Resident Evil 4
DIVINE INTERVENTION - HandCannon Walkthrough FAQ
Authored by VampireHorde



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INTRODUCTION


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Thanks for clicking on the FAQ. This FAQ will explain in vivid detail
the power of the fully upgraded HandCannon. I did an entire playthrough
using only the upgraded HC (its half suicide to do it this way) and am
here to tell the tale.

Let me be the first to tell you that this weapon is the ultimate killer
(as if you didn't know that). Boss battles in the game become a mere
joke than a horrifying experience. Just how powerful is the HandCannon?
I won't spoil it yet but I'll say this, you can defeat specific bosses
using only 2 BULLETS! This weapon is quite possibly the closest thing
to cheating that I shouldn't even be telling you this.


What is the HandCannon?
It is a .50 Magnum. Once the weapon is fully upgraded to the max,
Infinite Ammo is unlocked and the firepower reaches near 100%. It's
completely super-powerful to the point of utter ridiculousness.
And for some pointless trivia, "HandCannon" was the term John
Travolta's character Vincent Vega used to describe the Magnum in the
movie "Pulp Fiction".



WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT UNLOCKED THE HANDCANNON, DO NOT READ THE FAQ
FROM THIS POINT! TONS OF SPOILERS ARE REVEALED! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!



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MAGNUM FORCE


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First of all, to obtain the HandCannon, the player MUST obtain a 5-Star
rating with all 5 characters in all 4 maps in the MERCENARIES mini-
game. For more info on this mini-game please refer to the MERCENARIES
FAQ at GameFAQS.
Once all 5 characters in the MERCENARIES mini-game have obtained a 5-
Star rating, a screen will confirm that the item is available from the
Merchant for purchase from a cleared gamesave.


When loading a cleared gamesave, the weapon will be available from the
Merchant's screen FOR FREE!

"STRANGE-AH! What do you need that for? Goin' hunting an elephant?"


At first, the HandCannon acts like a regular .45 Magnum with limited
stopping power and even less ammo to be found anywhere. Enemies killed
rarely drop HandCannon ammo (if they do, it's usually in quantities of
2 or 10). The HandCannon must be upgraded to the max to fully utilize
the power it harnesses. It will take at least 2-3 full consecutive
playthroughs to fully upgrade the HC so start collecting the pesetas!

These are the prices of the HandCannon upgrades:

FIREPOWER:
--LEVEL 1 - DEFAULT
--LEVEL 2 - 40000
--LEVEL 3 - 50000
--LEVEL 4 - 70000
--LEVEL 5 - 90000
--LEVEL 6 - 120000

RELOADING TIME:
--LEVEL 1 - DEFAULT
--LEVEL 2 - 25000
--LEVEL 3 - 50000

AMMO CAPACITY:
--LEVEL 1 - DEFAULT
--LEVEL 2 - 15000
--LEVEL 3 - 20000
--LEVEL 4 - 25000
--LEVEL 5 - 35000
--LEVEL 6 - 50000

--EXCLUSIVE LEVEL - 200000 = INFINITE AMMO


It will take 790,000 pesetas to fully upgrade this baby. (Hey, it's
cheaper than the Chicago Typewriter and Infinite Rocket Launcher!)
Once Infinite Ammo is unlocked, take everything in the attache case and
sell it to the Merchant. Yes, I said sell everything (except the
HandCannon!).

All you will need is the HandCannon, a Rifle, and/or the Chicago
Typewriter. The rest of the attache case should be filled with First
Aid Sprays and other Recovery Items only.




************************


ELEPHANT HUNTING - PROFESSIONALS ONLY


************************


In this section I will explain how the fully upgraded HandCannon
affects each and every single enemy, sub-bosses, and the bosses
themselves. From here it's up to you to decide whether or not this
weapon is worth the value.


== ENEMIES ==


--LOS GANADOS (the villagers)
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
All the villagers are helpless against the HC's firepower. No matter
which part of the body is shot, the enemy will instantly be decimated
in one shot. Headshots are instant when aimed properly.


--LAS PLAGAS
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
When the Las Plagas explodes out of the enemies' heads, one direct shot
will (and should) eliminate them completely. If not, keep shooting at
it fool!


--CHAINSAW MANIACS
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
Chainsaw maniacs are nothing to this baby! Aim anywhere and blast away!
Just make sure Leon is at a good distance before engaging a HandCannon
battle against this freak!


--CASTLE ZEALOTS (ALL VERSIONS)
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE TO TWO
These guys show more endurance than the average villager. Sometimes a
shot to the knee stops them temporarily, resulting in one more shot to
kill them. But most of the time, one shot will instantly take them
down.


--SHIELDED ENEMIES (ALL VERSIONS) - VARIES
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE TO THREE
Sometimes one shot will destroy the entire shield and sometimes one
shot will kill them entirely (and sometimes a shot does nothing). But
the situation varies so be ready to keep blasting.


--INVISIBLE & REGULAR NOVISTADORS
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
If you can blast a bullet into these things before it approaches you,
you've got your work cut out for you. These are one-hit kill enemies
but be evasive or you will be kicked and puked on.

NOTE: Sometimes when Leon aims the HC, the KICK command appears and he
will end up doing a Roundhouse Kick instead of shooting the HC. Just so
you know.


--DOGS
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
A quick aim and a quick shot will kill these mongrels easily. No
questions asked.


--ARMORED KNIGHTS
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
A blast anywhere to the body will crumble these guys to the floor.


--SOLDIERS (ALL VERSIONS)
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ONE
Treat these guys like the villagers. Or like elephants. Whichever you
prefer.


--MACHINE-GUNNER
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
It takes one blast to stop him cold and then one more direct blast to
eliminate this Metal Gear Solid rip-off.


--FOOTBALL-PADDED FREAKS (RAIDER NATION)
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
These guys are like the machine gunners - one bullet to stop them and
another one to kill them.


--REGENERATOR & IRON MAIDEN
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
Simply aim in the middle of the body and shoot. Blast it one more time
to make it self-destruct.
See? And you didn't have to go thru any of that Infrared Scope crap.



== SUB-BOSSES ==


--WOLVERINE-FIEND
WEAK SPOT: BACK
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
These guys fall victim to the HC. Blast them in the head to make them
kneel back in pain. Aim directly at the Las Plagas and blast it to kill
them off instantly.
See? And none of that "shooting-the-bell-to-distract-it" crap.


--SALAZAR'S BODYGUARD
WEAK SPOT: NONE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
Unfortunately, you need to use the Nitrogen tanks to kill this thing.
DODGE each attack and use the KNOCK OVER command with the Nitrogen tank
to freeze it and then BLAST it with the HC! Freeze it one more time and
then blast it to shatter it to a million pieces. Easy.


--"IT" PART 1
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ZERO
"It" cannot be killed during the puzzle sequence involving the dropping
cages. But it will take anywhere from 1-2 blasts to stop "It" in its
tracks.


--KRAUSER PART 1
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ZERO
Krauser cannot handle the power of the HC. It will take ONE direct
blast to stop him. After that he'll toss a Flash Grenade.



== BOSSES ==

Almost every boss battle can be finished in less than a minute with the
upgraded HC. You just have to know when and where to shoot it.


--DEL LAGO
WEAK SPOT: NONE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ZERO
Unfortunately, you can't use any weapons in this fight other than the
Spears. Stupid-ass fish in the stupid-ass lake!


--EL GIGANTE PART 1
WEAK SPOT: LAS PLAGAS
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
After the cutscene, simply blast it and the boss will go down.
Immediately aim and blast the Las Plagas sticking out of it's back to
end the battle. See? None of that "jumping-and-cutting" crap.


--EL GIGANTE PART 2
WEAK SPOT: LAS PLAGAS
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: ZERO OR TWO
You don't even have to fight this boss (when you take the path to the
right). Do a quick 180-turn and blast the chained door. One shot to the
door blows it down completely! Grab the Old Key and then blast the
other chained door. Use the Old Key to get out of there.
See? And you didn't even have to fight the boss (unless you wanted to).


--BITORES MENDEZ
WEAK SPOT: TORSO AND BODY
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO
With quick aiming skills, you can kill Mendez with 2-3 well-aimed HC
blasts. After the cutscene, aim and blast at the torso to dismember
him. After that, aim at the second body part and blast it.
If done correctly, you can finish him off with only one shot!


--SALAZAR
WEAK SPOT: EYE AND SALAZAR'S HEAD
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: TWO TO THREE
This battle will depend on how well your aiming skills are. Aim for the
yellow eye and blast it to cripple the monster (it may take a couple of
blasts because the monster's head keeps moving but you only need one
direct hit). Once Salazar's body is exposed, blast two more direct
headshots to finish him.


--EL GIGANTE PART 3
WEAK SPOT: ANYWHERE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: FOUR
Use the same strategy from Chapter 2-1 to defeat the dual Gigantes in
less than a minute. See? None of that "dropping-into-the-lava" crap.

NOTE: Don't you find it funny that when you fight one of the Gigantes,
the other just stands there waiting for you to finish?


--"IT" PART 2
WEAK SPOT: LAS PLAGAS
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: THREE
Once the battle begins, blast it anywhere to stop it. Once it goes
down, blast two more direct shots at the Las Plagas to end the battle.
You see? None of that "exploding-barrels-and-closing-of-gates" crap.


--KRAUSER PART 2
WEAK SPOT: CHEST
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: FOUR TO FIVE
Since Krauser tends to block your shots, you'll have to time your shots
properly. DODGE Krauser's attacks and then blast him. Repeat until he
goes down. This battle should NOT take less than 1 full minute!
If you cannot defeat Krauser before the timer reaches the 1-minute
mark, stop and retry the battle.


--SADDLER
WEAK SPOT: LEGS AND EYE
# OF BULLETS TO KILL: THREE
Aim directly at one of the eyes on Saddler's legs to stop him. Once
he's down, blast the main eye on his head. Doing this triggers the
cutscene with Ada and the Rocket Launcher. Ignore the Rocket Launcher
and aim for the eye on his leg again. Blast it and the fight is over.
See? None of that jumping-and-cutting or special Rocket Launcher crap.



------------------------


NON-RECOMMENDED HANDCANNON SITUATIONS:
Like I mentioned above, I did an entire playthrough using ONLY the HC.
First of all, although the HC is ultra-powerful, it isn't handy at
times. It only has a single line of sight and one-shot blast spectrum.
These are the situations where I recommend that you DO NOT use the HC
and equip something else:


--CHAPTER 2-2 THE CABIN
DO NOT use the HC during the sequence in the cabin (with Luis) when the
villagers try to raid the house.

--CHAPTER 2-3 THE LEFT PATH
DO NOT use the HC in the circular mini-arena with the two chainsaw
maniacs!

--CHAPTER 2-3 THE LIFT
DO NOT use the HC when riding the lift down! The aiming in this
sequence is terrible and the villagers will definitely kill you and/or
Ashley.

--CHAPTER 3-1 THE CASTLE ENTRANCE
DO NOT use the HC when the freaks are hurling fireballs at you! Use a
long-range weapon instead!

--CHAPTER 3-1 THE CASTLE GATE KEY
DO NOT use the HC when obtaining the Castle Gate Key! Enemies here
swarm you like crazy in this sequence so equip something else!

--CHAPTER 3-1 THE CRANKS - 3 TIMES
DO NOT use the HC when Ashley is operating the Cranks! Equip a long-
range weapon instead!

--CHAPTER 3-2 THE GALLERY KEY
DO NOT use the HC when obtaining the Gallery Key! In this sequence, you
deal with Rocket Launcher enemies, so equip something else!

--CHAPTER 3-3 THE STEEL CAGE
DO NOT use the HC in the steel cage!

--CHAPTER 3-4 SAVING ASHLEY
DO NOT use the HC when releasing Ashley from the straps! One shot will
kill her! Equip a Rifle for this sequence!

--CHAPTER 4-1 THE DRAGON ROOM
DO NOT use the HC in this sequence! Equip something else!

--CHAPTER 5-2 THE TRUCK-DOZER
DO NOT use the HC in this sequence! Equip a rapid-fire weapon instead!

--CHAPTER 5-4 MIKE THE PILOT
DO NOT use the HC for this sequence! Equip a rapid-fire weapon and take
out whoever gets in your way. Remember to let Mike do the major damage.


Try not to use the HC in these sequences. It's suicide.



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THE CHICAGO TYPEWRITER


*************************


This section will explain the power of the Chicago Typewriter. It is
most likely that players will unlock this weapon first before the
HandCannon.

How do I obtain the CT?
To obtain this weapon, simply beat the ASSIGNMENT ADA mini-game. When
reloading a cleared gamesave, the Merchant will have the item available
for purchase.

The CT has no upgrades and already has Infinite Ammo unlocked. The main
problem with the CT is its limited line of sight. Leon can only target
enemies that are close by but not ones that are far off.

The stopping power of the CT is basically alike to the HandCannon. With
its burst-fire capability it can take down enemies faster than the HC.
All strategies from the HandCannon mentioned above work the same way
with the CT.


************************


Wow, you actually unlocked and upgraded the HandCannon? I'm seriously
impressed. Anyway, if there is any questions or inquiries regarding
this FAQ, please e-mail me at the address below.


***********************


This FAQ is only for use on GameFAQS. You may not copy, link, or
reproduce this FAQ on your website or publication without permission.
If you want to use this FAQ, please e-mail me at [email protected].
I have no problems with anyone who asks. January 2005.