In the recently released Mercenary Mode for Resident Evil 4 Remake, players must survive as they are attacked in waves by various monsters from the story campaign. In itself, surviving during the first attempts to overcome this mode may seem like a real achievement, but gradually you will gain experience, understand how to pass this or that stage, learn how to put together massive combos! Of course, in order to be on high positions in the leaderboard, you must score the maximum possible number of points.
To reach the maximum rank, you need to act aggressively, learn how to properly distribute ammunition and be ready to take risks. And as soon as you hone your skills to the ideal, you will be rewarded with the long-awaited S++ rank.
The only factor that is taken into account by the game for ranking at the end of a Mercenary mode session is the final score (number of points). The more points you score, the higher the rank will be!
Here are the basic requirements for the two maximum ranks:
- The S+ rank requires you to score between 500,000 and 999,999 points in a single match.
- S++ rank requires 100,000 points or more in a single match.
While you don’t need to do one continuous combo (i.e. kill all 150 enemies non-stop) to reach 100,000 points, aiming for it will certainly make things easier!
What determines the rating in the “Mercenaries” mode
To score the maximum number of points, you will have to do much more than just kill all the enemies; use the Mayhem mode of the selected character as often as possible, defeat enemies as quickly as possible, try to aim at the opponents head or other weak spot. All of these are important factors to improve your rankings!
A normal kill on each enemy will earn you a total of around 250,000 points, which is only a quarter of what you need for an S++ rank. The two main factors that affect points are the combo bonus and the remaining time.
Combo bonus
Each time you kill an enemy, the value of the current combo is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. At the same time, a ten-second timer is started, represented by a white bar below the combo counter. Killing another enemy before the timer expires increases the combo; after ten seconds the combo counter resets to zero and you get bonus points based on how high the combo was. If you die, you won’t get the combo bonus!
The most important part of this aspect is the multiplier. The higher the combo value, the more bonus points you will receive when the meter is cashed out. Below is the dependence on the combo multiplier and what bonus you get for it:
- x10 — 10%
- x25 — 20%
- x50 — 30%
- x70 — 40%
- x100 — 50%
While you don’t need the highest possible combo multiplier to reach the S++ rank, you need to get to the x100 multiplier at least once per session, and then the chances of a high ranking will increase significantly.
The combo will not be extended and increased until the next enemy dies. Keep this in mind when playing as Hunk or Luis, who have the slowest melee attacks. However, the combo will be increased even when one opponent dies at the hands of another mob!
Time Bonus
After the last enemy is defeated, you will receive additional points equal to a thousand times the number of seconds remaining on the countdown timer. Accurate to hundredths of a second. Thanks to this, you can get a huge bonus, as the battle can be finished with a few minutes before the end. However, being fast is only half the battle.
At the start of each match, the countdown timer shows two minutes. Finding green bonus spheres extends the time by 30, 60, or 90 seconds. However, you can also earn extra time if you fight “beautifully”.
Headshots, deadly melee kills, hitting red barrels, and using stun grenades to kill vermin adds a few seconds to the timer. Keep this in mind and keep doing things like this to constantly extend the timer! Basically, killing an enemy in any way other than shooting the torso or limbs increases the time and, accordingly, allows you to get more bonus points at the end of the match.
Krauser is the best character that can be used to get the maximum bonus for the remaining time.
Extra points
There are other ways to get a higher rating. But most of the remaining aspects allow you to earn only a small part of it in order to cover the colossal difference between S + and S ++ ranks. On the other hand, with their help, you can fly up the leaderboard. Killing multiple enemies with a single attack will earn you several thousand bonus points in addition to greatly increasing your combo meter – the more enemies you kill, the higher the bonus!
Every time you damage an enemy in Mayhem mode, you gain some extra points. The amount varies depending on the weapon you are using. Leon’s shotgun and Hank’s submachine gun are great for this.
Finally, there can be chickens on the cards. After killing her, you will receive a golden egg. This rare item not only restores your points when used, but also earns you 50,000 points just for finding it! You don’t have to have a golden egg in your inventory at the end of a match – once you find the item, you’re guaranteed bonus points.