Resident Evil 2 – Who to Play as First: Leon or Claire?

Resident Evil 2’s 2019 remake marks the return of the iconic, zombie-filled adventure of Leon and Claire. Resident Evil 2 has a unique campaign structure that allows players to experience the game from each character’s perspective on different playthroughs, which prompts the question: who should you play as first? We’ll help you go over the options so that you can determine whether to play as Leon or Claire on your first playthrough of Resident Evil 2. 

Should You Play as Leon or Claire First?

The character you choose to start with in Resident Evil 2 might not seem like a significant choice at first, given that most of your cutscenes and experiences will be the same for either character on your first playthrough. The consequences of your character choice is reflected in your second playthrough, where you play the game again with whichever character you didn’t choose to start with. This is typically referred to as an A/B structure, with the first run being the A version of that character, and the second run the B version of the other.

On your second run, you will get to experience the game from the other character’s perspective, giving you different weapons to use and acquaintances to team up with. Although both Leon and Claire’s experiences are quite similar, you do get to meet different secondary characters, who eventually become playable characters later on. Leon teams up with Ada Wong, while Claire works alongside a young Sherry Birkin. 

Leon and Claire both start out with different handguns, and they each have different locations that they can access during their respective campaigns. There are a few scenes that are unique to either character as well. 

Other than that, your experiences in Resident Evil 2 will be mostly the same, regardless of whether you start as Leon or Claire. Leon may be the better choice for those who played the 1-Shot Demo prior to launch, but the choice is ultimately yours to make. Check out some of our other Resident Evil 2 guides to learn where to find safe dial codes as well as where to find every key in Resident Evil 2.