Resident Evil’s calling card has always been the franchise’s penchant for letting players actually fail. While very few entries in the series are unwinnable by design, Resident Evil has made such a habit out of resource management that it's not unusual for audiences to find themselves “stuck” and unable to make progress. Mistakes go a long way in Capcom’s premiere survival horror franchise and Resident Evil 7 is no exception.

RELATED: Resident Evil 7: Every Boss Ranked (& How To Beat Them)

A return to the series’ roots, Resident Evil 7 is less action oriented as its predecessors and an easy game for newcomers to make mistakes with. Mismanaging items, wasting ammo, and failing to check every nook & cranny makes for an uphill battle most players won’t have the guts to survive.

Updated on June 2nd, 2021 by Renan Fontes: With Resident Evil Village releasing to critical acclaim and turning Ethan Winters into a genuinely beloved main character, Resident Evil 7 has arguably never been more popular. Those who entered the franchise with Village are in for a rude awakening, however. Not only is Resident Evil 7 a much harder game than Resident Evil 8, it forces players to conserve ammo and manage their resources with great care. Trying to play Resident Evil 7 like it's Village is a disaster waiting to happen. 

Fighting The Bakers

Resident Evil 7 Jack Baker

The single biggest mistake newcomers make when playing Resident Evil 7 for the first time is actually trying to fight the Bakers. Comparable to Mr. X, Nemesis, and Lady Dimitrescu, Jack Baker’s presence early on tricks many into believing that he has to be confronted on.

While shooting Jack might buy some time, the fact of the matter is that it isn’t really necessary. There’s no real harm in sprinting away from him at first sight. Jack will break down some walls in the process, but he’s actually fairly scripted and tends to lose interest in the face of closed doors. He's also relatively simple to avoid by crouching behind cover. 

Killing Every Molded

Resident Evil 7_Fat Molded

Since Molded function as Resident Evil 7’s version of standard zombies, it makes sense to want to kill most of them on sight – especially for anyone hot off Village. Keeping in mind that RE7 strives to be a return to form, however, wasting ammo on killing every Molded proves to be an enormous waste of resources.

Not only do Molded move incredibly fast (making it difficult to reliably get headshots on a first playthrough), several actually evaporate altogether if you lead them away from their spawn point. Alternatively, there are many instances throughout the entire campaign where it’s perfectly reasonable to just run by Molded without confrontation.

Running Without Quick Turn

Resident Evil 7 Leg Cut Off

Quick Turn is one of the most useful techniques in Ethan’s repertoire and one players should get accustomed to using ASAP. In a typical Resident Evil game, Quick Turn allows you to turn on the fly to either run away or shoot any enemies behind you. In Resident Evil 7, Quick Turn is a vital part of avoiding damage.

Since Molded move sporadically, it’s important never to stand in one place at a time during a fight – shooting, quick turning, and repositioning. During boss fights, Quick Turns are often Ethan’s best way of getting to safety. Quick Turn only saves a second, but every second counts in Resident Evil.

Eating Green Herbs

Green herbs from Resident Evil

Herbs have always restored health in Resident Evil, but it’s never been a good idea to dine on Green Herbs. Traditionally, it’s best to save them in order to mix with Red or Blue Herbs – fully healing and curing poison respectively. Resident Evil 7 removes Red & Blue Herbs, replacing them with Chem Fluid and Strong Chem Fluid.

RELATED: Resident Evil 7: How To Get Every Unlockable In The Game

Except in the most dire of circumstances, it’s not a smart idea to eat Green Herbs in RE7. Always make sure to save them so they can be mixed with Chem Fluid. Using Green Herbs to make First Air Meds instead is a better move. Curiously, Resident Evil Village actually changes Green Herbs from a consumable to a material. 

Using Steroids At Full Health

Resident Evil 7 Steroids

There are only a few Steroids in Resident Evil 7, but they’re incredibly valuable as they permanently raise Ethan’s max health. Considering how much of the game players ostensibly spend playing defense, the extra HP goes a long way.

That said, don’t just take Steroids once they’re found. Not only do Steroids increase max health, they serve as a full heal. It’s best to save Steroids for when Ethan’s just about to die, allowing him to recover as much health as possible.

Never Blocking

Ethan Blocking

Blocking is Ethan’s single most useful skill in Resident Evil 7 and is actually ferociously overpowered. Ethan can and should block literally anything that comes his way. The amount of damage blocking prevents is jarring, almost negating the effects of damage entirely. 

Smart players who want to save ammo can comfortably do so by walking through Molded rooms holding up the block. Ethan will take damage, but not so much where he’ll die – and arguably less than if he stopped to fight every Molded he encountered. Blocking makes a tremendous difference.

Ignoring Mr. Everywhere

Mr Everywhere

Like Goats of Warding in Village, Mr. Everywhere is Resident Evil 7’s main collectibles. There are 20 Mr. Everywhere bobbleheads hidden throughout the game, all of which can be broken by Ethan either with his knife or a gun. Most players will go through their first playthrough ignoring Mr. Everywhere, but it pays to track him down.

The reward for breaking all 20 Mr. Everywhere bobbleheads is The Essence of Defense. Found in the Item Box upon subsequent playthroughs, The Essence of Defense is a scroll that reduces the amount of damage Ethan takes while blocking so long as he has the item in his inventory.

Discarding Items

Resident Evil 7 Item Box

Inventory management has always been important in Resident Evil, but it was downplayed considerably in the entries leading up to Resident Evil 7. Like with earlier installments, Resident Evil 7 requires players to juggle ammo, healing items, weapons, and puzzle items on-hand while also saving space to pick up new items.

RELATED: Resident Evil 7: How To Find Every Steroid

It’s incredibly tempting for new players to drop items in order to pick up items, but this is one of the worst mistakes you can make. It is always worth the extra time to head back to an Item Box and reorganize. Discarding an item only hurts your playthrough in the long run.

Neglecting To Explore

Resident Evil 7

Resident Evil 7 may be in first person, but it’s not any less exploratory than its third person predecessors. In fact, Resident Evil 7 has some of the best hidden items in the series, requiring players to actively examine their surroundings and get up close with the environment – a feat only possible because of RE7’s perspective shift.

Neglecting to explore means missing out on the copious amount of ammo Resident Evil 7 lies about, along with all its healing items. All things considered, Resident Evil 7 is actually very reasonable with the amount of items it feeds the player: they just tend to be out of sight. The fact the map doesn't mark fully explored rooms like in Village also encourages the player to be more observant than they otherwise would be. 

Neglecting The Broken Weapons

Broken Shotgun

There are two broken weapons players can find in Resident Evil 7 and exactly two Repair Kits. When repaired, both the Broken Handgun and the Broken Shotgun turn into two of the best guns in the game. Unfortunately, they're both very easy to miss.

While the Broken Handgun can be found in Zoe's Trailer, you need to find a Repair Kit either beneath the Baker House porch or inside Lucas' Hideout after finding the third Treasure Photo. For the Broken Shotgun, you need to remember to repair Jack's decorative shotgun in the house before finding both D-Series parts.

Ignoring The Magnum

Resident Evil 7 Magnum

Finding every Antique Coin in Resident Evil 7 is a genuine challenge, but it's the only way to unlock all three Birdcages on a Normal playthrough of the game. Since most players won't be finding all the Antique Coins, you're going to have to decide which of the three you want early: the Steroids, the Stabilizer, or the Magnum.

Since the Magnum costs so much and both the Steroids & Stabilizer offer permanent buffs, it makes sense to prioritize them over the gun. That said, the Magnum is too powerful not to be considered and it's worth giving up either item in order to unlock the weapons' Birdcage before the finale.

Wasting Magnum Ammo

Resident Evil 7 Magnum

The Magnum is disgustingly powerful and will drop most enemies with a single bullet. After an entire game of enemies eating damage and close calls where Ethan’s life is put on the line, there’s a catharsis in unlocking such a strong weapon. Unfortunately, a good chunk of players get too eager with their new toy.

While there’s a lot of ammo lying around Resident Evil 7, there isn’t that much for the Magnum. Shooting a regular enemy with the Magnum does more harm than good. The Magnum is one of the best tools Ethan has for late game bosses or the Salt Mines, and a shortage of ammo can be the difference between making progress and suffering countless Game Overs.

Next: Resident Evil 7: Every Treasure Photo Location & Their Reward