What is the Licker in Resident Evil

The Resident Evil franchise has introduced us to a slew of creepy monsters. Outside of the regular zombies, we’ve also had to deal with killer plants and, more recently, Lycans. The Licker is a recurring monster and a pretty terrifying one at that.

Read on to learn where Lickers come from and how to deal with them in the modern Resident Evil games.

What’s the deal with Resident Evil Lickers?

As we learn in Resident Evil 2, Lickers are an Umbrella Corp’s experiment gone wrong. More specifically, they arose from the Epsilon strain of the t-Virus. They tend to live in colonies, with one developing in the Raccoon City Police Department where they give Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy a difficult night.

You won’t have any problem identifying a Licker. They have a humanoid shape, but their brains are exposed. Their fleshy skin oozes a slimy substance, and they have sharp claws, and a long, whiplike tongue. Due to the mutation, they have no eyes, rendering them completely blind. Consequently, they rely on their hearing to sense their surroundings.

How to deal with Lickers in Resident Evil

Lickers are extremely deadly. They hide in the shadows, and sometimes they can be found stuck on ceilings. Ideally, you want to avoid them, but sometimes it’ll be impossible to avoid crossing paths with one or two.

In the modern remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, Lickers will leap your way if you’ve been sensed. Try running, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself unable to escape, because they’re pretty fast.

Lickers attack by swiping their sharp claws, dealing significant damage. Those claws are nothing to scoff at, and they should be avoided at all costs. They can also give you lashes with their long tongue.

It is possible to sneak past a Licker if you don’t make noise. Keep a distance, move slowly (absolutely no spriting), and you’ll succesfully creep past without being detected. Remember, they can’t see you so they’ll only know you’re there if they hear you.

If you just want to get rid of the monster, come prepared. In Resident Evil 2 Remake, handguns might buy you time, but you’ll waste a ton of ammo before you’re able to take a Licker down with one. Instead, reach for your flame rounds. Lickers hate fire. Acid rounds also get the job done.

Lickers in Resident Evil 3 Remake are also tough to kill. Load up an assault rifle, aim it at the Licker’s brain, and you’ll kill it with a few shots. In both games, it’s also possible to kill the monsters with grenades.

If you want more monsters, jump into Resident Evil 4 Remake, which recently received the Separate Ways DLC.