Zombie-lovers the world over are devouring Resident Evil Requiem, which has already become the fastest-selling title in Capcom’s long-running action series. And while there are plenty of items to craft, weapons to enhance, and secrets to find in Requiem, sometimes the most basic gameplay fundamentals can fly over your head. I’m several hours into a second playthrough, and I only just discovered that holding the aim button momentarily before moving your gun will narrow the reticle, which increases the damage and stagger effect of shots.
I didn’t learn this from a loading screen or one of those “Game Over” hints. Instead, I discovered it on Reddit, where a lot of other players also pointed out this mechanic was new to them, too. It’s been a feature in most recent Resident Evil games, including the remakes, RE7 and Village.
“I had no idea this was a thing until now and I’ve been playing RE games ever since RE7 came out. I thought it just made shots more accurate didn’t realize they actually did more damage and staggered more,” wrote one redditor. “I thought it only showed how likely you were to hit whatever you were aiming, what do you mean it does more damage?” asked another.
To be clear, this information is in Requiem — it’s the first entry in the combat subsection of the tutorial menu. But it’s never explained in a pop-up the way using melee weapons or restorative items are, so it’s easy to miss. I suppose it’s a lesson to always look through a game’s tutorials, but frankly when the first screen of entries includes stuff like “how to open the map” and “how to use items,” that doesn’t exactly suggest that a treasure trove of valuable information awaits beyond.
Naturally, there are a ton of well actually guys in the Reddit thread who are stumbling over themselves to point out that they’ve always known the tighter reticle increases damage. But the amount of upvotes this post has attracted suggests that there are also plenty of folks who also didn’t know about this up until now. I’d always assumed the narrowing reticle was simply a visual indicator of greater accuracy, since there’s not an accompanying color flicker or anything that would also suggest enhanced damage or stagger. There’s nothing about the way this is presented on-screen that suggests something special or bonus-like is happening.
That said, now that I’m aware of how this nifty little aiming trick works, I’m taking full advantage of it in my second Resident Evil Requiem playthrough. It’s especially helpful in the sections where you play as Grace, like the Care Center and its basement, where ammo is in short supply — and you don’t have the luxury of carrying four or five extra guns around like Leon. While Leon can go into almost any encounter with guns blazing, you need to keep your distance and be a bit more methodical as Grace. If you’ve been struggling during her sections of Requiem, taking a moment to ensure your reticle is focused before you take that precious shot could make a world of difference.