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Resident Evil Requiem — Leon vs Grace: Which Playstyle Should You Pick?

UUnknown

2026-01-25

8 min read

Leon’s action kit or Grace’s survival tools — choose smart. Loadouts, difficulty picks and when to expect each encounter in Resident Evil Requiem.

Leon vs Grace — Pick the playstyle that fits your goals in Resident Evil Requiem

Confused which route to take when Resident Evil Requiem drops on February 27, 2026? You’re not alone. Whether you want adrenaline-pumping action or slow-burn survival horror, this guide breaks down the two radically different experiences Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft deliver — with concrete loadouts, difficulty picks, and exactly when to expect each type of encounter.

Quick verdict (read this first)

If you prefer fast-paced, upgrade-driven combat and cinematic set pieces, Leon is your pick. If you like resource management, atmospheric tension, and clever crafting that turns enemy blood into tools, pick Grace. The game intentionally alternates these beats; expect Leon segments to reward aggression and Grace segments to reward patience and improvisation.

"The gameplay style of RE Requiem will shift depending upon your character, and the title will also introduce new difficulty settings to the franchise." — Resident Evil Requiem Showcase coverage (Jan 2026)

Why this matters now (2026 context)

Late 2025 and early 2026 showed a clear trend: developers are designing survival-action hybrids that respect both camps. Capcom’s Requiem follows that trend by splitting design philosophy between two protagonists. Expect modern features — scalable difficulty, improved enemy AI, and more meaningful crafting — across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2.

How the characters differ (high-level)

Leon S. Kennedy — The action-forward toolkit

Design philosophy: High mobility, weapon variety, and combat upgrades. Think Resident Evil 4 energy with modern responsiveness.
Player loop: Spray-and-priority, upgrade guns, use environment, and face larger, armored, or genetically-enhanced enemies.
Key strengths: Damage output, ammo availability, weapon attachments, and cinematic takedowns.
Trade-offs: Less focus on stealth and resource conservation; encounters expect you to fight.

Grace Ashcroft — Classic survival-horror toolkit

Design philosophy: Vulnerability, atmosphere, and improvisation. Crafting with infected blood is a signature mechanic.
Player loop: Explore, gather scarce resources, craft situational tools, and avoid direct confrontation when possible.
Key strengths: Crafting versatility (including the Requiem firearm as a fallback), stealth options, puzzle interplay.
Trade-offs: Physically weaker, restricted ammo, and more punishing check-points on higher difficulties.

Recommended difficulty picks (new 2026 difficulty options)

Capcom confirmed new difficulty settings for Requiem. The names might vary by release patch, but the idea is the same: choose based on your goals.

Story / Casual: Best for first-time Grace players. Low resource pressure lets you learn crafting and narrative beats without constant threat.
Standard / Balanced: The intended experience. For most players who want both tense Grace moments and Leon action.
Hardcore / Survival: High tension on Grace sections (scarce crafting ingredients) and tougher Leon foes (armored enemies, fewer checkpoints). Ideal if you want mastery.
Nightmare / Speedrun-Friendly: Community-driven challenge modes likely to appear post-launch; Leon shines here due to action optimizations and the way modern platforms enable tight runs (see community strategies for speedrun-friendly timing and routing).

Recommendation: Play the first run on Standard unless you’re an action veteran who wants Leon set pieces on Hard, or a survival-horror purist who wants Grace on Hardcore.

Recommended builds and loadouts — actionable starting points

Below are practical, plug-and-play builds that work across early, mid, and late-game segments. Each includes weapon priorities, attachment types, passive skill focus, and consumable strategy.

Leon Loadouts

1) Leon — Action DPS (All-rounder)

Primary: 9mm/handgun with upgraded slide and extended magazine (quick hip-fire + headshot damage).
Secondary: Pump shotgun with choke and reinforced stock for crowd control and window/door chokepoints.
Tertiary: High-velocity rifle (mid-to-long range) with reflex sight for armored enemies and stagger shots.
Gadgets: Flashbangs and incendiary grenades for staggering large enemies and creating openings.
Perks/Upgrades: Aim stability, reload speed, and critical hit damage. Upgrade ammo capacity early.
Consumables: Standard health kits + temporary stat-boost chems for boss fights.

Playstyle: Aggressive peeks, prioritize limb shots to slow big enemies, use shotgun in tight corridors, and swap to rifle for stagger windows.

2) Leon — Crowd Control Specialist

Primary: SMG with grenadier mod.
Secondary: Explosive launcher for heavy-armored sections.
Perks: Ammo economy, explosive damage, weapon attachment efficiency.
Tip: Environmental traps (gas tanks, chandeliers) are your friend; look for interactive elements and consider community-sourced level notes like those found in mod tools and local-first workflows that players often use to coordinate creative kills.

Grace Loadouts

1) Grace — Resourceful Survivor (Crafting Focus)

Primary: Light pistol with custom hollow points; works with blood-crafting tweaks.
Secondary: Requiem gun — powerful emergency sidearm with limited ammo (use as last-resort or boss opener).
Crafting Tools: Blood distillery upgrades, improvised traps, healing salves from harvested components.
Perks: Crafting efficiency (less blood per kit), stealth bonus when crouched, increased salvage yield.
Consumables: Single-use improvised explosives and smoke devices for escapes.

Playstyle: Avoid head-on fights. Ambush, lure enemies into traps, and use the Requiem gun sparingly to preserve crafting resources.

2) Grace — Stealth & Puzzle Specialist

Loadout emphasizes silent takedowns (melee tools), distraction devices, and non-lethal crafted items.
Prioritize inventory space and puzzle resources — you’ll frequently trade tools for progression rather than firepower.

When to expect each type of encounter (by segment)

Requiem purposely alternates emphasis; anticipating where each character’s strengths shine will save you resources and frustration.

Early Game (Chapters 1–3)

Grace: Tight interiors, puzzle-first design, environmental scares, and low-tier infected. Expect scarcity — craft carefully.
Leon: Introductory action corridors, occasional mini-swat teams, and tutorial-style set pieces showing weapon combos.

Mid Game (Chapters 4–8)

Grace: Psychological scares, boss-like infected that punish recklessness, puzzle chains with timed elements.
Leon: Large arenas, mixed enemy types (armored + fast variants), and boss fights that encourage weapon specialization. Players often share community loadouts and meta builds to help others adapt loadouts for these fights.

Late Game (Final Acts)

Grace: High-stakes survival sections: limited checkpoints, resource denial, stealth gauntlets. The Requiem gun appears as a dramatic choice point.
Leon: Peak action sequences, multi-stage bosses, cinematic takedowns, and quickly shifting objectives that reward mobility and top-tier guns. Expect soundtrack and presentation choices that favor spatial audio-style immersion in set pieces.

Advanced strategies and encounter-specific tips

Leon-specific techniques

Limb-priority targeting: Aim for knees/arms to stagger bosses and create stagger windows — more efficient than magnum spam.
Ammo triage: Use handgun for crowds, shotgun for close bursts, and rifle for armor-piercing follow-ups.
Environment abuse: Identify places to funnel enemies; Leon sections are designed to be theatrical — use it. Community guides and hosted discussions (including streamed breakdowns and streamed analyses) will quickly catalog useful arenas.

Grace-specific techniques

Blood economy: Every drop counts. Prioritize upgrades that reduce craft cost first.
Non-combat routes: Many Grace encounters can be avoided by solving environmental puzzles or using crafted decoys.
Requiem restraint: Learn to solve or bypass threats without firing Requiem; save it for scripted boss moments or forced escapes.

Case study: A sample run through a mixed-level chapter

Scenario: Mid-game facility level with interleaved Leon and Grace segments. How to plan:

Before entering: On Leon segments, stock up on shotgun shells and mobility upgrades. On Grace segments, convert excess materials into healing salves and stealth tools.
During Leon corridor: Use rifle to thin long-range threats, shotgun for choke points; use takedowns to conserve ammo for later boss.
Transition to Grace section: Use leftover resources to craft a pair of smoke devices; avoid direct confrontation and prioritize the puzzle that unlocks the ventilation route.
Boss encounter: Leon handles a multi-stage enemy — use explosive environmental hazards and stay mobile. If controlling Grace during a finale, employ Requiem as a scripted break in a boss phase, then switch to crafted traps to finish.

Loadout progression: what to upgrade first

Leon: Ammo capacity, reload speed, and critical damage. Attachments that increase stability are secondary early on.
Grace: Crafting efficiency, inventory size, and tools that increase salvage yield. Unlock the Requiem ammo upgrades only after you’ve mastered conservation.

2026 meta, community trends and post-launch expectations

Players in late 2025 and early 2026 pushed for modular difficulty and meaningful craft trees; expect Capcom to iterate based on speedrunning and survival community feedback. Watch for:

Balance patches that refine Requiem ammo and Grace crafting costs.
Community loadouts and meta builds shared on platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Steam within weeks of launch — creators and marketplaces will fold that content into broader creator playbooks like the Creator Marketplace Playbook.
Mod tools and challenge modes on PC — expect a flurry of player-produced content and local testbeds/hosted environments that review and validate low-latency runs (see hosted tunnel and testbed writeups like hosted tunnels).

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Playing Grace like Leon: If you treat Grace like an action hero, you’ll burn resources fast. Respect her weakness and invest in crafting nodes early.
Over-relying on Requiem: It’s tempting to use the powerful gun often. Instead, save it for scripted moments or bosses — the game punishes dependence.
Ignoring environmental kills: Both protagonists benefit from environmental awareness. Leon uses it for damage; Grace uses it to avoid combat. Community-sourced notes, spreadsheets, and local-first tooling often catalog these interaction points — look for community repositories and guides.

Actionable takeaways — what to do right now

Decide your first-run vibe: Choose Standard for the designer-intended challenge.
If you want to master combat, start with a Leon-focused run on Hard, then replay Grace on Standard to learn survival tricks.
Commit to one upgrade tree early: Ammo/upgrades for Leon, crafting/inventory for Grace.
Scout community builds within the first week of launch; speedrunners will quickly reveal optimal routes and exploit mitigations — and many streamers will analyze runs in weekend mini-events and streaming mini-festival-style breakdowns.

Final thoughts and predictions

Resident Evil Requiem splits the franchise’s DNA in a way that should keep both camps engaged. Leon satisfies those seeking polished, modernized combat, while Grace offers a throwback survival-horror experience refined for 2026 expectations. Expect Capcom to patch balancing notes quickly post-launch — and to introduce challenge modes that let both playstyles shine under different rules. For platform and ops-focused expectations about post-launch tooling and platform readiness, watch writeups about platform ops for pop-ups and flash drops which often overlap with how games scale events and live challenges.

Call to action

Prepping for February 27, 2026? Bookmark this guide and test both protagonists. Share your first-run build in the comments or on our Discord — we’ll collate community loadouts and publish a meta update after launch. Want a printable checklist for Leon and Grace loadouts? Subscribe and we’ll send one to your inbox the week Requiem launches.

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