Resident Evil 7 guide: How to beat the Nightmare Banned Footage Vol 1 DLC
Tips for surviving a very long night.
Resident Evil 7's first DLC is out, and it's actually rather good. The first DLC package throws together three new pieces of content: Ethan Must Die and two new tape-style experiences - Bedroom and Nightmare.
Ethan Must Die is a non-canon twist on RE7's mechanics and Bedroom is a fairly typical puzzle-solving adventure that we've already covered in another guide page, but Nightmare is something new and different: It's pretty much a canon horde mode set in the basement of the Baker house.
You're playing as poor old long-suffering Clancy yet again and the objective is just to survive. Surviving means killing anything that attacks, of course, and your aim is to make it through a number of waves of monsters. This even includes a terrifying cameo appearance from Jack, who'll come after you and need to be downed. Chilling.
Resident Evil 7 Bedroom Banned Tape: top tips for survival
The nature of this DLC makes it rather difficult to write a walkthrough for as we have for RE7 proper and for the Bedroom Banned Tape. That's because like any wave-based survival mode things change quite a bit as it all unravels - enemies approach from different angles and depending on your situation your supplies will be different.
What we can do, however, is offer some tips. Nightmare gets pretty damn difficult, but these tips cover the things we found to be vital to our survival of the mode in full. So... with that noted, let's get to it:
Activate all of the compactors
This is probably obvious if you've put any time into the mode already, but if you haven't allow us to make it clear: compactors are absolutely key. You'll find one in the room where you start, and there's more scattered about as you explore including one behind a door you can use corrosive to burn open. Compactors can hold up to 1000 scrap each, and scrap is the currency that will really determine your ability to survive.
Get as much scrap as you can and ensure you leave none behind on any occasion. Collect everything you can and be aware that the compactors stop working when each wave/hour's final boss enemies show up.
Scrap and resource management is key
In the earlier hours of Nightmare you might think that this is all pretty easy, but don't let the game lure you into a false sense of security. Scrap is your currency, but every time you 'buy' an item using scrap it'll become more expensive to buy the next time, and basically everything in this mode is consumable. High-end items such as traps and turrets should be saved for the finale of each hour, which is when things really reach a head. You should generally also keep in mind that later hours get significantly harder, so plan ahead.
Scrap is also used to boost your own skills (perhaps Clancy is a secret robot), and while things like reload speed upgrades and health boosts might seem less pressing than ammo early on you'll find that these long-term bonuses have a much greater impact as Nightmare wears on into the final in-game hours.
As mentioned above, compactors stop working before the finale of a wave, so you'll want to make sure you've grabbed any resources you need for that final wave before that happens. Manage your time and your stuff carefully. On that note...
Save ammo and pick weapons carefully
While the back end of Resident Evil 7 gets a bit more generous with ammunition, Nightmare is much more like the early parts of the game when you're scrambling around for any ammo you can find. You should pick weapons wisely - for the most part, the pistol should absolutely be your go-to weapon at all times. You should be aiming to hit molded in the head to take them down quickly at all times.
If all else fails, don't underestimate your knife. It's a great way to conserve ammo and if you find enemies need finishing off you might want to go for that instead of bullets, ducking, weaving and blocking as necessary to avoid getting hit. You won't want to use it all the time, but the one or two times you do might save you enough ammo to save your bacon later on.
The shotgun is your main back-up weapon for the molded, but other weapons should be conserved for special situations. The grenade launcher should only be used on groups of enemies, the more stubborn molded and of course Jack. Traps and turrets should really be saved for the bullet-sponge molded and Jack, too. If you waste these, you're sure to die, so think wisely.
Earn points by surviving and don't be afraid to start again
In a sense Nightmare Mode's structure is a little like another Capcom zombie slasher, Dead Rising. You're not going to finish this mode on your first attempt: it's not designed that way. But every time you play, you'll earn points for defeating enemies and surviving each hour of Clancy's nightmare. Expect to get a few rounds in and fail, but that's okay.
The points you earn are then used to buy upgrades you can take into another attempt. These bonuses will make all the difference and will gradually chip away at the difficulty, though later hours are going to be pretty damn difficult whatever you do. This mode is designed to be replayed and will be a little different each time you play it based on the approach you take, so get as far as you can but don't be afraid to lose your first couple of attempts and start over.