You're trapped in a swamp. Everything smells like rot. There is a man with a shovel trying to turn your skull into a decorative bowl. Welcome to Dulvey, Louisiana.
If you’re looking for a Resident Evil 7 guide, you probably figured out pretty quickly that this isn't like the action-movie vibes of the previous few games. It's meaner. It's tighter. Honestly, it’s kinda gross. Ethan Winters isn't a superhero; he’s just a guy looking for his wife, and that makes your margin for error incredibly slim. You can’t just spray and pray your way out of the Guest House. You need to understand how Capcom fundamentally shifted the rules of the survival horror genre back toward its roots while introducing a first-person perspective that changes how you aim, move, and—most importantly—hide.
The first thing you have to accept is that you are weak. In the beginning, Ethan has the durability of a wet paper towel. One swing from Jack Baker’s makeshift axe can put you in the "Danger" zone instantly. The game wants you to feel claustrophobic. It wants you to panic when you hear floorboards creak behind you. But here’s the thing: the game is also a massive clockwork puzzle. Once you learn the triggers and the resource management loops, the Baker estate stops being a house of horrors and starts being a playground you can actually navigate.
Getting Through the Guest House Without Losing Your Mind
The prologue is a scripted nightmare. You’re going to get hurt, and you’re going to lose some things (literally). The most important part of this Resident Evil 7 guide for the early game is simple: don’t waste your meager resources. When you find that M19 handgun in the attic, your instinct is to dump the whole mag into Mia. Don't. Wait for the reticle to shrink. Headshots are the only thing that matters.
Spacing is your best friend.
If you let Mia get too close, she’ll initiate a grapple animation that eats your health. Back up. Use the central pillar in the attic as a kite point. It's a dance. You're basically baiting an attack, stepping back, and then popping a shot when she recovers. This sets the tone for the rest of the game. Every enemy has a recovery window. If you aren't exploiting that, you’re just wasting bullets you’ll desperately need later for the Molded.
Mastering the Art of the Block
People forget to block. It sounds stupid, but seriously, hold that L1 or LB button. Even if a monster is mid-swing and you know you’re going to get hit, blocking reduces the damage by a massive percentage. It's the difference between needing a First Aid Med and just walking it off.
In the Main House, Jack Baker is a persistent threat. He’s like Nemesis but way more personal and way more talkative. You can't "kill" him in the hallways. If you see him, don't waste your ammo. It’s a waste of time. Just run. Duck behind a kitchen island or head for a Save Room. He can’t enter Save Rooms—it’s an unwritten rule of the universe that the Baker family respects your need to record your progress on a tape recorder.
Resident Evil 7 Guide to Resource Management and Crafting
Let's talk about Chem Fluid. It's the literal lifeblood of your inventory. You’ll find two types: regular and Strong. You’ll also find Herbs and Gunpowder.
Here is where most players mess up: they craft everything immediately. Stop doing that.
Keep your raw materials separate until you actually need something. If you have 10 handgun bullets but you're bleeding out, use that Chem Fluid for a First Aid Med. If you’re at full health but staring down a boss, make some ammo. Flexibility is power. Also, keep an eye out for Supplements. If you combine Supplements with Chem Fluid, you get Psychostimulants. These are underrated. They show you exactly where every hidden item is on your HUD for a limited time. Use them in a new room, and you’ll find the Antique Coins and Lockpicks that most people walk right past.
Those Antique Coins aren't just collectibles, by the way. On Easy and Normal, you use them in the Trailer to buy permanent upgrades. Priority number one? The Steroids. They don't just increase your maximum health; they also fully heal you. If you’re at 1% health and use Steroids, you jump to 100% and get a bigger bar. It's a free full heal. Don't use them when you're already healthy. That's a rookie move.
Handling the Molded
The Molded are the black, goopy stains on your existence. They are terrifying at first, but they have a massive weakness: their legs.
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If you’re low on ammo, shoot out a Molded's leg. They’ll fall to the floor and become significantly slower. You can then just walk around them or finish them off with a knife if you're feeling brave (though I wouldn't recommend knifing them on your first playthrough). There are different variants, too. The ones with the big blade-arms? Those guys are aggressive. Aim for the shoulder of the mutated arm to stagger them.
The Boss Fights: Strategy Over Brute Force
Jack in the garage is the first "real" test. There’s a car key on the workbench. Get it. Get in the car. Ram him. If he pulls you out, you’ve got to get back in or use the environment. It’s a chaotic fight, but it’s mostly about staying mobile.
Then there’s Marguerite in the Greenhouse. This is arguably the toughest fight in the game because of the "gross-out" factor and her ability to climb walls. You need the Burner (flamethrower) for this. Don't just hold the trigger down; tap it. You want to ignite the nests and Marguerite herself to deal damage over time. If you just spray, you’ll run out of fuel in thirty seconds and be left with nothing but a pocket knife and a dream. Look for the "growth" on her underbelly—that’s the weak point. When she retreats into the holes in the walls, listen. Use your ears. The spatial audio in RE7 is actually helpful; you can hear exactly where she’s scurrying.
Navigating the Baker Estate Puzzles
The puzzles in this game are mostly "shadow puzzles." You grab an object, rotate it in front of a light projector, and match a silhouette on the wall. They aren't particularly hard, but they require you to have the item in the first place. This means backtracking.
The Dissection Room Key is a big hurdle for many. It’s tucked away in the Processing Area (the basement), which is crawling with Molded. My advice? Get the Shotgun before you go down there. You need to find the Broken Shotgun and swap it with the working one on the statue in the Main Hall. If you just take the working shotgun, the door locks. It’s a classic Resident Evil trope.
Why Choice Matters (The Serum)
Midway through the game, you’ll have to make a choice. Save Mia or save Zoe.
From a gameplay perspective, saving Mia is generally considered the "canon" ending and leads to a slightly different final encounter. Saving Zoe... well, it doesn't go great for her. If it’s your first time, go with Mia. It rounds out the story better and makes the final trek through the Salt Mines feel a bit more earned emotionally.
The Salt Mines and the End Game
Once you get past the Wrecked Ship—which is a long, stealth-heavy segment where you play as Mia—you'll enter the Salt Mines. This is where the game stops being a horror movie and starts being a shooter. You'll have accumulated a lot of gear by now. Use the Remote Bombs. They are the most powerful crowd control tool in your arsenal. Plant them on the ground, lure a group of Molded over, and boom.
The final boss, Eveline, is more of a set-piece than a mechanical fight. Just keep moving forward and block when the wind pushes you back. When you get the Albert-01R handgun at the very end, aim for the face. It’s hard to miss.
Essential Survival Tips for Madhouse Difficulty
If you’re reading this Resident Evil 7 guide because you’re tackling Madhouse difficulty, God help you. Everything is different.
- Bird Cages: The item locations change, and you need more Antique Coins for basic items.
- Save Tapes: You need Cassette Tapes to save your game, just like the old Ink Ribbons. Don't waste them.
- Enemies: They are faster, hit harder, and Jack stays in "pursuit mode" much longer.
- The Secret Weapon: Complete the game in under 4 hours on any difficulty to unlock the Circular Saw. It is completely broken. It melts bosses and makes Madhouse a breeze. If you’re struggling, do a speedrun on Easy first to get that saw.
Final Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
Don't just wander aimlessly. Follow these steps to ensure you don't get stuck:
- Prioritize the Backpacks: There are three inventory expansions in the game. One is in the Old House (Marguerite's area), one is in the Storage Room behind the Master Bedroom, and one is on the Wrecked Ship. Finding these is more important than finding ammo.
- Double-check every room: If a room on your map is still red, there is an item you missed. Once it turns blue, you’ve cleared it. This is the easiest way to ensure you have enough supplies.
- Learn to Quick-Turn: Press down on the stick and the cancel button simultaneously. This 180-degree turn is the only way to survive encounters with the fast-moving "Molded Crawlers."
- Combine Wisely: Never use a Strong Chem Fluid on a First Aid Med unless you are literally about to die. Use it for Enhanced Handgun Ammo. The stopping power difference is massive; Enhanced ammo can pop a Molded's head in one shot, whereas regular ammo takes four or five.
- Use the Map: It sounds obvious, but the map in RE7 is incredibly detailed. It marks locked doors and the specific key types needed (Crow, Scorpion, Snake). If you find a key, check the map immediately to see which doors you can now open.
Survival in Resident Evil 7 isn't about being the best shot; it's about being the best manager. Watch your health, count your bullets, and for heaven's sake, stay out of the basement unless you absolutely have to be there. The Baker house is a puzzle, and now you have the pieces to put it together.
Go find Mia. Just try to keep all your limbs attached while you do it.
Next Steps:
Focus on securing the Scorpion Key in the Processing Area basement to unlock the shortcut back to the Main Hall. This allows you to bypass several enemy spawn triggers and grants access to the Broken Shotgun in Grandma's Room, which is essential for upgrading your firepower before the first major encounter with Marguerite.