How to repair the Combat Knife - Resident Evil 4
Leon's trusty knife can dull and break in Resident Evil 4, but our guide will show you where and how to repair it as good as new.
In your quest to rescue Ashley Graham from the Ganado in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake, your knife comes in handy nearly as often as your firearms. Unlike the 2005 original, though, Leon’s knife has a durability meter, and it’s guaranteed to break during your mission. Fortunately, a mysterious figure is willing to repair it, for the right price.
This guide explains how Leon’s knife, where to repair it, and how to upgrade it so you won’t have to funnel all your precious pesetas into maintaining it.
How the Combat Knife works
Shortly after the original Resident Evil 4’s release in 2005, players zeroed in on the knife as the most versatile weapon in Leon’s arsenal. The strategy for most encounters boiled down to shooting enemies in the legs or face to stagger them, then striking with a melee attack to knock them down to the ground. As they struggled to their feet, you could deal lots of damage—and conserve ammunition—by slashing with the knife. That tactic lasted from the very first encounter until the end of the game.
Leon’s hack-and-slash maneuvers are viable in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake, but with a caveat. Every time you use your knife, such as slashing at an enemy or going into stealth mode to shiv them without drawing attention, your combat knife loses durability. You can keep an eye on your knife’s durability by checking the meter above the knife icon at the bottom of the screen.
Once your combat knife’s durability meter drains, it breaks. Fortunately, the knife can be repaired.
How to repair the Combat Knife
Once you progress to chapter 2, you’ll encounter the merchant, a mysterious figure (or is he one of many hooded vendors who’ve set up shop in Resident Evil 4’s vistas?) who buys and sells merchandise. One of his options, Tune Up, allows you to upgrade attributes of weapons such as rate of fire, max ammo capacity, and damage.
Another option in the Tune Up menu can be found by selecting your combat knife. There, you’ll find a repair option with a variable cost. The more damage your knife has taken—in other words, the less durability remaining in your meter—the more pesetas it’ll cost you to refurbish it.
You can also increase the combat knife’s durability so it lasts longer before breaking.
Why you should always repair the Combat Knife
The cost of repairing your combat knife may seem steep at the beginning of Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake when you don’t have many pesetas. Even so, patching up your knife is the best investment you can make. Although you’ll accumulate plenty of weapons as you make your way through the story, the knife remains your most potent weapon.
Sneaking up on enemies and stabbing them is an instant kill. Stunned enemies, including bosses, are left open for knife attacks, executed by pressing the knife button when the prompt appears on your screen. These are critical attacks that inflict massive damage, more than enough to kill in many cases. If your knife is broken, you’ll have to pump bullets or shells into enemies to finish them off.
Alternative options to the Combat Knife
It’s bound to happen: Despite your best efforts, your combat knife will break occasionally. This happens most often in the first chapter of the game before you meet the merchant. When that happens, keep your eyes open for other stabbing implements such as kitchen knives and boot knives.
These knives are consumable items, meaning they cannot be repaired. They’re good in a pinch when your combat knife is out of order. Try to use them as a last resort; they’re also useful as crafting ingredients. That’s another reason to keep your combat knife in tip-top shape: If your combat knife is in good repair, you can save consumable knives for crafting items such as bolts.
Now that you’re an expert bladesmith, sharpen your skills in other areas required to master Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake. The Shacknews Resident Evil 4 guide has answers for every question you could ask while playing, such as how to rescue the dog (and get some much needed assistance in a certain boss fight), and how to solve the church lights puzzle.
