will be granted a make-shift tank courtesy of Chris Redfield to fight him with. Use the environment to take cover from Heisenberg's attacks and use your tank's guns to shoot at Heisenberg's glowing weakspots to tear his mutated form apart.
Mother Miranda
The Lords might be distinct and varying degrees of frightening, but they're not the Big Bad of the game, Mother Miranda, whom all the Lords report to.
Miranda is completely shrouded in mystery and possesses godlike powers that make all the Lords and enemies of the game obey her will. As for her backstory, while we won't spoil it, we will imply that it is quite shocking and ties back to Resident Evil's most iconic evil faction, the Umbrella Corporation.
In terms of gameplay, Mother Miranda is the final boss of Resident Evil Village, who will push players to their limit.
Mother Miranda has multiple forms during her boss fight. The first form has Mother Miranda transform into a demonic angel, where you will need to shoot her while avoiding getting slashed to ribbons.
Her second form is a giant spider-like form where she will try to skewer you and jump on nearby cliffs to prepare a devastating divebomb attack. We recommend using long-range weapons to shoot at Miranda during this form so you can keep hurting even when she's on cliffs.
Her third form has Miranda grow wings and throw out molten orb projectiles that you will need to shoot before they reach you because they deal a ton of damage.
At some point, Mother Miranda will conjure a giant projectile that will keep you in one shot. To prevent this, you will need to unload all your most powerful weapons' ammunition on her to interrupt the attack and stun Mother Miranda in the process.
Sometimes, when Mother Miranda switches forms, she will engulf the arena in complete darkness and attack you while you're blind. To combat this, move to candles to restore your vision, block Mother Miranda's charge attacks once you see her outline, and fire flashbang grenades to quickly restore light to the room.
Will you defeat the monsters of Resident Evil Village or become their next victim?
And that about covers every enemy in Resident Evil Village.
We hope that these tips and tricks we've provided will help you overcome your fears of these monsters and strike back at them to save Ethan's daughter in one of the most spine-chilling entries in the Resident Evil series.
Resident Evil Village is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam.
FAQ
How to beat Lady Dimitrescu?
Avoid fighting her until you obtain a poisoned dagger in the castle that will force her to transform. In this form, shoot Lady Dimitrescu's humanoid body parts while avoiding taking damage from her claws and teeth.
How to beat Donna Beneviento?
Solve House Beneviento's puzzles, escape the "Baby", and search the home to stab Donna's doll Angie three times to defeat her.
How to beat Salvatore Moreau?
Wait for Salvatore Moreau's human body to appear out of its mutant-form's mouth to shoot at out. Also, blow up Salvatore Moreau by using landmines and shooting at explosive once the boss gets close to them.
How to beat Karl Heisenberg?
Fire at Heisenberg's glowing weak spots on his mutated metallic body using the heavily artillery cannons on the makeshift-tank gifted to you by Chris Redfield.
How to beat Mother Miranda?
Shoot Mother Miranda with every weapon you have.
Saving ammo for long-range weapons like Sniper Rifles so you can shoot at Mother Miranda when's on top of cliffs in her spider, and use flashbang grenades to brighten the room when she covers it in darkness.
In her flight form, shoot at Mother Miranda's glowing orb projectiles to avoid incoming heavy damage and hold off on using your most powerful weapons until she prepares her ultimate attack so you can interrupt it more easily and stun her.
How to beat the "baby"?
You don't have any weapons during this fight to kill it. So, you will need to escape by unlocking the elevator in House Beneviento while hiding in cupboards and running away from the "baby" as it will kill instantly if it grabs you.
Are you looking forward to playing the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem? If so, are you planning to revisit Resident Evil Village or any other previous game in preparation?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please share them with us in the comments below.
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