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Yes, if you want the fuller character story—but expect overlap. In the 2019 remake, Leon and Claire have different weapons, character-specific scenes and sections, while sharing many locations, story beats and puzzle solutions. Complete one Story Mode run to unlock the other character’s 2nd Run, which changes parts of the route and leads to the extended ending. If you are short on time, choosing one character is reasonable; the game does not require a particular first pick.
Should you start with Leon or Claire?
Pick the character whose story or equipment interests you more. The cited guides do not establish a mandatory order or an objectively best first choice. After you complete Story Mode with either protagonist, you can select the other character’s 2nd Run from the main menu.
This advice is for the 2019 remake. Its route structure should not be assumed to describe the 1998 original. For background on the remake’s two playable campaigns, see the Resident Evil 2 Steam listing.
What changes between Leon and Claire?
The choice affects more than the protagonist’s name: each has a distinct weapon set, exclusive sections and character-specific scenes, files and collectibles. But the campaigns also reuse substantial content, so the second character is not a wholly new game.
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Weapons and combat resources
Vandal’s character guide lists Leon’s weapons as including the Matilda, W-870, Lightning Hawk and Chemical Flamethrower. Claire’s examples include the SLS 60, JMB Hp3, GM 79 Grenade Launcher, MQ 11 and Spark Shot. Each character also has a handgun available only in 2nd Run. These are route differences, not evidence that either protagonist is categorically easier.
Story, locations and puzzles
You see scenes and sections specific to the protagonist you choose, but many locations and story beats overlap. Many puzzle solutions, locker combinations and safe combinations are shared as well. Playing the other character adds context and distinct material, but it repeats enough exploration that it is best viewed as a complementary run rather than a completely separate campaign. See Vandal’s Leon-versus-Claire comparison.
What does 2nd Run add?
2nd Run is the remake’s later route for the other protagonist, broadly comparable in role to Scenario B in the original. It is not New Game Plus. Vandal’s guide, updated August 11, 2026, describes the game as “For the most part, the game is almost identical, although some areas are different.” The mode changes some areas, item placements and main puzzle solutions; many of the same locations and puzzle answers still carry over.
The most consequential late-game differences are an additional boss encounter in the final train section and the extended ending. For the route-specific details, see Vandal’s 2nd Run guide.
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- Based on the release of 1998 but completely rebuilt for a deeper narrative experience
- new over the shoulder camera mode and modernized control scheme
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- RE engine, Resident Evil 2 delivers breathtakingly photorealistic visuals in 4K
- zombies are brought to life with a horrifyingly realistic wet gore Effect.zombies react in real time taking instant visible damage, making every bullet count.engage in frenzied combat with enemies, explore dark menacing corridors & solve puzzles.a terrifying constant fight for survival.enjoy separately playable campaigns for both Leon and Claire
How to play both characters
- Choose Leon or Claire for your first Story Mode run.
- Finish that run. Completing Story Mode with either character unlocks 2nd Run from the main menu.
- Select the other character’s 2nd Run—for example, finish Leon’s New Game to unlock Claire’s 2nd Run, or finish Claire’s New Game to unlock Leon’s.
Is playing both worth your time?
Play both if seeing the character-specific scenes, sections and equipment matters to you, and you are comfortable revisiting familiar locations and story beats. For the fuller remake story, follow your first run with the other character’s 2nd Run, which supplies the altered route and extended ending. If repeated exploration outweighs those additions for you, play the protagonist you prefer and stop there; the first run stands on its own as a valid choice.
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