Resident Evil 2: How to Earn an S+ Ranking

A few days ago, we covered how to earn an S rank in the Resident Evil 2 remake. Earning an S rank is well worth the effort since it unlocks a pair of infinite ammo weapon variants. Well, it turns out there’s actually a Resident Evil 2 rank higher than S, the S+ rank. And, as you might have guessed, earning an S+ rank is incredibly hard, though it grants some pretty cool rewards.

How to Earn an S+ Rank in Resident Evil 2

As is also the case with earning an S rank, reaching S+ rank status is mainly dictated by time. You have to beat an entire Resident Evil 2 scenario pretty quick to earn S rank. Going for an S+ rank, those time constraints become even more brutal. Here are the time limits you need to finish under if you want to earn an S+ rank for each scenario:

  • Normal Scenario (also referred to as Scenario A) – 2 and a half hours
  • Second Run Scenario (also known as Scenario B) – 2 hours

Of course, beating a scenario in record time is just one part of the larger S+ rank challenge. You’re also limited to a maximum of three manual saves for the entire run. Save your game more than three times and you can kiss your S+ rank goodbye. There are also conflicting reports on whether using first aid sprays affects your final rank. Just to be safe, you might want to keep your use of healing items, particularly sprays, to a minimum.

Resident Evil 2 S+ ranking

Lastly, make sure you don’t use the above mentioned infinite ammo weapons if you’ve already unlocked them. Again, there are conflicting reports but some players claim that using infinite ammo weapons negates your S+ rank status. The unbreakable combat knife, however, seems to be fair game so unlock that first if you haven’t done so already. You also shouldn’t use the pre-order/Deluxe Edition Samurai Edge handguns if you have them unlocked.

Earning an S+ rank is certainly a tall order, but the rewards might just be worth the effort. However, current reports say that the following rewards are only unlocked if you earn an S+ rank on Hardcore difficulty. If you think you’re up to the challenge, here’s what you get for clearing Hardcore mode with an S+ rank:

  • Leon – Anti-Tank Missile Launcher with infinite ammo
  • Claire – Minigun with infinite ammo

Yep, that’s right, you basically get a respective character’s final boss weapon complete with infinite ammunition. With these bad boys in your arsenal, you can mow down even the toughest undead foes with ease.