Fasten your seatbelts for one of the most thrilling rides in gaming yet. Resident Evil 8 plays the series’ staple cards interestingly, and in concert with plenty of innovative spins that keep you on your toes: mind-bending puzzles that require backtracking, monsters from the stuff of nightmares, and a revamped inventory system similar to Resident Evil 4’s. The immersive first-person view from Biohazard returns in this title as well, drawing you deeper and deeper into dimly lit lounges or a dilapidated village where Lycans prowl about.
In this world filled with dangers around every corner, exploration rewards those who are brave and curious enough to search for the myriad missable items the game has to offer. You really don’t want to miss all the hidden valuables you can sell to purchase the most useful weapon upgrades in the game. Additionally, you absolutely need to provide The Duke with the necessary ingredients to cook some savory recipes: they significantly boost Ethan’s abilities, almost exactly like upgrade levels from Skyrim.
6 Herbed Fish
Every available recipe unlocks immediately after a certain point in the early-game. No spoilers here, it’s sufficient to say you won’t have to wait or play a long time before The Duke tells you to bring him some fresh ingredients. Since you can pick and choose which item you’d like to cook first, prioritize those that fit your gameplay style (or your available resources).
When it comes to usefulness, the Herbed Fish is the least beneficial recipe to consume, albeit it requires few ingredients. Eat this one to slightly increase your health permanently. Although that sounds like a good boost, it’s not worth wasting the required 3 fish and 2 poultry that could be spent towards more useful dishes. If you find yourself in immediate need for a little more health, perhaps while playing on Hardcore mode, than the Herbed Fish might acquire a little more viability.
5 Three-Flavored Mititei
This is probably the first dish you should let The Duke prepare for you, since it boosts your health more than the Herbed Fish and only requires a couple of more ingredients. Bring him 4 fish, 2 poultry, and 3 meat to considerably increase your health. There are simply way more monsters in Village compared to Biohazard, you are liable to get hurt over and over on your first playthrough.
Conserving those precious healing first aid meds as much as you can is key, if you want to beat the game’s bosses on your first try. The Three-Flavored Mititei gives you an important edge you should gain as soon as possible. Remember that healing items restore a fixed percentage of your available health (rather than a set number of points), so the more of it you have, the more damage you can tank without dying.
4 Bird And Beast Pilaf
Depending on how well you are at blocking and kicking enemies away from you, this recipe proves invaluable in the early-game. You might want to get this one before the all others. The Bird And Beast Pilaf permanently decreases the amount of damage taken when blocking, much like the Secrets Of Defense from Resident Evil 7. The blocking mechanic in Village received a much needed counterattack update: if you block an enemy’s attack, and then press the blocking button again, you’ll perform a kick that briefly stuns most monsters.
There is no reason not to take advantage of this move. To cook the Bird And Beast Pilaf, you need to gather 4 poultry and 1 meat. All things considered, this recipe is incredibly easy to make, you can practically unlock it almost immediately.
3 Tochitura De Pui
The final, and most significant, health upgrade to get is the one that comes with the Tochitura de Pui. Unfortunately, this recipe requires a little bit of dedication: you need 4 poultry, 3 meat, and 1 juicy game. The meat and poultry isn’t too hard to come across, you only need to keep your eyes peeled for pigs and chickens, found aplenty in the village. The juicy game is another story, though.
This ingredient can only be obtained once in the entire playthrough, so make sure you don’t sell it by accident. A peculiar bird can be found somewhere in the village. Look for clues that indicate its location; you might get lucky by checking the Beneviento estate, home to one of the series’ villains, and surrounding areas… perhaps.
2 Ciorba De Porc
This dish is worth saving all the ingredients necessary to make it. The Ciorba de Porc greatly decreases damage taken while blocking. Coupled with the Bird And Beast Pilaf, this recipe easily becomes almost the greatest in the game. You need 1 fish, 5 meat, and 1 quality meat to unlock this buff. If you retrace your steps back to Luiza’s house, you might be able to find a special animal that yields the last ingredient required.
The five pieces of meat might be somewhat hard to come by, at first. Keep playing through the game and you’ll eventually stumble across them.
1 Sarmale De Peste
The Ethan in Resident Evil Village isn’t quite the same as the one in Biohazard. Before the tragic events of the game unfold, Ethan reveals that he underwent extensive military training to help him protect himself and his family. In fact, you might have noticed that his gun skills are notably superior in this game. He also moves around somewhat faster, which proves invaluable in life or death situation.
Although the Sarmale De Peste doesn’t quite equate to one of the best weapons from the Resident Evil series, it does account for an invaluable speed boost. How quickly you are able to navigate around dangerous areas and tight spaces filled with monsters, makes all the difference in life or death situations. So make sure you don’t become a Lycan’s snack and stay on your toes.
NEXT: Resident Evil: 10 Awesome Facts You Didn’t Know About Mia Winters
