Short answer: Grace and Leon need separate weapon plans. For Grace, Game8 recommends the S&S M232 handgun, but weigh any firearm against her limited resources and blood-based crafting. For Leon, treat the Requiem revolver as a scarce-ammunition, high-impact weapon; for his shotgun, HowToPlayHub recommends damage and capacity upgrades. These are starting points from guides and a pre-release preview—not an official or universally optimal tier list.
Why Grace and Leon need different upgrade plans
PlayStation’s official game page describes two distinct systems. Grace can use infected enemy blood to craft items, ammunition and injectors. Leon carries firearms, upgrades them with customizable parts and manages equipment in an attaché case. That makes resource conservation central to Grace’s choices, while Leon’s decisions focus more on weapon roles and where to invest upgrade resources.
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Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth mainline Resident Evil game, announced by Capcom for release on February 27, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. See Capcom’s announcement for the game and platform details.
Best starting weapon choices by character
Grace: S&S M232 handgun
Game8 identifies the S&S M232 as a strong handgun choice for Grace. Treat that as a guide’s recommendation, not an official ranking: PlayStation confirms Grace’s crafting system but does not rank her handguns. Consider how often you can afford to fire and whether ammunition or other crafted supplies matter more for your immediate situation.
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- Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst who is introverted and easily scared, representing a new type of character for the Resident Evil series. Grace will experience horror from the same perspective as the player as she learns to overcome her fears throughout the course of the story.
- For the first time ever in Resident Evil history, players will be able to freely switch between both first- and third-person perspectives throughout the game.
- An Anniversary to Remember: With March 2026 marking the Resident Evil series’ 30-year anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem marks its own milestone in the franchise.
- Pre-orders for Resident Evil Requiem are now open, with the bonus of Grace’s costume: Apocalypse. Please note that the picture weapon does not come with the costume, but it can be obtained in-game.
Leon: Requiem revolver
A pre-release PlayStation Blog hands-on preview describes the Requiem revolver as exceptionally powerful but limited in capacity. That is useful context, not a controlled post-launch balance test. A sensible tactical inference is to save its scarce ammunition for moments when a powerful shot matters rather than treating it as an everyday firearm.
Leon: shotgun
HowToPlayHub recommends damage and capacity upgrades for Leon’s shotgun. The trade-off is straightforward: damage can improve its stopping power, while capacity can mean fewer reload interruptions. The source supports this as a practical recommendation, not a guaranteed best order for every difficulty or play style.
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Which upgrades should you buy first?
Vandal’s upgrade guide describes Leon spending Credits to improve weapons. Since the available evidence does not establish every upgrade cost or a single best sequence, prioritize a weapon you use consistently rather than distributing resources across guns you rarely reach for.
- Pick the role you need. Decide whether your regular loadout needs more stopping power, fewer reloads or a dependable option for routine encounters.
- Invest in a weapon you actually use. Upgrades have an opportunity cost: Credits spent on one weapon are not available for another. Concentrating investment can make sense if it suits your loadout, but there is no verified rule that you should fully max one weapon first.
- For Leon’s shotgun, consider damage and capacity. These are HowToPlayHub’s recommended modification priorities; choose between them based on whether stopping power or reload frequency is the more pressing concern for your play.
- For Grace, include crafting in the decision. Her blood-based crafting makes ammunition and other supplies competing demands. A handgun recommendation alone does not establish that spending scarce resources on every opportunity to fire is worthwhile.
How to compare weapons without a universal tier list
Compare options by character and combat role first, then by the factors the available descriptions actually support: firepower, capacity, control or stability, resource cost and availability. PlayStation Blog describes familiar weapon-stat categories, while the upgrade guides discuss performance and spending. They do not provide a complete, verified numerical comparison for every weapon.
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Capcom’s Resident Evil Portal global statistics show changing aggregate player behavior, including weapon-use and crafting counts. Those counts are not effectiveness tests: use can reflect availability, which character a player is controlling or personal preference. A weapon’s popularity by itself does not show that it is stronger.
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- Overwhelming Hordes – Face hordes of rabid enemies that threaten to overwhelm Leon with even more diverse methods of attack than in the original release.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
What this advice does—and does not—establish
- The S&S M232 is a secondary guide’s recommended starting handgun for Grace, not an official Capcom ranking.
- The Requiem revolver’s high power and low capacity come from a pre-release hands-on account, so they should not be read as a complete post-launch balance evaluation.
- Damage and capacity for Leon’s shotgun are HowToPlayHub’s upgrade suggestions, not a universal upgrade sequence.
- The sources do not establish precise current stats, complete upgrade costs, all weapon unlock locations or the best weapon for every difficulty and play style.
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