Look, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (ORC) is a weird beast. It’s been years since Slant Six Games and Capcom dropped this squad-based shooter, and honestly, the internet still can't decide if it’s a cult classic or a total mess. But if you’re actually playing it—whether you're revisiting it on PC or dustin' off a PS3—you know the combat isn't about the "survival" part of survival horror. It’s about the gear. Specifically, how Operation Raccoon City weapons handle compared to the rest of the franchise. It isn't Resident Evil 4. You aren't standing still and aiming for the knees to setup a suplex. You’re running, gunning, and trying not to get shredded by a Tyrant while your teammates accidentally bleed out.
The gunplay is crunchy. It feels heavy, almost sluggish at times, which makes your choice of loadout feel way more impactful than in a standard shooter. You’ve got your primaries, your secondaries, and those specialized character abilities that change how a gun actually performs in the field. If you’re playing as Beltway, a shotgun feels like a delete button. If you’re Four-Eyes, you might care more about the utility of your sidearm while you’re busy babysitting a brainwashed Hunter.
The Assault Rifle Trap and Why It Happens
Most people start the game and gravitate toward the assault rifles. It makes sense. It's the "safe" pick. You see the Militia Rifle or the Hammer and think, "Yeah, that'll do the trick against a pack of zombies." Well, sorta.
The problem with most Operation Raccoon City weapons in the rifle category is the bloom. Slant Six implemented a recoil and accuracy system that punishes you for holding down the trigger. It’s annoying. If you’re playing on Professional difficulty, that spray-and-pray mentality gets you killed because the Spec Ops soldiers across the map have laser accuracy while your bullets are hitting everything except their helmets. The Hammer is arguably the most balanced of the bunch, offering a decent fire rate without kicking like a mule, but it lacks the stopping power to stun-lock a T-103.
The Special Forces Carbine is a different story. It’s precise. If you’re the type of player who actually uses the cover system (I know, most people forget it exists), the Carbine is your best friend. It’s about those clean headshots. Zombies in ORC are surprisingly tanky if you just aim for center mass. You’ll burn through your entire ammo reserve in two hallways if you aren't careful. That’s the real trick to the game: managing the scarcity of ammo while dealing with the sheer volume of enemies. It's a weird contradiction that defines the whole experience.
Shotguns: The King of Close Quarters
Let’s be real. If you aren't using a shotgun in the streets of Raccoon City, you’re basically playing the game on hard mode for no reason.
The Juggernaut is the standout. It’s a semi-auto beast that clears paths. When you’re trapped in a tight corridor in the Umbrella labs and three Crimson Heads are sprinting at you, a rifle won't save you. The Juggernaut will. It has this satisfying thump and enough kickback to give you breathing room. Then there’s the Riot Shotgun. It’s got a tighter spread, which is better for dealing with those pesky parasites or taking chunks out of a Licker's exposed brain from a few feet away.
- The Juggernaut: Fast fire rate, wide spread, absolutely essential for "Medic" or "Demolition" classes who need to push through crowds.
- The Cowboy: It looks cool. It’s a lever-action. But honestly? It’s a novelty. The reload time will get you cornered and eaten.
- Riot Gun: The middle ground. Reliable. It’s the weapon you pick when you don’t know what’s around the corner.
I’ve seen players swear by the pump-action basic shotgun because of its high individual pellet damage, but in a game where you’re often surrounded by twenty enemies, fire rate is king. You need to be able to fire, shove, and fire again.
Submachine Guns and the "Bleed" Mechanic
SMGs in this game occupy a weird niche. They don't have the punch of a shotgun or the range of a rifle, but they are the best tools for triggering the "Blood Frenzy."
For the uninitiated, if you deal enough damage to a human opponent (Spec Ops), they start bleeding. This attracts every zombie in a two-block radius to their location. It’s hilarious. And it’s the most effective way to win PvPvE encounters. The Advanced SMG is a bullet hose perfectly designed for this. You don't need to kill the enemy player yourself; you just need to make them "leak" enough that the undead do the work for you.
The Tactical SMG is another solid choice, mainly because its handling is so smooth. You can move at almost full speed while ADS (aiming down sights), which is huge when you’re trying to dodge a Hunter’s leap. But don’t try to use these against the bosses. Using an SMG against William Birkin is like trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun. You’ll just run out of lead and die frustrated.
Why Secondaries Are Not Just Backups
In most shooters, your pistol is what you pull out when your primary clicks empty. In Operation Raccoon City, your sidearm is a legitimate tactical choice.
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Take the Samurai Edge. If you bought the DLC or have the right version, this thing is a scalpel. It’s significantly more accurate than the starting handgun and allows you to conserve your primary ammo for the big threats. Then you have the Lightning Hawk. It’s a Magnum. It’s slow. It holds almost no ammo. But it deletes things. If a Licker is on the ceiling, one well-placed shot from the Lightning Hawk will bring it down.
The Matilda is another fan favorite because of the burst fire. It essentially turns your secondary slot into a mini-SMG. This is huge for classes like the Scientist or Recon who might be carrying a more specialized primary like a sniper rifle. It gives them a "get off me" button when things get messy.
Heavy Ordnance and Power Weapons
You can't talk about Operation Raccoon City weapons without mentioning the stuff you find laying around in crates. The Grenade Launcher and the Flamethrower. These aren't loadout items; they’re temporary power-ups.
The Flamethrower is actually kind of terrible against zombies (it takes too long to kill them), but it’s amazing against the Ivies in the later stages. The Grenade Launcher is the ultimate equalizer. If you see a Tyrant, and there’s a Grenade Launcher nearby, you drop whatever you’re holding and grab it. The stagger effect alone is worth its weight in gold. It buys your team time to revive fallen comrades or interact with computer terminals while the big guy is reeling.
Sniper Rifles: A Niche Choice for a Fast Game
Sniper rifles feel out of place in a game this chaotic, but they have one specific use: taking out the Spec Ops snipers. Throughout the campaign, you'll run into sections where human enemies are perched on balconies or rooftops. Trying to hit them with a shotgun or an SMG is a joke.
The Bolt Action Rifle is a one-hit kill to the head, but the reload between shots is agonizing. The Semi-Auto Sniper is the way to go. It allows for quick follow-up shots when you inevitably miss because the enemy AI in this game loves to jitter around like they’ve had ten espressos. If you’re playing as Spectre, his thermal vision makes the sniper rifle a nightmare for other players in multiplayer. You can see through smoke and walls, picking people off before they even know which street corner you’re hiding behind.
The Meta: What to Actually Bring to the Fight
After hundreds of hours and way too many deaths to the "Trip Mine" traps, the community has generally settled on a few "best" setups.
- The Tank (Beltway): Juggernaut + Lightning Hawk. You are the wall. You walk forward, you blast things, and you use the Magnum for the "oh crap" moments with Elites.
- The Support (Bertha/Four-Eyes): Hammer AR + Matilda. You need versatility. The Hammer lets you contribute to mid-range fights, while the Matilda keeps you safe when you're busy healing or hacking.
- The Assassin (Vector): Tactical SMG + Combat SMG (Secondary). Move fast, stay invisible, and cause as much Blood Frenzy as possible.
The biggest mistake players make is trying to play this like a tactical mil-sim. It isn't. It’s an arcade shooter wearing a Resident Evil skin. You have to lean into the absurdity of the weapon stats. The "Accuracy" bar in the menu is often lying to you; "Stopping Power" is the only stat that truly matters when a T-Virus infected dog is hurtling toward your throat.
Managing Your Arsenal
Ammo crates are your lifeline. Unlike the mainline games where you hoard every bullet like it’s made of gold, ORC encourages you to spend. If you find an ammo box, top off. Even if you've only fired ten rounds. You never know when the game is going to lock you in a room with three Hunters and a ticking clock.
Also, remember that your grenades are part of your "weapon" ecosystem. The incendiary grenades are arguably the best in the game. They create a zone of control. Zombies will walk right into the fire and chip away their health, making them easy pickings for your primary. Cryo grenades are more niche, but they're great for freezing a group of enemies so you can land a perfect shotgun blast on all of them at once.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Session
If you’re heading back into Raccoon City, keep these specific tips in mind to make the most of your gear:
- Prioritize the Juggernaut: It is objectively the most consistent weapon for clearing the campaign's swarm sections.
- Watch the Bloom: Stop running before you shoot. Your accuracy improves significantly the moment your feet are planted.
- Secondary Synergies: Don't just pick the coolest looking pistol. If your primary is slow (like a Sniper or Heavy MG), take the Matilda or a fast-firing handgun.
- Level Up Your Skills: Remember that certain character passives increase reload speed or reduce recoil. A weapon that feels "bad" on Vector might feel "amazing" on Lupo because of her specific buffs.
- Environmental Awareness: Keep an eye out for the yellow cases. These contain the high-tier power weapons that can turn a boss fight from a twenty-minute slog into a two-minute victory.
The weapon system in Operation Raccoon City is deeper than it gets credit for, but it requires you to play by its specific, somewhat clunky rules. Stop trying to make the assault rifles work like they do in Call of Duty and start embracing the raw, messy power of the shotguns and Magnums. That’s how you survive the outbreak. That’s how you actually enjoy the chaos Umbrella has unleashed.
Stick to the high-stagger weapons and always keep a full magazine in your sidearm. The streets are mean, the zombies are fast, and your teammates are probably going to shoot you in the back at least once. Be ready for it.