
Resident Evil 2 Lickers - How to Kill Lickers in Resident Evil 2
Here's our guide on how to avoid and kill Lickers in Resident Evil 2.
You might not think that Resident Evil 2 is that scary in the opening hour or so of the game, but that's probably before you've run into a Licker for the first time. In this Resident Evil 2 Licker guide, we'll be walking you through how to kill Lickers in Resident Evil 2, bringing enough firepower to bear to shred them with ease.
However if you need any additional information on anything else relating to Capcom’s remake of the 1998 classic, you can head over to our Resident Evil 2 walkthrough. Here you can find our full beginner’s guide to the game, as well as an index of all our additional guide pages.
- Resident Evil 2 Lickers Explained
- How to Avoid Lickers in Resident Evil 2
- How to Kill Lickers in Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2 Lickers Explained
You won’t encounter Lickers in Resident Evil 2 until you pass through the shower room on the second floor of the police station, and are in the very western corridor. This works for both Leon and Claire, so until you’re in this area, don’t worry about running into a Licker while you’re exploring.
As a previous item that you might have found on the third floor indicates, Lickers are completely blind. They can sense through hearing alone, and they have either a slashing attack that they can perform up close, or an attack where they leap off a surface at Leon or Claire, which deals big damage and can be an instant kill or your health is at ‘caution’ or below.
How to Avoid Lickers in Resident Evil 2
But generally speaking, so long as you don’t run while you’re in the presence of a Licker in Resident Evil 2, you’ll be fine. When you’re in the same area as one, it might look as if it’s trying to smell you, but this doesn’t actually work, it can only detect through sound alone. A Licker will only become agitated if you come within five normal paces of the creature, so make sure to keep your distance.

Unfortunately though, Lickers will gradually start moving towards Leon and Claire if you’re in the same area as them. So if you see a Licker ahead of you in a corridor, there’s no way that it’ll backtrack away from you, and it’ll instead gradually work its way towards you, trying to find you. Your best option in this scenario is to either back out of the area, since Lickers can’t open doors, or get ready for a fight.
How to Kill Lickers in Resident Evil 2
When it comes to killing Lickers in Resident Evil 2, they’re just about the toughest type of common enemy that you can encounter. If you’re playing on Assisted mode, then one shot with Leon’s shotgun or Claire’s grenade launcher will kill them outright. But if you’re playing on Standard or Hardcore difficulty, then you’ll want to use your best weapon possible to try and take them out.
The Magnum is an excellent option here, and you can kill a Licker with two shots to the head with this powerful hand cannon. Grenades are also great, and are best used when you’re about to make your first move against one of the monsters. We should also note that, just like with every other enemy in Resident Evil 2, there aren’t actually any rewards for killing Lickers. You won’t get a special item drop or anything like that, and you’ll be instead killing them purely for convenience.
In other news
Control: Ultimate Edition Confirms PS5 and Xbox Series S/X Dates and Ray Tracing Toggle
If you were hoping for the highest of high-end performance… dream on, Faden.
Hades Now Has Cross-Save Between Switch and PC
The gods are on the move.
The SNES Can Do Ray Tracing Thanks to a Homebrew “SuperRT” Chip
Ben Carter's chip design makes real-time lighting and reflections possible on a 30-year-old console.
Xbox Is Hosting a Space Jam Game Jam Design Contest
We got a real (game) jam goin' now.
You may also like
Cyberpunk 2077 Review: Death by a Thousand Cyber-Cuts
Even if you get beyond the bugs, it's just not worth it.
PlayStation 5 Update Lets You Know If You're About to Play the PS4 Version of Game
Check yourself before you last-gen yourself.
Stardew Valley Just Got Beaches, Fish Tanks, Swimming Ducks, and a Whole Lot More
Nearly five years on, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone just pushed what he says is Stardew's "biggest update yet."
Alien: Isolation Is Free on Epic and Just As Good as It Was in 2014
Get the motion tracker and don't go in the vents.