Resident Evil 2 Lickers - How to 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.

If it's more content for Capcom's remake that you're after, head over to our essential Resident Evil 2 tips page. Alternatively, you can hit up our page on how to unlock Fourth Survivor in Resident Evil 2 with the enigmatic Hunk, our article on how to unlock the magnum in Resident Evil 2, or our Resident Evil 2 Leon's desk locks guide.