Leon first picks up a shotgun, while Claire gets a grenade launcher. Over the course of the game, both Leon and Claire add additional weapons to their arsenal. While that kind of just means that you don’t meet the same people, it also means that you don’t get the whole story. These characters and the motivations they provide are the source of the major departures in the stories. Without going into too much detail (to avoid spoilers), the different storylines of Leon and Claire are centered around different NPCs. Their goals are often similar, but their objectives will sometimes be in different places. Different goalsĪlong with the different paths the two take, Claire and Leon have different goals as they explore and survive Raccoon City.

The same applies to some of the other locked doors you’ll find. There’s a door in the Police Station Basement, for example, that just won’t open for Claire, while one of Leon’s main objectives lies inside. But the order you visit those places, how thoroughly you have to explore an area, and even what doors you can unlock depend on which character you play as. Whichever character you pick, you’re still going to visit a lot of the same places and deal with many of the same obstacles and puzzles. While the stories don’t follow the same paths, Leon and Claire often do. But both characters still start and end at the same place. Claire’s is more a story of family and protection. Leon’s story has a more criminal investigation feel to it, which fits with his background. It’s the same zombie apocalypse in the same town - they even bump into one another periodically - but the story beats aren’t the same.

One story, different viewpointsĬlaire and Leon have pretty different experiences in Raccoon City, but they ultimately experience a similar story. The short answer, though, is that you’ll only get the full story of Resident Evil 2 by playing it (at least) twice - once as Leon and once as Claire. Let’s talk about the similarities first, then we’ll talk about the differences. That one-time choice has some pretty profound effects on the game you play. Kennedy or Claire Redfield when you start a story campaign. Resident Evil 2 gives you the option to play as either Leon S.

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