Resident Evil 4‘s Separate Ways DLC has been out for some time now and offers excellent replay value for the cost. Ada Wong’s brisk campaign is more linear than the base game and offers fewer weapons, but each stands out for their own reasons.
Most guns are carryovers from the base game, but several are recontextualized to feel at least somewhat fresh. Each weapon is great, but some are better than others. This list keeps with weapons found on an initial playthrough as unlockable bonus weapons curb stomp new game plus. No Rocket Launcher either, since it’s just an automatic and explosive win.
S Tier
These are some of Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways‘ most notable weapons. They might not be the most practical in every situation, but these have a wow factor that doesn’t apply to the others.
Red9 Pistol
The Red9 pistol is arguably one of Resident Evil 4‘s most iconic weapons, and for good reason. This old-fashioned pistol packs a mean punch and has few downsides.
It almost runs into the same issue as the SR M1903, with reload speeds and rate of fire being compromised, but they’re nonissues when the Red9 is fully upgraded. While still slower than other handguns, it provides adequate speed to keep it practical under hectic circumstances.
Sawed-off W-870 Shotgun
As the only shotgun in Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways, the Sawed-off W-870 does a serviceable job tearing through anyone standing in its way. Although it operates similarly to the W-870 Shotgun from the base game, it’s smaller. Some stats are also changed around to compensate.
This variation is more powerful than its bigger counterpart for most of the game, with lower ammo capacity as a trade-off. There’s also a wider spread which can make fighting singular enemies slightly less effective, but be fantastic for crowd control. It’s not a bad exchange, and the Sawed-off W-870 is wonderful in almost any situation.
A Tier
Weapons placed here are generally more useful than those in B tier or have a neat unique feature. These are the most generally useful weapons but may lack the specific wow factor that really sticks out.
Blacktail AC Pistol
Ada’s Blacktail AC is the perfect starting weapon in her campaign. It’s small, easy to handle, and deals nice damage. Its only issue is that it doesn’t stick out all that much. The small size is notable, but that’s about it.
Every one of its stats ranges from around average to above average. From its damage output to reload speed, it’s pretty much a better version of Leon’s starting pistol in the main game. Yet being small is a massive upside since it has more room for ammo and other supplies. Despite the slight name change, the Blacktail AC is also functionally identical to the version Leon obtains.
Stingray
Although the Stingray is not nearly as powerful as the SR M1903, it’s far more versatile. While still most useful at long-range, the fact that it fires up to triple the speed makes it far more useful in medium-range combat.
The speed difference is especially noticeable when fighting Regenerators since they are almost exclusively encountered at closer ranges. Pair this with the fact that headshots are deadly with both snipers means the Stingray is generally the more useful weapon.
Blast Crossbow
The Blast Crossbow is simple in that it’s a crossbow that shoots explosive bolts. This is a difficult one to place because while it’s one of my favorite weapons, I’ve got to exercise caution when using it. As Ada’s only weapon truly unique to her, it’s a standout.
Its usefulness ranges from bosses to crowd control, but it’s risky as an explosive. Ammo is uncommon for the Blast Crossbow, and it’s detrimental in close quarters. Sure, it can blow up enemies that close, but it will also blow you up. Each wasted shot also deals a bit of emotional damage because of the ammo’s scarcity.
B Tier
Weapons placed here are fun to use but don’t quite stack up to others regarding unique features that are often useful. These are great weapons, but the downsides limit their viability for those looking to perfect their DLC playthroughs.
Punisher MC Pistol
The Punisher MC is the weakest pistol but is a decent gun for crowd control since it can penetrate two targets before its exclusive upgrade. Afterward, it can penetrate up to five targets, which sounds awesome!
That is, if you can line up that many targets. Resident Evil 4‘s foes are aggressive and slippery, so while lining up a couple of targets is feasible, more than that is rare. Enemies often stand alongside each other instead of a line, making automatic weapons or shotguns more feasible for crowd control. The Punisher MC is stronger than its base game counterpart, and its quick speed often keeps it reliable.
SR M1903 Rifle
It almost hurts putting this here because the SR M1903 Rifle has wonderful feedback. It’s the more powerful of Resident Evil 4‘s sniper rifles, and each shot is incredibly satisfying.
The issue that arises is how slow it is to fire. Each shot means pulling back the bolt handle, meaning that its rate of fire remains one of the game’s slowest even after it’s fully leveled up. The SR M1903 is a wonderful sniper rifle, but only as that.
TMP
I’m unsure if this is much of a hot take, but I like the TMP. It sports great crowd-control capabilities and has decent accuracy for an automatic weapon. It even sports a massive magazine that can take down several foes in a single magazine when fully upgraded.
Damage is ultimately the TMP’s greatest weakness, and this haunts the submachine gun for the entire playthrough. With its maximum damage being weaker than even the Punisher and significantly faster, it can shred through enemies when continuously firing, but more so in the early game. Unfortunately, its poor damage leaves it often sidelined in favor of stronger weapons as the campaign progresses.
Tactical Knife
I rank the Tactical Knife this low because it’s a better support tool than a weapon. It’s great for parrying and attacking prone enemies, but not so much by itself. More flexibility is afforded by its exclusive upgrade increasing attack speed, but most options are better if you have ammo to spare.
Despite technically being unique to Ada, its stats are identical to Leon’s Combat Knife. Sure, the design is sleeker, but it might as well be the same weapon.
Best RE4 Separate Ways weapons in order
Here are the best weapons in Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways ranked in order with a simple bulleted list. As with the primary list, this includes all non-consumable weapons unlockable on a first playthrough.
- Red9 Pistol
- Stingray
- Blacktail AC Pistol
- Blast Crossbow
- Punisher MC Pistol
- SR M1903 Rifle
- TMP
- Tactical Knife
