Survival horror and aciton are two genres that go together well, but are hard to get just right. The Resident Evil franchise has had a love affair with action since RE2, with the series embracing combat full on post-4. As a love letter to the entire franchise, Resident Evil Village balances an equal mix of quality survival horror with exciting gunplay. So much so that Mercenaries Mode finally makes a comeback after its absence in Resident Evil 7.
Mercenaries is an arcade-style zombie-slaughtering minigame that has been a Resident Evil staple since RE3: Nemesis. With Mercenaries returning in Resident Evil Village, you'll be able to rack up high scores, unlock even more goodies from the post-game shop, and claim an SSS as your trophy. If you have the skills, that is.
Updated August 27, 2021 by Renan Fontes: Resident Evil Village has some of the best gameplay in the series. While the main campaign ebbs and flows between exploration and action, Mercenaries mode is a gauntlet of pure combat that'll test your skills on a level the main story won't – even on Village of Shadows. Getting an SSS rank in Mercenaries is one of the hardest things you can do in Village, and it requires a considerable amount of patience.
8 Learn Each Stage
Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries Mode has a total of eight different stages you're going to want to learn intimately. Each stage is actually based on an area from the main game, so anyone who replays the story often will actually have a leg up here. Worth keeping in mind, however, is that each stage gates itself off and locks certain doors. It is critical that you learn the layout of each stage so you can plan out routes. Just as importantly, SSS Ranks are tied to your time and combo. You need to know exactly where enemies are so that your score doesn't falter.
7 Collect Lei
Money is a valuable asset in Mercenaries. Not only because Lei lets you expand and upgrade your arsenal, but your total earnings are calculated into the final score. There's never a good reason to pass up on some extra coin if you have time to grab it. Keep in mind, however, that you shouldn't prioritize Lei over enemies. Pick up money if it's in your path, but you want to keep combo up above all else. A few extra coin is not worth it if you need to go out of your way.
6 Sell Useless Ammo
You're going to need to be picky with your guns when it comes to Mercenaries. Depending on your ranking from previous plays, you'll begin each session with a set amount of Lei. The higher your score, the more Lei you start with. Even then, you'll likely only have enough money to buy one main gun. Pick whichever weapon you like best and stick to it.
There is no point in carrying multiple guns in Mercenaries, especially since ammo will regularly drop for whatever you're equipped with. More importantly, this lets you sell off extra ammo for weapons you don't have, allowing you to purchase healing items or even trade up to a better gun entirely.
5 Pace Yourself
It's easy to want to kill everything in your path as they come up in Mercenaries, but the key to getting an SSS is actually pacing yourself. Do kill enough enemies so you can keep your combo active, but also go out of your way to leave a few alive. That way, you can bait them towards areas with more enemies and can take out a massive horde at once.
If you simply blast through each room as you enter them, you'll run out of enemies and eventually lose your combo. Be strategic about who you kill and when. Plan ahead by leaving an enemy or two alive so you can minimize the time between your kills on your return trip. It can be the difference between getting an SSS rank or failing.
4 Invest In The Right Perks
You should be investing in skills and weapon upgrades as often as you can. Perks randomly appear throughout stages and will buff your stats when equipped. Make sure to get as many Perks as you can as soon as possible. Which Perks you have access to will be random, but they're all useful and actually stack with one another. Aim for Perks that buff your offense specifically, that way you can quickly take out enemies if your combo meter starts dipping.
3 Aim For The Head
It goes without saying, but you want to aim for the head. Enemies will Mercenaries mode will rarely drop from just headshots, but they do take more damage than basic bodyshots. You'll want to get a feel for how many bullets it takes to headshot each enemy type along with refining your aim in general.
The No Brainer Perk in particular makes killing enemies via headshots more reliable, upping your total score. If your aim isn't good enough to get these shots consistently, go back through the main story and practice your gunplay. You need consistent headshots to get an SSS rank in Mercenaries.
2 Keep Your Combo Active
In the same way you need to pace your kills, you need to keep your combo active. Do not kill everything in your path. Do not aim for multi-kills unless you're at the very end of a stage and can successfully wipe out everyone in a quick burst. You need to prioritze wiping out enemies quickly, but not so fast where you run out of things to kill.
1 Practice And Patience
Your road to becoming a SSS-ranked mercenary on every map will be paved with failure, so the most important thing you can do have patience practice. The fact of the matter if that you're going to need to replay every stage multiple times to get a feel for where enemies are, which gun you should be using, and how exactly to keep your combo active throughout it all – to say nothing of wrapping everything up quickly.
Getting a top score requires more than just knowing which upgrades to get and what enemies to kill. You'll need to master the core mechanics and gain an intimate understanding of the level design. SSS ranking Mercenaries is one of the hardest challenges in Resident Evil Village, but it's worth it.