Insanity Mode — Complete Guide
Insanity is the hardest difficulty in RE9 Requiem — unlocked after first completion. Enemies hit harder, save points require Ink Ribbons, and Victor Gideon's orbital cores regenerate. New Game+ with fully upgraded weapons is strongly recommended.
What Changes on Insanity
All enemies have approximately 1.5–2x HP versus Standard difficulty.
All enemy attacks deal approximately 2x damage. Standard zombie grab deals ~50% HP on Insanity vs ~25% on Standard.
Ink Ribbons required to save at typewriters. Each chapter has 3–5 typewriters. Ink Ribbons available from Merchant (1,500 Credits each) and scattered in the environment.
Significantly faster patrol speed. Alert Mode triggers at 50% closer distance. Flash Grenade stun is reduced to 3 seconds (down from 5).
Orbital cores regenerate ONCE after being destroyed — each core must be destroyed twice. Second destruction requires Requiem Revolver with Piercing Enhancement (RPG only destroys first time).
Enemy drops are reduced by approximately 30%. Ammo spawns in the environment are reduced by 20%. Credits from enemies are unchanged.
All bosses have additional HP and new attack patterns. The Commander Phase 2 smoke is denser (shorter visibility radius). Titan Spinner Rapid Charge in Phase 2 has a shorter telegraph.
Recommended Insanity Loadout
Hollow Point Exclusive converts all rounds to 2x stagger chance. On Insanity, stagger control is critical — standard zombies require 2–3 headshots without Hollow Point vs 1–2 with it.
W870 for crowd control. MSBG 500 for boss cysts (Chunk, Titan Spinner). Do not max both — choose MSBG 500 for the boss-focused route.
Essential for Titan Spinner Phase 1 cyst targeting. On Insanity, the Spider has more HP — Scope + Power Lv.2 makes the window longer.
Piercing rounds pass through the Victor Gideon Phase 2 orbital cores when aligned. Infinite Ammo (NG+ only) is the single best Insanity investment.
Phantom Shot Exclusive fires a 5-round burst instead of 3. On Insanity, Grace chapters are significantly harder due to The Girl's increased speed — more burst damage matters.
Tier 3 Hemolytic Injector is a full heal + 10-second Elpis immunity. Craft one before every boss encounter as Grace.
Chapter-by-Chapter Insanity Notes
Hotel Brute hits for ~50% HP on Insanity. Stay at 8+ meters. Parry only Shoulder Charge (not Grab). Collect Mr. Raccoon #1 (parking lot) and #3 (Manager's Office shelf before safe) — same missable rules apply on Insanity.
The Girl's patrol speed is ~30% faster. Her Alert Mode triggers at closer range. Activate all ground floor lights immediately. Craft 2 Flash Grenades (Hand Grenade + Flash Powder) before leaving the Director's Office. The Director's Office drawer code is 8463.
Standard zombies require 3 headshots to kill. Conserve W870 — use Hatchet parry-counter finishers on low HP zombies. Every parry kill saves 3–4 rounds.
Craft all 3 Hemolytic Injectors before Chunk fight. The Examination Room doorframe trick works identically on Insanity. Mr. Raccoon #10 on attic rafter — collect before Chunk defeat cutscene.
Blister Borne appear in pairs on Insanity. Handle one at a time — Incendiary Round each (1 round per enemy, clears all cysts + deals fire). Never melee either while cysts are intact.
Titan Spinner Phase 2 Rapid Charge has a shorter telegraph — dodge EARLY (at the start of the charging animation, not when the spider moves). Shoot all 4 explosive barrels before engaging the underbelly.
RPD is the most dangerous chapter on Insanity — zombies nearly two-shot Leon. Never be surrounded. Pull enemies through doorways (1v1 in door frames). CRITICAL: collect all RPD Mr. Raccoon (#14–#20) and all 5 RPD Plant 43 seedlings before triggering the Super Tyrant fight.
The Girl returns in Chapter 5 hallways on Insanity (not present on lower difficulties). Treat exactly as Care Center encounters — walk, no running, Flash Grenade ready. Plant 43 with all seedlings destroyed opens at ~40% HP — manageable even on Insanity with 3 Molotovs.
The Commander Phase 2 smoke is denser on Insanity — you have approximately 2 meters of visibility instead of 4. Throw Flash Grenade the moment you hear footsteps (earlier than on Standard). Save ALL Requiem Revolver ammo (20+ rounds recommended) for Victor Gideon Phase 2.
Victor Phase 2: each orbital core regenerates once. NW pillar RPG trick still destroys all 4 on first wave — but you need Requiem Revolver + Piercing Enhancement for the second wave (RPG does not reload). Have 20+ Magnum Ammo. Central core: same 3-cycle strategy, dodge roll laterally on every charge.