Daring players can also attempt to use a knife swipe to deflect thrown weapons, spears, or even flaming bow-gun arrows.  If you can get close to a Molotov throwing Majini, repeated swipes will stop them getting off any more attacks.

The special gift of the M92F is its 3-star Critical % Hit upgrade.  Buy each one as soon as you can afford it and focus on aiming at heads as an instant kill will save on bullets, time and injury.

It’s not an essentially great weapon until it’s half-modified, however, so you should hold off purchasing this weapon until you can afford Piercing and Firepower upgrades in the region of 50,000.

Magnum ammo is scarce however, handgun ammo is plentiful.  If you want an everyday shooter that really packs a punch, save up for the SIG p226.

The M93R blurs the line between machine gun and handgun, using plentiful HG ammo and significantly greater stopping power per round.  A quick delivery of three fully upgraded bullets in a burst would still make for decent cumulative damage, even with no special Piercing or Critical %.  Against rank and file Majini, this is an impressive crowd-control tool, and it can also bring a whole world of hurt down on some sub-bosses.

Taking the Capacity upgrades with each sub-chapter can be regarded as between 100-200 gratis shotgun cartridges if you stick with it on your first playthrough.  That’s assuming you manage to finish each map without reloading, but it’s the kind of thing that makes a difference.  Also, the upgrade cost only spikes towards the end.

For the Critical % to pay off, you should aim high, old RE style and use a last minute headshot on the first of the advancing crowd.  Though the M3 is a more powerful cannon when fully upgraded we haven’t noticed that the Ithaca is any less likely to perform stuns and knockbacks for buying time against sub-bosses.

Maxing out the Ithaca unlocks the Hydra.

The Jail breaker concentrates its fire into shells of plentiful, tightly packed shot, with greater distribution of hits and damage.  Close targets are practically torn apart rather than knocked back, while the shot catches watchtower snipers and granadiers with bullet force.  This increases the chance of a successful hit at range and enables you to keep sub-bosses at bay.  You also stand a be3tter chance of scores on bosses where the weak spot occupies a small hit box.

On speed runs, you can knock down enemies at a distance with the Jail Breaker and simply run past them.

The M3 is also inexpensive to upgrade in relation to many other weapons and can be brought to its full potential shortly after acquisition.

It works just like the Jail Breaker with regard to small hit boxes, enjoying the same Attack Range perk, but it’s strongest when the full force of its spread strikes close targets.  That said, the Hydra has the slowest reload time of all in its class.  It’s even held differently by the character who draws it, with a switch in camera view that can be jarring to first-time wielders.

Max out the Ithaca to unlock the Hydra.  Because of the costs involved in both unlocking and purchasing the Hydra before upgrading it, this is very much a later-in-the-game or second-playthrough weapon.

Unlocking this gun to max and clearing all chapters unlocks the Gatling Gun.

The Critical % Hit perk means that this is an anti-personnel weapon, so spray high when supporting crowd control to increase the number of headshots scored.  This also means that it tends to be more effective in the hands of human agents, rather than AI partners who will aim for the torso.

However, each shot packs a nice punch, and reload times can be accommodated for by doing a inventory-screen reload (bring up the inventory and move ammo to your weapon slot).

The real boon of this model is early Piercing power–just 15,000 plus any Firepower upgrades makes this an early armor-beater for support characters, as well as being useful against shield carriers or crowds.  Consequently, it’s a contender for the best machine-gun in the game.

Pretty expensive for what is a relatively ordinary weapon by the time it appears, but it can be quite fun on replays and when fully upgraded, is a very effective supporting weapon in conjunction with a shotgun-wielding partner.

The S75 is a true marksman’s weapon in the sense that those lacking the requisite sniping skills will be frustrated by the loss of the target between shots.  In contrast for the headshot specialist it’s a complete joy to wield.  The power of this rifle is immense at such an early stage in the game, so even body shots will be sufficient to take down many ordinary targets.  The S75 remains not just competitive with the other rifles over time, but can actually be superior if its firepower is upgraded along the way.

Again, the arly weapons in each category help to expand the inventory capacity by holding so much ammo in themselves.  Capacity upgrades for the rifle are especially useful for free ammo generation as ammo is scarce at first.

Upgrading this weapon to its max unlocks the Longbow after completion of the game.

Upgrading actually does relatively little for the Dragunov, besides doubling firepower in the long run, and you will need your inventory for ammo storage, but that also means that it’s ‘good to go’ from the first moment you find it, at a time where both characters might fancy packing rifles.

Not without its problems as you can find your zoom doing a lot of work to move in and out so that you don’t lose your target.  It’s also possible to lose your bearings if you move even slightly while you focus, but it’s still a close call between the S75’s old-school strength and the PSG-1’s technology.

Thanks to the continuous propulsion mechanism of the rounds it shoots, the Grenade Launcher also has a small kinetic element that will cause additional physical damage independently of the type of round dispensed.  Enough to crack a tribal shield, for instance, or to shatter a previously frozen enemy.

The Grenade Launcher cannot be upgraded, or use infinite ammo after the game has cleared.  It does however feature a wide variety of rounds that can be unlocked progressively, thus making the Grenade Launcher a powerful weapon.

• Explosive Rounds (AP: 100) – For maximum effect, aim to impact a central enemy
• Electric Rounds (AP: 400) – Delivers a stun-effect akin to the fallen transformers or the Stun Rod
• Acid Rounds (AP: 500) – Acid rounds can penetrate armor while the fumes and damage are sufficient to stun many opponents with a brief, spluttering knockdown
• Nitrogen Rounds (AP: 100) – This freezes susceptible opponents for several seconds and any further blow will shatter them, making it extremely effective in cooperative attacks
• Flame Rounds (AP: 500) – The Flame round can be used to lay down a wall of fire to slow down enemies while the players retreat and make distance
• Flash Rounds (AP: 100) – As lethal to many mutated forms as the Flash Grenade, although the Launcher increases slot capacity from 5 grenades to 12 rounds
  

The S&W M29 comes in at a good time in the game, a time where you’ll want to be packing a lot of firepower, and this one doesn’t pull any punches.  With Piercing upgrades and a high firepower plus the fact that it holds more rounds than the L. Hawk and you’ll be thankful that you packed the M29 along for the ride.

Not to mention it’s Wesker’s favourite…

But there is one catch, and what a catch it is!  To unlock this baby you need to fully upgrade the S&W M29 and then fork out another 119,000 to buy it.  Look on the bright side though–if you’ve amassed that kind of a fortune, you’re probably the kind of ace-player that can get by without it.  It will be a few play-throughs before any player can scrape together that kind of cash (trust us on this one).

The Launcher has a scope with a zoom magnification for lining up long-range hits and kindly reminding you to keep your distance.  In a pinch you can raise it and fire without aiming if you’re comfortable aiming by eye.

Additionally, there is one instance where you will be able to reload the launcher with RPG rounds, but this is an exception.  This is a one-shot weapon in all other instances, so don’t miss fellas!

The Proximity Mine can also be detonated remotely in the primitive sense in that it is possible to shoot one to set it off and use the blast radius to catch out an enemy who was wary of stepping on it.  You can also place it to activate another device, such as a wire trap, or just below a transformer to set up a chain reaction.

To obtain the Gatling Gun, you need to complete the game and max out the Vz61.

This weapon is exclusive to Sheva, much as the Gatling Gun is exclusive to Chris.