Getting Started

Resident Evil Village – Getting Started Guide

Welcome to Resident Evil Village (RE8). This guide is designed for brand-new players, covering everything you need to survive your first hour, understand the controls on every platform, read the UI, prioritize resources, avoid critical mistakes, and complete a day-one checklist. Since the game has no character creation (you play as Ethan Winters), focus immediately on mastering your surroundings.

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Your First Hour Walkthrough (Spoiler-Free)

The game opens with a gut-wrenching cutscene. After the prologue, you’ll wake up in a crashed vehicle. Follow these steps:

1. Move forward – You’re in a snowy forest. Follow the linear path until you reach a gate.
2. Meet the old woman – She’ll give you a cryptic warning. Keep going straight.
3. Enter the village – You’ll see a bonfire with villagers. Avoid being seen; the path is linear but you must sneak past them? Actually, you can’t avoid them at first – you’ll be chased. Run forward and into a house.
4. First combat encounter – A lycan will attack you. Use the knife (right trigger on controller) to fend it off until you can escape. Do not try to kill it – you have no gun yet.
5. Get your first weapon – After the scare, you find a handgun in a drawer. Equip it (Tab on PC, Y/Triangle on controller to open inventory).
6. Survival tutorial – A few more lycans will attack. Aim for headshots to stagger them. Conserve ammo – you only have about 15 bullets.
7. Reach the safe room – Follow the objective marker to a house with a bright red door. Inside is a typewriter (save point) and a storage chest. Save immediately.
8. The Duke – After a cutscene, you meet the Duke, a merchant. He sells supplies, weapons, and upgrades. For now, buy nothing except maybe the lockpick (if you have 2,000 Lei) to open green chests later. Otherwise, save your money.
9. Enter Castle Dimitrescu – The game funnels you toward the castle doors. Save before entering; the difficulty spikes slightly.

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Controls on All Platforms

#### PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 (DualSense / DualShock 4)
Tip: On PS5, the adaptive triggers add tension to shooting. You can disable this in settings.

#### Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One
#### PC (Keyboard & Mouse)
Note: PC controls are fully remappable. Use the in-game settings.

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UI Overview

• Health bar – Bottom left. A red gauge; when empty, you die. After taking damage, you can heal with herbs or first-aid med.


• Item wheel – Press and hold the inventory button (Tab on PC, Touchpad/View). You can assign healing, ammo, and tools. Reorganize with mouse or right stick.


• Ammo counter – Bottom center (for equipped weapon).


• Map – Opens full screen with objective markers, color-coded rooms (red = inaccessible, green = visited).


• Objective reminder – Top-right corner, flashes when you have a new goal.


• Duke’s shop – A menu that appears when near the Duke; includes “Buy”, “Sell”, “Craft”, “Upgrade”.


• Inventory grid – Limited space; 8 slots initially. Expand with waist pouches found later. Key items (like crank, mask) do not take up space – they go into a separate pocket.


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Essential Early Objectives



1. Save every 10–15 minutes – Use typewriters (they look like old manual typewriters). Save often; you can only save at typewriters.
2. Find the handgun – It’s in a drawer in the house after the first lycan attack (mandatory).
3. Collect the first lockpick – Buy from Duke for 2,000 Lei. Use it on green chests to get treasures or ammo.
4. Get the map of the village – In the house with the save typewriter, there’s a map on the wall. Interact to get the village map.
5. Enter Castle Dimitrescu – This is the first major area. Do not try to explore too far beyond the castle early on; you need story progression to unlock gates.

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What to Do First and What to Avoid



#### ✅ Do:

• Explore thoroughly – Break crates, vases, and wooden boxes with your knife to find Lei, ammo, and herbs.


• Conserve ammo – Use your knife on breakable objects and on slow enemies (like the zombies in the castle) if possible. Headshots often kill with one bullet.


• Block attacks – Hold block (L1/LB/Q) to reduce damage by 70% (with a weapon drawn). This is crucial against lycan swipes.


• Check Duke’s inventory – He sells a Field Manual (weapon upgrade part) and gun parts that improve stats. Buy these when you have extra Lei.


• Mix herbs – Combine a green herb with another green herb to make a healing mixture. Do not waste green herbs alone; they only heal a small amount.


• Use the knife as a tool – It can cut down animal carcasses to get meat, which you can sell or cook? Actually cooking is later at Duke’s after you find recipes. But meat is valuable for permanent health upgrades.


#### ❌ Avoid:

• Wasting ammo on unkillable enemies – In the village, some enemies (like the giant lycan) cannot be killed until later. Run past them.


• Selling all treasures – Keep at least one of each treasure until you know its use. Some can be combined into higher-value items (e.g., crystal fragments with a necklace).


• Ignoring the knife – It’s weaker but infinitely useful for breaking boxes and finishing off downed enemies to save bullets.


• Forgetting to dodge – You can dodge by pressing block + direction while unarmed or with knife out. Use it to avoid grabs.


• Leaving the Duke too soon – Always check his stock after each major event. He may have new items.


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Early Resource Priorities



1. Lei (money) – Spend wisely. First priority: Lockpick (2,000 Lei) to open green chests for better loot. Then: Field Manual (improves weapon power).
2. Herbs – Always pick up green herbs. Combine two for a full heal. Later you’ll find red and blue herbs for stronger mixtures.
3. Gunpowder – Used to craft handgun ammo. Find it in crates and from enemies. Craft ammo on the Duke’s “Craft” menu (he must be present).
4. Meat – From animals like chickens and pigs. Sell to Duke to earn Lei. Or later you can cook it for permanent health upgrades.
5. Treasures – Items like “Necklace”, “Crystal”, etc. Keep until you know if they combine (e.g., “Crystal Fragment” + “Silver Ring” = “Crystal Necklace” which sells for more).

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Common Beginner Mistakes




• Not saving before boss fights – Save at every typewriter before a big door or cutscene. Boss fights can kill you instantly if you’re unprepared.


• Not using the Duke’s upgrade bench – You can upgrade weapons (increase damage, reload speed, capacity) at the Duke. Prioritize the LEMI handgun (the first pistol) or the W870 shotgun (found in the castle). Upgrade damage first.


• Ignoring the handgun’s laser sight – You can equip a laser sight (found in the castle) to improve hip-fire accuracy. Attach it via the inventory menu by selecting the weapon and choosing “Attachments”.


• Running out of ammo – Always craft ammo whenever you have gunpowder and the Duke is nearby. Never carry more than 10 unused bullets; it’s better to craft and store extra in the item box.


• Selling everything – Some items like “Ladies’ Brooch” or “Ring” may be needed for a later side quest. Check the description – if it says “Treasure” it’s safe to sell, but keep multiples until you find a recipe.


• Overhealing – Don’t heal if you’re only at 70% health. Save healing items for emergencies. You can always block to avoid damage risk.


• Not blocking enemy grabs – Some enemies will try to grab you. If you fail the button prompt, you take heavy damage. Spam the block button to break free.


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Day-One Checklist (First Play Session)




• [ ] Play through the prologue and survive the village attack.


• [ ] Find and equip the LEMI handgun.


• [ ] Locate the typewriter in the safe house and save the game.


• [ ] Buy a lockpick from the Duke (2,000 Lei) and open at least one green chest.


• [ ] Find the Village Map (on the wall in the safe house).


• [ ] Enter Castle Dimitrescu (the main gate).


• [ ] Collect at least 5 green herbs and mix them into two stacks of two (save the single herb for later).


• [ ] Break all crates in the village and castle entrance for items.


• [ ] Upgrade your handgun once (damage or capacity) at the Duke’s bench when you have 3,000 Lei.


• [ ] Save after entering the castle and before any major exploration.


• [ ] If you find a Field Manual, equip it immediately to boost handgun damage.


• [ ] Avoid killing the giant lycan in the village – run past.


• [ ] Use the knife to destroy breakable objects at least 10 times.

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With this guide, you’ll survive your first hour and start Resident Evil Village with confidence. Remember: explore carefully, save often, and hoard resources like a true survivor. Good luck, Ethan.