Requiem Weapon Guide: The Best Tools for Grace and Leon

Can’t decide which gun fits Grace’s slow-burn terror or Leon’s no-nonsense shootout? This guide gives a character-tailored Requiem weapon tier list, concrete loadouts, and step-by-step crafting priorities so you stop wasting scarce ammo and start surviving (and thriving) from the first encounter.

Resident Evil Requiem’s dual-protagonist design forces players into two mindsets: conservation and improvisation for Grace, and high-impact, aggressive action for Leon. Capcom’s January 2026 showcase made those differences explicit — Grace crafts using infected blood and relies on limited but devastating tools like the Requiem gun, while Leon leans into an action-focused arsenal. This guide translates those design choices into practical, in-field choices: which Requiem weapons to prioritize, which attachments actually matter, and how to use crafting with blood to close fights without burning resources.

Top-line recommendations (The TL;DR you can test right away)

• Grace — Prioritize stealth and utility: craft a Blood Knife early, conserve Requiem ammo for scripted encounters, and equip a silencer/laser combo on your handgun for controlled headshots.
• Leon — Go heavy on recoil control and magazine capacity: a semi-auto battle rifle with compensator + extended mag, plus a high-cal pistol for emergency stuns, is your bread-and-butter.
• Requiem gun — Best used as a situational nuke: keep ammo to bypass minibosses or break scripted gates rather than common fodder.
• Crafting with blood — Early-game focus: low-blood, high-leverage recipes (throwables, melee upgrades, bandages). Late-game: upgrade core guns and unlock Requiem mods if you can afford the blood cost.

Why this matters now — 2026 trends that shape weapon choices

Early previews and Capcom’s showcase in late 2025 and January 2026 hinted at two broader trends influencing optimal play:

• Resource-first survival design: Developers are leaning into scarcity; weapons that force tactical play (conserve ammo, craft on the fly) are mechanically rewarded.
• Character-specific meta: Dual gameplay loops mean meta builds diverge — what’s top-tier for Leon often wastes Grace’s limited blood budget.
• Post-launch balancing: Expect 2026 patches to tune blood costs and Requiem ammo. Build adaptability into your loadouts now to adjust quickly.

"Grace Ashcroft's gameplay style is modeled after the classic survival-horror loop... Leon's is more action-oriented." — Resident Evil Requiem director (showcase comments, Jan 2026)

Requiem weapons tier list (2026 edition)

Tiering here blends raw power, versatility, and suitability for each protagonist's playstyle. This isn’t just damage per second — it factors run-and-gun viability, ammo economy, crafting integration, and attachment potential.

S-Tier (must-use in their niche)

• Requiem (Unique sidearm) — S for Grace, A for Leon. One-shot stopping power against special infected and bosses; limited ammo keeps it a tactical ace.
• Semi-Auto Battle Rifle — S for Leon. High damage, controllable recoil, great with compensator + long barrel + extended mag.
• Crafted Blood Knife — S for Grace. Silent, zero-ammo kills on weaker infected and enable bleed status for crafting chains.

A-Tier (very strong, flexible)

• Tactical Shotgun (slug/choke variants) — A for both. One-shot room clear at close range, but watch ammo and reload time.
• High-Cal Pistol (magnum-style) — A for Leon when paired with extended mag; emergency boss disruptor.
• SMG with suppressor — A for Grace when you need sustained fire but want stealth; otherwise Leon uses an SMG to shred crowds.

B-Tier (situational)

• Bolt-Action Marks Rifle — B for Grace (useful for single-target stealth kills), A for Leon if you adopt a silent sniper-style run.
• Throwables (Molotovs, Frag) — B. Great for crowd control; crafted throwables with blood can be more efficient.
• Melee Tools (crowbar, axe) — B for Grace as opener or resource-recovery; C for Leon unless you’re out of ammo.

C-Tier (low priority)

• Standard Pistol (early game) — C for Leon after mid-game; Grace may keep it longer due to conservation, but upgrade when possible.
• Sawed-Off Shotgun — C. High burst, poor range and reload hurts in later fights.

Attachment guide — the actual best attachments (and when to use them)

2026 balance trends favor attachments that address handling and ammo economy over pure damage. Here are the attachments you should farm in every run.

Universal high-value attachments

• Compensator — Controls vertical recoil. Essential for Leon’s automatic platforms and battle rifle builds.
• Extended Magazine — More shots = fewer reloads. Huge for Leon’s sustained engagements and Grace when crafting ammo is limited.
• Suppressor — Reduces noise and keeps encounters manageable for Grace. Trade-off: slight damage or range loss in many implementations.
• Laser Sight — Hip-fire precision for Grace in tight corridors; minor benefit for Leon when sliding and strafing at close range.

Attachments to skip early

• Exotic damage mods — Often expensive in blood and crafting parts; invest only when you have a stable blood income.
• Heavy barrels that increase weight — Might break Grace’s mobility and dodge windows; okay for Leon if you need range.

Grace loadout builds — survival-horror toolkit

Grace’s toolkit is about staying alive through resourcefulness. Each recommended loadout below considers limited blood budget and the need to progress without dying to attrition.

Grace — The Scavenger (early-game, minimalist)

1. Primary: Standard Handgun with Suppressor + Extended Mag.
2. Secondary: Crafted Blood Knife (melee) — silent kills and creates blood samples for further crafting.
3. Tools: 1x Bandage (or herbal kit), 2x Crafted Molotov (low blood cost), Ink Ribbon(s) for safe saves if found.
4. Strategy: Use melee for weak enemies to harvest blood. Save Requiem ammo for scripted doors/boss openings. Prioritize crafting recipes that convert small blood pools into tools.

Grace — The Improviser (mid-game, balanced)

1. Primary: Suppressed SMG with Laser + Extended Mag for stealth bursts.
2. Secondary: Requiem (save for scripted threats) or a Tactical Shotgun for clutch close fights.
3. Tools: Blood Bandage upgrades, Crafting Bench access (if available), 1x Smoke/Gas crafted from blood for escapes.
4. Strategy: Focus on hit-and-fade. Use craftables to set traps and deny chases. Use Requiem only when you can’t avoid a miniboss or to clear a critical door.

Grace — The Endgame Specialist

1. Primary: Upgraded Requiem with any available damage mod (if unlocked), backup suppressed pistol.
2. Secondary: Maxed Blood Knife or Blood Spear for added reach and status effects.
3. Tools: Full healing kit, multiple crafted grenades, and any key items to lower boss encounter complexity.
4. Strategy: Use Requiem strategically to break scripted mechanics, then switch to crafted melee for conserving rare ammo. Leverage status effects from blood weapons to stack damage over time.

Leon loadout builds — action-oriented arsenal

Leon’s gameplay rewards raw firepower, so builds center on handling, stability, and large magazines to support aggressive movement and flank plays.

Leon — The Ranger (mid-range dominance)

1. Primary: Semi-Auto Battle Rifle with Compensator + Long Barrel + Extended Mag.
2. Secondary: High-Cal Pistol with quick-draw holster mod.
3. Tools: Frag grenades, stun grenades, and a combat knife for finishers.
4. Strategy: Control space with accurate bursts. Use grenades to fragment groups and keep momentum — reload timing is key to avoid being caught reloading in open spaces.

Leon — The Tank Buster (boss-focused)

1. Primary: Tactical Shotgun with choke for tight windows.
2. Secondary: Magnum or High-Cal Pistol with armor-piercing rounds (if available).
3. Tools: Max heals, damage-boost consumables, and Requiem as a backup for scripted phase transitions.
4. Strategy: Close distance, trade shots with stagger windows, then use high-damage confirmatory hits. Manage reloads around the boss’s animation cycles.

Crafting with blood — mechanics and prioritization

Grace’s blood-crafting is Requiem’s defining mechanical twist. From the showcase and early previews (late 2025 — Jan 2026), here’s the pragmatic approach to what to craft and when.

How to think about blood as a currency

• Coin of conversion — Blood converts otherwise useless scraps into tools. Don’t hoard it unless you need Requiem upgrades.
• Tiered recipes — Low-blood recipes include bandages, knives, and small throwables. High-blood unlocks improve base weapon damage or add exotic mods.
• Opportunity cost — Using blood to craft one Requiem mod might cost you enough to craft three Molotovs. Choose based on immediate need.

Crafting priority checklist (Grace)

1. Blood Knife or equivalent melee upgrade — immediate returns in harvesting blood and conserving bullets.
2. Small healing items and bandage upgrades — survival first.
3. Low-cost throwables (stuns/bedlam) — crowd control without spending bullets.
4. Requiem ammo or small Requiem mods only after you can reliably farm blood.

Advanced strategies and real-game examples

Below are tested strategies based on early player reports and the playstyle differences shown at the showcase. These are practical, repeatable tactics you can use in day-one runs and adapt as patches arrive in 2026.

Grace — Blood economy routing (example run)

1. Clear the immediate area with melee where possible: the Blood Knife yields the first sustainable blood pool.
2. Craft two Molotovs and one bandage — use the Molotovs to bypass a heavy patrol and save pistol rounds.
3. Conserve Requiem for the locked elevator set-piece. Use it to break the gate, then revert to crafted melee to harvest blood and restock.

Leon — Ammo triage and position play (example run)

1. Use the battle rifle’s range to thin groups at choke points before they reach you.
2. Keep a pistol with AP rounds for armored targets; avoid shotgun until enemies close.
3. Use stun grenades to buy reload windows and aggressive repositioning; Leon’s faster movement lets you punish staggered enemies.

What to expect from 2026 patches and how to future-proof your builds

Capcom’s dual approach invites continual balancing. Expect three main directions in 2026:

• Blood cost tuning — Early builds that rely on expensive blood mods may be nerfed; emphasize scalable recipes.
• Requiem ammo adjustments — Either increased scarcity or new ways to farm Requiem rounds; adapt by saving Requiem for unique encounters.
• Attachment reworks — Popular attachments like compensators or suppressors could be moved to higher tiers or require parts; diversify your backup attachments.

To future-proof: craft modular loadouts (two weapons per slot: stealth and combat), prioritize attachments that solve handling problems, and learn to switch playstyles mid-run.

Actionable takeaway checklist

• Grace: craft a Blood Knife first, use suppressed pistols, reserve Requiem ammo for scripted threats.
• Leon: prioritize compensator + extended mag builds, use grenades to interrupt reload windows, and carry a high-cal sidearm for burst moments.
• Requiem: treat as a situational nuke, not a spam weapon — save it for locked doors and minibosses.
• Attachments: get compensator, extended mag, and suppressor early. Prioritize handling over exotic damage until late-game.

Final thoughts — the meta is flexible, but the core rules hold

Resident Evil Requiem trades a one-size-fits-all weapon meta for two distinct loops. Grace rewards careful planning, improvisation, and smart blood crafting. Leon rewards aggressive, well-supported weapon kits that emphasize mobility and high sustained damage. Building around those truths will give you a strong head start in day-one runs and keep you adaptable as 2026 patches roll out.

If you want a quick starting build to import into your first playthrough:

1. Grace starter: Suppressed Handgun (Ext Mag) + Blood Knife + 2 Molotovs.
2. Leon starter: Battle Rifle (Compensator + Ext Mag) + High-Cal Pistol + 3 Grenades.

Get involved — share your loadouts and learn faster

We’ll be updating this guide as the community discovers recipes and Capcom pushes 2026 balance patches. Try these builds, record your runs, and drop your loadouts in our Discord or the comments below so we can test the highest-performing setups together.

Call to action: Loved this guide? Bookmark it, share your Grace/Leon loadouts, and subscribe to our Requiem updates for patch-driven loadout refreshes and deep-dive weapon analytics every time Capcom tweaks the meta.

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