Resident Evil 7: how to survive the Baker mansion using maps, herbs, and psychostimulants

The horror franchise has gone back to basics with an game designed to make you a nervous wreck
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Edward Hyatt30 January 2017

There’s no escaping it: Resident Evil VII: biohazard is a scary, scary game.

The Baker family might seem happy to welcome you to their plantation and mansion home – but let’s just say you wouldn’t give them a recommendation on Airbnb.

Whether this is your first survival horror experience or simply your latest venture into the panicky corridors of a Resident Evil game, it doesn’t hurt to have a friendly guide for desperate times.

Want to avoid that dreaded ‘You Are Dead’ message over and over? Check out these essential tips on how to survive.

No escape: prepare to be majorly spooked by Resident Evil VII 
Capcom

1) Hide and run away

Running away from something frightening isn't exactly cool or brave – but then neither is to wasting your hard-earned ammo. The Baker mansion is dark and terrifying, but it’s also full of safe spaces you can retreat to.

Save rooms are safe spots, so keep track of where they are and make a break for them whenever you find yourself in a compromising situation.

Remember: you’re faster than most of your pursuers so don’t hesitate to scram. Use the map to your advantage and work out routes to safety; you need to outsmart the enemy!

2) Learn the map

Maps in Resident Evil have always been important and VII is no exception. You can either reveal Dulvey Mansion’s surroundings as you explore, or you can find hidden maps to help you out.

The maps help you keep track of where you’ve been by identifying stairs, doorways and the specially locked doors that require animal symbol keys. The map also keeps track of both save points and the item storage box, as well as revealing the location of locked drawers so you can unlock them later.

3) Don’t forget to block

Even some of the sharpest weapons and more powerful attacks can be blocked by Ethan. That’s not to say that the block is painless but it does reduce the damage taken. Thankfully, successfully blocking an attack should also give you time to hopefully create some distance between you and your enemy – giving you a minute to reload and put a bullet in that creature’s head!

Capcom

4) Keep your eyes peeled

The Resident Evil series is well known for hiding necessary survival objects just out of sight. The last thing you want is to be caught in a life or death situation without any ammo or first aid sprays.

Well-hidden items are typically the best so make sure when you enter a room you check every nook and cranny – in particular, look for life-saving herbs hidden in bathtubs and check behind paintings for spare ammo.

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5) Combine items

Long gone are the days where you can only combine red, green and yellow herbs. Use chem fluids to enhance your herbs (especially if you’re struggling to block attacks), and then combine them with your ammo to create new types of rounds. Flame and neuro rounds are really useful if you have a weapon capable of firing the new ammunition.

Capcom

6) Save often

This one is fairly obvious but we’ve all fallen victim to forgetting to save your progress. No one wants to have to replay two hours and remember how to solve a difficult puzzle. The mansion and surrounding areas feature plenty of save points – giving you lots of chances to make a random save if you just have a bad feeling (in a game that’s absolutely all about bad feelings).

Also make sure you use the storage container in the save room – this will help you clear out your limited backpack with items you don’t need all the time, like key items, first aid kits, and ammo.

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7) Psychostimulants are your friends

When it’s all falling apart, why not engage in a bit of recreational drug taking (in-game only, of course). Psychostimulants reveal nearby items through walls and drawers and so you should really make the most of them. Even if you’re a treasure hunter who routinely explores each room to the max there’s bound to be something important you’re missing.

They last about two minutes on the regular difficulty setting so you need to be as efficient as possible when using one up.

Resident Evil VII: biohazard is out now on PS4 and Xbox One

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