First of all,
in order to unlock The 4th Survivor you need to reach the real ending. This is done by playing both scenarios in their logical order, which is:
Leon A - Claire B or
Claire A - Leon BOnce you've done this, you unlock this special game mode.
I managed to complete it in 10:14, with a First Aid Spray to spare, even with a couple of major screw ups (I forgot I had a SMG full of ammo until the very end), but the strategy I follow in this video I made is relatively consistent.
The 4th Survivor is the final test to prove you have understood very well every gameplay mechanic of Resident Evil 2, how the enemies behave, and what is the best way to deal with them. You also need to know where to fight, and where to flee. Also, know that
there is not any item pick-ups. You have to go from the starting point (Sewers) to the very end (R.P.D. front door) without being able to pick up anything, as there is not any items to be grabbed. Be warned.
Also, you need to know where are the:
*Rooms where you just avoid the enemies
*Rooms where you should throw a frag grenade/flash bang
*Rooms where is acceptable being grabbed by an enemy and just lose a bit of health
These are the best uses I found for every
weapon you start with:
-
Pistol: Headshot zombies to stun them and run through them without being grabbed
-
SMG: Same as the pistol, but way less consistent, as it does less damage and is much more unaccurate. Another use would be to kill dogs
-
Shotgun: Use it to consistently kill zombies via headshot, specially the ones who block your way
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Magnum: Use it to stun Mr. X the first time you see him and to kill Lickers with 3-4 shots
I recommend you to mix the two big gunpowders with the yellow ones in order to get more shotgun ammo.
These are the
heal items you start with:
-
First Aid Spray: Gets you back to full health
-
Herbs mix (Red + Blue): It removes poison, gives you temporary poison immunity, and it boosts your defense. Use it to tank enemy hits in certain situations
-
Herbs mix (Blue + Green): It heals you a bit, and removes poison
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Herbs mix (Blue + Green + Red): It heals you back to full health, gives you poison immunity, and boosts your defense. This is the most important healing item you have, and you should use it in a clever way. The ideal use would be when you are very low on health (so you're not wasting it) and there's a huge room full of enemies ahead that you need to tank (allow them to hit you/get bitten/whatever)
Also: if you feel there's something more missing here, just let me know, and I'll improve this solution even more. Cheers, and good luck, guys!