Should you use the Blacktail handgun in Resident Evil 4 remake?

There are many viable weapons in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and many are handguns. One of the last ones you come across at the Merchant is the Blacktail, a high-powered, slow-firing beast of a sidearm that, when fully upgraded, can take out even some of the most formidable enemies in just a few shots. But should you use Blacktail in Resident Evil 4 remake?

You should use the Blacktail in the Resident Evil 4 remake, with some caveats

The Blacktail is the most powerful handgun in the Resident Evil 4 remake if you take it on a shot-for-shot basis. No other sidearm has as much per-bullet stopping power. While it doesn’t pack as much of a punch as any of the Magnum options, shotguns, or fully upgraded assault rifles if you take it to the end of its upgrade tree, no other handgun can dish out as much damage as effectively.

However, the Blacktail lacks two things that make the Punisher our pick for best overall handgun. First is its magazine size. Even fully improved, the Blacktail only has 14 available bullets before you have to reload. It also lacks the Punisher’s ability to penetrate targets and is the most expensive handgun to upgrade, with later improvements costing upwards of 50,000 pesetas.

For these two reasons, if you’re trying for S+ ranking runs, even on Standard difficulty, you might be better off using the Punisher or even the SG-09R, thanks to how much more forgiving they can be. However, if you’re a crack shot and enjoy investing heavily into your weapon of choice, there are few better choices in all of Resident Evil 4 remake.

The Blacktail rewards good aim, packs a satisfying, heavy punch, and will be usable from the moment you buy it until the end of the game, especially upgraded. Better options do exist on paper, but sometimes fun trumps optimization.