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While the Resident Evil series has always been defined by survival horror, embracing action didn’t take long. You may forget the original Resident Evil 2 is more action than it is horror. Resident Evil 2 remake injects an important layer of survival horror into its source material.

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Mr. X is a lumbering tyrant who hunts Leon and Claire throughout Resident Evil 2, even beating Nemesis at his own game. Mr. X is an overwhelming enough presence to keep you away from Resident Evil 2, but there are surefire ways of avoiding him.

Updated March 9, 2024, by Sean Murray: Don't get caught by Mr. X in RE2! This guide will keep the giant off your tail, especially now that we've refreshed its formatting to be a little easier to read. We've also given it more links to other helpful Resident Evil 2 topics.

When Does Mr. X Show Up?

Claire shooting her pistol at Mr. X with a flashlight on him, as a Licker is moving toward them up from the ceiling.

In the original Resident Evil 2, Mr. X only appeared during the B Scenario and was a generally small part of the overall story – albeit an important one.

In Resident Evil 2 Remake, Mr. X is arguably the real antagonist over William Birkin and plays a far more pivotal role in terms of narrative and gameplay. As far as Resident Evil 2 is concerned, Mr. X is a core part of the gameplay loop.

Mr. X has two separate triggers depending on whether you are on their first or second run. On a first run, Mr. X won’t be triggered until after putting out the burning helicopter roughly a third of the way into the game.

You can clear out most of the RPD (along with picking up new weapons) without needing to trigger Mr. X on the first run.

This isn’t the case on the second run where Mr. X appears much earlier. Since the second run canonically takes place a bit later than the first run, Mr. X has already entered the RPD (Racoon Police Department).

Mr. X will start following you as soon as you explore the S.T.A.R.S. Office on a second run, which actually needs to be done relatively early.

As a result, you’ll be dealing with Mr. X for virtually the entire game and long before Leon or Claire get their best weapons.

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Best Ways To Avoid Mr.X

Mr X looking in at Claire as she hides in a room

The key to avoiding Mr. X is understanding Resident Evil 2’s relationship with noise. Everything you do – from running to shooting to closing doors – can be heard and detected by surrounding enemies.

This goes double for Mr. X, whose incredible sense of hearing means he’ll pick up on your location from halfway across the RPD.

If Leon or Claire slams a door shut, Mr. X will hear it and come after them. If you run, Mr. X will listen to the footsteps to know where to cut you off.

Mr.X is slow but smart and always actively searching for you. For this reason, it’s imperative to clear out most of the enemies in the RPD before triggering Mr. X – this is considerably easier on the first run than on the second.

Avoiding Mr. X is all about taking things slow and avoiding unnecessary confrontations.

There will be times when Leon and Claire will need to hunker down and shoot some zombies, but there are multiple instances in the RPD where walking around is safer and keeps Mr. X at a respectable distance.

If Mr. X does track you down, duck into a safe room to cut him off – he has full access to the Main Hall, though.

Leon And Mr. X

Resident Evil 2 Leon Standing in the RPD

Keep in mind that Leon and Claire have completely different relationships with Mr. X. While the Tyrant will always be triggered in the same way regardless of character, how long Mr. X pursues you depends entirely on who you play as.

Unfortunately, Leon's playthrough has him up against Mr. X for virtually the entire story.

Mr. X follows Leon throughout the RPD, into the Greenhouse, and down to NEST. Leon's first run even culminates with facing off against Mr. X as the final boss.

Playing as Leon means committing to a playthrough where Mr. X never stops stalking you. Fortunately, avoiding Mr. X in both the Greenhouse & NEST is particularly easy since both areas are fairly linear, and he's only triggered as you're wrapping up.

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Claire And Mr. X

Capcom Resident Evil 2 Remake Claire Redfield Defends Sherry

Claire's relationship with Mr. X is much less strenuous than Leon's. While Claire has to contend with Mr. X throughout most of the RPD, he's cycled out of her story surprisingly quickly.

William Birkin actually kills Mr. X during Claire's playthrough, resulting in a stalker phase that only lasts as long as the RPD itself.

Claire is totally free to explore the Greenhouse and NEST at her leisure, making her playthrough a bit more in line with the original Resident Evil 2's pacing.

Mr. X On Hardcore

Mr X standing menacingly in RE2 Remake.

Resident Evil 2 makes a lot of key changes to its gameplay on a Hardcore playthrough, the most obvious being the extra damage enemies deal and the fact Typewriters now need Ink Ribbons to save – just like in the classic games.

Mr. X also undergoes a subtle change in Hardcore mode, gaining a significant speed boost.

On a standard playthrough, it’s perfectly possible to outrun Mr. X so long as you keep your pace. This is considerably harder on a Hardcore playthrough where Mr. X walks faster.

With fewer items and ammo to find across the RPD, contending with Mr. X becomes a different game altogether. Where stealth was once a suggestion, it becomes mandatory for consistent survival.

Keep quiet, and keep Mr. X off your trail.

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