Resident Evil Village guide and everything you need to survive Lady Dimitrescu

Resident Evil Village
(Image credit: Capcom)

Our Resident Evil Village guide covers all the most important thing you need to stay alive, From the guns you need to find, how to solve some of the tougher to finding crystal fragments to get right - everything coming up will help you get off to a good start in the Village.

Coming up we'll start with some basic tips and info, and then work our way through goat locations, well puzzles, the best weapons and plenty more. So you can eitehr use this help with the whole game, or just dip in when you get stuck. Whatever you're planning just bookmark this Resident Evil Village guide and then you can come back easily whenever you need help.

How long is the game?

Resident Evil village castle demo

(Image credit: Capcom)

There's been a lot of talk about the question of how long is Resident Evil Village, after a some completion times leaked online. It's not a simple answer, though, as how long it takes to complete depends on how deep you dive into the exploration, or whether you whiz through the story. We cover all that, and explain what you can expect from the Resident Evil Village length, with this guide. 

How big is the map?

resident evil village map

(Image credit: Capcom)

Like the game's length, the question of how big is the Resident Evil Village map depends to some degree. Obviously there's a finite size to it, but it all depends on how much you want to see as to how big it actually feels. If you just want the story and zip directly between objectives you're going to see a lot less than someone who takes the time to explore all the corners. This is where we cast an analytical eye over the entire map. 

Use these basic tips to get you started

Resident Evil Village review

(Image credit: Capcom)

These Resident Evil Village tips are a good place to start if you're just beginning the game. It's a broad look at various things you should know before you get too far in. It covers basic mechanics, key items, things that are extremely useful to know sooner rather than later, and generally gets you off on a good foot for the rest of the game. 

Crystal fragments, treasure and money

Resident Evil Village tips

(Image credit: Capcom)

This guide to Resident Evil Village crystal fragments, treasure and money is exactly what you need if you want more cash to spend. It covers the basics of money in the game, locating lucrative Crystal Fragments, treasures and explains how to make as much cash as possible. The more you can buy from the Duke, the easier you'll find things.  

How to survive the opening attack

Resident Evil 8 Village

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village survive the attack objective is a very early test of skill in the game. There are a lot of werewolves, you've barely had a gun more than for a couple of minutes... GO! While that 'survive the attack' bit seems obvious, there's a lot of bad guys and it's easy to get hammered into the ground. This guide will help you survive and see what else the game has to offer. 

Statue puzzle

resident evil village statue puzzle

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village statue puzzle appears in Castle Dimitrescu and sees you rotating statues according to the clues in a strange poem on a wall. It's a classic Resi puzzle set up and, if you can't be bothered trying to work out what the poem means, or which statue is which, we've got the answers here. 

Piano puzzle solution

resident evil village piano puzzle

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village piano puzzle will see you getting musical in Castle Dimitrescu as you try to read some sheet music and solve a melodical puzzle. You can brute force the solution by pressing all the keys a lot, but we've got the answer here to save you time and face. 

Masks locations and solution

Resident Evil village masks

(Image credit: Capcom)

You'll need four Resident Evil Village masks to escape Castle Dimitrescu and we've got them all here. Follow our guides and maps and you'll have all the masks, and be ready to solve the final puzzle before Lady D can catch you in a hallway. 

Bell puzzle solution

Resident Evil Village bell puzzle

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village bell puzzle appears about half way through Castle Dimitrescu and sees you trying to find and ring fives bells. It sounds easy enough, but at least two are quite well hidden and tricky to find. This guide will point them all out straight away and save you any frustration. 

Can you get back into the Castle?

Resident Evil 8 Village

(Image credit: Capcom)

At a certain point in the game you'll be asking yourself can you get back into Castle Dimitrescu? Spoilers: you don't stay there for the entire game and it's not clear at the time when you're about to leave. This guide will cover whether you can get back in or not, and indicate the precise point of no return. 

Music box puzzle solution

Resident Evil Village music box

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village music box puzzle appears part of the way through House Beneviento, and is devious melodical puzzle. It involves rearranging the box's cylinders until it plays a song you might have heard once back at the Winter's house. If you have no idea how the tune goes then this guide will explain an easy way to put the cylinders in the right order and solve the puzzle for good. 

The best guns

resident evil village guns

(Image credit: Capcom)

There are lot of Resident Evil Village guns to pick up along the way, as well as a range of upgrades to track down and buy. To help you build up your arsenal this guide goes through all the guns you can get in a first playthrough, in the order you can get them, to streamline the process. We also explain what guns you can unlock for completing the game and take into a NewGame+ run. 

Animal locations

Resident Evil village meat animals

(Image credit: Capcom)

Finding all the Resident Evil Village animal locations can make a huge difference to the game. This guide will show you where to find every animal in the game, including the rare ones. Get all the required ingredients and you can cook special meals that will buff your attack, defense and movement. 

How to use the wells 

resident evil village wells

(Image credit: Capcom)

There are Resident Evil Village wells scattered all over the game, but you won't be able to do anything with them for ages. This guide will explain when you can actually use them, the item you need to find to do so, and list what's in every one to save you time searching. 

Where to find lockpicks and locks

resident evil village lockpicks

(Image credit: Capcom)

This guide to Resident Evil Village lockpicks will help you find both the picks themselves, as well as the easy to pick lock they open. It'll also, crucially, tell you what's in all the easy to pick locks, so you don't waste a lockpick or time opening a drawer with something you don't want inside. 

Labyrinth ball locations 

resident Evil village labyrinths

(Image credit: Capcom)

There are four Resident Evil Village labyrinths to find, and four unique balls that you also need to find to solve them. This guide will explain where everything is, and give you a few pointers on getting the ball through the challenge to unlock the lucrative treasures inside at the end. 

Wooden Goat locations

Resident Evil Village goats

(Image credit: Capcom)

There are Resident Evil Village Goats hidden all over the game. 20 in total, scattered across the map, and at least two are so well hidden we doubt you'll find them without help. This guide will show you where all the goats are hidden, with maps and images to show you every location clearly.   

Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.