There are three stages in the Mercenaries DLC for Resident Evil 4 remake. These are unlocked in sequential order when you complete the previous level with any character. Naturally, there are some important tidbits to consider for each area because of the environments, enemies, and items. Here are our tips and tricks guide to help you through them.
RE4 Mercenaries Stages Tips and Tricks
There are some general things to know about Mercenaries stages before starting the DLC in earnest.
- All stages have their own assortment of infected enemies, including elites and special enemies, that appear at certain intervals.
- All stages have a similar default timer (i.e., two minutes), which can be increased by defeating enemies and picking up green Time Orbs. If the time runs out, or if you die, the encounter will end regardless of how many enemies are left.
- The maximum number of enemies in any given stage is 150. Once all hostiles have been killed, the encounter will automatically be completed, and you’ll earn bonus points depending on how much time remains.
- While the level layouts themselves don’t change, there are certain items and power-ups that might appear in random locations. For instance, Green Orbs and Yellow Orbs (bonus Mayhem Mode energy) might be in different areas or sections.
- The same can be said for Chickens. At least one can be found in each stage and, once killed, you can pick up a Gold Chicken Egg to earn 50,000 points. Read more about that in our Mercenaries Gold Chicken Egg guide.
Mercenaries Village Stage Strategies
Screenshot by GameSkinny
The Village stage in Mercenaries mode is similar to the one found in the RE4 campaign. It’s where the initial Village encounter with the Ganados takes place.
Enemies include:
- Infected Villagers
- Pighead Brutes
- Chainsaw Villagers/Doctor Salvador
- The Bella Sisters
Given the number of chainsaw-wielding elites that spawn at intervals, you’ll want to make sure that you can parry their swipes and avoid their lunges. Failure to do so will cause tremendous damage or kill your character outright. Here’s how to kill chainsaw enemies in RE4.
With all of these enemies flooding the map, there are safe places to camp and wait for attack opportunities.
- Starting Area: The starting area, with your back to the main gate, is good enough for the first few minutes of the Village encounter. Most enemies will be in your line of sight, so just watch out for those that might hop over the fences.
- Rooftops: Alternatively, you can head to the second floor of the house where you find the W-870 Shotgun in the campaign. Jump out the window and eliminate the mobs that try to reach you. They’ll often use ladders to climb up, but you can push those down.
- Small hut to the right – Another option is to head to the pathway to your right and go past the small hut. This small clearing will funnel in most enemies due to the narrow path, and you can mantle over the fence to go back to the starting point in case things get too hectic.
However, don’t hide in the Tower. Although you can easily kill anyone who tries to reach you, you need to land headshots reliably to gain extra time. Worse, fewer mobs will get funneled in compared to the Village’s more open areas, which leads to fewer kills and fewer points.
Mercenaries Castle Strategies
Screenshot by GameSkinny
After clearing the Village stage in RE4 Mercenaries, you’ll unlock the Castle level. This takes place in the gate area where you used a cannon to blow up the entrance to the Audience Hall in the campaign.
Enemies here include:
- Cultists (unarmored and armored variants)
- Zealots/Monks
- Garradors
You can handle Garradors without issues as long as you save your Mayhem Mode power-up for when they appear. However, be on the lookout for Zealots, as their chanting will cause Plaga tentacles to emerge from Cultists’ heads. The smaller variants can be killed easily, but the larger ones will chow down on your skull, instantly killing you.
Another key feature of this Mercenaries stage is the four catapults. These will continuously bombard you, so you have to shoot the red barrels to make them explode. Likewise, you can drop down the distant ramparts to bring the cannon up. This has a limited number of uses, so make those shots count.
As for camping spots, there are a couple of options:
- Cannon Gazebo: The little gazebo where the cannon rises up can be a decent spot since most enemies will simply attempt to cross the stone pathway.
- Audience Hall Entrance Door: Alternatively, you can stay close to the Audience Hall entrance door, where you’ll have a wider view of the hostiles in front of you.
Mercenaries Island Strategies
Screenshot by GameSkinny
The Island is the third and final Resident Evil 4 remake Mercenaries stage, unlocked after clearing the Castle encounter. This takes place in the Stronghold area, where you had to destroy the anti-aircraft (AA) gun during the campaign.
Enemies here include:
- Infected Mercs
- Rocket Troopers
- Spider Plagas
- Pighead Brutes (including those that wield machine guns)
The Pighead enemies are easily killed as long as you save your Mayhem Mode ability for them. As for Rocket Troopers, beware whenever you see the laser sight tracking you.
Still, the most annoying mobs on the Island are the Spider Plagas since they scurry around, have fast attacks, and can leap on regular enemies to turn them into rampaging maniacs.
The key feature in this level is the machine gun turrets. They have limited ammo, but they’ll cut down hostiles like a hot knife through butter. Use them sparingly, and try to land headshots.
As far as camping spots go, there are two decent options.
- Right Side Tower: Continue past the AA gun bunker and up the steps to reach the top level of this tower. Most opponents will go up the steps to reach you, but a few might jump down from higher platforms.
- Corner Turret Emplacement: We think this is a better option. Upon starting the encounter, head to the right, all the way to the end of the path. There’s a turret here that you can use to mow down enemies along the narrow pathway.
That’s that for our Resident Evil 4 remake Mercenaries stages guide. With these tips, tricks, and strategies, you should be able to stay alive longer and obtain high scores in this mode. Now that you know the level layouts, you may want to go for higher rankings. Here’s how to get S++ rank in RE4 Mercenaries, as well as how to unlock everything in Mercenaries.
Featured image by GameSkinny.
