Game Overview

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is Capcom's 1999 PlayStation survival-horror classic, produced by Shinji Mikami and directed by Kazuhiro Aoyama. Jill Valentine has 24 hours to escape Raccoon City while an eight-foot bioweapon hunts her personally — through doors, across the whole map, for the entire game. It introduced the dodge, the 180° quick turn, ammo crafting, timed Live Selection choices, and the Mercenaries mode the series still carries today.

Detail	Info
Developer / Publisher	Capcom
Release	September 1999 (JP) · November 1999 (NA) · February 2000 (EU)
Platforms	PS1, then Windows and Dreamcast (2000), GameCube (2003), GOG re-release (2024), PS4/PS5 classic port (2025)
Trophies / achievements	None on any official version — not on the GOG release and not on the PS4/PS5 port. This guide's 100% is the game's own: files, epilogues, costumes, weapons
Difficulties	Easy and Hard — and they change far more than damage (see Weapons & Ammo)
Playthrough length	About 5–7 hours the first time; the rank clock wants under 2:30

What 100% means here

No trophy list exists, so completion is the game's own reward chain:

Goal	What it takes
Jill's Diary	All 30 files, collected in menu order — one run
All 8 Epilogues	Eight Hard-mode clears on the same save data
Both endings	Two visits to the bridge choice — one save covers it
Eagle 6.0 + Western Custom M37	Down Nemesis in the optional Hard fights
All 5 costumes	Easy clears for two, Hard rank-A clears for the rest
Every shop weapon	Mercenaries money, $9,999 for the lot

The honest efficiency note: the epilogues alone are eight full Hard clears. Plan short focused runs — under three hours each is realistic once you know the route — and the whole 100% lands somewhere around 20–40 hours.

Missables Warning

File order can void Jill's Diary. Grab files in menu-list order (the Files tab lists them exactly) — out-of-order pickups are the classic way to lose the reward at file 30.

The gas station explodes once you take the Machine Oil and step out. Anything left inside is gone.

The hospital is levelled right after Carlos leaves. Carry out everything you want.

The boutique closes with the district — change costumes before the cable car leaves Downtown.

Nemesis drops are Hard-only. Downing him on Easy pays nothing.

The road out of Raccoon City

Eight areas, in the order the game runs them. Every card carries the route, the key items, the files, and the thing that bites people on a first run. Colours mean the same thing on every card.

1. Uptown The opening streets

Jill starts in a warehouse as Raccoon City falls apart. Fight or slip through the streets and alleys toward Bar Jack, where Brad Vickers is attacked — and later killed by Nemesis at the police station gate.

Route	Warehouse → back alleys → Bar Jack → boutique street → the RPD gate. The Warehouse Key is in the warehouse office; the Lighter is assembled from parts found around the bar area and burns the rope holding a sealed door shut.
Key items	Warehouse Key · Lighter (two parts) · an early Shotgun from a dead officer · handgun ammo and herbs along the alleys
Files here	Clock Tower Postcard (bar counter) · Photo A (corpse in the barricaded passage) · Mercenary's Diary (dead UBCS man in the alley) · Dario's Memo (the warehouse container — come back for it)
Enemies	Zombies everywhere, dogs in the alleys, crows on the rooftop route
Nemesis	Live Selection 1 fires at the RPD gate when Nemesis kills Brad — fight him for an early Hard-mode drop, or run inside
Don't miss	The boutique on this street is where the Boutique Key from a cleared save works. Change costumes here — once you leave the district by cable car it is gone for the run.

2. R.P.D. The police station, briefly

A short visit to the RE2 station: the west wing only. Everything here funnels you toward the S.T.A.R.S. office and back out.

Route	Main hall → west office → dark room → 2F S.T.A.R.S. office. Brad's S.T.A.R.S. Card (from his body or the alternate route) reads out this run's evidence-locker code at the reception terminal.
Key items	Lockpick (Jill's own desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office) · the office locker holds the Grenade Launcher or Magnum — which one is random, and the Sub Station locker later holds the other · Emblem Key from the evidence-room locker (randomized code — see Puzzles)
Files here	Marvin's Report (west office) · David's Memo (dark room) · Fax from Kendo Gun Shop (S.T.A.R.S. office fax)
Enemies	Zombies in the halls; nothing new
Nemesis	He can follow you into the station halls — the station is not the safe zone it was in RE2

3. Downtown The cable car hunt

The heart of the game. Mikhail is dying in a stalled cable car, and Jill needs three repairs to move it: a Fuse, a Power Cable, and Mixed Oil.

Route	Meet Carlos at Grill 13 or the Raccoon Press — whichever building you enter first decides which Live Selection you get and where Carlos and Nikolai turn up afterwards. Then: Sub Station for the Fuse, Lonsdale Yard garage for the Power Cable, Stagla gas station for the Machine Oil, Umbrella sales office storeroom for the Oil Additive. Machine Oil + Oil Additive = Mixed Oil.
Key items	Fire Hook (restaurant kitchen cabinet, via lockpick) · Wrench (front of the cable car) · Fire Hose — used on the hydrant to put out the alley fire blocking the sales office · the Sub Station's second locked room holds whichever of the Magnum / Grenade Launcher the S.T.A.R.S. office didn't
Files here	City Guide (Grill 13) · Photo B, Photo C and Reporter's Memo (Raccoon Press) · Mechanic's Memo (cable car dashboard) · Manager's Report and Business Fax (sales office)
Enemies	Heavy zombie streets, dogs, Drain Deimos on the wires, Brain Suckers near the park edge; sliding worms if you drop underground
Nemesis	Live Selections 2/3 (restaurant or press), 4 (Sub Station breach) and 5 (garage earthquake) all fire in this district
Don't miss	The gas station explodes after you take the Machine Oil and leave — loot it first. And boarding the repaired cable car is the game's first point of no return: Uptown, Downtown and the RPD close forever.

4. Clock Tower Saint Michael's

The cable car crashes at the tower after Mikhail's sacrifice. The goal: ring the bell to call the rescue helicopter.

Route	Your crash-choice decides where you wake and where the Winder and Bezel keys sit. Work the music box for the Chronos Chain → Chronos Key, solve the three-goddess clock for the Gold Gear, pair it with the Silver Gear into the Chronos Gear, and ring the bell.
Key items	Winder Key / Bezel Key (locations swap with the crash choice) · Mine Thrower near a dead mercenary (Hard) · the Bronze Book → Bronze Compass → Battery chain feeds the freight elevator
Files here	Operation Instruction (main hall body) · Art Picture Postcard (library) · Mercenary's Pocketbook (clock room body)
Enemies	Sliding worms or zombies in the clock room (it rolls one or the other), Crows in the chapel yard, Hunter Betas later
Nemesis	Ringing the bell is the trap: he shoots the helicopter down, infects Jill, and the game's first mandatory Nemesis fight begins. Live Selection 6 (during the crash) decides whether Carlos wrecks his rocket launcher first; Live Selection 7 (balcony) decides whether he keeps stalking afterwards
Don't miss	Jill collapses after the fight — the Carlos interlude begins, and the tower's early rooms are effectively done.

5. Hospital Carlos's interlude

Jill is unconscious and infected. Carlos crosses to Raccoon General Hospital to synthesize the vaccine.

Route	The recorded doctor's voice unlocks the elevator. 4F: the Sickroom Key, the mirrored cart-pushing puzzle in room 402, and the wall safe (randomized code, written on the dead doctor) holding the Vaccine Base. B3: the synthesizer puzzle makes the Vaccine Medium. Combine them into the Vaccine.
Key items	Sickroom Key · Vaccine Base · Vaccine Medium → Vaccine
Files here	Director's Diary (doctor's lounge) · Photo D (4F data room) · Medical Instruction Manual (B3 experiment room)
Enemies	Hunter Betas own these halls — sidestep their leaps; at low health their slash can decapitate. Synthesizing the vaccine releases more from the tanks
Nemesis	Waits near the Clock Tower chapel on the way back — dodging past is the sane play, though he can be fought
Don't miss	A planted bomb levels the hospital moments after Carlos escapes. Anything not carried out is gone. Back at the chapel, the vaccine saves Jill and control returns to her.

6. Park Raccoon Park

Cured, Jill pushes through the city park toward Umbrella's buried facility.

Route	Park Key at the gate house → fountain gear puzzle drains the pond path → Graveyard Key from a dead mercenary → the Grave Digger pit fight → the monitoring cottage reveals the supervisors' game → Rear Gate Key → the bridge.
Key items	Park Key · Graveyard Key · Iron Pipe · Rear Gate Key
Files here	Photo E (park office typewriter) · Written Order to the Supervisors (forest path body) · Supervisor's Report and Fax from Headquarters (the secret communications room)
Enemies	Hunter Gammas in the pond water — their swallow is an instant kill, so fight them dry and at range · sliding worms herald their parent · zombies in the graveyard
Nemesis	The bridge Live Selection (8) at the end of the park is the one choice that decides your ending
Don't miss	Save before the bridge — it is the classic spot to see both endings from one save, and the park is unreachable afterwards.

7. Dead Factory The disposal plant

Umbrella's waste facility, and the end of the line. Your bridge choice decides the entrance: 2F with the Facility Key if you pushed Nemesis off, the 1F sewer side if you jumped.

Route	Water sample puzzle (randomized) opens the monitor-room door → steam-valve reroute clears the corridor → Nikolai's confrontation plays out by your route → mandatory Nemesis fight in the treatment room → power the rail cannon against his final form → final Live Selection → escape before the missile hits.
Key items	Facility Key — and the secret: reprogram it in the machine next to the water-sample terminal instead of using it, and the hidden armory with the Rocket Launcher opens
Files here	Manager's Diary (resting room) · Security Manual (monitoring room) · Incinerator Manual (emergency tunnel ladder) · Classified Photo File (car yard) — the last file, and Jill's Diary if your order held
Enemies	Hunter Gammas in the sewer route, zombies, and Nemesis twice
Nemesis	The treatment-room fight must be won; then the rail cannon does the real work on his final form. Live Selection 10 offers the famous magnum finish — You want S.T.A.R.S.? I'll give you S.T.A.R.S.
Don't miss	Once you commit to the final elevator there is no walking back — and the countdown runs through the last choice.

Points of no return, in one place

Trigger	What closes
Boarding the repaired cable car	Uptown, Downtown and the RPD — forever
Ringing the Clock Tower bell	The mandatory fight, the infection, the Carlos interlude
Carlos leaving the hospital	The whole building, minutes later
The bridge Live Selection	The park — and it locks in your ending
The final factory elevator	Everything. The countdown runs to the credits

All 10 Live Selections

The screen flashes, the music stings, and you get seconds to choose. Every choice in the game is below — where it fires, both options, and what actually changes. Letting the timer run out is always a hidden third option, and almost always the worst one.

You will never see all ten in one run: 2 and 3 are mutually exclusive, and 9 only exists on the jump route of 8.

01RPD gate — Nemesis kills Brad

Option A	Fight the monster — A winnable early fight; on Hard, downing him starts the drop chain (Eagle Parts A). Brad's card case is yours on the spot.
Option B	Run into the police station — Skips the fight; the S.T.A.R.S. Card reaches you by an alternate route inside.
Timeout	He attacks anyway.
Worth knowing	Confirmed both ways; the alternate card pickup's exact spot varies by source.

02Grill 13 restaurant, with Carlos

Option A	Run into the basement — A flooded cellar and an escape through the vent.
Option B	Hide in the kitchen — Jill drops an oil lamp on Nemesis — he goes down, and on Hard he is beatable here for a drop.
Timeout	Damage, then the fight anyway.
Worth knowing	Fires only if you met Carlos at the restaurant first. Your choice also swaps where Carlos and Nikolai appear later (gas station vs sales office).

03Raccoon Press — the alternative to 2

Option A	Jump out of the window — Escape to the back alley (one source: exclusive red herbs there — unverified).
Option B	Hide in the back — An explosion stuns Nemesis; he is beatable.
Timeout	Damage.
Worth knowing	You get this one instead of 2 if you entered the press office first.

04Sub Station — zombies breach the gate

Option A	Head to the emergency exit — Zombies pour in behind you; Nemesis may be waiting outside afterwards.
Option B	Increase electricity output — Fries the zombies on the fence — but scrambles the shutter-room wiring you still need.
Timeout	The breach happens on top of you.
Worth knowing	Either way the Fuse room still opens; the voltage puzzle just gets meaner.

05Lonsdale Yard garage — the earthquake

Option A	Climb up — The safe route back to the street.
Option B	Jump down — An underground passage full of sliding worms — and the first Grave Digger rumble.
Timeout	Damage, and you are forced down anyway.

06The cable car crash

Option A	Jump out of the window — Jill wakes at the tower's rear; Carlos hands over Freeze Rounds later — but Nemesis keeps his rocket launcher for the mandatory fight.
Option B	Use the emergency brake — You arrive through the front courtyard; no free ammo, but Carlos intervenes in the fight and wrecks the rocket launcher.
Timeout	Treated as the worse landing.
Worth knowing	This choice also swaps where the Winder and Bezel keys sit.

07Clock Tower balcony

Option A	Use the light — Blinds him and shoves him off — he stops stalking for a while, but you forfeit a Hard-mode drop.
Option B	Use the cord — Electrocutes him into the water — beatable for a drop, but he resumes stalking afterwards.
Timeout	He grabs you.

08The bridge to the Dead Factory — THE ending choice

Option A	Push him off — You enter the factory on 2F with the Facility Key. Nikolai dies at the factory, and Carlos flies the escape helicopter — ending one.
Option B	Jump off — You land on the 1F sewer side, Carlos bails you out of the swarm — and Nikolai reaches the helicopter, which forces Live Selection 9 and Barry Burton's last-second rescue — ending two.
Timeout	Knocked off — treated as jumping.
Worth knowing	The ONLY Live Selection that changes the ending. Save before it.

09Nikolai in the helicopter (jump route only)

Option A	Negotiate — He taunts you and flies off alive.
Option B	Return fire — You shoot the helicopter down and he dies.
Timeout	He fires a rocket first.
Worth knowing	Both outcomes lead to the same Barry ending — this only decides Nikolai's fate.

10After the rail cannon — the last word

Option A	Exterminate the monster — Pick up the magnum and finish him for good, with the countdown still running. The famous line plays here.
Option B	Ignore it and evacuate — Leave — the missile finishes what you started.
Timeout	He spits poison at you.
Worth knowing	Does not change the ending — just how personal it gets.

The two endings

One branch decides everything: Live Selection 8 at the bridge. The final choice and the Nikolai choice change scenes, not endings.

Ending	Route	What happens
Carlos flies you out	Push Nemesis off the bridge	Nikolai dies at the factory; the UBCS helicopter stays yours
Barry's rescue	Jump off the bridge (or time out)	Nikolai reaches the helicopter — negotiate or shoot him down, Barry arrives either way

Save in front of the bridge. One save file, both endings, ten minutes apart.

Every puzzle — and which ones the game rerolls

RE3 was built against guide-memorisation: several solutions are randomized per playthrough. For those, this page gives the rule and the complete set of possible answers where one exists. Where the honest answer is “work it by eye”, it says so.

RANDOMIZED — rolled each run FIXED — same every time

Evidence locker code RANDOMIZED

Where: RPD evidence room · Opens: The Emblem Key → S.T.A.R.S. office

Brad's S.T.A.R.S. Card at the reception terminal prints this run's code. The game rolls one of exactly four: 0131 · 0513 · 4011 · 4312 — you can simply try all four.

Sales office password RANDOMIZED

Where: Umbrella sales office computer · Opens: The storeroom with the Oil Additive

The password is the Umbrella drug being advertised on the in-game TV this run. The full set: ADRAVIL · SAFSPRIN · AQUACURE. Watch an ad, or try all three.

One source claims Safsprin is rolled about two runs in three — unverified.

Stagla oil dispenser RANDOMIZED

Where: Gas station counter · Opens: The Machine Oil

A lit-letter matching game on the STAGLA panel: note which letter starts lit, then toggle button groups until only that original position remains lit. No fixed sequence exists — it is state-matching, and the start is random.

The station explodes after you take the oil and leave. Loot first.

Sub Station voltage panel FIXED

Where: Sub Station shutter rooms · Opens: The Fuse room and the second weapon

Red raises, blue lowers, wrong steps shock Jill. Documented sequences: weapon room RED · RED · RED · BLUE, fuse room RED · BLUE · BLUE · BLUE.

Sources conflict on one sequence, and one claims the answers change after a shock. Treat the sequences as a starting point, not gospel — we would rather say so than sound sure.

Music box RANDOMIZED

Where: Clock Tower bedroom · Opens: The Chronos Chain → Chronos Key

Six sliders, up for higher notes, down for lower. The game plays the correct melody and a sour one — match it by ear; the required pattern is rolled per playthrough.

One source says the very first pressing (v1.0) is fixed at UP·DOWN·UP·UP·DOWN·UP and only later revisions randomize it — single-source, unverified.

Three goddesses clock RANDOMIZED

Where: Clock Tower clock room · Opens: The Gold Gear → the bell

Three statues — Past, Present, Future — each take one ball: Amber shifts 3 hours, Obsidian 2, Crystal 1, adding or subtracting by statue. The central clock's starting hour is random: distribute the balls so it lands exactly on 12:00.

Hospital wall safe RANDOMIZED

Where: Hospital 4F, behind the cart puzzle · Opens: The Vaccine Base

One of four codes per run, written on the dead doctor: 253 · 104 · 531 · 325.

Sickroom carts FIXED

Where: Hospital 4F, rooms 401/402 · Opens: Exposes the wall safe

The two sickrooms mirror each other. Note the corner the first room's cart occupies, then push the locked room's cart to the mirrored corner. Wrong spots shock Carlos; leave and re-enter to reset.

Vaccine synthesizer FIXED

Where: Hospital B3 lab · Opens: The Vaccine Medium

Fixed despite its looks: activate lever I, then III, then A on the lower row — the level lights line up with the arrows.

Fountain gears FIXED

Where: Park fountain · Opens: Drains the pond passage

Arrange the movable gears so the two black gears sit at the top and the two white at the bottom — the plaque by the pool shows it.

Water sample RANDOMIZED

Where: Dead Factory monitor room · Opens: The door onward — mandatory

Three rows of blocks and a target readout. Shift each row until the filled blocks form exactly the full and empty columns the sample shows — think of stacking three Tetris rows. About four target patterns exist per game.

No text source publishes the four patterns reliably — they are visual. The method above always works; expect a minute of shuffling rather than a code to copy.

Steam valves FIXED

Where: Dead Factory 2F · Opens: The superheated corridor

Press the two southern valve buttons, then the two northern ones, then the control panels.

Single-source — verify in play.

Facility Key reprogram FIXED

Where: Beside the water-sample terminal · Opens: The hidden armory — Rocket Launcher

Do not spend the Facility Key on its normal door. Insert it into the key-programming machine first, then take the elevator route back near the steam room: the armory opens with the Rocket Launcher inside.

Item randomization — why guides disagree with your game

Around 21 pickups swap between two possible spots per run. The ones that matter:

What	The swap
Grenade Launcher ↔ Magnum	50/50 between the S.T.A.R.S. office locker and the Sub Station room — you always get both eventually
Winder Key ↔ Bezel Key	Bedroom or chapel, by the cable-car crash choice
The Emerald	Restaurant basement or press office, by where you met Carlos
Gunpowder and herb caches	A dozen spots each with two candidate rooms
Enemy loadouts	Some rooms roll their spawn — the clock room is 3 zombies or 8 sliding worms

The Lockpick is not randomized — it is always on Jill's own desk in the S.T.A.R.S. office.

How Nemesis actually works

He is the first enemy in the series that follows you through doors. Around eleven scripted encounters; roughly eight can be escaped, three must be fought (the Clock Tower courtyard and the two factory battles).

Fact	Detail
Pursuit	Follows through door transitions across most of the map; the stalking theme means he is still active
Safe rooms	He does not enter save/typewriter rooms — he waits
Attacks	Walking and dashing punches, a grab, tentacle sweeps, a lethal impale, and a rocket launcher with about five rockets per encounter
Speed	Faster than Jill in a straight line — dodge and corners, not sprints
Weak habits	He corners badly — bait him around geometry for free hits. Freeze rounds stagger him best; enhanced handgun rounds stagger where normal ones do nothing

Fight or run — the drop chain

On Hard, every optional knockdown pays out, in fixed order. On Easy he drops nothing, ever.

Down	Drop	Notes
1st	Eagle Parts A
2nd	Eagle Parts B	combine → Eagle 6.0: faster, stronger 15-round handgun
3rd	First Aid Spray Box	three sprays
4th	M37 Parts A
5th	M37 Parts B	combine → Western Custom M37: the upgraded shotgun
6th	First Aid Spray Box	three more sprays
7th	M4A1 Assault Rifle	on a cleared-data run this becomes the Infinite Bullets case

Seven downs total for the full chain. The candidate encounters: the RPD gate, the alley after the RPD, the restaurant or press office, outside the Sub Station, the Clock Tower balcony (cord option), and the chapel as Carlos. No source enumerates the seven cleanly — we say that rather than invent a list.

Each fight wants heavy ordnance — freeze rounds, the magnum, enhanced ammo — and he gets back up after a while. Take the down, take the drop, leave.

Every enemy, one line each

Zombie — Bite and vomit

Several fast hits stagger them; a high shotgun blast at close range decapitates, a low one breaks legs. Walk past when you can — the ammo economy is the real boss.

Zombie Dog — Fast lunging bites

Stand your ground and shotgun them out of the leap; running invites the lunge.

Crow — Flock pecks

Run through. Almost never worth ammo.

Drain Deimos — Lunge and a draining grapple

Shotgun at mid-range and never let two corner you.

Brain Sucker — Poison spit + grapples

Same as Deimos but carry blue herbs; its grapple is one of the easier attacks to dodge-time.

Hunter Beta — Leaping slash; can decapitate at low health

They turn slowly — sidestep and hit the flank. Freeze rounds or the magnum end them fast.

Hunter Gamma — A swallow that is an instant kill

The pond frogs. Flame rounds excel; fight them out of the water and at range.

Sliding Worm — Latch and drain

Shake off and run — they only herald their parent.

Grave Digger — The giant worm (boss)

In the pit: when rain floods it, one handgun shot topples the buckling lamppost into the water and electrocutes it instantly. Otherwise feed it acid rounds in the mouth.

Nemesis — Form 1 — Punches, a grab, tentacles, an impale, and a rocket launcher

See the Nemesis tab. Runs faster than you, follows through doors, dodges your shots.

Nemesis — Form 2 — Post-Clock Tower mutation, longer tentacle reach

Slower — keep medium distance and feed it freeze rounds.

Nemesis — Form 3 — The final mass in the disposal plant

Route power to the rail cannon between its lunges; the cannon does the killing.

The arsenal

Swipe the table sideways

Weapon	Ammo	Where
Combat Knife	—	Item box from the start
M92F Samurai Edge	Handgun rounds	Jill's starting weapon
Sigpro SP2009	Handgun rounds	Carlos's sidearm; Jill can end up with it too
Benelli M3S Shotgun	Shells	Dead officer early in Uptown (Easy: item box)
Grenade Launcher	Grenade / flame / acid / freeze	S.T.A.R.S. office locker or the Sub Station — random, opposite the Magnum	The workhorse
M629C Magnum	.44	The other of that random pair	Nemesis-stopper
M4A1 Assault Rifle	A.R. clips	Carlos starts with it; Jill earns hers from the 7th Nemesis drop or the shop
Mine Thrower	Mine darts	Clock Tower, near a corpse — Hard only	Niche
Eagle 6.0	Handgun rounds	Nemesis drops 1+2 (Hard)	Upgrade
Western Custom M37	Shells	Nemesis drops 4+5 (Hard)	Upgrade
Rocket Launcher	Rockets	The Facility Key reprogram secret	Secret
Gatling Gun / Infinite weapons	—	Bought with Mercenaries money	Bonus

Gunpowder — the ammo you make

Gun Powder A and B drop through the whole game; A + B makes C. The Reloading Tool turns powders into ammo, and yields improve the more you mix. The supply is finite, so the mix is the strategy.

Mix	Makes
A	Handgun ×15
A + A	Handgun ×35
A + A + A	Handgun ×55
B + B + A	Handgun ×60
B	Shotgun ×7
B + B	Shotgun ×18
B + B + B	Shotgun ×30
A + A + B	Shotgun ×20 sources say 20 or 22
C (A+B)	Grenade rounds ×10
A + C	Flame rounds ×10
B + C	Acid rounds ×10
C + C	Freeze rounds ×10
C + C + C	Magnum ×24

Enhanced ammo: after about seven mixes of the same family, the tool starts offering Enhanced handgun rounds or shotgun shells — smaller batches that hit far harder. One enhanced handgun round staggers Nemesis. There is no enhanced magnum or grenade ammo.

Easy vs Hard — a different game

	Easy	Hard
Start	Assault rifle in hand; magnum, shotgun and a spray box already in the item box	Handgun and knife
Inventory	10 slots	8 until you find the side pack
Ink ribbons	Infinite	Limited
Ammo yields	Roughly double	Standard
Enemy health	Reduced	Full
Exclusive	—	Mine Thrower, Nemesis drops, rankings, epilogues, the full costume set

All 30 files — in the order that earns Jill's Diary

Collect all 30 and a 31st, Jill's Diary, replaces Game Instructions A. The long-standing rule: pick them up in menu-list order — the order below.

Swipe the table sideways

#	File	Where
1	Game Instructions A	In your inventory at the start
2	Game Instructions B	In your inventory at the start
3	Clock Tower Postcard	Bar Jack, on the counter
4	Photo A	Barricaded passage, on a corpse (Uptown)
5	Marvin's Report	RPD 1F west office, Marvin's body
6	David's Memo	RPD 1F dark room, by the typewriter
7	Fax from Kendo Gun Shop	RPD 2F S.T.A.R.S. office fax machine
8	Mercenary's Diary	Dead UBCS mercenary in the alley
9	City Guide	Grill 13, on a table
10	Photo B	Raccoon Press, payphone
11	Photo C	Raccoon Press 2F, office table
12	Reporter's Memo	Raccoon Press 2F, boxes
13	Mechanic's Memo	Cable car dashboard
14	Manager's Report	Sales office table
15	Business Fax	Sales office filing cabinets
16	Dario's Memo	The warehouse container — the room from the opening
17	Operation Instruction	Clock Tower main hall, mercenary's body
18	Art Picture Postcard	Clock Tower library, small table
19	Mercenary's Pocketbook	Clock Tower clock room, mercenary's body
20	Director's Diary	Hospital 1F doctor's lounge, on the floor
21	Photo D	Hospital 4F data room desk
22	Medical Instruction Manual	Hospital B3 experiment room desk
23	Photo E	Park office, on the typewriter
24	Written Order to the Supervisors	Park forest path, mercenary's body
25	Supervisor's Report	Secret communications room table
26	Fax from Headquarters	Secret communications room board
27	Manager's Diary	Dead Factory 2F resting room, by the typewriter
28	Security Manual	Dead Factory monitoring room, by the chair
29	Incinerator Manual	Dead Factory emergency tunnel, by the ladder
30	Classified Photo File	Dead Factory car yard, on the floor

The in-order requirement is the community's hard-won consensus rather than anything the game states — two of our three deepest sources assert it. Following the order costs nothing; ignoring it risks the run.

The 8 Epilogue files

One per Hard-mode clear on the same save data, regardless of rank. Eight clears, in this order:

Clear	Epilogue
1	Jill Valentine
2	Chris Redfield
3	Barry Burton
4	Leon S. Kennedy
5	Claire Redfield
6	Sherry Birkin
7	Ada Wong
8	HUNK

After the eighth, a short staff message plays. Keep one save file for the whole campaign — a fresh file resets the counter.

The Mercenaries — Operation: Mad Jackal

Unlocked by finishing the game once and saving. Race from the cable car back to the warehouse before the timer kills you: kills add seconds, chained kills multiply, and rescuing the civilians along the route pays the big bonuses.

Swipe the table sideways

Character	Loadout
Carlos	M4A1 Assault Rifle · Eagle 6.0 · handgun ammo · 3 mixed herbs	The balanced pick
Mikhail	Rocket Launcher · shotgun · .44 Magnum · spare shells and rounds · mixed herb	The firepower pick
Nicholai	Sigpro and a knife · blue herb · First Aid Sprays	The hard mode — knife kills pay the biggest time bonus

What the money buys

Prizes carry into main-game runs started from that clear data:

Reward	Price
Infinite M4A1 Assault Rifle	$2,000
Infinite Gatling Gun	$3,000
Infinite Rocket Launcher	$4,000
Infinite ammo, every weapon	$9,999

Rank — how the grade is really scored

Three categories, up to 100 points each:

Category	Scoring
Time	100 points at 2:29:59 or faster, scaling to 0 at ten hours
Saves	100 points at zero saves, 0 at 31+
Health recovered	100 points at 1,500 HP or less healed, 0 at 3,350+

Grade	Points
S	270+
A	230–260
B	180–220
C	120–170
D	50–110
E	40 or less

Simplified versions of these rules float around ("S = under 2 hours, no sprays"). The point table above is the better-documented model — and note it scores health recovered, not how many sprays you carried.

Costumes and the boutique

Clear the game once, save, and the new run starts with the Boutique Key. The boutique is on the Uptown shopping street near the start — and it closes when the cable car leaves.

Costume	Unlock
RE1 S.T.A.R.S. Jill	Clear Easy above the lowest rank
Regina (Dino Crisis)	Clear Easy
Biker leathers	Hard clear, rank A
Disco outfit	Hard clear, rank A
RPD miniskirt uniform	Hard clear, rank A

The practical rule every source agrees on: an A rank on Hard unlocks everything.

Printable 100% checklist

The whole campaign, in the order that wastes the least time. Print it — the print version drops the menus and images.

Run 1 — learn the city (any difficulty)

Both endings seen from a save at the bridge
All 30 files in menu order → Jill's Diary
The gas station looted before taking the Machine Oil out
The hospital emptied before the vaccine leaves
The Facility Key reprogram secret → Rocket Launcher
Clear data saved → Mercenaries + Boutique Key unlocked

The Hard campaign — 8 clears, one save file

Nemesis downed 7 times → Eagle 6.0, Western Custom M37, two spray boxes, the Assault Rifle
An A rank on Hard → every boutique costume
Epilogue 1 — Jill
Epilogue 2 — Chris
Epilogue 3 — Barry
Epilogue 4 — Leon
Epilogue 5 — Claire
Epilogue 6 — Sherry
Epilogue 7 — Ada
Epilogue 8 — HUNK, and the staff message

Mercenaries