Chris Redfield is a high-power, aggressive character in Mercenaries mode. He specializes in close-range combat, using his Onslaught gauge and powerful melee attacks to tear through enemies with overwhelming force.
Chris starts with the following weapons:
Chris Redfield's custom sidearm used in Mercenaries mode.
Fully automatic rifle used by Chris Redfield in Mercenaries mode.
Chris Redfield's melee kit: Straight Punch and Left Hook.
The following weapons can be obtained during Mercenaries stages when playing as Chris:
Chris Redfield's custom sidearm used in Mercenaries mode.
Fully automatic rifle used by Chris Redfield in Mercenaries mode.
Chris Redfield's melee kit: Straight Punch and Left Hook.
Chris has access to unique mechanics that define his playstyle:
Chris is a high-precision, high-consistency character whose strength comes from accurate headshots, fast weapon handling, and the ability to maintain combos with minimal downtime. While he starts with both the USM-AI and the Dragoon, his strongest and most reliable weapon is the USM-AI due to its efficiency, accuracy, and ammo economy.
Ignore the Dragoon entirely. While it has a high rate of fire, it burns through ammo extremely quickly and offers poor damage-per-shot. This leads to ammo starvation and inconsistent combo maintenance. The USM-AI, on the other hand, is accurate, ammo-efficient, and scales extremely well with upgrades.
The optimal strategy is to invest heavily into the USM-AI's damage upgrades and rely on consistent headshots. This minimizes ammo consumption, maximizes kill speed, and keeps combos alive even in sparse enemy waves.
Chris benefits enormously from an efficient first shop visit. To maximize his early power spike and support the USM-AI-focused playstyle, sell the following items immediately if they appear in your starting inventory:
This gives you a large Lei boost that can be reinvested into upgrades that actually matter for Chris's build.
Your first purchase should be Energized Guns, which increases Onslaught gauge gain while firing. This synergizes perfectly with the USM-AI's accuracy and fire rate, allowing you to trigger Onslaught more frequently and maintain combos more reliably.
After that, upgrade the USM-AI's Power and Reload Speed as much as possible, prioritizing Power first. Higher Power means fewer bullets per kill, which improves ammo economy and helps maintain combos through faster enemy takedowns.
Once you've sold off unnecessary items and purchased Energized Guns, upgrade the USM-AI in the following order of importance:
Be careful not to over-invest in Rate of Fire too early. Increasing fire rate without enough Power will cause ammo waste and make elite enemies harder to burst down.
Following this priority ensures that Chris's USM-AI reaches its full potential quickly, giving you the stopping power and consistency needed to maintain long combos and secure S or SS ranks.
Chris's gameplay revolves around precision headshots. The USM-AI's low recoil and tight accuracy make headshots extremely consistent, even at mid-range. Landing headshots not only increases damage output but also reduces the number of bullets needed per kill, which keeps your ammo reserves healthy throughout the run.
Chris's Onslaught ability dramatically increases his fire rate and movement speed, allowing him to tear through enemies and maintain combos with ease. The USM-AI benefits greatly from this, as its accuracy and low recoil let you land rapid headshots during Onslaught without wasting ammo.
Onslaught is also extremely valuable when fighting elite enemies or bosses. These enemies take longer to kill and can easily break your combo if you rely on normal fire. Activating Onslaught during these encounters lets you burst them down quickly, secure the kill, and keep your combo chain alive.
Landing headshots also builds the Onslaught gauge faster, creating a feedback loop where accuracy fuels more Onslaught uptime.
Because the USM-AI is so ammo-efficient, Chris rarely runs out of handgun ammo when played correctly. This is a major advantage over Dragoon-focused builds, which often run dry mid-stage and force risky melee or slow routing.
By focusing on headshots and avoiding the Dragoon, you maintain a steady ammo supply and keep your damage output consistent throughout the entire stage.
In Hard Mode, Chris's USM-AI build becomes even more valuable. Enemies have more HP, but headshots scale cleanly, and Onslaught lets you burst down elites before they threaten your combo.
In short: upgrade the USM-AI, aim for consistent headshots, use Onslaught to maintain combos and burst down elites, and avoid the Dragoon to prevent ammo issues. Played this way, Chris becomes one of the most stable and reliable characters for achieving S and SS ranks across all stages.